SVPAA Loses Bethany University Theater Space, 'Annie' Cancelled

When the Olivet University failed to close escrow on the former Bethany University site in April, the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Association lost a theater space they had used for over a decade. 

"The loss of the theater is really unfortunate. We had been doing theater there for around 13 years," said Ray Gorski, who was president of the SVPAA for five years and was involved in helping to repair the theater space, which was in serious disrepair when they started.

"It went from a fire trap to being a viable performance space," Gorski said.

Gorski names three volunteers who worked at the Bethany Theater, and made it possible for theater groups to perform there: Lee Besse, Jeff Swan, and Val Rebhan.

"Those three had been managing the space and setting it up for theater groups, and whoever wanted to rent it, they would do the work of scheduling. None of them were getting paid. They worked so hard to make it work for everybody, and they were improving it. Unfortunately greater forces than us were at play," Gorski said.

The Northern California-Nevada District of the Assemblies of God, which owns the 72-acre campus decided to put it back on the market after Olivet failed to meet financial obligations. Olivet took over the campus last summer after the nearly 100-year-old Bethany University closed its doors.

The SVPAA had already hired a director and musical director for its fall production of Annie when they got the news, and had to call off the show for lack of an affordable space to perform.

Current president of SVPAA, Carolyn Dugger, said that she searched high and low for an alternative theater space but that the county of Santa Cruz lacks a cultural space where the organization can put on shows and not lose money.

"We looked everywhere, there is no stone unturned," said Dugger, who wishes that the city of Scotts Valley would build a theater for the community to use. 

"We are really what the community is all about. If you have a production, and you've got children in the production, then you've got another source of education because it builds so much confidence in the kids. They learn public speaking, they learn so many soft skills that are no longer available now," Dugger said. 

When the school system is cutting back on high school drama classes, community theater is all that youths are left with.

In the past, the SVPAA would perform nine nights at the 235-seat theater at Bethany University. They paid around $150 dollars to rent it per day, but Dugger says rents at other places in the county are far more expensive, which would mean hiking up ticket prices. 

"We want people to be able to afford to go to our plays, and we put on good ones," Dugger said. 

Venue costs aside, putting on a production is no cheap endeavor. The royalties alone to put on Annie were around $5000, according to Dugger. 

"And then you talk about rent and costumes, and paying the directors, you're looking at close to $30,000 to put on a show," Dugger said. “Santa Cruz seems to boast about its culture, but really there's no place to have these things. I think the county of Santa Cruz should have a space for everyone, for the people of Santa Cruz County."

For more information on SVPAA, visit www.svpaa.org/