The unhappiness in the Los Angeles theater
community at what is perceived as an uncaring attitude from the
Olympic Arts Festival committee has intensified.
Acting on directives from the Olympic Arts
Organizing Committee, a group of 11 Equity Waiver and mid-size
theaters drafted a proposal for a local theater festival to run as an
adjunct of Olympic Arts. At an earlier meeting of the theaters and the
committee, Robert J. Fitzpatrick, director of the Olympic Arts
Festival, had offered to commit $75,000 to a local theater festival,
contingent on the group's ability to formulate a sound plan for the
project.
The theater group drafted a proposal, budgeted at
$665,620, which would revive its hits of the last decade in a "Best of
L.A." theater festival, and submitted it to Olympic Arts for reaction
four weeks ago. To their dismay, the theaters got that reaction
indirectly last Thursday from a newspaper report.
Producer Joe Stern of Actors for Themselves, one of
the participating theaters, responded swiftly. Serving as unofficial
spokesman for the group, he sent a Mailgram to the Olympic committee,
stating he found it "inappropriate and disrespectful" to have learned
of its reaction to the proposal "via a phone call from a local
columnist."
Fitzpatrick was unavailable for comment.
"He's in Korea and Japan booking groups," said Hope
Tschopik, associate director of the Olympic Arts Festival. But a
letter from Fitzpatrick dated June 2—the day the report appeared in
the. press—did arrive. It acknowledged the theaters' ambitious plans,
reaffirmed Olympic Arts' commitment of $75,000 toward the project
(plus another $25,000 for a program of workshops and lectures with
foreign artists) and set a Sept. 1 deadline "for all necessary funds
(to) be in place."
Aside from a general concern that Sept. 1 may be
too soon to raise the necessary monies, response in the .theater
community remains emotionally charged.
"I think we've been diddled around," said Peg
Yorkin of the L.A. Public Theatre. "They approached us originally to
use our theaters to host international companies. They weren't even
offering us enough money to cover expenses. It was highhanded. Now
they're throwing us a bone. I'm not surprised; I'm only surprised at
how it came down. It makes me sad."
"I'm not surprised the money is the same," said Ted
Schmitt of the Cast Theatre. "I'm a whole lot surprised at how we
found out about it. It's a question of attitude."
"After taking four valuable weeks to get back to
us," Stern said, "they've switched the issues—from discussion and
support to giving us the $75,000 and leaving us to raise the rest of
it yesterday. There's no energy. Without everyone's positive interest
it won't work."
