The living history of a landmark theater: Bernie Griffin at TEDxRainier

Built in 1926, the 5th Avenue Theatre has been the heart of downtown Seattle—and the venue for TEDxRainier 2013. Bernie Griffin, Managing Director of the 5th Avenue Theatre shares its colorful past: the large crowds at its grand opening; its decline and closing during the late 70's; and its rebirth in 1980 through the efforts of community leaders, since becoming a venue for more than 4,000 productions.

Bernie Griffin was appointed Managing Director in January 2010 and is responsible for the administrative, fundraising, information services and facility operations as well as oversight of all activities related to the Board of Directors. Griffin first joined the Theatre in 2002 as Director of Theater Advancement and Development. During her tenure The 5th Avenue has grown from a $10 million to a $22 million organization.

Prior to The 5th Avenue, she served as Director of Development for the prestigious Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles as well as The Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California. Before moving to California, she served at the Seattle Symphony and was part of the team that built Benaroya Hall. Griffin also worked for the Tony Award-winning Seattle Repertory Theatre as well as Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre in New York. She is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theater and a board member of Seattle Rotary #4. Most recently, she served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts. She is married to award-winning actor, Seán G. Griffin.

This talk was given November 9, 2013 in Seattle at TEDxRainier, a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)