Grove Festival’s ’90 Lineup to Stress Productions of the Classics : Stage: Moliere, Wilde and Thomas works will be performed. So will Shakespeare’s ‘Othello,’ ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘As You Like It.’

Calling the classics “our meat and potatoes,” officials of the Grove Shakespeare Festival declared last year’s transition to a shorter, consolidated season a major success and announced their new offerings for 1990.

The county’s second-largest professional troupe will present six works in Garden Grove: three by Shakespeare in the 550-seat outdoor Festival Amphitheatre and one each by Moliere, Oscar Wilde and Dylan Thomas in the 178-seat indoor Gem Theatre.

“We want to solidify our position as a classical company,” artistic director Thomas F. Bradac said Monday. “The real thrust for us is to send that message.”

The Grove’s 12th season will run for 7 1/2 months, from mid-May through December, and will include five subscription offerings:

* “The Miser” by Moliere (May 17 to June 23) in the Gem, director to be announced.

* “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare (June 21 to July 14) in the Amphitheatre, to be directed by Jules Aaron.

* “As You Like It” by Shakespeare (July 26 to Aug. 18) in the Amphitheatre, to be directed by Bradac.

* “Othello” by Shakespeare (Aug. 30 to Sept. 22) in the Amphitheatre, to be directed by Dave Herman.

* “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Wilde (Oct. 4 to Nov. 3) in the Gem, to be directed by Richard A. Stein, the Grove’s managing director.

The Grove will also offer its traditional holiday production of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” adapted from a story by Thomas, on a non-subscription basis in the Gem (Nov. 30 to Dec. 30).

Although fewer plays will be staged in 1990--there were eight productions in the 1989 season (including “Twelfth Night,” which will begin previews tonight but is considered part of last season)--managing director Stein said the budget will grow to $700,000 from last year’s $650,000.

That growth reflects a trend of rising ticket sales and increased corporate contributions, Stein said.

When “Twelfth Night” ends its run in February, the nonprofit Grove will have sold 32,000 tickets for $433,000 during the 1989 season, Stein noted, up from 28,000 tickets and $377,000 the previous year.

The theater did not meet a projection of 3,000 subscribers, however, reaching 2,600 instead. But that was still 200 more season ticket holders than before, Stein said.

He cited the complexity of subscription packages (simplified for 1990), last year’s modest boost in ticket prices (no rise this year) and the transition to a consolidated season in 1989 as reasons for falling short of the projection. Until 1989, the Grove presented year-round offerings in two separately subscribed seasons at the Gem and at the Amphitheatre.

Meanwhile, corporations gave $92,000 during the 1988-89 fiscal year, representing 37% of the theater’s $250,000 in contributed income; the rest came from individuals, foundations and fund-raising events. Corporate largess “was up significantly,” Stein said. During the previous fiscal year, a handful of companies gave just $8,500.

The Grove has just received a $50,000 challenge grant from the San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation, moreover, which is the largest in the theater’s history. It will be used chiefly to establish an operating reserve to cover cash-flow demands during the 4 1/2 months between seasons.

The Costa Mesa-based Segerstrom Foundation has already contributed $5,000 in challenge funds, Stein said.

The Grove will continue to operate in the Gem under an Actors Equity contract for small professional theaters and under a union letter of agreement in the Amphitheatre. Professional actors’ salaries at the Gem are $180 for a five-performance week and $350 (for at least five cast members) at the Amphitheatre. Bradac said he expects to recommend increases of $20 and $25, respectively.

He also said the theater will continue to seek foundation backing for an educational outreach program that he had hoped to implement last year but could not because of a lack of financial support.