After years of financial woes, the headline act at the Stagebrush Theatre is dissolving and its executive director has been laid off.
In the shake-up, the Scottsdale Community Players, which was founded 56 years ago, won’t be back for a fall season, and Jack Pauly, the theater’s executive director, was dismissed this week, according to Kurt Bloeser, Stagebrush’s board chairman.
“There are so many options for entertainment in Scottsdale now that the community theatre model first created in 1951 simply is not working,” Bloeser said in a news release.
Bloeser said the Scottsdale Community Players has been struggling for a number of years to sell tickets and attract financial support.
The shake-up also comes at a time of uncertainty for the theater facility that sits in the path of a development.
Meanwhile, the board of directors will engage the help of the Phoenix Theatre, run by a nonprofit cultural organization, to continue Greasepaint, the children’s theater group that has been housed at the Stagebrush since 1981.
At the Stagebrush’s location at 7020 E. Second St., upscale condos are planned for the area. As soon as development plans for the Main Street Plaza are ready, the theater will have to find a new home.
The theater has an agreement with the city to move to the northwest corner of Mc-Dowell and Granite Reef roads, but only if it can’t find a better place, Bloeser said.
“That is where we are promised to go if we don’t find anything suitable to the city or ourselves,” he said. “It’s the safety net.”
According to a city report, the space at Granite Reef would be a 10,000- to 12,000-square-foot building featuring seating for 200, a stage, rehearsal area, workshop, lobby and restrooms.
The construction would start in April 2008 and cost $1.6 million from the General Fund, according to the report.
“We’re still working with the city to look for other opportunities,” Bloeser said. “We don’t have to leave the building until we have a new arrangement with the city.”
Phoenix Theatre will help Stagebrush choose a new board of directors and hire staff to handle the relocation, said Stagebrush board member Mark Kirkorsky.
“I do think moving and operating a new facility is going to require a significant amount of money. More money than what the theater has in its coffers at this point,” Kirkorsky said.
The Scottsdale Community Players has produced about five plays and musicals per season.
One of the first performances was “Life with Father” in 1952.
Since then, the group has performed several popular shows, including “Death of a Salesman,” “Dial M for Murder,” “Camelot,” “Diary of Anne Frank,” and “Titanic.”
But the number of season ticket holders has been waning every year, Bloeser said.
“There’s a lot of competition for the adult dollar, and there’s not that much competition for children’s theater,” he said. “We want to groom future stars.”
Greasepaint offers performance camps to children during school breaks, including a nine-week camp in the summer. The theater serves youths between 6 and 18 and puts on three to four shows a year. Greasepaint would move with the organization to its new home, Bloeser said. Other than Pauly, no other staff members will be let go, Bloeser said. Pauly has served as executive director for the last year. “I certainly feel very positive about this,” Pauly said. “I feel very much this is going to benefit the organization. I think I am being treated more than fairly.”
Lindsay Butler, Tribune
