Speaker Card - Agenda Item # 3.1 - Peter MandelCITY COUNCIL MEETING SPEAKER'S CARD
Individual public comment is limited up to 3 minutes per agenda item.
PLEASE PRINT NEATLY (to be used to call you to the podium)
DATE
NAME
Email / Mailing
Address
(Optional, to be used if Request is made that staff respond back to you)
AGENDA ITEM
NUMBER
TITLE
Before the agenda discussion, please complete and present this card to the City Clerk. While voluntary,
everyone can attend and speak, with or without a completed card.
Speak a language other
than English
When called, approach the podium, wait for
acknowledgment, then speak into the microphone
As you might know, Limelight Theater has brought quality theater to Gilroy for the past 12 years
at the Gilroy Center for the Arts. I know that many of you have enjoyed our productions. The
Center for the Arts is a city owned building and the City delegates the management and
maintenance of the center to a group called The Gilroy Arts Alliance. Limelight Theater, which is
now operated by the non-profit South Valley Civic Theatre, has been paying rent to the Arts
Alliance for those 12 years, which has been their main source of revenue to maintain the
building. This model has worked well, with Limelight bringing some outstanding productions as
well as roughly 2000 attendees a year to downtown Gilroy.
However, in August, the Arts Alliance gave an eviction notice to Limelight Theater. They stated
that they want to take the Center "in a different direction". When the Arts Alliance was asked
what conditions could be met to cancel the eviction, they said they would increase our rent by
67%, as well as many other conditions that would dramatically impact our creative choices as
well as our ability to provide an inviting, intimate theatrical setting.
Our patrons especially love that at a Limelight show, they are seated at tables surrounding the
stage, close to the actors in the productions, while enjoying snacks and meals that have been
delivered by local Gilroy restaurants, as well as access to a full bar. It had been a unique theater
experience.
However, despite our efforts to negotiate, the result of these impossible demands is that the
eviction went through and SVCT cancelled all productions there and cleared all Limelight
property from the Center of the Arts effective December 31st.
While the City government was not involved in removing Limelight Theater from Gilroy, (it was
the Arts Alliance that did that,) the City should know that our patrons don't know that this Arts
Alliance group even exists. We have had countless questions to the effect of "Why did the City
kick you out"? You are getting very bad PR for a decision that you didn't make.
So what now? We want to continue our presence in Gilroy and we are looking for a new long-
term home for Limelight, where we can continue our productions. We have heard from so many
of our patrons how much they enjoyed the experience of having our shows in Gilroy and what a
loss it would be to the community should that end. And, there are countless local volunteers
who have given so much of their time, energy, and creative talents to these productions over the
years and are committed to try to continue this legacy.
In the meantime, the show must go on and we're moving forward with the play we had
scheduled to bring to Gilroy in March, the beloved classic "On Golden Pond". However, we will
be performing it at the Morgan Hill Playhouse. It's not clear what the plans are for the Center for
the Arts with its main user now evicted from the facility. If you have suggestions for a new
Gilroy home for Limelight, please, please contact me.