Audience members at The Redfern Arts Center have a new face to look for in the Audience Services Coordinator position. The role was filled by Tarin Nichols, who will oversee all aspects of audience interaction.
The Audience Services Coordinator position is new. The Performing Arts Program Manager & Artistic Director, Stephanie Bass Abrams, says the role combines previous Redfern staff positions.
“The whole intention behind it and bringing Rin [Tarin] onto this role is to have somebody within the Redfern who’s really dedicated to serving the audience’s needs and ensuring that they have the experience that we want them to have,” said Abrams.
Nichols has attended many shows at the Redfern and has even expressed interest to Abrams about wanting to work behind the scenes. As someone who had not worked or attended Keene State, Nichols said she is excited to bring a new face into the Redfern.
“I’m hoping to bring in a new energy. We’re excited to clean up and revamp our day-to-day functions and see what works better, see if we can improve anything,” said Nichols. “Being an outside face is going to be beneficial to that.”
While adding this new role, Nichols will also take over duties for the Front of House Manager and Website Content Administrator. That role is currently held by KSC alum ‘25 Tori Young, who will be heading to graduate school at Florida State University in the fall.
“When I was a freshman, there was an audience services coordinator that fulfilled the role of my position and the box office manager position,” Young said. “We’re kind of reigniting that vision of having one person to fulfill both roles.”
Young went on to discuss the new role, saying, “Before we hired Rin, and before we even posted the job, we had a discussion about changing the ways the roles were distributed for best success for both our team and the audience experience,” said Young.
In the new position, Nichols said she aims to further engage with attendees and create opportunities to attract future audience members. While learning the job, Nichols said there are many initiatives the staff is working on to improve the Redfern experience.
“At the moment, I am mostly in the box office and learning the ins and outs of the office and how it functions,” Nichols said, “But I will also be taking on some social media aspects. We are going to be trying to bring back the concessions here, so we are working on game planning that to have that available for the next season.”
Abrams commented on the development of concession options, saying, “That’s something that Rin’s working on bringing back. That is something that can also enhance the audience’s experience.”
Adding experiences like this can further increase the number of community members and students who attend shows at the Redfern, according to Abrams.
“We do have to really work to make the whole experience worthwhile for people, and the performances that we are offering already speak for themselves,” said Abrams.
Both Abrams and Young have been working with Nichols to help her get settled in the new position, and Nichols says she is in a great position to begin the role.
“They have been amazing. I couldn’t ask for better teachers,” Nichols said. “They have been thorough and very communicative, and they are very accepting of the fact that I am new here and have a lot to learn.”
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