When Years, Not Dollars, Count for Success in the Theater : Stage Door in Agoura Survives by Presenting Mainstream Fare

How do you measure the success of an Equity waiver theater? According to Gale Trumbeaux, the executive producer of the Stage Door Theatre in Agoura, longevity--rather than profitability--is the answer.

“In the eight years we’ve been in operation, many little theaters in Los Angeles and the Valley have closed their doors,” said Trumbeaux, 50. But the 49-seat Stage Door continues to survive by offering mainstream fare, such as Neil Simon and Agatha Christie. “Wait Until Dark” and “Deathtrap,” and Simon’s “Chapter Two” and “Same Time Next Year” have been among its most successful productions.

The theater has been closed for minor repairs since mid-December, but Trumbeaux plans to reopen the Stage Door tomorrow with Noel Coward’s “Private Lives,” in which she will star.

Trumbeaux’s introduction to show business came at age 17 with her marriage to Fred Astaire II. “I spent 7 years living in the Fred Astaire household” in Beverly Hills, she said, “and I absorbed a strong feeling for show business through my surroundings.” She added, “We had an elegant life, including servants and travel and lots of visiting royalty--both the real and the Hollywood variety.”

When the marriage ended, Trumbeaux found herself a “Cinderella in reverse.” “I didn’t get a penny in alimony or child support,” she said, “although I do have some wonderful furnishings and silverware which the Astaires were kind enough to give me.”

When a second marriage ended, Trumbeaux moved with her two sons--one from each marriage-- from Northridge to Agoura Hills. Although she had no business or theater experience, Trumbeaux persuaded a friend who was an actor to open the Firelite Dinner Theater in Ventura. From 1969 to 1979, Trumbeaux drove from her home in Agoura to Ventura, gaining experience in acting and directing. Finally, tired of the drive, she decided to look for something closer to home.

“For years I had been aware of an old building located at the corner of Agoura Road and Lewis Street,” Trumbeaux said. “It was a momma-papa market and gas station at one time but had been vacant for years. The owner thought I was crazy to try to put a theater in there, so I had to act a lot more confident about it than I felt.”

Trumbeaux rented the space, borrowed $5,000 from her parents and transformed the 1920s-era general store into a small theater with a 9-by-13 foot stage. She purchased seats from the Shrine Auditorium for $5 apiece and, in November, 1980, opened with Simon’s “Plaza Suite.”

No one associated with the theater is paid, but Trumbeaux has a file of actors, directors and technicians who are available to help her meet her goal of mounting a production every 6 to 8 weeks. Occasionally she tries to branch out and stage some not-so-traditional productions.

“We tried to mount some Tennessee Williams plays a few years ago and they bombed,” she said. But “I’m going to try ‘Death of a Salesman’ as a favor to an actor friend in March. I can afford to take a chance like that every few years.”

Dave Shelley, the “actor friend” who will play Willie Loman in the Arthur Miller play, is a 28-year veteran of theater and television. He recently completed a television pilot (with Howie Mandel) titled “Past Imperfect,” played a police sergeant in the TV series “Crazy Like a Fox” and a teacher in the syndicated series “Fame.” He played Loman several years ago in an off-Broadway production.

“For me, the Stage Door Theatre is like a gym,” said Shelley, who has acted in and directed many of the local productions. “It helps me keep my acting muscles in shape.”

After many years of commuting to Los Angeles, Karen Machon, an actress with a 2-year-old son who lives in Agoura Hills, became a part of the Stage Door Theatre’s “repertory group” to “keep my skills honed.” She, too, has appeared regularly in series television--she starred with Dennis Weaver in “Stone” and made guest appearances on such TV dramas as “Police Story” and “Columbo.”

“Gale has virtually no ego,” Machon said. “Unlike others in this business, she provides an ideal atmosphere for actors to flourish creatively.”

“Gale’s no prima donna,” said Marc Alaimo, a television and movie actor who recently appeared in “Educating Rita” at the Stage Door. “She vacuums, cleans the bathrooms and books the cast and crew of every play. She also begs, borrows or steals the props and scenery.”

The Stage Door is also a place where relatively inexperienced actors and directors can gain experience. Julie Silver, a 27-year-old graduate of UCLA’s Theater Arts Department, works full time as a draftsman and will direct the Stage Door’s production of “Death of a Salesman.”

“It’s scary, but I’m doing my research. I’ve worked with Gale and Dave Shelley before so I’m looking forward to the chance,” Silver said. And, she added, she enjoys working without the pressures imposed by a professional theater.

Trumbeaux says she “ekes out a living” through her work at the Stage Door. “I pay the rent--for both the theater and my home--and put food on the table” from the proceeds at the box office. “But I live very simply,” she added. “I’ve owned my house for more than 20 years so my payments are small. I don’t have any charge accounts. I have no medical or life insurance. It’s not a life style most people would want, but it suits me because I’m doing what I want to do.”