The Play’s the Thing

Spending an evening enticed by actors and actresses on stage is something special that never gets old despite technological advances and the prevalence of movie theaters showing motion pictures. Going to a live theater performance is different than going to the movies, where couples make out and cell phones go off.
“There is a contract that exists between an audience and a performer,” explained actor and director Keith Baker of Main Stage West in Sebastopol. The agreement is one of mutual respect and both parties are fully aware that someone in the crowd can ruin the whole show at any given moment, said Baker. Live theater involves an exchange and it’s a tradition that pays its participants well, but often not in the monetary way.
Throughout Sonoma County, theater companies are brimming with community support but are often short on cash. This doesn’t stop them, however, from doing what they love and finding creative ways to make it happen. Volunteerism, resourcefulness, and banding together are a vital part of the game.

Occupying Main Stage West is the Performing Artists Coalition for Theater (PACT), a group of professional artists dedicated to keeping the performing arts scene alive in Sebastopol and beyond through an open exchange with other theaters and taking shows on tour to other venues in Sonoma County.

Baker, who’s been a professional actor for 15 years, just received his teaching credential, but volunteers his time at Main Stage West because he believes that theater fosters a connection between people and creates synthesis when other forms of knowledge come together. “Where else can someone use their trigonometry other than building sets?” he asked.

Main Stage West recently presented “The Caretaker” by Harold Pinter. Elizabeth Craven’s critically acclaimed production of the piece starred John Craven, Brent Lindsay and Tyler Costin as a co-production of The Imaginists and Ensemble Theater Collectives. The play was first produced at The Imaginists in Santa Rosa and played to sold-out houses.

Musical performances, book signings and lectures are other events that Main Stage West plans to incorporate into the schedule in the future. “We think it’s important to have a physical space to share ideas,” said Baker.
He’s not alone in this view. Theater as an art form certainly helps people to exercise a little critical thinking and can plant the seed for important discussions and perhaps social change. “Avow,” a show that recently ran at Pegasus Theater in Rio Nido, is a good example. The play, written by Bill C. Davis, tackles the spiritual and moral questions surrounding the emotion of love and marriage rights for gay couples.

“I think everyone who attended that night will never forget it because on opening night, just minutes before the show, the New York State Legislature made a decision to legalize gay marriage,” said Frances Werner of Pegasus Theater. The news was announced to the unsuspecting audience and it had a profound impact, according ?to Werner.

Under the redwoods at the Rio Nido Lodge is where Pegasus Theater resides. “It’s a really lovely place, and there is an outdoor courtyard where attendees like to sip wine or eat concession food,” said Werner. The theater itself is small and intimate, resulting in a close connection with the actors on stage and often a unique theater experience. “They are so close it’s possible to actually reach out and touch them,” said Werner. There is certainly no feeling of being lost in the crowd here, and audience members often find themselves deeply drawn into the action on stage.

Local actors and actresses travel from as far north as Cloverdale and as far south as Petaluma to participate in Pegasus Productions. “We’re a great incubator theater,” said Werner of the outfit that is made up entirely of volunteers. Many of the actors and actresses that start off with a production at Pegasus often go on to land other roles at local venues. But there is also plenty of return talent, eager to practice their craft and take on new material and one-of-a-kind characters that the progressive Pegasus Theater tends to offer.
Also unique to Pegasus Theater is a late-summer program called “Tapas.” Now in its fifth year, Tapas is a series of nine short plays featuring the work of amateur playwrights. “People love the format and we’re the only North Bay theater doing this on a regular basis,” said Werner. Over the years, Pegasus has grown a reputation for nurturing playwrights and for workshops offered at the theater in Rio Nido. As a result of this work, each year Pegasus receives more and more submissions and has plenty of access to new and fresh material. “The Tapas started out small but took on a life of its own,” said Werner.

“We are so lucky to have this pool of talent in the North Bay,” she continued. Werner thinks it’s the sheer natural beauty of the area that attracts artists. “It feeds the creative process,” she said. “Many artists who live out here have made the decision to sacrifice a good salary for a great place to live,” explained Werner.
Fostering the next generation of artists is something that schools throughout Sonoma County take very seriously, and many districts have developed well-funded art and theater programs for elementary, middle and high school students. “What theater really teaches kids and people is how to work together as a group,” said Mary Ann Brigham, of the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center. There is also a great bonding and connection that takes place. “The group that works on a play together has really achieved something and they all know that what they create has to be ready on opening night of the show when the seats are filled,” said Brigham.
Often those theaters share the space with school performance groups; the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center is no exception. “Almost every day there is something going on here,” said Brigham.

Yave Guzman, a Cloverdale High alumnus, left town to attend college and pursue a theater arts degree, but upon returning home during the recent construction of the new Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, he decided to move back after graduation. “He’s been incredibly active, and is serving as an intern with Artistic Director Jim de Priest,” said Brigham.

The performing arts center in Cloverdale is the newest in Sonoma County; the building was completed just one year ago. The $2 million project was made possible by a strong community effort that included city funds, donations, and tens of thousands of volunteer hours. The concept of a performing arts center was brought to the table about 10 years ago and has been a long time in the making. Brigham was there for every step of the process and she credits de Priest—who has been acting, directing, and teaching in the area for years—as another key player.

“He brings a level of quality and sophistication to our program,” said Brigham. Many actors and actresses enjoy working with de Priest, so his connections have been priceless to the new theater, explained Brigham.
The theater is a sight to see. “I can’t stress what a beautiful building it is. It’s a first-rate theater, the best in the North Bay,” said Brigham. The 99-seat theater is acoustically impressive and features a lobby with chandeliers designed specifically for the space. They were built and donated by Tuell & Reynolds (based in Cloverdale), who do really high end work, said Brigham.

The old Cloverdale Theater, or Grange, is now the annex and is rented out at cost in an attempt to attract and foster art and dance groups in Cloverdale. Zumba and yoga classes are taught there and every effort is made to keep the space affordable and open to the community.

There is also some proof that theaters can help the economy of a town and Cloverdale is but one example. “Businesses have started to sprout up around the theater and it brings people into the downtown core,” said Brigham. Traditionally, dressing up and going out to the theater has always been a treat, whether one is eight or 80 years old. Making a night of it by eating out at a restaurant for dinner is often part of the plan.

Healdsburg also has its own theater, located downtown and it’s one of the older ones in Sonoma County. The Raven Theater was built in 1949 as a motion picture theater. It became a community center in 1990 and was remodeled as a venue for local performance groups and concerts as well as movies.

Today, a small group of local individuals own the Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater (H-Pat) that is also known as The Raven. One hundred volunteers keep the operation going and more than 80 performances are presented annually. The Raven is now the performance home of The Raven Players, Imagination Foundation Children’s Theater, and Healdsburg Jazz Festival, as well as the venue for a

Annual school performances by Healdsburg Elementary School, Westside School and St. John’s School.
Unique to their program this year is the “Dancing with the Stars at the Raven” fundraiser, based on the popular ABC-TV show. The show featured local celebrities paired with dance professionals, competing for audience member votes. Online voting was an option and those who cast a ballot paid a dollar for their vote.

So with fundraisers like these, it’s clear that creative minds will carry on with unrelenting determination to keep theaters afloat. Using the passion and resourcefulness that attracted them to the stage in the first place, performing arts participants and fans will continue to pave the way for one of the oldest forms of expression and communication so that it may touch the lives of the next generation.

Booked calendars and tight budgets are no match for a refreshing night out to the theater with a friend, a child, a spouse or a parent. Penciling in a show will help ensure this art form continues to flourish.