Leading in Central MA: Paul Overton of The Center at Eagle Hill

Monday, November 18, 2013

Susan Wagner, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

In his twenty-five year career in the performing arts, Paul Overton has worked with a tremendous variety of organizations, from the smallest community theaters to some of the most well known producing organizations in the United States. He is known among his colleagues as a community builder, a careful curator, and an advocate for the arts in education.

In his position as Director of The Center, Paul is excited to expand the role that the arts play in the community of Hardwick, the culture of Eagle Hill School, and the region of Central Massachusetts. Through strengthening Cultural Center offerings, engaging audience participation, and booking a greater variety of acts from around the globe, Paul hopes to position The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill as the most recognized name for arts presenting in Central Massachusetts.

A Conversation with Paul Overton

SW: Lets talk first about your career. How did your career begin and where?

PO: I took a rather serpentine route to where I am. My Masters was in technical theater and I worked in theater in California. Because of coincidence and circumstance, my partner and I headed out on a ten year tour to teach swing dancing all over the planet. After a while we were ready to stay in one place and settled in North Carolina where I taught high school.

SW: What led you to your current career path?

PO: I ended up moving into a career as production manager at Duke University for a robust, sixty-show season. I learned a lot about the producing side rather than the technical. When the position opened here, I jumped at the chance to not only run a midsize theater but also return to teaching, which I love.

SW: What makes The Center at Eagle Hill special?

PO: Partly it is its semi-remote location. There aren’t a lot of other things to do in Hardwick in terms of live entertainment and people are always astonished when they come for the first time that a beautiful cultural center would be located in what some would consider to be the middle of nowhere. In terms of practical considerations, we try to keep our ticket prices as low as possible and provide a place for the community to share each other’s company and experience art.

SW: Can you describe a day in your life?

PO: My day starts at 8 in the morning with a Jam Band class that I co-teach. I follow that with an hour of correspondence and then teach a scenery construction class to get ready for the fall play. A break for lunch is followed by working on next season’s programming, the marketing for this season, handling the logistics and anything else that I need to do. At night, I am in rehearsal for our fall production that I have two roles in.

SW: Who or what has had the greatest influence on your life?

PO: I am all over the place with this question as there are so many. My parents are both artists so I was born with a pen and brush in my hands. They gave me the idea that everything you do is creative, destructive, or simply passive. I try my best to bring a creative spirit to everything I do, from the thrill of booking a season to the most mundane of tasks. It’s a meditation of sorts and a good reminder to myself that I always have a choice about how I perceive the world and operate within it.

SW: Your favorite quote?

PO: Argh! So many. But I would say that I am greatly influenced by Harper Lee’s character from To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch. The quote I like above all others is:

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

SW: What is the something that few people know about you?

PO: Few people know the scope of my dance career or that I was in a reggae band. I am also a dog fanatic although people may have figured that out since I am always dropping down to the ground to pet any dog that I see.

SW: How do you spend your free time?

PO: I work on music, watch documentaries, read a lot of music biographies, play instruments. I like to search for new artists that are underrepresented on not represented as well as those well known.

SW: How are you involved with the community?

PO: We hope to expand offerings to the community and bring in more adult classes and lectures. We are getting more involved with the needs of the community. This year, we have a special partnership with Country Bank that allows us to give any proceeds over cost to local charities. We provide tickets and a bus to bring kids from Hardwick Youth Center to performances. Our kids pack food at the Hardwick Food Pantry and we are using our bus to help with food deliveries now that they have had to move to a less central location. The idea is that we are not only a performing arts center, but a place that encourages involvement and participates in the community, addressing any needs where we can be of assistance.

SW: Any special plans for the future?

PO: I am a project-based person and see things in chunks of 2-5 years. For the next 5, I would like to increase funding and level of performance as well as increasing the level of community involvement in The Center. We hope to bring in more folks from surrounding areas like Worcester and the towns in Western Mass. It’s my goal to continue and build upon the excellent work of my predecessor to make The Center the most vibrant and enjoyable place to experience art in Central Massachusetts.

Susan Wagner is the president of Susan Wagner PR . In this challenging economy, she has begun a new division to offer affordable start-up packages to new and emerging small businesses and non-profit organizations that include professional writing services, websites, collateral, marketing, social media, grassroots outreach and PR campaigns.

If you have suggestions for a profile, please email [email protected] .

Related Slideshow: Check Out The Grades: Massachusetts Hospitals Report Card

A recent survey released by The Leapfrog Group assigns a Hospital Safety Score, using the report card system of A to F to each of the hospitals in Rhode Island. These grades are based on expert analysis of injuries, infections and errors that cause harm or death during a hospital stay.

Let's see how each of Massachusetts' hospitals were graded from highest to lowest:

Leading in Central MA: Paul Overton of The Center at Eagle Hill

Related Slideshow: Check Out The Grades: Massachusetts Hospitals Report Card

Addison Gilbert Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Anna Jaques Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: B

Baystate Franklin Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Baystate Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Berkshire Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Milton

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: B

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Beverly Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Boston Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Cambridge Health Alliance: Cambridge

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Cambridge Health Alliance: Whidden

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Cape Cod Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Carney Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Charlton Memorial Hospital: Southcoast Hospitals Group

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: B

Emerson Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: B

Hallmark Health System: Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Hallmark Health System: Melrose-Wakefield Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Harrington Memorial Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Holy Family Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Jordan Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: C

Lahey Hospital and Medical Center

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Leonard Morse Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Lowell General Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A

Marlborough Hospital

Fall 2013 Grade: A

Spring 2013 Grade: A