The president of Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre has received the industry’s highest honor for excellence in theater management.
Ron Legler, president of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, received The Broadway League’s 2023 League Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management at the 33rd annual Spring Road conference in New York City this month. It’s the top award that can be given to an executive of a performing arts venue that presents touring Broadway productions.
Legler recently marked his ninth year as president of the France-Merrick center, home of the 2,300-seat Hippodrome Theatre at 12 N. Eutaw St. The Hippodrome is part of the Broadway Across America network, considered the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America.
While in Baltimore, Legler has increased the Hippodrome’s subscriber base and succeeded in getting Maryland’s General Assembly to pass legislation that encourages new productions to start in Maryland. He oversaw preparations for Netflix to present comedian Chris Rock’s “Selective Outrage” special in March before a full house at the Hippodrome – the platform’s first live-streamed event.
Later this year, Legler and the France-Merrick center will to open a $21 million, 10,000-square-foot flexible performance and events center called the M&T Bank Exchange, in the former Eutaw Savings Bank building next to the Hippodrome. A grand opening is scheduled for October, with some “soft opening” events leading up to it, and the France-Merrick center will open its booking calendar for the venue in July.
A 28-year industry veteran, Legler is also a tireless advocate for the west side of downtown Baltimore, promoting not only the Hippodrome but the new home of Lexington Market, the CFG Bank Arena, Everyman Theatre and other destinations in and around the Bromo Arts & Entertainment District.
The Broadway League is the national trade association for the Broadway industry, which includes theatre owners and operators, producers and others who bring Broadway productions to more than 200 cities across the U. S. and Canada.
Since 1992, the League Awards have recognized those who display exemplary service to the Touring Broadway industry and are regarded as innovators in their profession. This year’s conference drew 850 attendees representing 150 markets in North America.
“I am blown away by this extreme honor and proudly share this award with everyone on our hardworking team at the Hippodrome,” Legler said in a statement. “I am so grateful to my esteemed colleagues and the work we accomplish together, including bringing the magic of live theater to hundreds of thousands of people in the great state of Maryland. There is nothing like seeing Broadway in the heart of downtown Baltimore!”
