No Energy Shortage at This Company

There’s nothing like getting a new lease on life when you’re in your 80s. Once largely obscured by masses of bougainvillea, the formerly frumpy Powerhouse Theatre is now handsomely visible from the trendy shops and restaurants on Santa Monica’s Main Street.

But there’s more to this transformation than a simple trim. The Powerhouse has had a major make-over that has left it looking, if not exactly nubile, certainly more spruce.

And if last season’s hit “The Apollo of Bellac” and the current production, “Last Train to Nibroc,” are any indication, the theater has toned up not only physically, but artistically as well.

First built in 1910, the old power station was converted into a theater in 1982 by Paul Linke, who premiered his celebrated one-man show, “Time Flies When You’re Alive,” at the space. After Linke left, the theater became primarily a rental house, falling gradually into disrepair.

But Andrew Barrett-Weiss, executive director of the Powerhouse Theatre Company, saw the possibilities beyond the battered facade. The burly, bearded former television executive of 30 and a group of friends took over the space in 1995, intent upon reestablishing the Powerhouse as an artistic force on Los Angeles’ small theater scene.

Of seven original partners in the Powerhouse endeavor, only Barrett-Weiss remains, a testament to endurance-or possibly foolhardiness. “As with any theater company, there were tensions, and some people left because of those,” Barrett-Weiss says. “Also, we were all working as assistants in the television industry, and any time anyone got a promotion, they left. With me being the exception. I was the nut. In retrospect, looking back, I think we were all nuts. We signed the lease and took over the property on April Fools’ Day 1995. Somehow, I don’t think that was coincidental.”

At the time, Barrett-Weiss didn’t realize he was facing an almost farcical succession of obstacles. Stumbling blocks were all too literal-walkways were clogged with debris; ceilings were collapsing. The list of fire code violations included a wiring system so antiquated it could have been personally installed by Thomas Edison.

“It was a mess,” he recalls. “It was completely overgrown, a shantytown. In the first couple of years, we had the Fire Department coming every six months with problems. We were shut down a number of times. It was a completely unsafe building.”

Physical dilapidation wasn’t the only problem. The location of the Powerhouse, smack on the boundary between L.A.’s Venice neighborhood and Santa Monica, resulted in a snarl of red tape that threatened to strangle the fledgling company.

“Whenever we ran into a problem and needed the Police or the Fire Department, we got the same run-around,” says Barrett-Weiss. “The city of Santa Monica would say, ‘No, you’re in Venice,’ and then Venice would say, ‘No, call Santa Monica.’ It was a real lesson in the workings of city government. Now, since we’ve put our main entrance on 2nd Street, it’s a lot less of an issue. We are now technically in Santa Monica. That has been established.”

But through all the hardships, Barrett-Weiss remained keenly aware of the space’s potential. “I love our theater,” he says. “It’s a really sturdy building with a lot of character. The theater is really a good use for the facility. Because it feels like a theater. When you sit in that space, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

Most of the time, anyway. There have been drawbacks. “A few years ago, people would sit down, and the seats would go right out from under them,” Barrett-Weiss says. “It was a pretty sad situation.”

But potential audience members interested in seeing “Last Train,” a bittersweet World War II-era romance, can be assured that comfortable new seats were one of the first upgrades. Among other major improvements are a new wiring system and a welcoming wood deck that wraps around the back entrance to the theater. Future plans call for new landscaping, more lighting equipment and a renovated backstage area.

Yet the revitalization of the Powerhouse has been as much psychological as it has been physical.

“About 21/2 years ago, we decided we wanted to move away from being a rental house,” Barrett-Weiss says. “The feeling was that you can’t be a rental house and maintain quality. When you run a theater, you never want to book something just because you need to pay the rent. That’s when you’re really in trouble. And that move away from rentals was probably most orchestrated by Aron, our artistic director.”

