LA Stage Blog - Beta

Found this nugget on the Wall Street Journal site. Thanks to Matt Wells at the needtheatre blog for the link. Raises an interesting question: Where are all the Conservative plays? Which raises an even MORE interesting query: Is theatre and conservativism anti-thetical?

In the article, Terry Teachout (great name!) puts it this way:

…I can’t think of a single well-known American or British playwright whose political views are even slightly to the right of center. Nor do I think it likely that such a person would flourish were he or she suddenly to emerge from out of nowhere: Theater is a social art form, and the culture of American and British theater is 99% left-liberal, if not more so.

Wow. Is this true? And why? Is theatre intrinsically “liberal” or “left-leaning”? Or is it the audience for theatre that is intrinsically “liberal” or “left-leaning” and therefore has no appetite for anything “conservative” or “right-leaning”?

Teachout doesn’t think this trend is necessarily a good thing:

Mr. Hytner (AD of London’s National Theatre), in other words, wants to produce issue-driven conservative plays that are just like today’s liberal plays, only in reverse, whereas the problem with today’s political theater is that its practitioners see their plays not as works of art but as means to an end. In such tedious exercises in left-wing agitprop as Sam Shepard’s “The God of Hell,” Caryl Churchill’s “Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?” and Tim Robbins’s “Embedded,” we are presented with a black-and-white universe of victims and villains, a place where every deck is stacked and never is heard a surprising word. Why would anybody with half a brain in his head - even a fire-breathing McCainiac, if such a creature exists - want to suffer through their right-wing equivalent?

I suppose I find this topic fascinating, not because I’m necessarily a “conservative” playwright, but because I find myself innundated with so much blatantly liberal and left-leaning dogma in the theatre that it almost makes me want to write a radically conservative play just as a response! I suppose it’s the contrarian in me. It’s similar to my reaction to the obvious liberal bias in most of the media today. I find myself searching for papers and blogs and radio stations that have ANY other point of view than this endless flow of dogma. But of course, that eventually gets to be too much as well and I find myself bouncing back and forth in my search for balance. And to be fair (not to be confused with the “Fairness Doctrine” - Good Lord what a horrible idea!), there appears to be a conscious paradigm shift to a more balanced information flow in the larger media sources. Or maybe it’s just me that’s having a paradigm shift. Or maye it’s just the oatmeal I had this morning that’s causing a shift…

But more than this, I find the topic fascinating because I see a plethora of “conservative” stories out there that would make for excellent theatre. One could argue that the play “Doubt” is a conservative story, I suppose. Or maybe not. You be the judge.

That of course is the true crux of the matter: plays should strive to be neither “conservative” nor “liberal”, they should strive to tell GOOD STORIES. Period. And good stories almost always embody both sides of the politcial spectrum. Like humans. They exist in a perpetual state of tension and conflict. Like life.

To bring it down to a more personal level, I have play that I wrote several years ago entitled “Only Say the Word”. My play has had many, many readings, and just earlier this year had a very successful workshop production. It has caught the eye of several directors and actors and has been hand-delivered to such notable theatres as the Laguna Playhouse, the Guthrie, the Taper, South Coast Rep and a variety of smaller companies in NYC. All of them had many kind things to say about the play, and they have led to long-lasting relationships, but none of these theatres ever pulled the trigger. And I wonder why.

I’ve been doing this long enough to know that these types of decisions have so many facets involved that it would make your head explode to try and comprehend them all; timing, scheduling, budget constraints, cast size, similar play already on the docket, suscriber influence, minority favoritism (Had a writing professor at Loyola Marymount tell me that unless I was an African-American female Lesbian my chances of getting a production in regional theatre were nil to zero - funny how the tables have turned and being an Anglo White Male doesn’t carry as much influence as it used to - at least not in theatre. Hell, I even had the AD of an Off-Broadway house - a man who was my teacher and absolutely LOVED my work - tell me, “We’re just doing ethnic one-person shows right now. It’s the only thing you can get funding for anymore.” I kid you not.). So I don’t take it personally.

But what does interest me is whether or not my play is considered a “conservative” play and therefore is barred out of hand by the theatre community at large just for that reason alone. The play is ABOUT a conservative family, but in my opinion, it falls on neither side of the political spectrum. My desire was to depict a REAL conservative family in crisis in the context of today’s world. Pure and simple. Coming from a conservative home I wanted to honor my family. But to do so I needed to hold them up as they were, warts and all. I think I succeeded. My favorite reaction from an audience member after one staged reading was, “Are you a Democrat or a Republican?” Victory!

