Hermosa Lands in Oz for Theater Repair

After residents watched the first half of "The Wizard of Oz" on a big silver screen at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, children giggled with each other while munching on sweet snacks during intermission. Parents couldn't help but reflect on how much they treasured the moment.

"It's just that hometown feeling here," Hermosa resident Cecilia DeCastro said about the Playhouse.

Craig and Suzanne Greely, who run the popular children's theater company Family Theatre Inc., sponsored the full-screen showing of Oz on Friday night.

The Greelys organized the event not only for fun, but also to call attention to the theater's need for some improvements that would make it a first-class operation.

With school starting next week, the Greelys weren't sure how many families would attend the movie, but more than 100 people showed up. There was no charge at the door, although donations were accepted to help cover the cost of the screening.

"We're trying to raise awareness that the theater is in need of repair," Craig Greely said. "We get a lot of traffic through there and we want to be good stewards of our own local theater. It would take more money than we can raise ourselves, so if we raise awareness, you never know what happens."

The theater's lobby was recently renovated as a gift from Sea Sprite hotelier Thelma Greenwald. The theater is located on the second floor of the Community Center, where classrooms and hallways were recently refurbished along with the lobby.

But the Greelys, and other community members, said that the theater needs more improvement, such as a new roof, for example.

City Manager Steve Burrell agreed.

Renovations will happen "in the fairly near future, although we don't really have any funding for it now," Burrell said earlier this week.

He added that city staff is working on a plan to present to the parks commission in the fall, which will begin a renovation process, and the roof will be the first thing replaced.

Another area of concern is the theater's sound system. Because the Playhouse does not have a wireless sound system, some theater groups that use the facility bring in their own outside sound system.

If the theater had a wireless sound system, it could provide that service and not lose business to outside contractors, said Mike Yasa, the Playhouse sound technician.

Burrell agreed that a new sound and lighting system is needed at the theater, as well as other "big ticket items."

"It's not just keeping it up anymore. It needs to be fixed," Burrell said. "This is how you get started, having your plan of things that need to be fixed up so the theater can be part of the community for years to come."