City to Waive Rent to Lure Stars to Plaza

Accepting some financial risk to lure big-name acts to town, the Thousand Oaks City Council has approved a plan to waive auditorium rental fees and stage-crew costs for major performers when the Civic Arts Plaza opens next fall.

Those subsidies would cost thousands of dollars per show. But in exchange, the performer would share any profits with the city, by funneling money to the Civic Arts Plaza’s budget.

If a show loses money, the city would not recoup its subsidies.

Tom Mitze, director of the Civic Auditorium and Forum Theater, said the risk would be minimal--and worthwhile. And only by offering the subsidies, he said, can the city hope to attract headline stars to perform in the 1,800-seat auditorium now under construction.

Even Mayor Elois Zeanah and Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski, who have repeatedly emphasized that the city should not risk taxpayer funds, voted for the subsidies.

“You’ve minimized the risk to the city and put forth a creative solution,” Zeanah told two members of the Civic Theaters Commission who proposed the idea to the council on Tuesday.

After the 4-0 vote, Theater Commissioner Larry Janss told the council: “The city has built us a Rolls-Royce of a facility and with this empowering action, you’ve allowed us to put the gasoline in it. I think we will be off and running, and running well.”