And yet the play has yet to be produced. I suppose I could market it a little more aggressively, but it’ll have its day, I’m not too worried about that.

But I achieved my goal with the play - at least my writing goal - to extract all evidence of the playwright from the page and tell a compelling sotry. The characters live on their own merits, their own wants and desires, without comment and pressure from me. A truly satisfying experience. Seeing it come to life on stage, fully realized, obviously, would be the utlimate satisfaction. But I’m patient. And there’s lots of other stories to tell in the meantime.

Teachout brings it all home with this final observation in his article:

I don’t doubt that the American theater would be a more amusing place if it harbored a few uncloseted conservatives. But when the curtain goes up, I don’t care whether the author of the show I’m about to see is a Republican, a Democrat, an anarchist or a drunkard, so long as he’s taken the advice of Anton Chekhov: “Anyone who says the artist’s field is all answers and no questions has never done any writing. . . . It is the duty of the court to formulate the questions correctly, but it is up to each member of the jury to answer them according to his own preference.” That’s what great playwrights do: They put a piece of the world on stage, then step out of the way and leave the rest to you.

Word.

Click here to download a PDF of the LA Stage Times for Nov 27 -30

As most in the theatre community, especially the California theatre community, may know by now, Scott Eckern the Artistic Director of the California Music Theatre Company has resigned under pressure from advocates of No on Prop 8.

The Backstage Blog (aka Lauren Horwitch and company) has more information about the specific details and players involved here.

Eckern’s response, resigning, and his public statment were certainly signs of his classiness and professionalism and definitely a sign of his respect for the institute he ran. Not sure how to feel about the whole situation. Every individual certainly has a right to their opinion in the political arena, and every OTHER individual certainly has a right to respond to that opinion in kind. Which in many instances - especially when you’re part of an organized, mobilized group - takes the shape of a potential boycott. Or in the Mormon Church’s instance - public protest.

I’m sure Eckern will land on his feet. And in many ways this is an example of the “free market” in action. What the market doesn’t like - it corrrects. Too bad those folks in DC don’t see it that way. They could take a page from the California Theatre Community.

But there is one troubling aspect to the whole affair: do we as a community want total agreement amongst ourselves on all social issues? I remember when Larry Summers at Harvard brought up the idea that possibly women weren’t “built” for the world of science and mathematics (I’m pulling this right out of my ass here and totally paraphrasing so cut me some slack) and he was literally ridden out of town on a rail. Part of me thought; aren’t universities the places where these types of debates should happen? What happened to the passionate exchange of ideas? I didn’t agree with the guy, but should he have been forced to resign because the majority of the community disagreed? I mean, it’s not like he PLAGIARIZED something!

So harkening back to Eckern at CMT - the guy didn’t seem like a homophobe or a demagogue or really a mean guy or anything - I don’t know him personally of course - so did CMT do themselves a disservice by basically showing him the door? I know that’s not exactly how it happened - Eckern resigned because he didn’t want to bring any more bad press to CMT and stave off a potential boycott - but CMT certainly could have stood beside him, yes? Or had he crossed a line that was just absolutely irredeemable?

Take a look at our new Commander-in-Chief. See how he’s dealing with that rogue Joe Lieberman. Better to keep your dissenters close and in the fold, especially when they have something postive to offer beyond what you disagree with? An interesting lesson perhaps. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Democratic party responds to their new leader’s request.

I voted against Prop 8, because Constitutionally it seems to be a no-brainer. Equal rights for all. But I also know that all those that supported or voted FOR Prop 8 are not evil, bigotted, homophobes. Some of them are my friends. Their arguments hold some validity. And I’m certainly not going to disown them because we disagree.

Network of Ensemble Theater (NET) will be presenting Tour Training Workshops in Los Angeles and San Francisco led by Llysa Holland from theater simple. The workshop is a part of NETʼs California Ensemble Touring Initiative with support from The James Irvine Foundation.

Workshop #1: (Los Angeles, CA)
Sunday, December 7, 2008 from 1:00pm-5:00pm at ARTEL located at 6581 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038.

Workshop #2: (San Francisco, CA)
Monday, December 8, 2008 from 6pm-10pm at the Theatre of Yugen-NOHspace from 6:00pm-10:00pm located at 2840 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (Located between Florida and Alabama Streets)

Admission to the workshops is free to Network of Ensemble Theater members, $10 for Non-NET members. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to Damion Teeko Parran at dtaparran@sbcglobal.net.

