City asked to give $75K to Santa Monica Playhouse
The Santa Monica playhouse has raised $60,000 in its effort to buy the theater it has been renting for more than four decades.
But the local thespian group needs to raise an additional $40,000 by the end of this month to be able to continue in their quest to buy their theater located at 1211 Fourth Street.
“Under the deal we struck, we have to meet certain benchmarks throughout the year for the deal to stay viable,” said theater spokeswoman Sandra Zeitzew. “I believe if we don’t make those bench-marks that would mean all bets are off.
“But I haven’t actually ever considered that we wouldn’t meet them,” she added. “If we don’t come up with the down payment by the end of the year, we won’t be able to stay in Santa Monica.”
The Playhouse Young Professionals Company held an event last week that raised more than $6,000 in one night for the theater — a huge boost in the fundraising efforts.
The Santa Monica Playhouse has been told its rent will be increased to more than $12,000 a month starting next January, but the venerable theater group can barely pay the $10,000-a-month rent for its prime downtown location on Fourth Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue.
However, the theater group’s landlord, local attorney Jules Kievits, isn’t viewed as the villain. He is giving the theater group 18 months to raise $400,000 to buy the building. Every six months the group must reach fundraising milestones, or risk losing it all.
The group has asked the Santa Monica City Council to help them in their fundraising efforts by donating $100,000 or providing matching funds for the theater. The minimal amount needed from the city is $75,000.
“We would be happy with anything they can give us,” Zeitzew said. “You can’t go to the county or even the state and say ‘please support us’ if your own city hasn’t put anything forward showing they want you to stay in the community.”
But the city is under extremely tight budget restrictions this year, and it had to cut $23 million to close a revenue shortfall. Taxes from retail sales and hotel room bookings are down due to the drop-off in tourism from the recession and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
The city recently completed a financial assessment of the theater and its fundrais-ing, and found the theater could successfully raise the money it needs with a minimum donation from the city. A final decision will be made at the council’s June 18 meeting.
“My hope is we will find at least $75,000 to help them out,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown. “But there’s a lot of things I’m hoping we can pull off under these tight conditions.”
City officials have said there has been an intense e-mail campaign to save the playhouse.
“Interestingly, we’re getting e-mails from all over the world,” McKeown said. “But it’s Santa Monica taxpayer money that would go for that.”
Meanwhile, the theater group continues with its campaign by hosting weekly fundraisers. Local comedians and actors have put on benefit performances. Audiences have emptied the change from their pockets and written checks.
“I guess you could say we still have some other irons in the fire,” Zeitzew said. “We’re not counting on this weekend’s garage sale to bring in the balance.”
Parents of children who are participating in the youth performers’ class are hosting a garage sale to benefit the playhouse this weekend.
“People are very generous,” she added, “but they want to make sure the people they give their money to have some viability.”
To learn more about this weekend’s garage sale or any of the theater’s other fundraising events, go to the group’s Web site at www.santamonicaplayhouse.com Or for information about making a donation to “Save the Santa Monica Playhouse,” call (310) 394-9779 ext. 1.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 8, 2002. Read the original PDF.