Gallo Center celebrates record sales as 10th season’s acts revealed

After another record-breaking season, Modesto’s Gallo Center for the Arts has announced a 10th anniversary schedule with big names and proven favorites.

The downtown performing arts venue recorded it’s seventh season in the black in a row since it originally opened in 2007. Gallo Center Chief Executive Officer Lynn Dickerson said this past season saw a record $5.475 million in ticket sales, up from $5.086 million the previous year.

“I’m super pleased. Last year was a record season and I thought we’d never top that or that it would be a long time before we did it again,” Dickerson said. “But here we are.”

The 2015-16 season saw steady growth in almost all areas from the previous year. The center improved on its attendance (rising to 196,000 from 194,000 last year), percentage of house sold (rising to 77.1 percent from 76 percent last year) and number of sellouts (rising to 61 from 50 last year). The year brought in major headlining acts such as Jay Leno, Kristin Chenoweth and Blue Man Group.

Now, heading into its 10th anniversary season, Dickerson said the center wanted to continue that success with its new lineup, which brings back some familiar names as well as offering new faces in the world of rock, classical, dance, comedy, Broadway and beyond.

“Putting the season together is a lot like making a stew. I don’t really have a recipe. I look at every single show on its own merits. I’m not going to say we need four comedians, six rock and roll bands, five of that,” she said. “But I do try to make sure we’re not too top heavy on any one thing.”

The 2016-17 season opener Sept. 17 will be “America’s Got Talent” winner and comedian Terry Fator, whose ventriloquist act has headlined Las Vegas. Other acts making their Gallo Center debut will be R&B legend Gladys Knight (Aug. 4) and Prince protegée Sheila E. (Sept. 9). On the comedy side, MADtv alum Frank Caliendo (Aug. 5) and Blue Collar Comedy Tour veteran Ron White (Sept. 16) will make their first Modesto appearances.

“It’s always the goal to bring in new talent and that’s part of the stew each year,” Dickerson said. “There are tried-and-true acts people will come see again and again. But part of what we always want to do is bring in new talent that people have never seen before.”

Still, the schedule does have plenty of those tried-and-true acts and repeat performers. Returning will be several past sell-out entertainers including classical violin maestro Itzhak Perlman (Jan. 15) and Mexican pop diva Gloria Trevi (Oct. 1). Comic Gabriel Iglesias, known by fans as “Fluffy,” sold out back-to-back shows last season and is back for back-to-back shows again this season (Oct. 9).

“We booked these shows soon again because all these shows had huge waiting lists and we know there were a bunch of people who would have liked to see them who didn’t get a chance to,” Dickerson said.

Also returning will be Mexican superstar Pepe Aguilar, who made his Gallo Center debut in 2014 with a sold-out show. The same is expected for his back-to-back performances at the center July 8. Only about 300 seats are still available between the two shows in the 1,250-seat Mary Stuart Rogers Theater. Dickerson said this will more than likely be the last Aguilar booking the center has in the near future. The ranchera and mariachi great has indicated he won’t be playing venues smaller than 3,000 seats anymore.

“We’re proud of the breakthrough we’ve made in the Latino market and we’re working hard to continue to do that this season,” Dickerson said.

But one area in which Dickerson said she was a little more gun-shy this season was speakers. Last year, a breast cancer awareness month show featuring actor Rob Lowe sold less than half of the house.

The center will instead offer a robust slate of touring Broadway shows including “Once” (Nov. 17), “Rent” (Jan. 18) and “Dirty Dancing” (Jan. 31-Feb.1); rock greats including Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Aug. 6), Jethro Tull (Oct. 21) and Foreigner (Oct. 29); and specialty acts including the vocalists from Celtic Thunder (Nov. 9), the dance troupe of Twyla Tharp (Oct. 11) and wild animals from Jack Hanna (Nov. 5).

Subscription tickets for the new season are on sale now at the Gallo Center box office or at www.galloarts.org. Select individual show tickets through September are also available for purchase.

Dickerson said the center’s 10th anniversary season should be a milestone for the venue and the community.

“Obviously there were a lot of naysayers when the Gallo Center opened who thought it was a big boondoggle,” she said. “But I’m thrilled to say this thing is alive and well and adding vitality and economic growth to the whole downtown.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Gallo Center celebrates record sales as 10th season’s acts revealed."