Please read more for details…

[Read more →]

FREE ARTS ADVICE FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AT “ARTS TUNE-UP”

DECEMBER 6 AT POMONA COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART IN CLAREMONT

Individual artists and small budget organizations can benefit from free expert advice and information on various aspects of arts management on Saturday, December 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at an “Arts Tune-Up”
at the Pomona College Museum of Art. Even though the event is free, it is recommended that participants register via SurveyMonkey:

Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/lacac_atupomona08

The fast -paced “arts tune-up” format works like this: There will be several tables set up with an arts expert/consultant addressing a specific subject located at each table. Participants choose a topic
they want to learn more about. After 25 minutes, participants rotate to another table with a topic of interest as the sessions repeat. There will be a total of 5 round-robin sessions of 25 minutes each. Participants are welcome to come by for an hour or stay for the entire morning.

Topics for individual artists include Advocacy, Arts Education In-School Resources (K-12) & Working in Arts Education (K-12), Fundraising for Individual Artists, Getting Your Sh*t Together, Health Insurance for
Individual Artists, Intro to Public Art, Legal Issues & Contracts, Copyright and Collections, Marketing for  Visual Artists, and PR (for Performing Artists).

Topics for small budget arts organizations include Advocacy, Arts Education In-School Resources (K-12) & Working in Arts Education (K-12), Board Leadership for Challenging Times, Fundraising for Organizations,
Legal Issues & Contracts, Copyright and Collections, and Marketing for Organizations.

THE FACTS

WHAT
ARTS TUNE-UP for Individual Artists and Small Budget Arts Organizations

WHEN
Saturday, December 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

WHERE
Pomona College Museum of Art Montgomery Art Center
333 N. College Way
Claremont, CA 91711-6344

HOW MUCH
FREE, but registration is recommended

HOW TO REGISTER
REGISTER through SurveyMonkey.
Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/lacac_atupomona08

PARKING
Parking is available and free of charge.

MORE INFORMATION
Anji Gaspar-Milanovic
Internship and Technical Assistance Coordinator
Los Angeles County Arts Commission, 213 202-3981

The Arts Tune-Up is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont Graduate University’s Arts Management Program and Career Management Office, and in collaboration with LA Stage Alliance and Arts for LA.

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Laura Zucker, Executive Director, provides leadership in cultural services of all disciplines for the largest county in the United States, encompassing 88 municipalities. The Arts Commission provides leadership and staffing to support the regional blueprint for arts education, Arts for All; administers a grants program that funds more than 300 nonprofit arts organizations annually; oversees the County’s Civic Art Program for capital projects, funds the largest arts internship program in the
country in conjunction with the Getty Foundation, programs the John Anson Ford Theatres and supports the Los Angeles County Cultural Calendar on ExperienceLA.com. The Commission also produces free community programs, including the L.A. Holiday Celebration broadcast nationally, and a year-round music program that funds more than 50 free concerts each year in public sites. The 2008-09 President of the Arts Commission is Betty Haagen.

Anji Gaspar-Milanović
Internship and Technical Assistance Coordinator
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
1055 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Direct Line: (213) 202-3981
Fax: (213) 580-0017
AMilanovic@arts.lacounty.gov

Visit us on the Web:

www.lacountyarts.org

www.FordTheatres.org

THE LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION REVIEW COMMITTEE IS
RECRUITING TWO NEW MEMBERS, TO BEGIN IN JANUARY 2009!
Click Here to Download the Request for Nominations for the Ovation Review Committee

CURRENT OVATION REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chair, Dennis Martinez (LASA Board Member)
Emilie Beck, Playwright/Director
Julie Briggs, Director/Producer, Accounts Manager, LA Stage Alliance
Kevin Cochran, Artistic Director, Grove Theatre Center
Jeanie Hackett, Co-Artistic Director, Antaeus Theatre Company
Lee Melville, Editor/Publisher, LA STAGE Magazine
Chil Kong, Co-Artistic Director, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Lee Lawlor, Cornerstone Theatre Company
Diane Rodriguez, Director of New Play Development, Center Theatre Group
Toni Sawyer, Actress/Publicist
Trent Steelman, Managing Director, The Colony Theatre Company
Mark Kinsey Stephenson, Co-Artistic Director, The Actors Co-op
Ken Werther, Press Associate, Center Theatre Group
Sara Adelman, Director of Operations, LA Stage Alliance (non-voting)
Douglas Clayton, Programs Manager, LA Stage Alliance (non-voting)

For information about the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards program follow the link below
LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards

Check out Brenda Kiley writing a manifesto of sorts in Seattle’s “The Stranger”, declaring the ten things American Theatre needs to do now to remain vital for the next generation of artists and theatre-goers.

