City May Form Civic Arts Plaza Group
The Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday will consider establishing an auxiliary organization, Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza, to help run its performance center, now under construction at the site of the former Jungleland Wild Animal Park.
Tom Mitze, the executive director of the civic auditorium and forum theater, has recommended that the council form a Friends group to serve as “ambassadors of goodwill.” Members’ duties would include ushering at performances, hosting receptions and occasional fund raising.
Dues would be kept low, at $10 a year. But Mitze also suggested that the council recognize higher contributors with special designations: patron ($25 a year), star ($50) and angel ($100).
“I’m very much in favor of the group because it will get more people involved,” Councilman Frank Schillo said. “By helping to raise funds, we’re hoping they will offset reduced ticket costs for seniors and students.”
The 1,800-seat auditorium and 400-seat theater will be run by a nine-member commission. Applications are available in the city clerk’s office.
The City Council will appoint seven of the board’s members, focusing on candidates with fund-raising ability, business acumen and the time and energy to oversee a multimillion-dollar operation. Two non-voting members will represent the Arts Commission and the Alliance for the Arts.
The president of the Friends group will attend the commission’s meeting but will not vote, Mitze said.
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