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‘To Be or Not To Be’
HB councilmembers get dramatic in playhouse funding debate

By David L. M. Preston
OC Voice Entertainment Editor

The Huntington Beach Playhouse squeaked out a one vote approval from the Huntington Beach City Council, on Aug. 6, that prevented, though some may sourly argue simply forestalled, the potential death of the only public non-profit theatre in the city.

In a convolution of lease-rental and ticket surcharge details that have been tossed about in Council and subcommittees all year, the discussion became very heated at moments during the final amendment and approval of a new lease agreement between the Playhouse and the Huntington Beach Public Library.

The library’s theatre space has been rented out by the Playhouse until the lease expired at the end of last year, and arguments as to whether that space (and the rental fees paid to it) might be used for a supposedly a better (re: fiscally profitable) purpose.

And though a contract to extend the lease (with the financial help of reducing the ticket surcharge that the City has had the Playhouse add to the ticket price) was conditionally approved months ago, details were overlooked and it was returned to Council.

Playhouse supporter Councilmember Cathy Green began with an apology to the wording of the prior contract, “I’m faulting myself. … I want to make sure the playhouse stays in business.” The main goal from her position is to keep the Playhouse solvent and running until they get to move into a new, preferably their own, place in about two years.

The new place, at least ideally, would be a Huntington Beach Cultural Center, which is a project that has been bandied about; but as of now there are no solid plans.

During discussion Councilmember Don Hansen questioned that the further reduction of the ticket surcharge, which is the amendment to the prior contract, doesn’t seem to have any purpose. “The elimination of the service charge, in my opinion, doesn’t better the financial condition of the playhouse,” Hansen said.

Mayor Pro Tem Debbie Cook was particularly uncomfortable with this renegotiation for the Playhouse lease and surcharge decrease from only $1 to $0 per ticket. And Councilmember Jill Hardy seemed to support this position.

Playhouse representatives and Green brought up the issue of insurance increases and claimed that the adding of the surcharge previously severely hurt their subscription base.

As for the insurance, Cook simply said, “Well those things happen. We both have to share the pain in this,” and said that she would support the initial agreement with the reduced surcharge. As for the claim of the decreased audiences, she discounted the surcharge and took the cultural ennui approach, “Especially in a world where people are turning to the Internet…[and] getting their entertainment in other ways….I think we are fighting a battle to get people to go to live entertainment.”

Visibly upset, Green tacitly admitted to a prior misunderstanding of the wording of the initial agreement, but defended the amendment to the lease details by parallel comparisons to other non-profits in Huntington Beach.

“We’re just not fair in this city,” Green said. She listed a slew of museums and other non-profits that the City allows to rent their space for only $1 or $10 a year. Then, when it comes to the Playhouse, “All of a sudden with decide on one…nonprofit, and them we’re going to nail to the wall. It isn’t fair. It isn’t just and it isn’t right….We want to really encourage culture in our city, and sometimes you have to help it and you have to subsidize. And that is what I’m asking. We do this for all our other non-profits, why don’t we do it with this one? I just don’t see the difference. We help our art centers, we help our art.”

Councilmember Joe Carchio strongly agreed with Green’s points. And though he urged fast-tracking marketing help for the Playhouse, and the future proposed Cultural Center, he did say that in this case, “We need to bite the bullet and…give the playhouse what they deserve.”

Cook eventually responded with probably the most aggravated comment concerning the Playhouse’s fiscal position—ignoring its potential cultural significance—by bluntly stating that maybe a non-profit theatre in Huntington Beach is an antiquated idea and that maybe the city should “cut bait” and let the curtain go down on the institution. “Sometimes an entity just isn’t viable anymore,” she said. “If it can’t be viable at lower rate, then it may never be viable.”

Green vehemently defended the change as necessary for the culture of the city, and that this was simply a life-preserver action for the next two years as the Playhouse catches its breath and brings back its audiences.

“I don’t want to lose it,” Green said. “This is a good proposal. It doesn’t hurt anybody.”

After over 50 minutes of discussion the council vote came in favor of the proposal, 4-3, supporting the Playhouse’s amended lease. Councilmembers Bohr, Carchio, Green and Mayor Coerper vote in favor. Councilmembers Hardy, Hansen and Mayor Pro Tem Cook voted against.

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Oct. 2007

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