Here are my capsule reactions to each and how I believe they pertain to Los Angeles:

1) Enough with the goddamned Shakespeare

Well, okay, but how many theatre companies actually DO Shakespeare? Only a handful here in Los Angeles. And when they are done - there’s usually an odd variation - a female playing Richard III, Adding a musical theme ala “Much a Doobie Brothers About Nothing” (I think that was the title?). But I get the point: let’s nurture the next Shakespeare, concentrate on the thing that exemplifies our age, rather than one from 400 years ago. Fair enough.

2) Tell us something we don’t know

Well, duh. But I do agree with Brendan’s assessment on unions and how they can stifle good actors doing new - but unprofitable work. Then again we do have the 99 seat contract. But wholeheartedly agree that most plays are over-developed. Just do ‘em!

3) Produce dirty, fast, and often

This again builds off of #2. Pretty much agree here as well. I was part of a theatre company that got a big 30 thousand dollar grant. This was going to be their BIG show. Everyone was wondering what it was going to be. It turned out to be a pretty much crap play - and they EASILY could have split that money three ways, done three different plays, including the crap play - and they would have balanced their crap with something different. What a waste! I did a recent two week workshop run of my play “Only Say the Word” a couple months back. Our budget: $1500. Granted we had our rent taken care of - which would have added maybe another $2000 - but people were amazed at the production qualities from top to bottom. Could have easily ran the show as is. Probably would have cost us a total of $10,000 for the whole run. Poverty breeds invention, folks. Use it to your advantage.

4) Get them young

Always been my philosophy. Oh, he’s talking about an AUDIENCE? Beg your pardon. Again, agree, the question is: How? How to appeal to an attention-deficit generation that wants there entertainment in the palm of their hand. In every way.

5) Offer child care

An innovative idea, but could be costly to a company. And how many actors/theater artists want to be taking care of kids rather than doing a show? Granted, as Brendan mentions, you can turn the child care into an education opportunity, but really only for kids of a certain age - infants? Not so much. But a worthy idea. Works into the “get them young” idea.

6) Fight for real estate

Come on down to LA, Brendan, and get a load of our real estate crisis. Or better yet, call the “Church” of Scientology and schedule a meeting with the landlord for pretty much all of Hollywood.

7) Build bars

Always works for me. There’s nothing I love more than free drinks that I can bring INTO the Theatre with me. Everyone on stage instantly becomes my friend. But again, might be costly.

Boors’ night out

Well, this has it merits SOMETIMES. Frankly, I’m not always interested in what the audience has to offer a show, except for their undivided attention and active imaginations. But there’s a niche for this type of thing. Burglers of Hamm are notorious for such.

9) Expect poverty

Well, duh again. And again, Brendan is right to call out the unions for the most part. But I’ve always said that theatre artists should ask for what they think they are worth. If it doesn’t work out - then they should accept that what they do is a labor of love and STOP WHINING.

10) Drop out of graduate school

Brendan, if you were here I would kiss you. In a manly way, of course. Nothing has ruined American Theatre more than over-education. Actually, nothing has ruined America - the country - more than over-education. Education, the basics, fine. But folks, at some point, put down the fucking books, get out of the fucking studios and conservatories, and do your thing! Actors act! Writers write! Directors direct! Just fucking work!

Check out the article. Worthy of a peruse.

Because we live in the country we do, we were recently able to make our political voices heard. For me, as for many, it’s been eight very long years of feeling that I had no voice at all. Besides my measly vote, I could do nothing about the destruction the frat boy in the White House was wreaking on the world. And then, in the middle of his non-elected term I became a mother, first in 2003 and then again in 2005. Without delving into the complexities of motherhood, let me just say that it’s a quick way of taking a hatchet - not a scalpel - to your own needs and voice.

So I wrote. Because that was the only thing I could do. That was the only way I could hear my own voice.

