Details are beginning to emerge about the planning of the City of Malibu’s first arts festival, scheduled to take place in 2014.
Public comment was made by local entertainment attorney Steve Weinberg, who represents the Malibu Playhouse (formerly known as the Malibu Stage Co.), the Malibu Film Society and the Malibu Music Awards & Festival on a pro bono basis. All three organizations are arts-related non-profits.
In response to the Committee’s stated preference for a four-day city arts event, Weinberg expressed his clients’ concerns that it wouldn’t be long enough. “We’d like to have a series of events in all art forms – let people experience all we have to offer here,” he said. “We were hoping that Splash (the working name of the event) would kick off a month-long celebration.”
Stern responded that he’s still waiting for Amy Crittenden, the city’s recreation manager, to get back to him on various cost estimates for the event, including rental costs of tents, staging, etc. “What can we handle this first time out?” he said, “We want to create buzz, yet not overstep what we can accomplish.”
The committee decided that the best course of action may be to stick with the four-day event over a long weekend, as was already planned. However, during that weekend, they would not only showcase as many of Malibu’s arts as possible, but kick off and promote events for the following three weekends. The only difference would be that events on subsequent weekends would be funded by the non-profit arts groups themselves, not the city.
Clifford said, “Along with what Steve was saying, we could give each of these groups a weekend. We’d only do the first weekend ourselves. Our event could lead into the other three arts areas.”
Stern said, “I think we agree. We need to include the performing arts, but can’t afford the huge tents and stages…The idea of three groups piggybacking off the first weekend is good. The first weekend would be the launch pad.”
Committee member Eric Myer concurred: “The kick-off event is the sampler, with all aspects of art having a presence. It would be a showcase where they could all do short pieces or previews of what’s to come. We make our weekend as big and dynamic as we can, within budget, and provide as much exposure to local artists as possible.”