THOUSAND OAKS : Theater Panel Delays Plaza Show Decision

Awed by the light and the heat, but afraid of smoke and mirrors, Thousand Oaks’ theater commissioners have refused to sanction a proposed laser and fireworks extravaganza--until they have more details.

A citizens committee helping to plan the grand opening bash for the Civic Arts Plaza had proposed a razzle-dazzle outdoor gala featuring pyrotechnics, water jets, flashing lights and thousands of local performers.

But while several theater commissioners said they liked the concept, they worried about the logistics of staging such a blowout, which would cost at least $100,000. Furthermore, they could not envision how to safely pack the projected audience of 50,000 people into a quarter-mile stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

“We don’t want to shut the door completely,” commissioner Virginia Davis said. “But in order to say, ‘This sounds wonderful, we want it here,’ we need to have some questions answered.”

With just four months to go before October’s grand opening weekend, commissioners decided that the citizens group did not have enough time to pull off a successful show.

Instead, they asked residents to draft detailed plans for traffic management, police and fire protection and crowd control. They also urged the organizers to begin lining up private donations, since the city will not pay for the huge celebration.