In our new “Meet the Magic” series, we give you a glimpse behind the curtain and introduce you to the people who make the Magic happen.
Cari Turley is the Audience Development Manager. She’s the one who tweets and posts all those Facebook links, and you’ve probably talked to her if you’ve called the box office this season. She’s also the webmaster and our primary blogger, which means she really just interviewed herself and is now writing about herself in the third person.
…awkward.
Who is this mysterious character? Who’s taking care of Oedipus el Baby? What happened to #dailywig? Read on to find out!
How did you get your job here?
First, I met [former Managing Director] Scott Hawkins at a conference in Baltimore, and then I met [Artistic Producer] Erin Gilley at a different conference here in the city. When I heard there was an opening at the Magic, I jumped on it and emailed Scott and Erin before they even had a chance to post it on the website. I think they were a little freaked out by my enthusiasm, but I got the job.
What do you do?
Primarily, I’m the box office manager, which means I sell tickets, set policies about selling tickets, things like that. I keep track of where everyone is sitting and try to make sure everyone who wants to see the show gets a chance to do that. I’m also the webmaster, the social media manager, and part of the marketing team, so really I get to stick my nose in everything.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
They pay me to use Facebook! Actually, the best part is that every day is different. I have so many disparate responsibilities that no two days are exactly the same, which keeps me interested and excited about my job. And I love my “work husband,” [Patron Services Manager] Baruch Porras-Hernandez (we just adopted a baby!), who sits next to me all day and cracks me up. Yesterday, he made me laugh so hard I actually started crying. Have you noticed that almost every one of these “Meet the Magic” posts turns into a love letter to Baruch? There’s a reason for that.
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Audience Development Manager Cari Turley
What have you learned from your job?
I’ve learned a ton about customer service, especially from Baruch. I feel like I know more about Sam Shepard than his own mother. And Luis Alfaro is a man who can hold his liquor.
What do you do when you’re not at the Magic?
I’m the co-captain of the San Francisco Wiffle Ball League, which just started back up for the season, so that keeps me pretty busy. I’m also working on a short film that I wrote as a teenager, and as soon as I convince my friends to yield all their spare time to me for the next couple of months, we’re going to start shooting. I also watch a really unhealthy amount of The X-Files.
What happened to #dailywig?
When I took over the Twitter account, I tried to get people involved by posting a daily photo of a staff member in a wig. We have these great wigs hanging on the wall in the office, and it seemed like a really good idea at the time. Unfortunately, there are only two wigs and about a dozen of us, so as you can imagine the combinations were pretty limited. I had hoped that our followers would get involved and post their own pictures, but it kind of fizzled out before we got that far. If you want to bring it back, post something! I search for the hashtag every day, so I’ll see it!
What advice do you have for people trying to get a job in theatre?
I’m not going to say “volunteer” because that’s what everyone says, even though it’s true. I think it’s more important to love what you do. If you love it, you’re going to work hard at it, and you’re going to get good at it. People will notice. I mean, you still have to apply for a thousand different jobs and be willing to work (really work) your way up, but it’ll happen. And don’t be a jerk, because the theatre community is small and everyone talks.
If you weren’t doing theatre, what would you be doing?
I’m one of those people who picks about twelve new careers in the course of a ten-minute walk, but lately I’ve been thinking about opening a candy shop.