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New Director Would Book More Acts at Stambaugh
By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- As he looked back on the history of Stambaugh Auditorium, its new executive director noted that its stage has been the site of performances by everyone from Will Rogers, who opened the then-new facility, to major rock acts for the 1950s and '60s, Bob Dylan and John Williams and the Boston Pops."It would be great to promote the venue such that we would get performers such as that back here," said Arthur Ort of Boardman, who took over as Stambaugh's executive director Nov. 1. His predecessor, Barbara Armstrong, whose tenure began in 1990, retired in April.Ort would see the auditorium and its board make a big push is to increase community awareness of all it offers. Visitors have sent him numerous comments saying that they had never before been to Stambaugh, or that their visits were the first since they graduated from high school decades ago.He also wants to see greater use of the stage. In recent years, a large part of Stambaugh's business has come from renting space for wedding receptions and other social functions. He hopes to see bookings up to two or three each week. "What we're going to do is keep what we've had but we're going to place greater emphasis on bringing acts to the stage," he said. "It could be anything from a concert to a symphonic orchestra. We can even do small stage productions."Pam Palumbo, a Stambaugh director, applauds Ort's plans to return the focus to the stage. "This is a concert hall. Its intent was to be a concert hall and we're not using it to its intended capacity," she said. "It's unfortunate that it's been allowed to get that way, but the board feels that we should be holding more concert-type [events] here and we think that Art can help us do that." Ort, a Canfield native who graduated from Bowling Green University with a degree in marketing, said he brings a "diverse background" as well as a "strong business background."Before assuming his post at Stambaugh, Ort managed an Aldi's supermarket in Akron. "Organizations like this need to be run as a business in order to keep it going," he remarked. Palumbo also praised Ort's background, noting that his background includes work with nonprofit organizations, writing grants and management experience. Darlene Pavlock of the Home Savings Charitable Foundation, who said she has known Ort for several years, also lauded his selection. "He has a great intellect and talent that will set Stambaugh on fire, I hope," she said. Contact George Nelson at [email protected]"