Theater space opens in Simi Valley with production of Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'

A new intimate, no-frills live theater venue opens in Simi Valley this weekend with a four-week run of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men."

ARTSpace is the creation of the Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi under the umbrella of the nonprofit Simi Valley Cultural Association.

It's located in a converted multi-purpose room at the closed Simi Elementary School, 2956 School St., around the corner from the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. It can seat 90 to 100 audience members.

"A lot of love has gone into putting this place together," said Jan Glasband, the Actors' Repertory Theatre's artistic director. "Lots of volunteer hours. Lots of like-minded people with the same vision have created this space.

"And we want to be able to share that with the community," she said.

ARTSpace is a so-called "Black Box" bare-bones theater, Glasband said.

"No special effects," she said. "No bells and whistles. No gimmicks. No smoke and mirrors.

"It's all about the work on stage and the actors' connection with the audience and vice versa," she said.

Will Shupe, the new theater's technical director, said, "This space is intimate enough that you can see the actors blinking, and it means something."

The Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi will stage four to five productions a year there, Glasband said.

"And we'll provide the space for productions brought in by other companies for short runs," she said.

Deal with school district

Glasband said about three years ago, the repertory theatre, through the Simi Valley Cultural Association, submitted a proposal to the Simi Valley Unified School District to transform the multi-purpose room and several vacant classrooms at the closed school into an "Arts Cultural Enrichment Center," including the ARTSpace theater.

The district agreed to provide the space in exchange for the repertory theatre teaching free after-school theater arts programs, Glasband said.

The repertory theatre has been teaching those programs for about 2 ½ years now, she said.

Construction of the new theater space has taken about a year, Glasband said.

Funding for the project comes in part from a corporate sponsor, she said.

The classrooms are used for such things as building sets and a costume shop, she said.

Glasband said a new live theater venue is just the right tonic for these divisive times.

"I think it's very important that we, as a culture, create opportunities for the public to share experiences like these," she said. "Because it's very unifying. To find common ground in the arts is critical."

"Of Mice and Men," directed by David Ralphe, debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. followed by a Sunday 2 p.m. performance. It will run through Feb. 9, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

For reservations, email jgartdept@sbcglobal.net. Tickets can be purchased at the door at the time of performance.

Ticket prices are $18 general admission, $16 seniors and students and $14 for children 12 and under. "Of Mice and Men" is not recommended for children under 10 years, the cultural association says.

For more information, go to actorsrepofsimi.org or simivalleyculturalassociation.org.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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