Mary Jane Avans has been a dedicated force in the ticketing and performing arts industry for over four decades. Her remarkable journey began in 1984 when the late Dee Fowler brought her into the box office at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

“She hired me for my first ticketing job,” says Avans. “So, she pretty much launched my career in ticketing … She was not only my mentor but a dear friend.”

Mary Jane and Dee at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Avans continues, “I admire women who have gone on to have great careers in ticketing, and I have seen quite a few of them. [I also admire] people who have stayed in one industry for a very long time, moved up and done great things … Maureen Andersen is certainly one who has inspired me. I met her early on in my career, and she was in a similar position at the Denver Center at the time. Seeing her go on to be the president of INTIX is inspiring. Other women who have inspired me in their ticketing careers include Jennifer Staats Moore. The women in this industry who have risen and gone on to have great careers all inspire me.”

Many would count Mary Jane Avans as an inspiration herself.

“I have been lucky in all the jobs I've had,” she says. “I have been lucky that I've been able to move up in my roles. Starting out at the Fox Theatre, it was fun. My first career move into being a director, when I went to the Atlanta Symphony, was certainly memorable, [as was] taking all of my experience from working at the Symphony and the Alliance Theatre and starting my career at SD&A 25 years ago.”

Mary Jane at the Fox Theatre ticket office circa 1986.

Those transitions were exciting and challenging in the best way for Avans. Another organization that has played an integral role in her career is INTIX.

“I’ve been a member since 1990,” she shares. “Very early on in my history with INTIX, it was really helpful in my career to know people in like positions in other cities. At the time, I was working at the Atlanta Symphony as Director of Season Tickets. I found a lot of benefit in talking to people at other symphony orchestras that were running subscription programs, and it is very helpful to have peers to call on when you need advice. I think the organization was instrumental in helping me do well in my career as I was starting out.”

Even in her current role, networking remains one of the biggest benefits of INTIX membership. “You never know when you will meet someone who might need our services, so I try to meet as many people as I can when I’m at INTIX,” she says. “There are so many people who have been in INTIX and going to the conferences for a long time. That is a huge benefit, and I keep going to the conference to see some old friends and stay connected.”

Mary Jane (right) with Elizabeth McClain (left) at INTIX 2018 in Baltimore.

Among her most memorable INTIX experiences are the two years when Atlanta was the conference host city. “The first time was in 1991. I remember we got snowed in because Atlanta doesn’t get snow that often. That week in January, we got pummeled with snow, and when it snows here, everything shuts down. So that was an interesting week … The second time, in 2002, I headed up the special events committee. I remember being involved in planning the parties to make sure that everyone had a good time when they were in Atlanta.”

Mary Jane (left) and the late Carolyn Gant (right) with a character actor hired for a 2002 INTIX conference party at the Fox Theatre.

She continues, “Another memorable INTIX was in Chicago in 1996. That year, it snowed in Atlanta as well, so a group of us from Atlanta got snowed in, in Chicago, and we couldn't leave because of the snow here in Atlanta, but we made the best of it and had a great time. All the flights were cancelled coming into Atlanta, so we got to stay in Chicago for an extra weekend. This was my first time going to Chicago. I had no idea it could be so cold!”

Mary Jane receives a recognition plaque at INTIX 2019 in Texas. It was presented by then Board Chair Kay Burnham (left) for her work as Co-Chair of the Exhibit Relations and Sponsorship Committee from 2016 to 2019.

One of the qualities Avans values most, both in life and in the workplace, is humor. “As many challenges as we have had in our roles throughout my career, the ability to roll with the punches and when things don't go as planned … finding humor in that and being able to laugh with colleagues together [is important to me],” she says. “In the darkest of times, finding humor so you can get through [anything] has been a quality I have admired in colleagues and people in general.  If you can laugh about it, it will be okay!”

Beyond humor, Avans has always valued honesty and leadership that fosters connection. “Thinking of people I have worked for over the years, I think I respond better to a leader if they are also your friend … instead of just a boss,” she explains.

Her love for the performing arts has extended beyond leadership and ticketing — it has also been fueled by unforgettable experiences in the audience. “People in this industry get to see a lot of live events. Most of them are wonderful in their own way. [One of my most memorable was] the first time I saw Les Mis at the Fox Theatre, which is still to this day my favorite musical. The other one, I would say, is the first time I saw a Cirque du Soleil performance. I was blown away. To this day, I love all of the Cirque performances.”

Avans’ passion for live events has extended not only to the performances themselves but also to the venues that showcase them. “The Fox Theatre in Atlanta is pretty hard to beat, not just because I worked there, but because it is such a charming place to see a show,” she says. “I also love outdoor venues. I worked at the Symphony for many years, and we did summer concerts at Chastain Park here in Atlanta. I used to love to go and sit outside and listen to music. One of my dreams before I die is to go to a concert at Red Rocks. It’s on my bucket list for sure.”

Mary Jane at the Atlanta Symphony “Music of Led Zepplin” concert at Chastain Park.

