Black Actors Troupe Fails in Effort for Permanent Theater

Plans by the Orange County Black Actors Theatre to open a permanent theater in June have been dashed, according to Adleane Hunter, the company’s producing artistic director.

The troupe, now using a leased basement space in Santa Ana for its office, has failed to obtain a zoning variance from the city to transform the space into a 99-seat theater, Hunter said. Efforts to get the variance will continue, she said.

Performances of “The Colored Museum,” which were to have christened the new venue, may be staged at South Coast Repertory in July instead, Hunter said. Meanwhile, the troupe has canceled a production of “Fences,” originally scheduled to open in April at the Curtis Theatre in Brea, because of low subscription ticket sales, she said.