SV theater proponents announce first fundraiser event

The wheels are beginning to turn in earnest on a plan to bring live theater to Scotts Valley.
The first fundraiser event to support the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild’s efforts to transform the unused portion of the Scotts Valley Library building into a fully functioning theater venue is set for Saturday, Oct. 19.
The event, hosted by the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Association, is a masquerade mystery dinner theater evening that will feature a four-course dinner, and a wine and beer reception, as well as live entertainment, a costume contest, and prizes — all against the backdrop of a murder mystery.
“It’s going to be very festive,” said Lee Ann Gray, of the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Association. “It’s a fun way to get (fundraising) going.”
Gray, who is planning the event with Cindy Gorski, said that local performers and theater aficionados will be the volunteer servers — as well as the actors — for the evening’s events, and guests are encouraged to bring their thinking caps to solve the mystery.
“The guests will watch and try to figure it out,” she said. “Whoever turns in the right answers the soonest wins prizes.”
Gray said that the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Association was eager to help the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild’s efforts to get a performing arts center built, as the venue would be for the benefit of the entire performing arts community.
“We decided that we need to get some hype about this thing and get people on board,” she said. “We figured it would be a fun way to get people involved.”
Lee Besse of the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild said that the guild was making progress toward determining the final vision of the performing arts center, as well at laying out a plan of action to raise funds for the likely multimillion-dollar project.
“Excitement is high,” he said. “We’re trying to focus on what it is we want to build.”
Besse said that guild members were pleased by the positive feedback from the community, as well as the support from the performing arts association.
“We are eternally grateful,” he said. “We’re really excited because they put this whole thing together.”
The planned performing arts center, Besse said, would be focused on providing an affordable venue for small, local performances
“We are focusing on a much lower cost,” he said. “You have to do it on a Louden Nelson (Community Center) budget.”
“Our primary focus is to enable community groups to come in and have their performances.”
Besse described the Oct. 19 event as a “pre-development” affair, and said that the guild hoped to kick off its main fundraising effort before the end of the year.
For more information, visit www.svpaa.org or www.svtheater.org
If you go
Saturday, Oct. 19
When: 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road in Scotts Valley
Details: A masquerade and mystery dinner theater event to support efforts of the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild to build a performing arts center in Scotts Valley.
Cost: $75 per person
Info: www.svpaa.org.
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