SCR Decides Not to Appeal Big Funding Cuts by State

South Coast Repertory has chosen not to appeal a large cut in funding from the California Arts Council, which cited a lack of “ethnic diversity” at the theater and shortcomings in its community outreach programs as the reasons for the cut.

“We still feel we have a case,” Bonnie Britain Hall, SCR’s development director, said Wednesday. “But given the council’s cut-and-dried guidelines for an appeal, we don’t think we could win.”

SCR was awarded $81,950 for its general operating budget in August, a slash of nearly 25% from the $106,000 received in 1988. Theater officials protested vigorously at the time and said they would consider an appeal.

According to Arts Council staffer Saunty Singh, appeals may be filed on three grounds: the “misrepresentation of information” to the council in the evaluation process; “nonpresentation of required information” by the council staff, and “improper processing of the application.”

The guidelines specifically note that “dissatisfaction with denial of an award or the amount awarded is not grounds for an appeal,” Singh said.

Hall said three of SCR’s 47 board members and five of its 60 staffers are Hispanic or Asian. All eight have become associated with the Costa Mesa theater during the past two years. There are no blacks.

“We have made tremendous improvement with respect to minority representation,” Hall said. “Hiring minorities continues to be a priority of the theater.” She also emphasized that many non-staffers who are employed by contract at the Tony-winning company come from minorities. Hall had no figures available, however.

Robert Reid, executive director of the Arts Council, said Wednesday that the council “does not have a quota system” for evaluating ethnic diversity, but he said the number of SCR minority employees and board members “doesn’t sound like enough.”

“It’s a real tough issue with institutions basically producing art from the Western European tradition,” Reid said. “The boards attracted to these kinds of disciplines--theater in particular--are often not particularly diverse. I hear this all the time.

“I don’t want to be in a position of criticizing one of the best theaters in this country. But if government doesn’t say something about the issue, nobody will.”

Hall said the theater would try to compensate for the $24,000 difference from private contributors. “It’s early enough in the year that we can make up for that difference because of the strength and diversity of our fund-raising program,” she said.