Theaters scramble to find new program publisher before Fall. (Up Front).

The closure of Performing Arts magazine has theaters in L.A. and beyond scrambling to find new publishers for their programs before the new season kicks off in September.

When New York-based Playbill Inc. acquired publishing rights to rival Stagebill magazine last month, the Performing Arts name was included in the deal. The L.A.-based magazine's assets and accounts with dozens of venues throughout the state were not. The old operation is set to shut down, although not all theater operators were notified.

Playbill hasn't said whether it will resume publication of Performing Arts. It is attempting to strike deals with some of the publication's former venues, but progress has been slow.

Theaters have relied on the publication as a high-quality vehicle to distribute their local play and donor information. Playbill produced a version for each site, wrapped with shared advertisements and statewide arts coverage. The program was distributed at dozens of venues throughout the state.

Other publishers have expressed an interest in picking up Performing Arts' former clients. They include Seattle's Encore Media Group and Los Angeles Magazine. But Performing Arts' dissolution has each venue fending for itself, and the business has been divided into smaller, less enticing pieces.

One of the biggest questions is who will publish programs for the Music Center. Shows at the downtown venue -- which includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre -- draw more than 13 million people a year.

Performing arts venues usually get their programs for free, while publishers keep the ad revenues generated by the magazines. So, larger groups, such as the Music Center, are more attractive to publishers.

Soon after Music Center officials found out Performing Arts was closing, they got a visit from Playbill executives. But the groups that comprise the center didn't agree on what they wanted, said Playbill Publisher Philip Birsh.

"If we had gotten the Music Center, we would have happily served a lot of other theaters," he said. AAs of last week, Playbill remained in discussions with a "select few" local venues.

The Music Center, which also houses the Los Angeles Opera, Philharmonic and Master Chorale, has delayed naming a new publisher because of disagreements on delivery dates and the look and number of pages in the programs. A decision was expected late last week or early this week.

"Each of these entities has their own leadership and their own patrons to whom they need to weigh in," said Catherine Babcock, director of marketing and communications for the Music Center. "It's not an uncomplicated decision."

Performing Arts was published monthly by Stagebill Med a of New York. When Playbill recently purchased the Performing Arts and Stagebill names and trademarks, many assumed Playbill would take over their accounts.

Some organizations, such as UCLA Performing Arts and the Pasadena Playhouse, are considering publishing programs in-house until they find a permanent solution.

Brian Colburn, general manager of the Pasadena Playhouse, said he wasn't waiting for the Music Center's decision before going forward but added, "I am certainly, at the same time, very interested in what they do."

Back at the Music Center, Babcock said she realized how important this venue is to potential program publishers. "When you think of advertisers, you want the biggest consortium of performing arts organizations," she said. "I think that's why Playbill came to us early after the news (about Performing Arts) hit the papers."

There isn't much time left to get the programs out. The turn-around time is usually about a month to six weeks. Complicating matters is that many venues set their budgets for the 2002-03 year before Performing Arts' closure was announced. "There's no wiggle room," Babcock said.

"We're now very concerned that we meet the September performance dates," she said. "We, I think, will have enough time but just barely."