We Have Built It… Now, Please Come!

By Brenda Himelfarb Palisadian-Post Contributor Michelle Danner likes to tell the story about the first time she walked into the Santa Monica space that is now the home of the Edgemar Center for the Arts. As she speaks, her haunting brown eyes stare straight ahead while she recalls what she considers to be a magical moment. The space, she says, called out to her. ‘My dream of opening a place to keep on creating live arts began a long time ago,’ says Danner, who is the executive artistic director of the one-year-old theatrical center. ‘So, when I walked in here so many years ago with a flashlight, in the dark, I knew this was the space. There was a certain energy. Now that we’re open, the energy that I felt so palpably when I sneaked in here in the middle of the night is still here. And others feel it, too. So many people come up to us after a reading or a show and talk about what they feel here. There’s just something about this space.’ Now, we’re not talking just any space. We’re talking a Frank Gehry space. A retail and restaurant complex that this notable architect designed in 1989, and a portion of which was occupied by the Santa Monica Art Museum until 1996. What Danner explored that dark night, in 1999, was a bare, concrete shell of a building. True, there was an electrical system and a few flimsy walls. But there were no bathrooms. No offices. No nothing. She knew that there was a lot of work to be done. But Danner, as she says, heard the sound. Saw the light. She knew this was the right place. Eventually, Danner and her partner, acting coach Larry Moss, with whom she has worked since 1990, raised over $1.5 million from donors who include former students. There was Kate Capshaw, who had studied with Moss in New York. She and her husband, Steven Spielberg, contributed $500,000 towards the project. Contributors Patricia Heaton and her husband, producer David Hunt Jones, have dressing rooms named after them. And Jason Alexander, Tom Hanks and Neil Simon also helped get the ball rolling. Today, the 6,350-sq.-ft. Edgemar Center for the Arts is buzzing with creativity. The facility houses a 99-seat main stage for productions, as well as a 65-seat second stage that hosts solo shows such as cabarets, works in development and readings. Revolving art exhibitions from established and up-and-coming artists represented by Gallery C, dress the walls of the Bradley A. Jabour Gallery, which is the center’s lobby. There are a couple of small offices and dressing rooms. And, yes, there are bathrooms. ‘It’s amazing to know that none of this existed,’ says Danner, like a proud mother. ‘We sacrificed the offices to have a main stage, because we wanted a place for the art.’ The ‘we’ Danner is referring to is her management team that includes, along with Moss, the artistic director; Brian Drillinger, creative director; Deb LaVine, director of creative affairs and Alexandra Guarnieri, managing director. ‘The artistic vision of this center, lies in their hands,’ Danner says of her cohorts. ‘We’ve always planned on having this facility all encompassing,’ says Guarnieri. ‘It’s about theater, children. It’s about outreach to all.’ To that end, the center has collaborative partners for afterschool programs, including L.A’s Best and YMCA, each of whom does their own writing, acting and costuming for their productions. And Edgemar is the home of Assemblies in Motion, a nonprofit organization of hip-hop artists who perform at socially minded assemblies for high schools, detention centers and foster homes. ‘What I’ve always wanted for this space was collaboration,’ says Danner. ‘I wanted to reach out to programs that needed a space to do their work. We know we change children’s lives. In fact, we started many of these programs before we even finished construction.’ This summer, the center is offering acting workshops for kids and teens that include improvisation and on-camera work. Those in the acting workshop will perform a showcase for parents and agents at the end of the session. At the end of the on-camera workshop each student will have an edited copy of his commercial on DVD to add to his reel. A morning workout for actors called ‘Actor’s Daily,’designed as a ‘creative jump-start,’ is also in progress with unlimited classes at a minimal monthly fee. Some of the center’s presentations have evolved from workshops that focus on emerging artists and new works. An early production, ‘The House of Yes,’ evolved out of Moss and Danner’s acting class, as did ‘Counting for Thunder,’ currently playing at Edgemar. Other offerings have included a country jazz singer and classical pianists. ‘We also have a group of volunteers in our literary department who call agents and get scripts for consideration,’ says Danner. ‘Every script is read by three different readers and, if approved, a reading of the entire script with the writer and producer is done. We usually do this on a Sunday, and the place is filled.’ On tap, too, is ‘Edgefest,’ a film festival, as well as other events devoted to the works of Neil Simon and Tennessee Williams. And there is a plan to reach out to hospitals, convalescent homes and battered women, to teach them self-esteem through performance. But building an arts center from scratch is not an easy task and fund-raising is always a challenge. And like any other nonprofit these days, the center is always looking for funds and other donations. The entire space can even be rented for special events. ‘My position as artistic director is one of the hardest things that I’ve ever done,’ says the undeterrable Danner. In the center’s lobby a monitor plays a continuous video of celebrities who support the center and attended the grand opening of the facility, including Spielberg and Capshaw, Helen Hunt, Christian Slater, Kimberly Williams, and Sally Field. At one point Spielberg remarks to the interviewer, ‘Edgemar is a tremendous new watering hole for us to go fishing in.’ These words are music to ears of Moss and Danner. ‘Edgemar is the idea of bringing 42nd Street to Main Street (the street on which the center is located),’ says Moss. ‘Are you an actor? Are you a singer? Are you a writer? There are some kids who can’t be anything but artists. That’s who they are. This place is for them.’ As teachers, Moss and Danner understand that creativity, that drive. Their job is to support and feed that innate talent. One part of Edgemar’s mission statement reads ‘to invite the community to observe, engage and interact, to add its voices to our creative discovery.’ ‘We’re starting out. It’s just the beginning,’ Danner says. ‘We encourage the community to get involved in the theater and be a part of it.’ Danner and her team have lovingly built the center. Now they want you to come. For a performance schedule, contact 392-7327, and for class information, contact 399-3666 or www.EdgemarCenter.org. The Edgemar Center for the Arts is located at 2437 Main St., Santa Monica.