MARY JARDIN
CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Mary Jardin
When Mary Jardin, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, reflects upon the success of her long-running show, it’s the large numbers of repeat visitors that she often talks about. Like the completely unique “Beach Blanket Babylon” in San Francisco and “Forbidden Broadway” in New York, thousands of patrons return to the Follies each season expecting both a new edition of the Follies and reassurance that the show they love hasn’t lowered its high standards. Like the aforementioned shows, it’s a theatrical experience you can’t see anywhere else.
“People who return to the Follies again and again feel very protective of the show as an institution. And why shouldn’t they? We wouldn’t be here without them,” acknowledges Jardin happily. “When Riff Markowitz and I first dreamed of staging the Follies in sleepy Palm Springs, most people thought the area was too small to support a world-class entertainment. What they didn’t count on was that locals and tourists alike would keep coming back, many of them dozens of times. In fact, the Follies gives many tourists a reason to come back.”
Many thousands of these loyal fans have also joined the Follies Favorites program that Jardin instituted to help keep patrons connected to the Follies all year long. The free membership entitles enrollees to a monthly e-newsletter (including a letter from Follies impresario Markowitz) that keeps them up to date on activity at the Follies. Favorites also receive a 10% discount off all Follies merchandise and access to a private, “Members Only” webpage with special information, including favorite recipes from the cast and exclusive, “behind the scenes” news.
The Follies is a
theatrical experience
you can't see
anywhere else.
Most important to repeat patrons, beginning in early summer, Follies Favorites are allowed to select their seats for each new season of the Follies before tickets go on sale to the general public. Fans can become Follies Favorites by clicking this link and filling out the Follies Favorites form.
Even after several thousand performances, Jardin can be found in the lobby of the historic Plaza Theatre before nearly every show, greeting patrons, many of whom have become her personal friends. Although her myriad responsibilities include all Follies advertising, merchandising, group sales, reservations, media relations, Internet and tourism outreach, Jardin stresses personal contact with patrons and old-fashioned customer service.
To that end, she has enlisted the aid of most of her family. Her sister-in-law, Terry Jardin, is Director of Sales, and her sister, Dolores Dey, manages the Follies’ ambassador staff (ambassadors represent the Follies and give educational presentations to communities throughout Southern California). The exceptional talents of Mary’s husband, John Greenberger, a leading New York advertising professional, are evident in all areas of Follies’ marketing, and Mary’s mother-in-law, Shirley Greenberger, 87, creates the Follies’ colorful usher uniforms. Mary has even introduced the next generation of her family to professional life at the Follies: her niece, Natalie, spent her college summers working as a marketing assistant and learning how to do things the Follies way.
In addition to her relatives, Jardin employs people who appreciate the special relationship between the Follies and its patrons. The result is not just sold-out performances, but a beloved, theatrical institution that attracts visitors—again and again—to Palm Springs from all over the world.
