Curtain May Rise for Beleaguered Ventura Theatre

The Ventura Theatre--still empty four months after the former operators were evicted in June--could reopen by the end of October, according to the new managers of the Art Deco landmark.

Ardas Khalsa, a spokesman for the management group, said he and his partners signed an exclusive operating agreement late Sunday afternoon with the building’s owner, former dentist Dr. Angelo Elardo.

The new operators declined to discuss the details of the deal. Nor would they say whether they intended to purchase the downtown theater building in the future.

But with the papers signed, the new managers can now begin negotiating in earnest for bands. Khalsa said the first show could be as early as Halloween.

“It was a beautiful room that was being wasted,” Khalsa said. “We want to make it a community room once again.”

The new operators of the theater are Khalsa, Robert Antonini, Rick Williams and Mark Kaplan.

They have all worked in the music and concert promotion business in the Santa Barbara area during the past decade, Khalsa said. And like many people in the local concert scene, the men have long had an eye on the majestic Ventura Theatre.

But it was not until late this summer that negotiations began. Antonini spearheaded the move and called in his REfriends to help him out, according to Khalsa.

Antonini, who will become the Ventura Theatre’s general manager, currently runs the Emerald City nightclub in Santa Barbara. He has been booking bands in the Santa Barbara area since the 1980s.

Williams, who will be the venue’s bar manager and also help book the talent, has worked as a disc jockey and program manager for two Santa Barbara-based radio stations, KTYD-FM (99.9) and the now-defunct KCQR-FM (94.5). He now works for a record company in Los Angeles.

Kaplan, who does promotions for KTYD, will be the promotions manager and will book local bands. Khalsa, who will be facilities and public relations manager, runs a private business raising koi--colorful Japanese carp. He also has his own show--Grateful Grooves--every Sunday night on a Santa Barbara-based radio station.

The Ventura Theatre’s most recent lease operators, Glenis Gross and Dan Catullo, took control of the 69-year-old theater this past spring with flamboyant promises to lure big-name bands like David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.

But those acts never materialized.

And after pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into restoring the ornate 1928 theater to its former glory--complete with mica imported from Spain for the chandeliers and antiqued gold for the plaster molding in the lobby--Gross and Catullo were evicted after less than three months for falling behind in their rent payments.

The new owners are playing it safe and making few promises.

“We’re purposely trying to avoid making the kind of grandiose statements [the former operators] made,” Ardas said. “We are not going to make promises to people to bring expensive bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer,” Ardas said, alluding to the last show publicized at the New Ventura Theatre, which didn’t open as planned.

The show was canceled at the last minute, and hundreds of concert-goers were left with useless tickets.

But all four of the business associates taking over the theater have experience in the music and concert business.

No bands are booked yet, because the new operators could not begin to negotiate in earnest until after the contracts were signed, Khalsa said.

The partners want to book all kinds of shows--from classic rock to jazz, blues and country--in Ventura, Khalsa said. They hope to have programs for children, comedy shows, and symphony performances. He added that they also plan to show some movies--like Warren Miller ski and surf films.

There is just one thing they say they will not have--raucous bands.

“We plan on staying away from bands we know are violence attracters,” he said. “Even though we know we could sell them out and make a fortune.

“Our goal is to really make this a room that the whole community can enjoy,” he added. “Even though technically they don’t own it, I think a lot of people feel they own the building. We want all those people to enjoy it as much as possible.”