Hugh Southern was a performing arts manager, known for his work as the executive director of
Theater Development Fund
The Theatre Development Fund (TDF) is a not-for-profit performing arts service organization in New York City. Created in 1968 to help an ailing New York theatre industry, TDF supports audiences and artists through a variety of programs. Initially ...
, acting chairman and deputy chairman of programs for the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
, Washington, D.C., and as the general manager of the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Biography
Hugh Southern was born March 20, 1932, to Norman and Phyllis Margaret (Hiller) in
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , RP: ), is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located on the River Tyne's northern bank opposite Gateshead to the ...
, England. He received his
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in English language and Literature in 1956 from
King's College, Cambridge
King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
, England. After moving to New York from London in 1955, he became active in the theater community, working as treasurer for the
Westport Country Playhouse
Westport Country Playhouse is a not-for-profit regional theater in Westport, Connecticut, Westport, Connecticut.
It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality ...
in Connecticut. From 1959–1962 he was administrative manager of the Theatre Guild-American Theatre Society. From 1962–1965, he served as assistant director of the
Repertory Theatre
A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.
United Kingdom ...
,
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
, and from 1965 to 1967 as its general manager. During this period, Southern also advised the producers of
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...
in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
. On the national front, Southern became managing associate for the
San Francisco Opera
The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
leading its Western Opera Theater touring company. He was acting director of the
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) serves to foster and advance the arts, culture, and creativity throughout New York State, according to its website. The goal of the council is to allow all New Yorkers to benefit from the contribution ...
and a director of both the New Dramatists, and the Film Forum. From 1978 to 1985 he was a trustee for the American Actor's Fund. Memberships include trustee for
Manhattan Country School
Manhattan Country School is an independent coeducational PreK–8 school with its main location in Manhattan and a farm in Roxbury, New York. Founded in 1966, it is distinctive because of its multicultural and progressive educational philosophy, ...
, New York City, where he was its chairman, 1971–1974.
From 1968 to 1982, Southern was the executive director of
Theatre Development Fund
The Theatre Development Fund (TDF) is a not-for-profit performing arts service organization in New York City. Created in 1968 to help an ailing New York theatre industry, TDF supports audiences and artists through a variety of programs. Initially ...
, the
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
organization for the performing arts that works to make theatre affordable and accessible. During that time, Southern was responsible for creating the first
TKTS
The TKTS ticket booths in New York City and London sell Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and dance events and West End theatre tickets, respectively, at discounts of 20–50% off the face value. It is owned by the Theatre Development Fund, a non-p ...
booth to sell discount tickets for Broadway productions. The inaugural booth, a trailer donated by New York City's Parks Department, opened in June 1973 in Duffy Square. During Southern's tenure, Theatre Development Fund grew to be one of the largest service organizations for the performing arts in the country. Theater Development Fund now operates four TKTS booths in NYC.
Following his time with the Theatre Development Fund, Southern worked for the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
, the independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity communities across the country. He spent several years as deputy chairman before being named acting chairman in 1989. That year, one of the photos in an exhibition of the work of
Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His '' Piss Christ'' (1987) is an amber-tinged photograph of ...
, which was supported by a $15,000 NEA grant, drew the ire of the religious right.
Southern's leadership during the controversy helped him land a position as general manager of The Metropolitan Opera in 1989 after a ten-month search by the Met. Southern's tenure was brief, and he resigned from the Met after nine months, stating that he had not found fulfillment in the position. Following this, Southern became a director for the Virginia Festival of American Film in Charlottesville, Virginia, until he retired.
Personal life
In 1954, Southern married Jane Rosemary Llewellyn, with whom he had two children, Hilary and William, with the marriage ending in divorce. In 1988, he married Kathy Ayers Dwyer and they had one child, Jaime, and he remained married until his death. Southern died on July 15 in a hospital in Leesburg, Virginia. He was 87. His wife, Kathy Dwyer Southern, said the cause was pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern, Hugh
1932 births
2019 deaths
Metropolitan Opera people
National Endowment for the Arts
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
People from Newcastle upon Tyne
American opera managers
English emigrants to the United States