In March 2022, the first-ever Alfred Hitchcock Festival was held to great fanfare at a fledgling new theater space in the building that once was a roller rink. It seemed to go off without a hitch, that was until the group was unable to collect $10,000 in ticket revenue from its ticketing agent, Brown Paper Tickets.
“That sure put a dent in our budget,” recalled Trish Melehan of the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild in a Jan. 16 email. “Well, after over two years, the company that purchased Brown Paper Tickets paid off their debts, and sure enough we got our much-needed money about four months ago.”
In the meantime, the Theater Guild held an ambitious second Hitchcock Festival nevertheless, and has been planning a third edition since last June.
“We have planned an exciting weekend with presenters coming from across the country to participate,” Meehan said. “We will show some of Hitchcock’s most storied movies, including an afternoon with three of his television shows.”
On the March 14-16 program will be a Saturday evening gala, a mimosa brunch and a showing of a silent Hitchcock movie with piano accompaniment by Kylan De GeGhetaldi.
The building that houses these festivities is being re-christened “The Landing,” and given the tag line, “A Performing Arts Center.”
Despite the current name, “Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center,” may seem straightforward enough, the Guild’s Ray Gorski explained in a press release that it actually created more confusion than you might think. Some found it a bit wordy, he noted, adding that people would mix it up with the CineLux movie theater complex right across the street.
So, on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 5-7pm, the Guild will host an open house to show off renovations to the theater, and officially introduce the new moniker.
The performing arts center has come a long way since it opened on Oct. 1, 2022. It has held around 100 events and welcomed more than 20,000 attendees into its auspices. That included dance events with performers of all ages, school plays, concerts, comedy and even the mayor’s State of the City speech.
Gorski hopes the new name will help the theater to stand out from Scotts Valley Performing Arts (SVPA), the local community theater company.
The Guild struggled for years to come up with the funds to renovate the building. But now, the facility is figuring heavily into plans for a new Town Center district that seeks to serve as a hub at the intersection of the Monterey Bay and Silicon Valley regions.
Designs presented to Council recently showed planners see the arts as a way to successfully draw people into the commercial center, in contrast with other retail-heavy developments across the country that have failed.
Recently, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz agreed to terms for a land deal that was a key missing piece of the process for upgrading the old airport site to a place that includes a variety of performance venues as well as plenty of affordable housing.
“After 40 years of planning, Scotts Valley may finally be able to build a town center on the Sky Park property,” said Gorski in the release, pointing to the fact that precise designs have yet to be selected. “We know that ‘The Landing’ Performing Arts Center will be an integral part of any Town Center.”
Their theater is currently arranged in what’s called a “Proscenium Configuration” with 264 theater seats and a designated area for 10 disabled folks and 10 companions, up front, for a total seating capacity of 284 patrons.
The stage is 40 feet by 28 feet, with 25 feet of wings on both sides. It has full theatrical lighting, sound and video capability—including a 22-foot retractable movie screen and two baby grand pianos.
However, the space can be rearranged into different configurations; for example, moving seats around to host a large banquet.
“The possible uses for ‘The Landing’ are endless,” Gorski added.
Here’s one possibility they probably never considered: lifting people’s spirits after a tornado.
However, in December, a twister passed by just minutes before a “Frog and Toad” matinee was scheduled to start. Meehan remembers how, even though the power went out, organizers decided the show must go on.
“So, resourceful techies utilized a couple of small generators and were able to put on the show, although without microphones and complete stage lighting,” she said. “For the evening show, they had gathered a few more generators and were able to do the show with even less modifications.”
The Landing is located at 251B Kings Village Road, across from the Scotts Valley Transit Center. Visit svctheaterguild.org for more information.
