A patron's suggestions for arts center
Guest opinion

The theater on High Street used to be a cash cow. Audiences from Simi, Thousand Oaks and beyond the Conejo Valley were drawn to it as the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama. For years it gave our communities laughter, song, cheers, boo's and hisses. There was nothing like it anywhere else, and it was right here in our own backyard.

If you didn't go for the show, you went to see your friends take their chance onstage. With popcorn for the kids, hot dogs for the grandparents, and beer for mom and dad, families lined up in droves for a good time.

In need of an extensive retrofit, the building was sold, upgraded and put on the market. Rather than see it become a Starbucks, many envisioned the theater owned by the city of Moorpark, offering melodrama, professional theater, community theater, dance, music, youth performances and the like. Community members revived several melodrama shows to prove the theater could still turn a profit. Did it ever! Moorpark lined up for its community treasure once again, and the city purchased the Theater on High Street.

Today there are no melodramas, community theater, dance, music, or youth performances allowed at the High Street Arts Center. Only professional works. No more of this lowbrow "boo-hiss" business. We're going to have a new, clean downtown, and the theater will be its cultural hub. Families must now frequent school gymnasiums or restaurants if they wish to see their kids perform. Seventy percent of Moorpark's community arts are performed outside of Moorpark, as the High Street Cultural Center is not available to any community group.

At last, downtown will have class. Let's get those "Mexicans" out of the area with eminent domain. We've got to make room for new culture and new development- something like the Simi Valley mall. A Starbucks or Jamba Juice will bring in major tax revenue for the city, and the theater is a great way to draw people in.

Theater manager L.J. Stevens stated recently that a successful theater "sends a message that Moorpark has a viable town center and the potential to attract businesses, shoppers and tourists." Indeed, few could argue against such a vision for Moorpark.

However, Ms. Stevens was hired by the city to create a "cultural arts center, not a community theater . . . this isn't a community hall where kindergartners can put on their little play."

As to the success of this venture, Stevens states, "I believe the chosen seasons have been very well received."

The theater is now operating at a $217,000 loss. That number is growing every month, and Moorpark taxpayers are footing the bill. Surely there are more pressing issues for Moorpark to spend this money on.

Bringing people downtown with a successful theater is a brilliant idea, and essential to the revitalization effort. But what do we do when the shows are not attracting people?

Perhaps we should close it down. A TGI Fridays might look good in that location. It doesn't seem anyone, the mayor included, feels great about funding a theater that people aren't coming to. But tell me, Mr. Mayor, why should we?

What Moorpark family is up to a fun night of "Victor," a terrifically performed drama about the inner conflict within Dr. Victor Frankenstein's reanimated monster corpse? Or a night of the Bard in "The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare, Abridged"? Don't get me wrong. These shows are beautifully produced, and Ms. Stevens does her job exceptionally well. But the cold, hard truth of ticket sales show that Moorpark audiences aren't interested in this type of programming every month, no matter how great they are.

Moorpark audiences have always bought tickets for fun, silly family entertainment. That very same theater ran profitably for almost 15 years in the same, rustic downtown that we have today. Almost 15 years in the green without a government subsidy or nonprofit foundation. It did not succeed due to the presence or lack of a Starbucks nearby. It succeeded because the programming was aimed at the families of Moorpark.

The High Street Arts Center does not need more money. It doesn't need to close. What it needs is broader programming. Programming that considers the community it's located in. Who says "community" and "culture" have to be mutually exclusive?

The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center does professional theater regularly, as do multiple theaters in Los Angeles. If "Victor" is what the family is usually up for, these venues are just a few miles away.

But Moorpark? Ah, Moorpark's theater is a jewel. It's a place to go out with your spouse, laugh with your kids, and maybe even watch them perform. Cheer them from the back. Eat a hot dog. Boo the villain. Hear a band, or play in one. Maybe catch a professional show now and then. This is what entertaining and serving a community looks like. We can see Shakespeare anywhere, but Moorpark? Moorpark is something different and special that no one else can touch.

Instead of withdrawing support for the Arts Center, I urge the mayor and the city council to rethink its programming. It's a business, not a charity, and should be keen to sell what people want to buy. Imported culture is nice to have in Moorpark, but in keeping Moorpark's culture off the stage, we're keeping the community away from the box office.

There is no reason for the theater not to turn a profit. The Moorpark community has always paid gladly for the programming they want to see- shows where seniors can sing, children giggle and couples snuggle- all under one roof. The money for the theater and the crowds for downtown are ready and waiting. All the theater has to do is play to its audience again.

Mark Walsh of Simi Valley is a long-time patron of Moorpark theater. He is an animation supervisor for Pixar Animation Studios.