The Business of Art

What is good art? What is the role of the artist in society? Can art and the artist remain untainted by commercial success? What’s more important: audience reaction or the artist’s intent?

Such questions run like a river through “Sight Unseen,” the Donald Margulies play that Alternative Repertory Theatre has chosen for its second production in its new, bigger home in Santa Ana’s much-publicized Artists Village, into which the city has poured about $8 million.

The move promised higher visibility than the 12-year-old troupe’s former remote industrial-park site in south Santa Ana, and brought with it hopes of greater success for one of Orange County’s oldest surviving community theater companies.

“When we read the play,” ART producer Gary Christensen said, “we thought that it seemed really appropriate, having moved into a brand new arts facility.”

The two-act play, opening tonight, was commissioned by South Coast Repertory, where it had its world premiere in 1991. A breakout success for Margulies, it centers on Jonathan Waxman, a mega-successful American painter (think Julian Schnabel of ‘80s fame) about to mount a retrospective in London at the tender age of 37.

“Jonathan’s problem,” Christensen said before a recent rehearsal at the theater, “is that he’s become so successful that his paintings are literally sold sight unseen. He’s charging like $250,000 for paintings he hasn’t even thought about yet.

“So he goes to London, which happens to be where his ex-girlfriend lives,” he said. “She was kind of his muse, who is now married and living with her husband, but he goes to see her in search of the creative spark he feels he’s lost as an artist, because it’s now about the business, not the art.”

The play, which jumps in time, pits Waxman against his past and his future and finds him struggling with work, love and identity. It especially hits home with anyone who has ever worked as an artist, Christensen said.

“Even with us as a theater troupe, we’re always [asking ourselves] ‘Are we doing it for the art of it, or to sell tickets?’ If we don’t sell tickets, the theater dies. But once you become on some level commercial, these issues are always hitting you in the face. The minute you start worrying about guaranteeing an audience, you begin to not think about the art.”

ART launched in 1987 with a mission to stage serious work by such playwrights as Pinter, Albee and Ibsen, leaving to others the feel good, lightweight diversions a la Neil Simon.

The troupe has largely followed that path, even this season, in which it had the added challenge of reclaiming patrons after having been closed for about 18 months to move to Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center.

Margulies has become a well-known name, but the season opened in early February with the troupe’s first commission, “Barrio Everyman” by Roy Conboy. It will close with the first major work by Orange County playwright Lucille DeView.

“We could have gone back to some old favorites,” Christensen said, “but we wanted to do an original play because we felt like it was time to grow up and start producing new plays, and we wanted to make a statement about the kind of work” to which the troupe remains committed.

But the “risk” as he put it, took a toll. Only about 30% of the available seats in the 82-capacity theater were sold for each performance of “Everyman.” Stll, that’s about 25 more tickets per show than they averaged at their old 61-seat space.

Christensen attributes much of the problem to construction snafus that delayed completion of Cal State Fullerton’s building until the day after Conboy’s play closed--and shortened ART’s season by two plays. “Barrio” theater-goers encountered workmen, sawdust and big trucks parked outside.

“We had projected 50% attendance, so money-wise and audience-wise we were hurt,” he said, adding that advance sales on “Sight Unseen,” averaging about 30%, have been disappointing.

There’s no danger of going belly-up--a real possibility in the troupe’s early days, said Christensen, who plans to stage five plays next season, beginning in the fall. ART also retained 250 of its 300 subscribers from the former venue.

If sales don’t pick up after this weekend, Christensen said, cutbacks in its next production’s budget may be inevitable. They could include halving the scenic designer’s $400 budget or reversing a recent 50% raise for actors--all have day jobs--to $150, which covers an entire production, rehearsals and all. (The troupe’s budget is $80,000 this year).

Christensen is optimistic because of the troupe’s “beautiful” digs and local familiarity with Margulies. He also hopes DeView’s “A Summer With Hemingway’s Twin” benefits from hoopla surrounding this year’s Ernest Hemingway centennial. The author would have been 100 in July.

“There are going to be some publicity angles to work,” he said, chuckling at how much his words recall “Sight Unseen” and Jonathan Waxman’s well-tended media image.

“You always have to have those angles to work,” Christensen said, adding that getting the word out doesn’t mean compromising ART’s artistic mission.

Does it for Waxman? The answer, as in all well-written plays, is ambiguous, Christensen said.

But “it’s a cautionary tale about not selling out.”

* Donald Margulies’ “Sight Unseen,” Alternative Repertory Theatre, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. Performances 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $18-$25. Through May 1 at (714) 836-7929.