Ron Jewell, Vice President of Halloran Centre Operations, has announced plans to retire. Jewell joined the Orpheum Theatre Group in 2015 helping to establish and usher in the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education that officially opened to the public just three months after his arrival to the organization.
“Ron Jewell’s stature is tall in the entertainment industry; his accomplishments many,” said Orpheum President & CEO Brett Batterson. “We are grateful to Ron for the mark he has made on the Orpheum Theatre Group. He has made the young Halloran Centre a go-to destination for events and performances and his legacy will continue to be felt throughout the years.”
Through his eight years of service to the Orpheum Theatre Group and specifically through his leadership at the Halloran Centre, Jewell took a blank slate of a building and created rental policies, performance opportunities, maintenance schedules, and a myriad of other planning that it takes to get a facility like the Halloran Centre off the ground.
His annual On Stage at the Halloran Centre entertainment series included successful runs of the Kafé Kirk Series (featuring Kirk Whalum), Robert Moody presents The Orchestra Unplugged Series in collaboration with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis Songwriters Series hosted by Mark Edgar Stuart. He also booked legendary artists like The Bar Kays, Booker T Jones, Mary Wilson, Wendy Moten, Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, and many more. Under his leadership, the Halloran Centre has hosted mayoral debates, The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Inductions, the Indie Memphis Film Festival, AutoZone meetings, a red-carpet event for the premiere of Bluff City Law, the pre-show reception for the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual Freedom Award, and most recently the National AIDS Memorial Quilt. The Halloran Centre also touts a successful private rentals business including corporate events, weddings, and more.
Before joining the Orpheum Theatre Group, Jewell served as the Director of the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center for 21 years. Additionally, he served as the Marketing Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Director of Entertainment and Promotions with The Peabody Hotel, and as an Account Executive with Susan Bloch and Co. in New York City.
In addition to his work in the arts administration sector, Jewell is widely known for his full-length one-man theatrical tour de force “Mark Twain At-Large” where he has embodied the humorist Samuel Clemens for audiences both locally and nationally for over 40 years.
Ron Jewell’s last day at the Orpheum Theatre Group will be June 30, 2023. The Group is actively planning a succession strategy that is expected to be announced in the fall.
About the Orpheum Theatre Group:
The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. For more information, visit orpheum-memphis.com.