In response to Jaqueline Bridgeman’s April 30 letter to the editor, “Changes at the Theater,” I applaud Mrs. Bridgeman’s energy and fundraising capacity when she co-founded Malibu Stage Company with Charles Marowitz, and their theater’s reputation was sterling in its early years. However, whether it was during her tenure or after she departed Malibu Stage Company, reviewers, other than The Malibu Times and local papers, ceased attending MSC’s productions, and Ovation voters (LA Theater’s version of the Tony Awards) also couldn’t be enticed back.
In February 2013, the then-Board of Directors brought me in to specifically turn the theater around, physically and artistically. I spearheaded a fundraising campaign, and although we raised only $23,000, every cent of it was spent on cleaning, restoring and renovating the beautiful building that the Playhouse calls home.
Since I’ve been Artistic Director, we continue to be reviewed by eight to 10 reviewers for every show, we’ve attracted a truly A-list of actors, designers and crew from Los Angeles theater, and our reputation is such that Ovation voters have returned. For all the people who swore they would never return to Malibu Stage Company, they’re coming back to Malibu Playhouse. Despite claims that we have spent on “embellishments” and “opulent sets,” they couldn’t be further from the truth.
We employ a very competent publicity team, which accounts for the increased number of theater reviewers attending our opening nights, and I handle the majority of the marketing myself, which includes all social media and community outreach. At each performance, a patron tells me that although they’ve lived in Malibu for 30-plus years, they had never heard of Malibu Stage Company, but now that they’ve read about Malibu Playhouse, they bought tickets to our show. Clearly promotion and marketing are in place.
No theater can survive solely on ticket sales. The point to The Malibu Times article is that local businesses and persons who are in the financial position to contribute to the Playhouse have not done so. Without community support, Malibu Playhouse will not be able to continue presenting the same high quality theater as can be seen at the Geffen or Ahmanson.
Gene Franklin Smith, Artistic Director