Puppetry Center to close its doors
DOWNTOWN SM In less than two months, the sounds of children’s laughter and the many voices of a master puppeteer will be silenced within the walls of a small theater on Second Street.
After nearly 10 years in the same studio at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Second Street, the Santa Monica Puppetry Center will close its doors on Independence Day in the face of rising rent.
A few months ago, Santa Monica Puppetry Center founder Steve Meltzer received a notice from his landlord that his monthly rate would spike from about $3,200 a month to close to $4,900 a month due to a combination of increases in maintenance and rent.
Currently a month-to-month tenant, the puppet master was originally to pay the new rent effective May 1. But after meeting with the property owner, he was able to negotiate a deal that would allow him to stay through July 4 paying the current rate.
“Sometimes the reason you get less than market rate is to promote high quality businesses that bring traffic into the community, which helps everyone,” Meltzer said.
Meltzer settled into the small 1,000 square foot space in September 1997 after a brief one-year stay in another studio on the Third Street Promenade.
The Santa Monica Puppetry Center houses a theater that can seat 50 people, a museum featuring Meltzer’s collection of more than 400 marionettes and puppets, and a workshop where he repairs broken puppets and customizes puppets for television shows.
“I hold onto this secret fantasy that maybe everyone will order the DVD and maybe we’ll have enough money to stay in business (here),” — Meltzer joked
It was here on Second Street where a 45-minute show by the name of “Puppetolio” would go on to become the longest running family show in Los Angeles, garnering an audience of 50,000 people over the years, and where Meltzer would establish himself as the “puppet man,” providing his puppet service to various television shows and movies.
Meltzer’s puppets and marionettes have become Hollywood stars over the years, appearing in television shows such as “Married with Children,” “Blind Date,” and the 2004 hit movie “Team America: World Police.”
The USC graduate started his puppet career 14 years ago after he began collecting and restoring old puppets. He was first introduced to puppetry as a boy growing up in New York City and watching variety shows on television, including the “Paul Winchell-Jerry Mahoney Show”on NBC. It was at the Santa Monica Puppetry Center where Winchell gave his last performance before his death in 2005.
At this time, Meltzer said he isn’t sure whether he will scout other locations from where he would base his puppet business, adding that it’s always costly to relocate a business because of the combination of moving expenses and the drop off in customers.
For now, Meltzer is weighing his options, which includes continuing his “Puppetolio” performances at schools and periodically traveling to various larger venues, including the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood.
One of the things Meltzer is considering is a possible television career.
About six months ago, a parent approached Meltzer at the end of his show with a proposal to produce a DVD. The parent was a director and owned a production company.
The DVD is expected to be released on June 20.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 30, 2007. Read the original PDF.