GARDEN GROVE : City to Seek Advice on Arts Program
City Council members agreed this week to meet with theater professionals from throughout the county to get advice on how to develop a performing arts program in the city.
Officials have the 178-seat Gem Theatre and the 550-seat Festival Amphitheatre available after debt-ridden GroveShakespeare announced earlier this month that it has ceased operations.
“We have two great facilities that we want to be used on a regular basis for the benefit of the community,” Mayor Frank Kessler said Wednesday.
“I am sad about the demise of GroveShakespeare but excited about the prospects for a rebirth of arts in the city. This is a great opportunity,” he said.
Kessler and others said it will be a priority to have a number of arts groups putting on performances and programs at the two facilities.
“We want to have multiuse, not just one group,” Kessler said. “There has been so much down time and the theaters are not that large to begin with.”
Councilman Mark Leyes said he envisions the two city-owned theaters forming the basis for a performing arts center, with a number of groups staging varied programs throughout the year.
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