PAT LAVINS
Oscar Sales, Marketing Director for Riverside Theatre, begins his ninth season in Vero Beach with ambitious plans to celebrate the 2013-2014 season. The season will also be a celebration of the 40th anniversary for the theatre and the milestone will provide occasions for recognition of patrons, staff and the friends of the Riverside Theatre community throughout the year.
The impact of culture on the local economy is one of the proudest achievements of Sales and his small staff of team members. Riverside Theatre is a regionally producing theatre affiliated with the Actor’s Equity Association, the League of Resident Theatres, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and the United Scenic Artists. Riverside Theatre and the Riverside Children’s Theatre are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
However, Sales attributes the long-term success of Riverside Theatre “to its original founders and to the Board of Directors that give focus on the organization’s mission.” It is these people who officially begin the season at the Friend’s Fall Luncheon which this year includes a program directed by Allen Cornell, the CEO/Producing Artistic Director. The program is a celebration of the Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber to be held on the Stark Stage and will be held on November 21, 2013. Tickets are $125 per person.
Not only are the programs produced fully supported by the local community but they are also a big draw in bringing more tourist revenue to Indian River County. Having a professional theatre in a community as small as that of Vero Beach is also a major draw for people wanting to relocate to the area.
It is a part of the mission of the theatre to not only provide a first class entertainment venue but to also be a partner in other cultural endeavors in Indian River County and to cooperate in fundraising initiatives for local charities. Thus, this upcoming season will continue in the tradition of supporting local charitable efforts by such things as the annual Festival of Trees and the recently added Dancing with the Vero Stars annual events. There was also a recent ballet presentation titled, “First Steps” that served as a catalyst to bring more professional ballet to the Treasure Coast.
The Riverside Theatre was built in 1973 on a 54-acre tract of land designated by the city of Vero Beach as a cultural park. Through the generosity of the community the theater underwent a major renovation that was completed in March 2007. Today the Riverside Theatre is like a small campus and houses the Agnes Walhstrom Youth Playhouse (AWYP) which is more popularly known as the Riverside Children’s Theatre, the Anne Morton Theatre which is more popularly known as Second Stage. The Leonhardt Administration Wing houses the staff of 50 people which is augmented periodically when there is a need for more elaborate stage construction.
The kickoff for the upcoming season is a “Celebrate the Arts” in Riverside Park.
The Riverside Theatre will offer an Open House from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 28, 2013.. This event which is free to the public allows visitors to see what goes on behind the scene. Attendees will meet in the theatre’s Orchid Lobby.
The traditional premier benefit performance will begin with a grand celebration event that dinner, parties and premier performance of South Pacific. This event which Oscar Sales said “sells out quickly” will be on February 17, 2014 with cocktails at 5:30. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. and Show at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $550 to $1,000. Performance takes place on the Stark Stage and parties take place in the Orchid Lobby.
Oscar moved to Florida from New York had been raised in Miami so he has the pulse of what a Florida audience wants. This season is in alignment with the past successes that included highest costs and highest profit for the presentation of Les Miserables and the most successful show in the theatre’s history which was the production of 42nd Street.
The entire Riverside Theatre staff is particularly excited about the 2013-2014 season will feature:
On the Stark Stage
I LOVE A PIANO – Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It is a mini-history of songs about the America way of life. Shows will run from October 29 through November 17, 2013.
Miss Saigon – From the creators of Les Miserables is a song fest about love and loss in the turmoil of war. Shows will run from January 14 through February 2, 2014.
South Pacific – Music and lyrics by Rogers and Hammerstein. It is a romance about people from different cultures. Shows will run from February 18 through March 9, 2014.
How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — Winner of the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for drama, is a blockbuster musical. Shows run from April 8 through April 27, 2014.
ON THE WAXLAX STAGE
God of Carnage – Winner of the 2009 Tony for Best Play. It is a play with only four characters behaving badly at a public park. The New York Times issued a warning about the strong language in this comedy. Shows run from January 28 through February 9, 2014
Closer than Ever – This is a musical about love and happiness and holding onto both.
Shows run from March 11 through March 30, 2014.
One of the more successful experiments that developed a few years ago is the ability to purchase tickets for one low price that allows adults to see one show and the children see another show in the Children’s Theatre.
The planning for an entire season of entertainment is an effort that continues year round. Interestingly the most expensive part of bringing any performance to the stage is the process and costs required to obtain production rights. The next highest cost factor is the stage scenery itself. It is for this reason that this year the complete stage will be packed and crated immediately after the last night of performance so that it can be shipped in tact for presentation in another city.
Among the many proud aspects of the community support that Oscar Sales says “makes Vero Beach so unique is the generosity of its patrons. Anita Astrachan who is on the Board of Trustees annually gives away 50 tickets to a matinee performance for each of the local high schools.” Other generous supporters purchase tickets for adults and youth who do not have the financial means to enjoy live entertainment in their own community.
Additional programs offered throughout the year include The Comedy Zone. Also, the Children’s Theatre has a full schedule of offerings for the coming year. Additional information can be obtained by calling Riverside Theatre at 772-231-6990 or online at: www.riversidetheatre.com
The optimism about a year full of entertainment options is a contagious sentiment that remains with you long after talking with Oscar Sales who understands his Vero Beach audience.
Indian River Guardian 