“We were on the brink,” said Pasadena Playhouse Artistic Producing Director Danny Feldman Tuesday, of those perilous days in 2016, when it looked like the Playhouse—the State Theater of California —was about to breathe its last and lower its curtain forever.
“I had board members and staff and accountants say to me, ‘We will not make it’ and donors were saying goodbye, and saying that they would not be signing the next check,” Feldman recalled.
He was just stepping into the shoes of longtime director Sheldon Epps, who had created a reputation for classic works of theater performed by diverse casts, a new tradition that Feldman was honored to uphold.
But at the time, the theater had only enough cash on hand to get through one month of salaries and expenses.
As Feldman remembers, “It was a terrifying time. I had left my job in New York City, and I was coming to this theater that was such an important part of its community’s landscape.”
“It was an uphill battle, and deeply stressful,” he said. “We seriously needed to widen our reach. Bringing us back took everyone and everything we had.”
All of which makes the announcement that the Pasadena Playhouse will receive the 2023 Regional Theatre Tony Award on June 11 in New York City, that much more joyful and fulfilling. The theater will join the Mark Taper Forum as the only two Los Angeles theaters ever to be so honored. The decision comes as a result of a recommendation by the American Theatre Critics Association.
Along with the award, Pasadena Playhouse will receive a $25,000 grant provided by City National Bank.
And yes, Feldman will travel to New York City to be on stage to receive the award.
Feldman was in his car when a rep from the Theater League of New York called him two weeks ago, just a day after the successful opening night of “A Little Night Music,” part of the theater’s ongoing Stephen Sondheim tribute.
“This was just so exciting,” he said. “I was already on a high from opening night, and to get this news was just so thrilling, not just for me, but for all of the staff and volunteers and donors and cast members. It’s just so meaningful for the community.”
Feldman continued, “We always had that spirit of scrappiness and we were just working in that same spirit, really just always striving for excellence.”
Those perilous days of 2016 seem brighter now, a testament to the scope of the Tony triumph.
As he reached back out to donors, volunteers and audiences in those trying days, the struggle continued. And then — the pandemic.
Feldman quickly scrambled and mobilized casts and crews to create an unprecedented digital season in 2020, slowly and steadily returning to live stage performances two years later.
Relying on his staff and leadership team, Feldman “widened his circle,” knowing the theater would not survive if he didn’t.
“We reached out to local and state politicians wherever we could,” he said. We couldn’t do it alone.”
Some of that hard work paid off handsomely as State Assemblymember and Pasadenan Chris Holden, along with the LA Arts Recovery Fund, raised millions of dollars to keep the Pasadena Playhouse solvent and working during the pandemic. Holden also secured a $1.6 million check from the California State Legislature in 2021, to overhaul the theater building’s heating and air conditioning system, while the Playhouse was one of 90 Southern California arts organization grant recipients from the LA Arts Recovery Fund.
“This was an outside endorsement of the highest caliber,” said Feldman. “We have a 98-year-old building that needs to be maintained. We have a commitment to that building, the cultural jewel that it is.”
Now, with an eye on the theater’s next hundred years, Feldman is eager to discuss the theatre’s immediate plans. He is excited about Bernadette Peters upcoming evening of song the weekend of June 10-11, and can’t wait to announce next season’s performances, which will be happening soon.
“We just want people to come back, or visit us for the first time,” said Feldman.
