City council gives $16,000 to Spotlight the Arts group

The Calabasas City Council last week reallocated $16,000 from a Calabasas Players account to the new nonprofit group Spotlight the Arts.

The money will be used to fund construction of a theater at the future Calabasas Civic Center to be located on Park Sorrento.

The Calabasas Players disbanded two years ago because it lacked a theater.

"In the past, we’ve had grants from the city, we’ve done ticket sales and we’ve sold ads," said Karen Foley, founder of Calabasas Players and former mayor. "We built up a collection of money from the public that I understand is in (the city’s) general fund earmarked for the Calabasas Players, which has morphed into Spotlight the Arts."

For future productions, Calabasas Players will have to request money from the city when the council awards community service funding to local organizations, according to Calabasas City Councilmember James Bozajian.

The $16,000, which was to be used for Calabasas Players productions, cannot be used unless the group has a theater.

"Without a venue, we aren’t going to be able to put on any more plays," he said. Bozajian, a strong theater advocate, played the Grim Reaper in the Calabasas Players’ last performance of "Scrooge, the Musical."

When the Calabasas Players did put on shows, they performed in locations that didn’t seem fit for such events, said Toby Keeler, Spotlight the Arts co-chair.

"They were performing in city council chambers," Keeler said. "They were at the community center in the gymnasium. Those aren’t the proper places to put on performances."

Spotlight the Arts hopes to raise funds to build a quality theater that would foster the visual and performing arts as an integral part of the city’s cultural offerings. The group doesn’t want to see theater groups perform in multipurpose rooms due to lack of funds.

—Michael Picarella