I’ve been writing for years, but with a colicky baby it became the only line of communication I had, and that made it absolutely vital: necessary for me to sustain my existence. I began to think about the need to make theatre, which we all lay claim to, and the journey from that need to the realization of a vision. If we all have this need, and there are about 400 productions a year in the greater Los Angeles area, why are we still struggling to prove our worth, not only on the national stage, but to each other locally? Are our individual artistic needs serving the craft, or serving ourselves?

There’s a lot of chatter in this town about the quality of LA theatre, or rather, the perception of the quality of LA theatre. And that difference between actual quality and perception of quality is crucial. It’s the distance between being beautiful because of what’s within, and having plastic surgery in order to be deemed beautiful. (I think that’s an appropriate analogy for LA.) Because I believe that within that difference is the key to whether or not LA can stake its claim to being a serious theatre town.

As part of this conversation, we have to address the notion of 99-seat theatre. On the one hand, a lot of people consider it a gift. We’re able to participate in this art form that we love because productions can be done “on the cheap.” On the other hand, doing theatre for $7 a performance - or, say, a fee of a couple hundred dollars - might be called Community Theatre in other cities. Being professional means a number of things, one of which is that we get paid a living wage - “living wage” being a subjective term, of course. At a certain point you have to ask how important it is to work for peanuts, not for your checkbook but for your sense of self.

Over the years I’ve learned that things you get on the cheap don’t end up being of the highest quality, not just because of, say, shoddy materials, but because if you don’t pay for what something or someone is worth, you can’t expect full value from it or them. In the interest of saving money I have gotten half-baked work from actors to the guys who installed our air conditioning. (I do have to say that I’ve gotten incredible work from some collaborators despite lack of funds, because they had a deep belief in whatever project we were working on.) But I am kind-of amazed that we all continue to agree to work for free, or close to it. Why?

In order to answer that, we have to look at the origins of our commitments. Here are some reasons that people get into theatre in the first place:

1. You find a community that doesn’t exist for you anywhere else.
2. You have deep pain in your soul and this is the way you work it out.
3. You are better at it than anything else, so you keep doing it.
4. You like getting attention so much that you actually can’t live without it.

There are lots of other reasons, of course. And there’s nothing wrong with getting into something this way. People become cops because their father’s were cops before them. Or lawyers because they hope to make money. Or teachers because they had a liberal arts education and what else do you do with that? The point is that you can’t judge the reason anyone gets into anything. We make decisions about our careers when we’re very young. Even if you’re well into your 20’s before you make up your mind what road to go down, you’re still essentially in the second half of your adolescence.

But once you’re in it, why do you keep doing it? After all, it doesn’t pay and it can be emotionally cruel. I see lots of people who I care deeply about come to a place in their lives where they wonder why they don’t have property or children or self-esteem. And they’re still doing 99-seat theatre.

The real answer, of course, is beyond words. It’s the fire in our bellies that can barely be described and can never be satiated. It’s ironic that the form we pursue is fleeting, and so our moments of satisfaction wear away with the passing of each show.

I write because I have to, because there are things in this world that I can’t do anything about: class inequality; untreatable disease; continuing genocide; blind devotion to religion; etc. I try to do it with humor, but the frustration is what impels me to write. It says to me that something is unjust and it’s up to me to spread the word in the best way I know how.

I am fortunate to know the work of many artists who are good at dealing with serious subjects in a humorous way. Jamie Pachino is a playwright who tackles major issues with both pathos and wit. Tim Robbins has found a way of directing political theatre through Commedia that tickles us as it slams its subjects. Nilaja Sun performs her cadre of realistic characters with a precision that turns our laughter into tears.

Through the doorway of adaptation we can use stories from one time or place to illustrate a truth about the here and now. Laura Eason’s Around the World in 80 Days (she adapted and directed) last year at Lookingglass in Chicago, danced the audience across continents with the lightest touch, until, one minute from the end, we realized that we were witnessing the difference between wanting to be of the world and wanting to own it, and that in this country we were participating in the latter. We had inherited the British sense of entitlement, the very thing that we escaped some 200 odd years ago.

I’m not saying that entertainment for entertainment’s sake is wrong. Particularly during this economic crisis, audiences are going to opt for music and laughter over drama and gore. But I always ask the question: Why? Why this material? Why now? Why that style, those lights, that pre-show music? How can you do Pajama Game in 2008 without deconstructing or commenting on it? Or using it as a comment? Are we choosing work because of meaning or to make ourselves look good?

