Redondo Beach Playhouse Lives On, One Performance at a Time

For the next two weekends, the Redondo Beach Playhouse will resound with applause and laughter. That doesn't happen too often anymore.

But on April 8-10 and April 15-17, South Bay audiences can enjoy The Boys Next Door, a tragicomedy by Tom Griffin. The Boys Next Door follows the foibles of four men and a social worker in a group home. The men are mentally disabled; they rise to challenges and find laughter in simple things--much like the rest of us.

The play is being produced by The Art Attack Foundation, a non-profit group. It debuted at the Promenade Playhouse of Santa Monica in March.

"I think it’s a fabulous play," said Dan Watt, the executive director and producer. He chose the Redondo Beach Playhouse as his second location. "I wanted to get it to as many people as possible."

For 11 years, the city of Redondo Beach funded the 126-seat on Inglewood Avenue. Local residents young and old auditioned for parts in productions. Volunteers made costumes and scenery and children enrolled in the Summer Drama Camp.

Redondo Beach's theater group actually started in 1983 at Perry Park Community Center. Over the years, according to the Save Redondo Beach Playhouse Facebook page, which has been inactive since 2009, the company produced more than 35 adult and 100 youth theatricals, most of them at the Playhouse on Inglewood Avenue.

But in June 2009, the city's budget crisis reached a head, and the money was cut. That summer, private donations--some from City Council members--enabled the Drama Camp to continue for one more season, staging The Hobbit in August.

"We don't operate a playhouse anymore," acknowledged Maggie Healy, the acting director of recreation for the city. "So the Redondo Playhouse doesn't really exist anymore. It's a theater-like facility that we do lease out occasionally."

The "theater-like facility" was once part of Franklin Elementary School. According to school district officials and stories from the local newspaper, the city leases the property from Redondo Beach Unified School District for $1.5 million over 99 years.

An attempt to transfer ownership of the Franklin School property to the city fell apart this year, so the city is still leasing the property. And as Healy explained, "We rent out portions of that."

"We have classrooms, we have the auditorium, we have a dance room," she said. "For additional revenue, we rent them out to people who are interested."

The Art Attack Foundation was definitely interested.

"I think it's a great location," Watt said. "I just  hope that it is utilized more ... maybe by us!"