Her deep admiration for music has provided a soundtrack to different phases of her life. “I tend to love the older musicians from the ‘70s, like Neil Young and Joan Baez. I listen to them a lot, and then I went through a period in the ‘90s where I loved tortured female artists like Tori Amos and Joan Osborne … [I also listened to] Alanis Morissette and Indigo Girls, who kind of spoke to me. These days, I find myself listening to the older stuff, particularly Neil Young and old Tom Petty.”

Though she has spent a lifetime immersed in music, Avans regrets that she could never belt out a tune like the artists she adores. “If I could do my life over, I would maybe take singing lessons as a child,” she says. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but I really admire people who have a great singing voice. I would love to have a voice like Idina Menzel or someone who can mesmerize the audience with their voice. I would love to sing Broadway showtunes. I absolutely love Broadway shows and musicals, so that would be my goal, my dream.”

While her career has been a major part of her life, Avan’s greatest love is her family, especially her three grandsons. “My three grandsons are getting older now. They are all college-age. Watching them grow up, spending time with them, and seeing the individuals they’ve become has been great. I truly love that part of my life.”

Mary Jane and her grandsons during their younger years.

She elaborates, “I'm super proud of my grandsons and seeing them at this point in time as they are all in school pursuing their careers … I have one grandson going to school at UT San Antonio studying cybersecurity and another at Oglethorpe University studying history, and he will likely end up teaching. My youngest grandson is going to trade school here in Atlanta and wants to be a welder.

Mary Jane’s three grandsons as adults.

Outside of work, Avans enjoys greenery and gardening. “I’m into plants, so I do have quite a collection of houseplants. I garden in the summer months here. I have a lot of things that I've planted [outside], so I constantly have a list of things that I need to do in the yard, too,” she shares.

She also has a strong connection to animals, particularly cats. “I am known in my neighborhood as the cat rescuer. I live in an older neighborhood in Atlanta. When we moved here, there were a lot of feral cats or homeless cats. They were not neutered or spayed, so I was the one who figured out how to trap them. There is a program where you can take them and have them neutered or spayed. The challenge was that in one year, five litters of feral kittens were born in my block. I would go out and rescue them and find homes for the kittens. Since I've been very diligent about making sure that all the kitties are spayed and neutered, there are not as many as we used to have. That's one of the things that has stayed on my to-do list is: take care of cats.”

“My ferals are growing like wildflowers,” says Mary Jane.

Avans continues, “I only have two cats now. They are both older cats. Smokie is my 16-year-old, and Lucy, her daughter, is my 15-year-old … Smokie was a feral cat. We eventually socialized her and got her to come inside. She showed up here in our backyard. We started feeding her … and called her Smokie because she was a solid gray cat. She was obviously pregnant, and she birthed her kittens in our backyard. I said on the calendar, okay, when those kittens get to be close to six weeks old, I am going to confiscate them and then trap her, which I did and had her fixed.”

She recalls, “I crawled under this nasty, nasty place to get those kittens. We ended up keeping two of the kittens, not by choice, because we gave all the kittens away. A couple that took two brought them back and wanted us to keep them for a while. They were going through some personal stuff, and they never came back, so we ended up with two of the kittens. One passed away from cancer when she was six … Last year, I also lost my cat of 21 years. My Mojo. That was the longest I've ever had a cat. At my high point, I had six indoor cats and 11 feral cats.”

Mary Jane and Mojo.

Smokie.

Lucy.

Looking ahead to retirement, Avans has plenty of plans. “I'm going to work through the summer and retire at the end of August, after the Tessitura conference in Los Angeles. My company is based in Los Angeles, so I am going out there, and I will be able to see some of the folks that I work with. There are people that I rarely get to see because I work remotely, so I am excited that I will be having that one last trip to LA in my role.”

Avans continues, “My husband and I love to travel. We have taken some trips to Europe, but there’s a lot more traveling we want to do. We are certainly looking at planning a couple of trips a year. I'm not going to be away from home as much as Linda and Joe Forlini seem to be, but we have a long list of places. We want to go to Spain and Portugal. We want to do one of those Eastern European cruises. I also want to go to Norway and see the Northern Lights.”

Mary Jane and her husband Gary in Greece.

Beyond travel, Avans also has plans for her home. “We live in midtown Atlanta, and our house was built in 1910. It has been updated over the years, but there are still projects we have put off. My husband also worked for SD&A. He’s a programmer and retired at the end of January, so he is starting to get estimates for some of the basic maintenance. I also want to add a porch, and we want to redo the bathrooms and the kitchen. It’s a charming old house.”

Mary Jane’s home.

She is also looking forward to finally tackling her accumulated stack of books. “I love crime novels and true crime. I have a stack of books because I buy books I want to read. When I retire, I will start reading all these books I have collected over the years.”

As she approaches retirement, Avans is eager to embrace new experiences while maintaining the connections that have defined her career. “I hope that I will be remembered as someone who made an impact on someone else in terms of learning and inspiring others to pursue this career.”