Jack Batman, Executive Producer, made an eloquent plea for the council to increase their funding from $100,000 a year to $250,000 in order that the theatre can fund four children’s programs.

They are The  Renaissance Theatre Project, the West Side Story project (an anti violence program), another theatre program for Latinos, and a performance program for Special Needs children. Batman said the bulk of the new money (already included in the 2008-2009 proposed budget), would be used for these programs and new

John Ioris, at head of table, with Jack Batman to his right, disputed Journal News Report at opening of meeting.

Under the new Jack Batman management, John Ioris, the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the White Plains Performing Arts Center said  the theatre had turned a “surplus of $66,000.”  He  began the meeting excoriating the Journal News in a lengthy statement taking a news article appearing in the Sunday Journal News to task for inaccuracies and alleged speculation.

The article quoted Mr. Ioris that Louis Cappelli, the local developer, in view of his recent falling out with the Common Council on the Ritz Carlton Island might not support the theatre. “At no time has Mr. Cappelli ever indicated he was pulling his support for the theatre,” Ioris told the council Monday evening. “WPPAC could not exist without the support of contributing corporations.’

 The article in question, (it should be noted) quoted Mr. Cappelli as saying he did not make decisions that way. Cappelli, in his comments is quoted by reporter Keith Eddings of the Journal News to say “I’d never let any dispute with the city council affect any of the charitable contributions we have either made or intend to make within the city or any municipality. Never.”

Ioris also stated the Journal News  report that the WPPAC was dark for six months in the first half of 2007 was "categorically false."

Deja Vu

Three years ago In November 2005, WPCNR covered a similar request for additional funding for the WPPAC in a meeting in which the former Artistic Director, Tony Stimac, presented to the Common Council, making similar glowing reports supporting requesting an extra $100,000 from the Council to match donations to pay off debt incurred by Saving Aimee.

In that same fall of 2005,  a new Executive Director, Roy Cullom was hired by the Board to work with the former Artistic Director Tony Stimac.   It came to light, through a review of the finances Mr. Cullom executed, that in the first three years of its existence, WPPAC operating capital was drained because it was paying $500,000 a year in salaries and benefits to  the Helen Hayes Theatre employees in Nyack, which Mr. Stimac was also running. The two theatres  WPPAC and the Helen Hayes shared staff.

When the extent of this capital sharing was discovered, (apparently the Board of Trustees, some of whom were in the Mayor's Conference room last night was unaware of the scope of  the revenue-sharing), the WPPAC relationship with Helen Hayes was severed, ultimately causing the closing of the Nyack  Helen Hayes theatre within a month of the termination of the agreement.

Cutback  

Operations of the White Plains theatre were cut back, spring major productions were cancelled and the theatre relied on its children’s productions to see it through to its $66,000 surplus in 2006-2007.

Stimac left the White Plains Performing Arts Center helm in June, 2007, at which time Mr. Batman was brought in as Executive Producer.  (The Board of Trustees, at the suggestion of Mr. Ioris,  had hired Batman to conduct  a survey to analyze what kind of programming the WPPAC should produce. Batman found musicals were what correspondents to the survey wanted. Subsequently Batman was hired to produce  the  current 2007-2008 season.)

Ioris denies cronyism

Ioris in his statement also denied his firm  Fresh Ice Productions had any working relationship with Batman. Ioris said the WPPAC was not “dark” for six months from January to June 2007, as the newspaper article had indicated, that 54 different events, running 94 performances and attracting 23,000 patrons took place those six months, producing $9,386 in revenues. Ioris said the article appeared to be a “deliberate attempt” to sabotage the theatre. He challenged the Council to not treat the theatre as “a political issue because the theatre was not a Democratic or Republican issue, but a quality of life issue. Don’t politicize this issue.”

Batman Notes Success.

Then producer Batman eased into the hot seat and appeared to impress the council with his impassioned description of the theatre’s growth. He said he took the job because he “didn’t think (White Plains) was being served well” by the previous years the theatre was in existence.; He said it has become an “economic asset to the city,” attracting 75% of its audience from outside the city, with customers spending money in stores, restaurants and coming back to White Plains.

Peluso, in his statements echoed this saying the city received S2.9 Million in ancillary income from running the theatre. Peluso said he based this on an extrapolation from a study on the benefits of having a producing theatre in cities.

Peluso also said the council had only been paying the WPPAC $100,000 a year (plus services), and that the council should be paying the WPPAC to the tune of $500,000 due to the numbers Peluso feels the theatre generates in dollars brough into the city.

Corporations on Board Big Time

Batman said he did not expect to sell out his major productions, but that he already has commitments from  Entergy, Con Edison, Verizon, and McDonalds to underwrite future productions. He said he would be offering tickets to musicals at reduced prices  in order to promote the theatre and attract people to the theatre as a matter of policy.  He indicated he wished to expand the practice of giving away reduced priced tickets to disadvantaged and youth and citizen's groups to the big productions. 

 He requested the additional $150,000 from the council to support expansion and inauguration of children’s programs Renaissance Theatre, the West Side Project and a program for acting for Special Needs Children – that it would not be used to produce the shows which apparently are now being underwritten by corporations.

He announced the theatre would be producing Evita, Oliver, A Little Night Music and Hello, Dolly next season as his four musicals. He announced a commitment from Entergy to underwrite one show, and the Westchester County Business Journal to underwrite another.

Mr. Peluso  noted that the city based on an extrapolation of a survey executed in 2005, received $235,000 in sales tax from the theatre’s presence and brought $2.9 Million into the city.

Roach Impressed. Council Does Not Exactly Overwhelm with Questions. Mr. Batman said in closing that without the additional funding, he felt the theatre would lose corporate support which would doom the musical productions, which he said could only mounted by corporate sponsorship.

Councilman Thomas Roach summed up his impression on the situation, saying “It looks like you’re heading in the right direction.”

Rita Malmud requested attendance figures on  the season shows to date from Batman, who said he’d supply them.

The final financial results for the 2007-2008 season are not available yet, Ioris said.

Glen Hockley repeated his request for an electronic marquee outside the City Center to promote the theatre daily and so people know it is there.  ( This is a suggestion that has been ignored by the city and the theatre management since 2003 when it opened.)

Batman noted that newspaper advertising was very expensive and it was his opinion that the public is not reading newspapers. Indeed, local media have been making blatant efforts to increase circulation, reviewing high school productions, something you never used to see.

In a folder handed out to each member of the council, reprints of articles about the theatre were contained, but no financial statements were issued to this reporter’s knowledge, other than the surplus generated in 2006-2007.

Still Amendable

Gina Harwood, the city financial officer, said the extra $150,000 was already in the recreation department budget for 2008-2009. Asked if in order to deny the funding, should they be inclined to do so, (which did not seem likely based on the quiet reaction of the council to the impassioned pleas of the evening), would the Common Council have to reject the entire 08-09 proposed budget? Harwood said no, indicating to this reporter that the additional $150,000 could be taken out of the budget prior to approval if the Council chose to do so.