BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Curtains for theater group

For nearly two decades, actors dominated the space and stage at the Alliance Theatre.

By the end of March they will be gone.

With a new landlord and tripled rent prices the members of the Alliance Repertory Co. can no longer afford what used to be their space at 3204 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, said Royanna Black, artistic director for the theater company.

Property owner Bret Mersola gave the theater company — whose rent was $925 month-to-month — a 30-day notice to vacate on Feb. 28, the same day Mersola closed escrow on 3204 W. Magnolia Blvd. and its two neighbors at 3200 and 3202 W. Magnolia Blvd.

“Everything has to be removed,” Black said. “The seats, the risers, the air conditioning, the stage.”

Mersola said he was not sure yet what he would do with the property once it’s empty.

Owners of Magnolia Flowers and Gifts, and the Stamps and Coins store — who are tenants in the adjacent property that Mersola bought — could not be reached for comment.

The actors of Alliance Theatre could have stayed in their venue if they had paid the tripled rent, Mersola said. But Mersola gave the notice to vacate to Black before discussion of a new rental agreement, he said.

“They had an opportunity to stay, they just chose not to pay the rent,” Mersola said. “I gave them an opportunity to stay at a higher rent but they didn’t want to stay. They never made a fuss. They never said, ‘Hey, we want to stay,’ or anything of the sort.”

Alliance Theatre Co. Chairman of the Board Robert Spuhler said he understood Mersola’s desire for the theater company to pay more or move.

“We fully acknowledge that our lease is under market value,” Spuhler said. “It’s business and I definitely get that.

For now, the theater company is in transition.

It is currently renting a space down the road on Magnolia Boulevard for $300 a week to put on what Black hopes will only be its most recent production and not its last, “Sister Cities,” he said.

“We’re only in this space for this particular show,” Black said. “What we are looking to do in the near future … is to become a resident company of another space.”

This Saturday and Sunday the actors plan to have an open call for people to help load chairs, props and anything else still left in the theater into storage.

“It’s an interesting time,” Black said.

“I mean, I really hope it’s not the end of us.”

“Sister Cities” plays at 8 p.m. April 20 through May 26 at the Third Stage Theater, 2811 Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.