Q&A: Performing Arts Producers Kathleen Felder and Elena Perantoni

Elena Perantoni: I got into performing when I was in high school, and I was cut from the first thing I tried out for—I was like, ‘I’m never going to be a performer!’ I did go to Denison University as a theater performance major, but when I was in college still, I had an internship in New York City for a Broadway general manager. I instantly knew that I could contribute more to the arts and storytelling in general by working on the administrative side of theater and performance.  

Kathleen Felder: I grew up playing double bass, and in middle and high school I fell really in love with jazz music. I played in jazz bands and was in a lot of groups around town like the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra through Jazz Arts Group. I studied bass throughout college, I was a performance major. After grad school, I moved to New York. I was performing a lot, but I always had a knack for the administrative side—I would get pulled into managing the band, scheduling, being in charge of the library. So, I started working at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and they had some education programs I was involved in. That sort of led more and more into a full-time position. 

EP: It’s a very broad position. There’s the artistic side of it, which is curating and cultivating artists, learning about what’s out there, who’s available, who’s a good fit for the center. But there’s also the management part of it—taking care of artists and making sure their travel and hospitality is taken care of.  

KF: I’d say it’s about anything you could think of and everything you can’t think of to make a show happen. You’re a one-woman show. 

EP: Right! 

KF: In here, but also anywhere. This position sort of lends itself to that. You’re working all the way up to finding and bringing in great artists, but also you might be grabbing their dinner that night so the event and everything in between can happen.  

EP: There are the tangible things—being organized, knowing the ins and outs of contracts. But the intangible thing is to really want to take care of an artist, not to feel jealous that you aren’t the one on stage, in a sense, because you’re facilitating the storytelling in a different way. If I’m on stage, I love the attention. But if I’m off-stage, I don’t—I want the artists to get that attention and that love. 

KF:  Yeah. I think being detail-oriented and focused is part of it, but also being really understanding, working with people and being able to remove yourself from it personally so that you can bring an artist together with an institution by finding out what both parties need. 

EP: I think that those of us who grew up in performing arts have been asked to fill multiple roles—sometimes when you’re putting on a show, you have to be the producer, be the star, run the soundboard. You have to know when to jump in and help or when to step back. Being a problem solver in the moment is really important. You have to be the person that runs towards the problem and says, ‘How can I help?’ 

KF: I knew you were going to ask this.  

EP: I’ve lived in Columbus since 2006, and for me, what I’ve seen come through the Wexner Center is always more thought-provoking and evocative and new and different. It definitely aligns with the values I look for in art—telling a story that needs to be told, that no one’s heard before. I think the Wex has always been a beacon of that for me. 

KF: I would say that moving back to Columbus from New York, it opened my eyes to how small the market is here and how few opportunities there are to actually produce and present contemporary performance art. I definitely jumped at the opportunity to get to do what I do. I was also really excited to hear about possibly bringing back some jazz. 

KF: As you know, I have a love for music and jazz, in particular. I remember growing up in the ‘90s and the early 2000s and seeing some really amazing jazz artists in Columbus. Continuing and building up that reputation of this being a place to see music is really exciting to me. I hope to have the chance that in a few years, people are like, ‘Oh, I want to see a jazz artist, and I know that if they come through town, they’re probably going to be at the Wex.’ 

EP: My aspirations are a little broader. My background is in theater and dance, but I’m really interested in how we can make any kind of art more accessible. I don’t just mean that from a ticket price standpoint, but how we can get into our immediate community, bring people into the center and give them these great experiences. I look forward to bringing in events that people feel like they can connect with, even if they’re not familiar with the Wexner Center.  

EP: The best and most heartbreaking thing about theater is that it’s ephemeral. You can be a part of an amazing production with a wonderful group of people, and three weeks of performances later, it’s over. There’s some magic that you created left in the space, but the show’s gone and it doesn’t come back. Even if you do a play that’s been produced by hundreds of companies, every single one is different. There’s something magic about that. 

KF: Jazz and music are very similar to that—if it’s done right, it’s never exactly the same twice. If it’s done right, it speaks to the human experience. Depending on what you’re listening to, there are so many memories and feelings attached to a song, and everyone listening is feeling that, but it’s a different experience for everyone in the room. It’s a vehicle to transport you out of your everyday life. It gives you something to look forward to, to hope about. I think that’s so important. 

EP: Yeah. I like to look for art that has room for the performer to experiment throughout the process, and to hear voices from people who come from different backgrounds.  

KF: I’m looking for integrity and the artist being true to themselves, but then also pushing the envelope. The longer I’ve been in this industry, the more important I think it is to just be kind to people and receive that in return. The integrity of showing up and, no matter if the artist is very popular or someone no one has heard of, treating them the same way, and treating their project with the same amount of effort. Doing their work justice, no matter who it is.  

EP: And that goes back to the first question, what is our job: our job is to take care of artists and make sure they feel welcome.