Artists Using Plummer Delighted by Improvements Remodeling Would Bring

Several local arts groups face temporary relocation while the Plummer Auditorium is remodeled next year, but their officials seem less worried about finding new homes than delighted by the thought of the face lift.

Most of the groups’ officials praised the renovation plans, with one saying it will bring more performance opportunities. And one group already has found an alternative performance site.

The 60-year-old Mediterranean-style building is tentatively scheduled to be closed from July, 1991, through June, 1992.

“It’s just a magnificent building, and the remodeling will make it a very, very desirable facility,” said Griff Duncan, general manager of the Fullerton Civic Light Opera.

Final determinations on the scope and cost of the remodeling are still to be made, according to those associated with the project. Preliminary plans call for an orchestra pit that can be raised and lowered (the 1,300-seat auditorium now has no pit at all), an updated sound system; more public restrooms and storage space; air conditioning, and other improvements.

The lack of a cooling system has kept Plummer closed during most of the summer. Air-conditioning could mean year-round use, which means that Duncan’s group could add a fourth musical comedy to its season.

For the meantime, Duncan said, he is negotiating to use Cook’s Auditorium in Anaheim, a 1,500-seat facility owned by the Anaheim school district. Duncan added that the cost to use Cook’s will not exceed the $36,000 to $40,000 annually spent to use Plummer for CLO performances.

Another frequent Plummer user, the Community Concerts Assn. of North Orange County, has already arranged to present events at the Fullerton First Methodist Church during the renovation, according to Lotte H. Johnston, the organization’s concert chairman.

“We’ll stay at Plummer as long as it’s open; then we’ll move into the church,” Johnston said. The 45-year-old association presents mostly classical music performed by soloists or small ensembles.

The Cal State Fullerton office of cultural events has not begun looking for a new performance site. The university presents about 10 major touring troupes at Plummer each year, such as the Vienna Boys Choir. Wallace Farrelly, director of the office, said events may be presented in the 500-seat auditorium on the campus (with more dates making up the difference in seats).

Farrelly said he is not concerned about losing ticket sales during the transition. “Our audiences are so loyal,” he said. “This is our 50th year. I think people will move with us.”

In the long run, he said, a new sound system at Plummer could save money for the university, which has often brought in $1,000 worth of its own equipment for a presentation. Farrelly also extolled the virtues of an orchestra pit. As it is now, he said, people in the first row of seats occasionally bump against orchestra members.

“Having a real pit will create much more of a professional atmosphere,” Farrelly said. “But audiences will love the new restroom facilities more than anything else.”

The renovation, which has been under discussion for nearly 10 years, stems from a joint agreement between the city--whose redevelopment agency has approved financing for the project, initially budgeted at $1.5 million two years ago--and the Fullerton Union High School District, which owns the auditorium.

The architectural integrity of the building at Chapman Avenue and Lemon Street, considered a local landmark, will be maintained, officials say. Roxane Stearn, who books groups into Plummer for the high school district, said fees to use the renovated hall will probably not be higher.