COLLEGE GIVES NEW LOOK TO ‘THE WIZ’

Inspired in part by Lyman Frank Baum and the demands of a small budget, director William Virchis has staged an imaginative and thoroughly “warped” production of the jive musical, “The Wiz.” Homing in on the time warp overtones in Baum’s original tale of the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the Southwestern College production features a sprinkling of characters from throughout history.

In this show, the part of the Scarecrow is Harlequin, with his broad range of character types. One witch is a Roaring ‘20s flapper. Another is a southern belle. The Lion is a Moliere dandy in a waistcoat that becomes a tail. The Tin Man is a medieval knight. The wicked witch, in fatigues, conjures a Rambo figure, while the Munchkins evoke the cast of the “Our Gang” comedy series.

“I knew there was no way we could make ours look like the Broadway production,” Virchis said. So, as he did for Southwestern’s futuristic version of “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” Virchis drew on his imagination. Performances of “The Wiz” continue at 8 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays at Mayan Hall on the campus, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista.

CIVIC DUTY: Now that the San Diego Symphony has taken its 100-odd performance dates out of the Civic Theatre, what will fill the gaps at the city-owned 3,000-seat hall? Road shows from Broadway and more one-night concerts by popular artists such as James Taylor and Chaka Kahn are likely, according to officials at the Civic Theatre.

For the first time in years, there are vacancies at the Civic, and the bottom line, officials say, is to boost the percentage of commercial dates while broadening the base of entertainment acts.

For 20 years, the city’s policy at the Civic has been to schedule a preponderance of events by nonprofit groups such as the opera and the symphony, according to Charles W. Sexton Jr., Convention and Performing Arts Center general manager.

Commercial events, which pay higher rentals, have traditionally amounted to as few as 4% and 8% of rentals, Sexton said. “The bottom line is to increase the number of commercial events to somewhere around 25% or 30%,” he said.

At 30% commercial rental, the theater would come very close to paying for its annual operating budget of $863,000, Sexton said. The city now subsidizes the Civic to the tune of nearly $300,000 a year. Unlike other city-sponsored cultural activities in the post-Proposition 13 era, Sexton has not been told to encourage a rental program that pays for itself.

However, Sexton has begun advertising the Civic’s availability in entertainment trade journals. “For years people outside San Diego knew that there were no vacant dates at the Civic,” he said. Now, with the theater’s new block of available dates, promoters are calling.

BOWERY BITS: In the midst of its hit production of Jane Martin’s “Talking With,” the Bowery is making some management changes. Robyn Hunt, the actress and artistic director of the San Diego Public Theatre, in January will replace Ollie Nash, who has served as managing director during artistic director Kim McCallum’s absence.

Hunt, who recently won a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for best leading actress, will direct “Table Manners,” the second of the Alan Ayckbourn “Norman Conquests” trilogy staged by the theater. “Round and Round the Garden” closed after a successful run last month.

Hunt and McCallum--two of the area’s most talented performers--are expected to combine forces in a late spring or summer production, according to a theater spokesman. Hunt will remain with the theater, upon McCallum’s return in 1986 from New Mexico State University, where he is serving the drama department as assistant artistic director to playwright Mark Medoff.

The Bowery’s Halloween Ball last week at the First Interstate Plaza garage raised $6,000.

JAZZ DIAL: San Diego now has an around-the-clock all-jazz radio station. On Monday KSDS (FM 88.3) began broadcasting jazz 24 hours a day. The San Diego Community College District-sponsored station, with studios at City College, has steadily boosted its broadcast hours, since it started transmitting in 1973.

“We’re a full-spectrum jazz station,” operations manager Larry Michaels said. “There are seven or eight categories of jazz, and we try to play them all in each program hour, without overplaying fusion jazz.”

The expanded broadcasting time on the ad-free station was the result of “a windfall” from Mutual Broadcasting Corp., Michaels said. Mutual will provide financial news over a subcarrier frequency of the KSDS transmitter. The money from that, plus increased support from the college district, helped pay for the additional eight hours of broadcasting from midnight to 8 a.m., Michaels said.

The station’s “Jazz Alive” free concerts series continues at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the City College Theater, with fusion music by bassist Dwight Stone and his group, “B-A-A-D.”

ARTBEATS: The San Diego City Council passed a percent-for-art ordinance Monday, which would funnel $250,000 to $300,000 a year into public artworks. The revenue will be generated by a 1% allocation from the city’s annual construction budget. The Public Arts Advisory Board will administer the program. In another PAAB program, sculptures by local artists have been put on display in the Community Concourse. . . .

At Monday’s San Diego Unified Port District art advisory board meeting, the board took under consideration a proposal by the Harborview Community Council to use a 5.4-acre waterfront parcel at the foot of Crosby Street--long sought by Barrio Logan residents as a park--as a site for sculptures and murals. . . .

Last week’s symphony Oktoberfest and Quarter Note Classic sports event proved popular attractions. The German festival took in more than $200,000, while the sports classic grossed $31,000, officials report. . . . New symphony associate conductor David Commanday will lead off the Musically Speaking concert preview lecture series at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 14 with a talk on Brahms, at the University Club. The four-lecture package is almost sold out, according to Helen Egan. For information about the series (tickets are $65) call Egan at 456-1323 or Jane Collins at 226-1681.