ARTS GROUPS COMPLAIN ABOUT HIGH RATES AT NEW VENUE.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - College of the Canyons' new $15 million theater is expected to be a top-flight venue for local and touring performers, but some community arts groups fear high rental fees could price them out of the center even before its grand opening this fall.

According to a fee schedule released Monday by the college, a six-hour block at the 950-seat Performing Arts Center for local nonprofits will cost $1,638, plus a four-hour staffing fee of $420.

Adding rehearsal and staging time at roughly $900 for six hours, a local theater group could face a tab of more than $3,000 after curtain call.

``It would be a very big risk for us because that's a very big number to start with,'' said TimBen Boydston, operations director at the Canyon Theater Guild. ``It's my feeling local groups will be left in a lurch.''

The $15 million college theater was conceived for student use, while serving as a venue for big-name performances and local artists such as the theater guild and city symphony. The city of Santa Clarita invested $2.4 million to add 500 seats - doubling its capacity - and plans to share the center's operating costs.

``It's built with taxpayer dollars,'' Boydston said. ``It should be utilized as much as possible by local community taxpayers.''

But college Executive Vice President Phil Hartley said the fees are fair, especially for a large performance facility.

``You can't simply unlock the door, give them the key and ask them to lock it up as you leave,'' he said.

Citrus College in Glendora, for example, charges performers from local nonprofits about $1,700 for a four-hour block at its 1,400-seat theater. The price is cut in half for rehearsals. For commercial users, it's about $3,200 - or $800 an hour - for four hours.

And since it is a college facility, state law forbids the theater to run red ink, Hartley said.

``The (California) Civic Center Act requires us to charge back the operation costs of the use of a facility because we cannot subsidize community activities with instructional tax dollars,'' he said.

While the district's hands are tied, the city has stepped in. Cultural affairs supervisor Phil Lantis said the $1,638 rental fee is already reduced from the fair market price of $3,200 the college plans to charge groups not affiliated with Santa Clarita.

Besides, the large venue might not suit everyone's needs.

``There are other options out there for smaller things,'' Lantis said. ``The Hart Auditorium, the Canyon Theater Guild or the Santa Clarita Repertory Theater - there are a lot of options if you're not meeting that size.''

There is one way to meet the cost of using the theater, Boydston said.

``If they can fill the house, then it's a reasonable price,'' he said.

That might be tough. A recent musical staged at the guild's 280-seat theater in Newhall drew 5,000 over a seven-week run. Boydston said the guild might try to reserve the center once a year for a large show.

``It's going to be a beautiful venue, and it's going to be a great place for the city to book acts into,'' he said. ``But to be successful as a venue will mean they have to charge that kind of money.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com