Fox Theater Names Patricia Iron General Manager

Mar 15, 2007

For Immediate Release

Contact: Elizabeth Thompson (509) 326-3136 ext. 32

SPOKANE: The Fox Theater announced today the hiring of Patricia Iron as General Manager of the theater after conducting a nationwide search. This new position supports the Fox Theater's commitment to reopen its doors in November of this year. The nonprofit organization is in the process of reclaiming the historic art deco theater and renovating it into a regional performing arts center and home for the Spokane Symphony.

"There is a jewel of a theater hidden away in the heart of downtown, Iron said. Spokane residents are going to be amazed and delighted when the Fox Theater opens once again. I am excited to help the Fox be an integral part of the community and bring it to life for all residents and visitors in the region."

Iron spent nine years as Events Director for the Portland Center for the Performing Arts in Portland, Oregon. In the three-building, five-theater complex, she managed event needs of approximately 1,000 events with 1.1 million patrons each year and served nine resident companies, including the Oregon Symphony.

We are so excited to have a Fox Manager with the fine qualifications Patricia Iron brings to this job. This is an important next step toward opening the Fox as the home of the Spokane Symphony and a regional performing arts center, said Brenda Nienhouse, executive director of both the Spokane Symphony and the Fox Theater.

Most recently, as Executive Director of the Tower Theatre Foundation, Iron oversaw the renovation of an historic movie house into a state-of-the-art performing arts theater in Bend, Oregon, the first of its type in Central Oregon. There she collaborated with architects and contractors during its construction phase and managed overall sales, operation, and maintenance of the facility in its start-up phase. In its first year of operation, Iron was successful in hosting a wide-range of events, bringing a diverse culture to the region.

Iron received a Bachelors degree in Theatre Administration from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and is a graduate of the IAAM Public Assembly Facility Management School.