FACES ‘94: Some Names to Be Reckoned With in the New Year : CULTURAL PROGRAMMING : Tom Tomlinson

Tom Tomlinson was an unknown quantity locally when he was picked in July to succeed Thomas R. Kendrick as head of the O.C. Performing Arts Center. Five months after his arrival from Anchorage (he was director of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts), it still remains unclear what kind of stamp Tomlinson will put on the county’s 7-year-old cultural edifice.

As executive director, he supervises some programming for the 2,994-seat hall (basically the musical theater, ballet and jazz series; outside groups provide classical music, opera and choral music). Tomlinson, 43, also oversees the building’s annual budget of about $18 million.

Observers are waiting to see if he can maintain the quality of the center’s ballet offerings, a task made increasingly difficult by the continuing financial woes of many touring troupes. The real test for Tomlinson may come when and if the center expands; the addition of a concert hall and a smaller theater have long been on the drawing boards, but plans remain stymied by the economy.

* MORE FACES FOR ’94 / Rock: Cadillac Tramps; rap: Domino; country: Bobbie Cryner; classical, Michael Kieran Harvey; theater: Cheryl L. West; movie making: Ron Mita, Jim McClain; family: Parachute Express; jazz: Christian McBride. F4