To be very clear, I’m not saying that artists shouldn’t be exploring form and style. There’s a terrific article by Malcolm Gladwell in a recent New Yorker that addresses the question of genius by comparing prodigies to artists who achieve success much later in life. You can look at the article here: (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell) One of the points he makes is that genius is often achieved later in life through a process of trial and error, while prodigies, who may have been blessed by the muse of creativity early in life, fizzle by the time they’re 40. Failure is a tool of discovery; how can you learn if everything you do garners praise? So experimentation and exploration are necessary for growth. We cannot condemn an artist for bold failure, though we most certainly can condemn apathy and indolence.

Idealistically, by choosing to be artists, we are proclaiming that we have something important to say that needs to be told to more people than the couple across the table from us at a dinner party. We are starting a conversation that we hope will touch the lives of absolute strangers, hundreds and thousands of them. The people who choose to join us in that conversation - audiences and critics - play an important role too that I will address in my next couple of blogs, but it is the artist’s voice that reaches farthest, that can affect thoughts and deeds, that can communicate the savagery and beauty of the world.

Good theatre is made out of passion: something must be said, done, heard for the world to be a better place. It’s made out of intelligence: the assumption that the audience is made up of people who want to think, and not the lowest common denominator. It’s made out of love: a respect for the craft that mandates skill and discounts laziness. It’s made out of history: a knowledge of what has come before and how it can be built upon rather than repeated. It’s made out of collaboration: the coming together of thoughtful artists who each contribute to the whole of a vision.

Some people choose to be cops so that they can protect and serve society. Or lawyers because they believe in justice and the right to representation. Or teachers because they believe that the next generation can and should be even stronger than the current one. I initially chose to be a theatre artist because I was good at it; I understood it; I found other people who spoke my language. And I’m glad that’s what brought me to it. But I have stayed an artist because there are people in this world who have no voice and need someone to speak for them. I’d be a lousy politician - I very gladly leave politics to our President-Elect. My voice belongs in the theatre, where I can communicate ideas through art. To share what I think I know, what I don’t know and what I want to know about the world around us. It’s my way of taking a scalpel and carving out the questions I want answered.

DEADLINE: $29,000 needed by December 3 or Bob Baker’s theater and home will be sold

For more that sixty years, puppeteer Bob Baker has brought delight and amazement to children of all ages with his innovative marionette performances. Through shows at his Bob Baker Marionette Theater, located just west of downtown LA and his huge list of film and TV credits, he has entertained millions of people. Today Bob Baker’s puppet theater continues to operate on a daily basis with a crew of young puppeteers trained by the master.

But unless you help, this magical theater will disappear in a matter of weeks. Bob Baker, a proud man and a humble artisan, has no choice but to reach out to his public for a lifeline.
Two years ago, Bob Baker was the victim in an elaborate mortgage fraud operation bent on stealing his theater and home. This outrageous mortgage, written under threatening and deliberately misleading conditions, has left him owing ever increasing payments that are beyond his ability to pay.

This week the situation has reached crisis point, and Bob quietly reached out for help. Many talented people have responded to his call. A plan for improving the theater’s financial prospects is being formulated by the Valley Economic Development Center and many of Bob’s friends and fans are working behind the scenes to protect Bob and his theater and home from the sharks. The theater has enormous potential, Bob wants everyone to know that he is not going out of business.

But time is of the essence, and right now, Bob Baker needs your donations if he is going to be able to keep up with his mortgage payments long enough to get the loans modified. As of today, Bob needs $23,000 for past due mortgage payments on the theater, and $6,000 for past due mortgage payments on his home. The deadline for payment in December 3, or the buildings will be sold and Bob and his thousands of puppets will be homeless.

If you have been entertained by Bob Baker’s Marionettes, if you love the spirit of old Hollywood creativity that he embodies, if you want to reach out and help someone wonderful who has been terribly wounded by the mortgage crisis and outright fraud, please open your heart and give to Bob Baker at this difficult time. The children of Los Angeles are not ready to be without this great entertainer, who has many more years of magic before him.

Tax deductible donations can be made to “The Academy of Puppetry and Allied Arts.” Send your check to 1345 West First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 or call 213-250-9995 to make a donation by credit card.

Puppeteer Bob Baker is available for interviews. Contact Richard at bobbakerpuppetmaker@yahoo.com, or call 213-250-9995.

Legendary Puppeteer Bob Baker Seeks Donations To Save Theater From Foreclosure

Download a PDF of the LA Stage Times Nov 20 - 23, 2008 Edition