Down-Scaled 1,500-Seat Theater OKd by Escondido

The Escondido City Council has ignored critics who accused them of small-time thinking by unanimously approving plans for a 1,500-seat Civic Center theater--1,000 seats fewer than city officials advertised during a 1985 election.

Convening as the Community Development Commission, the council rejected proposals for a 2,500-seat theater by proponents who argued that a larger hall would attract “top name” talent.

Ego vs. Second Fiddle

The Wednesday vote ended what began as a disagreement over logistics and became an argument over city ego and whether Escondido should play second fiddle to San Diego.

John Dailey, chairman of the Civic Center Commission, lobbied hard for 2,500 seats because he is tired of the notion that Escondido is “in the shadow” of San Diego.

He claimed that Broadway shows, major symphonies and name entertainers would come to a larger theater and prove that Escondido can make a strong cultural name for itself.

Small-Town Complex

“People here have a small-town complex and have very little vision of what this area can really be,” Dailey said. “I think the attitude here is, ‘Gosh, we don’t deserve to have anything that big and that nice here in Escondido.’ ”

Dailey was referring to a City Council consultant’s study done by New York-based Theater Projects Consultants Inc. that advised the council members to approve a 1,500-seat theater because local residents couldn’t support a larger hall.

“I think they have a very poor vision of the North County region,” Dailey said. “This area is vibrant and growing. The largest enclosed mall in this county is here in Escondido. In its first year (North County Fair) far outstripped all projections. That ought to say something to somebody.”

Council members and others in the community disagree.

“Who says bigger means better?” asked Anne Lievers, another Civic Center Commission member. “I feel that we can still offer Escondido a quality theater-going experience.” Lievers is also a board member of the Felicita Foundation, a nonprofit community-based cultural group.

‘Intimate Setting’

Lievers added that a 1,500-seat theater is better because it would offer the theater patron a more “intimate” environment to enjoy a show.

“Have you ever had to sit in the rafters of a 2,500- or 3,000-seat arena?” she asked. “I sat in the next to the last row for ‘Porgy and Bess’ and I love that show, but I didn’t like sitting there.”

She said theater patrons could be discouraged from going to the civic center if they thought they would be sitting in bad seats.

“People won’t go out unless they are given a good experience,” Lievers said. “Somebody has got to sit (in the rafters).”

Escondido Mayor Jim Rady said Broadway shows wouldn’t come to Escondido anyway because they are so expensive.

“There are very few Broadway shows out there because they cost so much,” he said, adding that, with city grants, the civic center could still attract name talent.

2,500-Seat Revenue

But Dailey, citing a 1983 City Council-approved consultant’s report that backed a 2,500-seat arena, reiterated his assertion that Escondido and North County have the drawing power to support a larger theater. A theater of less than 2,500 won’t generate the revenue to attract top talent, Dailey said.

“They hired a second consultant this year who came in and advised a 1,500-seat theater, and for some reason they prefer the second consultant to the first,” Dailey said.

Rady said a second consultant was hired because a great deal of time had passed since the civic center idea was first conceived.

“The market has changed; Broadway shows just won’t come to Escondido,” Rady said.

Despite this, Dailey maintains that the City Council shouldn’t have voted for 1,500 seats because the civic center was always advertised to the public as being larger.

Though there was no mention of size on the ballot of a June, 1985, civic center proposition approved by Escondido voters, Dailey said the public should have been informed before the council made its decision.

“All city literature stated very clearly 2,500 seats,” Dailey said.

Best Decision to Make

Rady said the City Council made its decision to vote for a smaller arena because it was the best decision to make.

“The people were promised a first-class theater and that is what they are going to get,” Rady said.

Dave Ferguson hopes so for Escondido’s sake.

“We in Escondido have been criticized for allowing too many schlock apartment buildings and too many schlock offices,” said Ferguson, who is also a member of the Civic Center Commission and an attorney.

“We have to make sure we don’t put anything mediocre in there.”

Ferguson wanted a 2,500-seat theater but said he can live with a smaller arena.

“I would have preferred a 2,500-seat theater but I can go along with a (smaller theater) as long as they do it right,” he said.

The proposed theater is part of the Escondido Civic Center, a project that includes City Hall, conference rooms, regional government offices, a 400-seat community theater and a museum.

The proposed complex is designated for a 35-acre site including Grape Day Park.

Ferguson said the city will now begin drawing up architectural designs and determine financing for the civic center. Construction could begin next year.