[1] After moving to New York from London in 1955, he became active in the theater community, working as treasurer for the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut.

The inaugural booth, a trailer donated by New York City's Parks Department, opened in June 1973 in Duffy Square.

During Southern's tenure, Theatre Development Fund grew to be one of the largest service organizations for the performing arts in the country.

That year, one of the photos in an exhibition of the work of Andres Serrano, which was supported by a $15,000 NEA grant, drew the ire of the religious right.

[6][circular reference] Southern's leadership during the controversy helped him land a position as general manager of The Metropolitan Opera in 1989 after a ten-month search by the Met.