Crown Jewel Loses Its Gleam
Once spoken of as the soaring centerpiece of City Hall promotions, the favorite symbol of soaring success, the formerly every-week summer concerts, one cynic said, effectively have been discounted from the crown jewel to dime-store lookalike jewelry. Instead of accenting the impressive number of concerts, the popular musical attractions and the large crowds drawn to City Halls Courtyard on 13 summer Thursday nights, the new emphases are vaguely being placed on more abstract and unexplained notions of marketing, high quality entertainment and diverse programming. Instead of boasting as it has in the past about luring loyal, enthusiastic capacity crowds that spill, maximally, to the sidewalk, the tone sharply shifted downward, fading from upbeat to grim and gray. Gone was the past practice of saluting the community for filling every-seat-plus on Thursday nights. It was replaced by weightier talk, notably from retiring Community Development Director Susan Evans attending her final meeting Redevelopment Agency Chair Steve Rose and Agency member Carol Gross. They centered their observations on the darker side. They remarked repeatedly how much of a bother the concerts have been every Thursday, how the physical set-up preparation has drained valuable staff time that better could have been applied elsewhere. They said that a new and more diverse age has dawned. They said that City Hall and the Redevelopment Agency are too busy staging the one-day-a-year Artwalk, which drew about 1200 persons last June, and the occasional The Art of speaker series to channel too much energy as they did in days of yore, last year into the Summer Sunset Music Festival. The old name is on the junk heap, too. Too bulky to market, it was claimed. It will be known henceforth as the Culver City Music Festival, which, they indicated, will bring continuing mention, as in attention, from The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. This appears to be the extent of the much vaunted but undefined concept of marketing that often was invoked.
Probing the Logic
Mr. Corlin challenged the logic of the rationale behind nearly cutting the number of concerts in half partially, it was explained, because of diminishing available monies while greatly increasing the funding available for each concert. Funding for the concert series was reduced from last years $88,000 to $70,000. But since the number of concerts was reduced almost in half, the allotment per concert climbs from $6800 to $8700. The plain-spoken Vice Mayor wanted to know how that made sense if the cutback is about saving money and funneling funds elsewhere. We did it to save the quality of the concerts, Ms. Evans explained. Even City Manager Jerry Fulwood, normally a silent observer, leaped into the fray. He echoed what Ms. Evans and others were asserting. We dont look at (these changes) as numbers, he said. This is about high quality. We are concerned with maintaining the high quality of the concerts. Mr. Corlin was unimpressed by the groups reasoning. Mr. Corlin and Mr. Silbiger separately suggested that money could be raised from prospective sponsors ($9,000) to restore the old schedule. Each members idea was forcefully and quickly rejected although not with particular clarity. Ms. Gross, a strenuous supporter of the broad changes in concert policy, said major changes have been implemented before. Once, she reminded the audience, the concerts ran twice a week. I think it is very appropriate to look at the (new) schedule we have now, she said as she decried two realizations. One was that capacity has been attained. She regretted, she said, not being able to double, triple or quadruple the crowds of 1,000 now turning out for Mr. Mandells promotions. Ms. Gross also said that the Sweeping changes are not a referendum on Gary Mandell although he has been identified throughout as the only loser in the process. Mr. Mandell chose not to speak although, after a brief verbal scuffle between Mr. Silbiger and Agency Chair Mr. Rose, he was permitted to answer a couple of questions.
Postscript
A hint of what may have been crucial in driving the changes was the appearance of Charles Dillingham, managing director of the Center Theatre Group. His group operates the Kirk Douglas Theatre, across the street from City Hall and from the Courtyard, which is the venue of the Thursday night concerts. He welcomed the shrunken schedule. Mr. Dillingham complained, in even tones, that the volume of a few concerts overwhelmed his patrons last summer. As he put it, the blare of the music leaked through the walls. Mr. Corlin, never more than arms length from a salty observation, suggested that Mr. Dillinghams players could switch their dark night to Thursday. Or, he added, the theatre could even install sound-proofing. No evidence was available indicating that either suggestion was welcome or appreciated.
