O.C. MUSIC : Classical Fare Falters at Barclay

1992 hasn’t been kind to the Irvine Barclay Theatre’s classical-music schedule.

At the outset of last season, five prominent Orange County music groups were set to give 34 events at the theater. Next season, what’s left of those groups will be down to 12 performances, and not all of those are rock solid.

Still, the facility’s top official shows no signs of worry. “I don’t want to sound callous,” says theater President Douglas C. Rankin, “but the cancellations have not negatively affected the theater as a whole.

“It bothers me that there are fewer opportunities for professional musicians to play, but in point of fact, it hasn’t affected our balance sheet, and it won’t. We’re getting pretty close to saturation.”

Rankin says that is because numerous other performing-arts groups are hungry for dates at the 756-seat Irvine Barclay, which opened in 1990.

But on the classical-music front, the trend has been decidedly downward.

The South Coast Symphony, which gave the theater’s first concert in 1990, dissolved in June. Two of the others--the Orange County Chamber Orchestra and the Mozart Camerata--canceled substantial portions of their seasons at the facility. The Orange County Chamber Orchestra plans to return four times in 1992-93.

The Orange County Philharmonic Society dropped one recital series because of low ticket sales last season. But the virtually sold-out chamber music series it co-sponsors with the Laguna Chamber Society will continue.

The Irvine Civic Light Opera, reeling from poor attendance, already has canceled the first of three shows announced for 1992-93, and Rankin says that the other two dates are under discussion.

What happened?

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“Community-based groups are notorious for underestimating the marketing effects required for success,” Rankin says.

“We have 30-plus different organizations or promoters using the theater. Each of their efforts ultimately determines the success of their programs. We assist. Still,” he adds, “groups always expect very aggressive support from us.”

Because other music events are among those filling the gaps, “altogether, there are probably seven fewer (music) performances than last year,” Rankin says. The new events include three concerts by the Irvine Camerata and a jazz series sponsored by the Multicultural Arts Council of Orange County (formerly the Historical and Cultural Foundation of Orange County).

In fact, the theater plans this year to exceed the total number of events it offered last season. So far, 150 performances are scheduled, and Rankin expects to add more. “By the time we finish, we’ll have 180 or 190 performances,” he says. Last year, they did 165. The increase occurs mainly in dance events and children’s programming.

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At the higher number, the theater will be “very close to maximum utilization” because of rehearsals required for the events. Including them, there are about 290 days filled, according to Rankin. The season begins Sept. 26 with two performances by the Parachute Express theater group for children.

“We’re still dealing with a situation of excess demand for use of the space versus available supply,” he says. In the past several months alone, he estimates he’s turned down nearly 50 organizations that have asked for dates.

Moreover, despite the music groups’ cancellations, overall attendance has risen. It rose about 5% over the first year, to average 69% of capacity. (Rankin says that 65% is the national average for professional theaters.) He projects a “moderate growth” to 72%-73% for the new season.

Among the strongest draws have been multicultural events, because “the theater is being identified by the Chinese, Persian and Indian communities as a hospitable destination,” Rankin says. So much so, in fact, that prompted by these communities, the theater will acquire supertitle equipment to provide translations for non-English language productions.

But despite the growth, the theater faces a financial challenge. The city of Irvine and UC Irvine, two of the three partners that support the theater, are tightening their belts. This year, they will contribute about 15% less than the combined $783,000 they gave last year. The budget remains steady at $1.4-million, so the third partner, the nonprofit Irvine Theatre Operating Company, will have to make up the difference.

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“We’ll be working on holding the line on expenses and at the same time identifying additional revenue sources,” Rankin says. So far, however, he has operated without any deficits and even ended this fiscal year “with a small surplus of about $5,000.”

To help reach potential revenue sources and establish an “increasingly higher profile in the community,” the theater will distribute about 170,000 copies of its first catalogue of events, Marquee Magazine, to homes in Irvine and surrounding cities.

As a result, next year he expects the theater to do “very well, in general.”