Press Release
Moonlight Stage Productions Looks Forward to Construction of New Stage House
| Contact: | Steven Oberman |
| Department: | Recreation & Community Services |
| Phone: | 760.726.1340 ext 1146 |
| Release Date: | November 03, 2008 |
VISTA, CA – Moonlight Stage Productions will raise the curtain for its 29th season on a grand new stage house, which began construction in September 2008.
Artistic director Kathy Brombacher and managing director Dan Kays, are thrilled that this decades-long dream will become a reality. Since 1981, when the first Moonlight season was presented on little more than a raised platform in front of a grassy slope, it has been the goal to have an enclosed facility to protect the stage and performers, and allow for more professional productions.
From humble beginnings, the Moonlight has grown into an award-winning theatre, whose amphitheatre now features 900 reserved seats, lawn seating capacity for ove 1000, and even an onsite restaurant/concessionaire, Feliccia’s Under the Moonlight. However, every year technical staff must rebuild and repair the stage floor and walls and rig the lighting and drops from atop an open-air steel truss, all which remain exposed to the outdoor elements all year long in rain and storms.
The upcoming project includes replacing the aging stage and temporary backstage facilities with an enclosed stage house that includes a 60-foot-tall ceiling to fly scenery up into the rafters, out of sight of the audience. It will also feature dressing rooms, a sunken orchestra pit, rehearsal room, scene workshop, costume room, and backstage restrooms. “Having a safe, efficient stage house, and the tremendous possibilities for expanded usage of the amphitheatre, is truly thrilling,” said Brombacher, who is one of the founders of the theatre.
Moonlight’s non-profit partnering organization, Moonlight Cultural Foundation, will be launching a capital campaign to raise funds to purchase the sound and lighting equipment for the new stage house. The Foundation was originally founded as The Vista Foundation in 1976 to build the amphitheatre in Brengle Terrace Park for the community’s bicentennial celebration.
In addition to the stage house, improvements will be made to the amphitheatre to increase accessibility for disabled patrons. The new facility will also provide opportunities for increased programming, rentals and overall usage of the amphitheatre for arts and cultural programming throughout the year.
The Project Team, including Vista City Councilman Bob Campbell, the Moonlight and City of Vista staff, along with the Design/Build team of Sundt Construction and Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects, is working to complete the new stage house by the end of June 2009, in time for Moonlight’s 2009 Summer Season. Councilman Campbell stated, “The entire City Council and I are very excited to be able to build this new stage house and provide expanded programming for the community.”
Moonlight Stage Productions is a program of the City of Vista’s Cultural Arts Division in the Recreation & Community Services Department. For more information about the Moonlight Amphitheatre Project, contact Marie Ertel at (760) 639-6151. For information about Moonlight Cultural Foundation and the Capital Campaign, contact Diana Aaron at (760) 630-7650.
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