Aron Eli Coleite, who assumed the artistic directorship of the theater more than two years ago, shares Barrett-Weiss’ enthusiasm and clearsighted goals. “My primary task over the last two years has been to oversee the Powerhouse’s change from a rental theater to a full-range arts organization,” Coleite says. “We’re very idealistic about the whole creative process. The theater wouldn’t be where it is without everyone putting in 100% of energy and dedication and love. We’ve been lucky to have formed such strong relationships with the people that we do work with. That’s part of why we’re so successful, because there’s so much mutual respect and kindness, it really sustains the plays and gives them the proper atmosphere to be realized.”

In addition to a staff of 11 volunteers, the Powerhouse has a newly appointed board of directors and advisory board, which includes actor Dylan McDermott. In 2001, the Buffalo Nights Theatre (‘Apollo of Bellac’) became the theater’s official resident company. The Powerhouse has also hosted the Ghost Road company, which produced last season’s “Carrots for Hare,” a comical/grisly take on the 19th century Burke and Hare murders. Footprints on the Sun (‘Nibroc’) is the latest company to play the Powerhouse during Barrett-Weiss’ tenure.

The common link among these varied production entities is, to put it bluntly, youth. All the companies are made up of youthful compadres who met in college, then continued their artistic associations after graduation. For example, Ghost Road came out of CalArts; Footprints on the Sun sprang from Duke University.

“The bulk of our audience is in their 20s and 30s,” Barrett-Weiss says. “That’s a real point of pride with us. By bringing in shows that were tied to a collegiate atmosphere, we were able to bring in a younger audience. And it doesn’t hurt that we’re a block from the beach and the Venice arts scene. That’s also in our favor.”

In an era of aging theater audiences, when most theaters are hard-pressed to rebuild their diminishing subscription bases, the importance of youth, demographically speaking, cannot be overestimated.

Coleite agrees but notes that bringing in a younger audience is “just one of our million challenges and goals.”

Fund-raising is another big issue, he says. “We want to raise enough money to pay our artists a living wage,” Coleite says.

To that end, Barrett-Weiss and his staff have secured grants from several far-flung sources, including the city of Santa Monica and a major cultural foundation that has asked to remain anonymous. Community outreach has been key to this effort, and to the Powerhouse’s central ethos.

The theater recently began offering one-performance-only shows loosely revolving around a specific theme, such as “love, relationships and mayhem” around Valentine’s Day. The programs to date have been standing room only, and more are planned. And the People’s Republic of Improv, the Powerhouse’s resident improvisational company, performs each month at area hospitals in conjunction with the Starlight Foundation.

*

But as far as Barrett-Weiss and his associates are concerned, the jewel in the crown of the Powerhouse’s community outreach efforts is Kidpower, a children’s theater program.

With the help of a number of grants, Barrett-Weiss says, the theater has created “a kids’ program that’s really unique, because we have such a multicultural, multiethnic mix. It’s never been about making money; 70% of our kids are on scholarship.”

Under the co-direction of Katie Dawson and Julie Pearl, the Kidpower program has expanded from a summers-only intensive workshop to a year-round schedule, with weekend classes offered for a fee. As part of the program, resident artists are sent out to schools to teach arts programs.

“The reason that Kidpower is so important to me is that the arts were such an integral part of my childhood,” Barrett-Weiss says. “Both the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District have cut all arts programs for children under the sixth-grade level. For a lot of these kids, Kidpower is the only exposure they have to theater and drama and the arts.”

Under Barrett-Weiss’ idealism, there’s a hardheaded practicality, an understanding that the theater students of today are the theater audiences of tomorrow. “Kids need theater. They need ways to express themselves,” he says. “It’s an integral part of being a human being. Theater is about interaction, it’s about sharing stories by the fire, having community. So many people have put their hearts and souls into the Powerhouse community, from Paul Linke to the present. Now, we need to reach out to the community, to build an audience. We need to be a destination again.”

*

‘LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC,” Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 2nd St., Santa Monica. Dates: Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 6 p.m. Ends April 14. Price: $20. Phone: (310) 358-5956.