WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers GREAT ESCAPE—Theatergoers take the stairs into the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center last Saturday for an evening performance of the musical "The Producers," playing now until April 5. Despite operating on a tighter budget, several improvements are in the works for the 220-seat theater. The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center is tightening its belt along with the rest of the city, spending less money than usual on projects to improve the 220-seat theater.

General Manager David Ralphe said the center has spent just 40 percent of its $20,000 capital replacement budget. At midyear, tables, linens, glassware, storage cabinets, fog machines, and new audio and microphone equipment had been bought and repairs made for a total of $7,865.

The center also purchased a curtain traveler, which was installed Feb. 23, and is working to refurbish its marquee.

The act traveler is a curtain and rigging that extends across the middle of the stage providing a black background. It cost the center $4,650.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers EVENING OUT—Sean and Tracie Madden of Simi Valley have their tickets checked by volunteer Mary Ann Garris as they prepare to enter the theater. Cutting the stage in half actually improves the venue's versatility, Ralphe said, by offering a blank stage to rentals, such as small concerts, without having to remove an existing set.

It also makes it easier to do set changes and multilocation scenes, he said.

"It expands our staging capabilities but also our ability to rent out the stage midweek," Ralphe said.

Rehabilitation of the Cultural Arts Center marquee is expected to be complete by the end of the fiscal year in July. The possibility of upgrading to electronic signage, Ralphe said, an improvement slated to cost $4,000, is also being explored.

Looking forward to next year, Ralphe has three items totaling $8,000 on his capital improvements "wish list." First, he would like to replace, in stages, the center's wireless microphones. The wireless audio pak and mike system is about 10 years old, and the cost of maintenance has increased dramatically, he said.

"We spend $2,000 to $3,000 a year in maintenance," Ralphe said. "We need to begin phasing in new equipment."

He added that there will soon be a government-mandated change in the frequency used that would require total replacement of the system. Although the proposed replacement program would cost $3,000, renting out the microphone equipment brings in about $4,000 a year, Ralphe said.

Second, he would like to purchase a new system for projecting still and moving images on the back wall of the stage. Ralphe said the existing system casts images onto the wall and the actors onstage. A smaller projector that is mounted inside the proscenium has a 12-foot throw that allows images to be projected over the heads of performers. The new system would cost $4,000.

Ralphe would also like to invest in new sound equipment, which he estimated would cost $1,000.

The three proposed projects will be further discussed in April during planning for next year's budget. While the center is in need of other equipment and improvements, Ralphe said, he kept his wish list well under the $20,000 limit because of the economy.

"We're being careful. We're being conservative," he said.

Attendance slipped 8 percent in 2008, with 39,527 people filling the theater during the year as compared to the 42,873 who bought tickets in 2007.

"Everything is slightly down, but in January of 2008 the center was closed for maintenance, so that skews the numbers," Ralphe said.

As a result, the center's revenues halfway through the fiscal year are 2 percent below the same period last year, but Ralphe is banking on the theater's spring programming—which includes "The Producers" and "Willy Wonka"—to increase attendance and, thus, revenues.

While the center paid $30,000 to stage and acquire the rights to "The Producers," Mel Brooks' Tony-winning musical that opened Feb. 21 and runs through April 5, it will host 20 performances in seven weeks to recoup that cost, Ralphe said.

To boost opening night attendance for "The Producers," the Cultural Arts Center Foundation hosted a premiere gala before the first show.

Carol Anderson, executive director of the foundation, said these types of events will help drive sales on nights that are typically slow for the theater.

In addition, the foundation has turned its focus to building relationships with the donors instead of simply holding fundraising events. To do this, Anderson said, the foundation has developed a donor database, implemented a membership program and increased communication though mailings and newsletters.

Mark Oyler, deputy director of citizen services for the city, said the newsletters have allowed the center to share its history with more people in the community.

"We're able to tell the story of the Cultural Arts Center to a tremendous number of people that had never heard the story before," Oyler said.

Anderson added that the newsletters keep donors "in the loop," so that when the economy does turn around, they will remember the arts center.

And even though donations are down in the wake of the financial crisis, Anderson said, the donor base has increased by 100 percent.

"We still have the support of the community even if the dollars aren't where they need to be," she said.

The center is funded through ticket sales and donations to the Cultural Arts Center Foundation.

"The people in the city really need to know that city tax dollars are not paying for the arts. . . . Those arts are paid for by people who buy tickets to see those arts and a nonprofit organization that raises money to make those arts happen," Oyler said.

After "The Producers," "Willy Wonka" will open April 11.

For more information on the Cultural Arts Center, visit www.simi-arts.org.