Top VPA producer retires

April 8, 2005

CASEY RESSLER/Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

Valley Performing Arts' managing producer recently retired after a four-year run in the organization's only paid position.

Managing Producer John Fairfield's last day was March 29. Currently, volunteers are working in VPA's office while the organization tries to find someone to take Fairfield's place.

"The decision was made in mid-March. I'm on vacation now," Fairfield said.

Under Fairfield's leadership, VPA grew significantly. New records for attendance were established, and season ticket sales rose.

Prior to the 2004-05 season, Fairfield was excited about the growth - with a week before the first show, "Sweet Charity," season ticket sales for the current season were up 25 percent from the year before, with 15 percent more season ticket renewals.

That kind of success has become the norm for the organization lately - in 2003, VPA enjoyed a banner year as well, selling out 26 shows.

"I'm quite proud of that, frankly," Fairfield said in 2003. "It's a measure of our audiences' awareness that we have a lively theater group here in the Valley. Every time we sold out, that was a time in which we could have sold more tickets had we had a bigger facility."

While Fairfield was a member of the board of directors, he helped oversee the move of VPA to its current location in Wasilla. Previously, the theater group was holding performances on the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

In the summer of 1996, the move to the 1-acre lot in the city of Wasilla was completed, allowing VPA to break all attendance records in the first season.

For now, volunteers will be staffing the positions at the VPA offices, said Yvonne Oliver, who is the vice president of the board of directors for VPA.

"We have a committee who will be hiring one or two positions," Oliver said. "John was tired, tired, tired, so he decided to retire."

Godspell Junior, the annual children's production, runs through this weekend, with performances tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Machetanz Theatre.

The final VPA production of the season, "The Miracle Worker," opens April 29 and runs through May 22, with longtime VPA Artistic Director Grant Olson directing the show.