The North Coast Rep hires Jewish theater guru David Ellenstein to lift the theater out of the doldrums.
by Patricia Morris Buckley
David Ellenstein isn't a real doctor, but he's currently playing one at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. To hear him tell it, his most critical function as the new artistic director of the 21-year-old company is to perform some reconstructive surgery.
"This theater was sick when I came here," says Ellenstein, who moved from Los Angeles to Carlsbad in May. "My job is to make it healthy again and help it grow."
For years, North Coast Repertory Theatre (NCRT) sailed along smoothly. The only semi-professional company in North County for years, it thrived because of an audience loyal to quality theater. Four years ago, founder Olive Blakistone decided to retire as artistic director (she still serves on the theater's board). Local actor/director Sean Murray replaced her and laid out an ambitious season. But last year, quite suddenly, both Murray and the theater's managing director resigned within a month of each other. Suddenly, the theater was without any full-time leadership. Blakistone stepped in temporarily to finish the season and the board of trustees quickly attempted to find a successor that would keep the theater from going under.
After looking at 140 resumes and interviewing approximately 20 candidates, they found their leader in the 46-year-old Ellenstein, who is best known in San Diego for his coordination of the Streisand Festival of New Jewish Plays, which started at UCLA but was hosted by the JCC from 1994 to 2002.
"David showed up as the best of the group," says Ira Epstein, chairman of the theater's board. "He's a very charming guy with a tremendous personality and a lot of drive. That kind of personality is imperative for an artistic director, especially when it comes to fundraising, because he is the face of the theater."
There are many theories about the sudden turnover at NCRT and perhaps only those closest to the situation will ever know the full story. But one thing is for certain - the theater was losing subscribers at a rate that alarmed the board. While shows like Pageant, one of the best-selling productions in NCRT's history, did well, other more obscure plays left audiences cold.
"I saw that there had been a fracture and it had to be healed," says Ellenstein. "People were very upset. Subscriptions were down and the audiences were turned off by the plays. Whether or not we want to admit it, money is an issue in theater. That's why I decided we needed to pick an audience-friendly season."
Some critics have questioned Ellenstein's choices, accusing him of playing it safe. The season started with Charley's Aunt and continues with shows such as The Fantasticks, Alan Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking and The Rainmaker. But Ellenstein feels strongly that this is what the theater needs right now. "It's not the most challenging season artistically, but people have responded to the choices. I have to do what's best for the theater - that has to be my primary concern. There has to be a balance. It will be more of a mixed bag as we move along."
In fact, subscriptions are now higher than ever. Charley's Aunt, which Ellenstein directed, has been a crowd-pleaser. But the second show of the season will certainly challenge audiences more. Sight Unseen is a play Ellenstein premiered at the Streisand Festival and then acted in at the Portland Repertory Theatre. Written by Donald Margulies, the play focuses on a Jewish artist, Jonathan Waxman, who is trying to figure out why his career achievements seem so meaningless.
"He's trying to find a way back to the purity of spirit he had when he was young," explains Ellenstein, who will be playing Waxman. "It's a show that asks people to reexamine the paths of their lives, to be sure the path they're on is the right one."
The son of New York character actor and director Robert Ellenstein, David knew from the beginning he wanted a career in theater.
"Since I was 4 years old, I preferred to go with my father to his rehearsals than go out and play," recalls Ellenstein. "I remember him doing the national tour of Irma La Douce with Juliet Prowse when I was 5 years old and I never saw anyone having so much fun."
It's no wonder that Ellenstein's brother, Peter, now runs the William Inge Theater Festival in Kansas and his sister, Jan, is an artist who organizes art festivals. Ellenstein had his Screen Actors Guild card by the time he was 19 and his Equity card by the age of 20. He's appeared on TV shows such as Eight is Enough and The Practice and in the films Star Trek IV and Foul Play. He's directed numerous plays and has also served as the artistic director of the Los Angeles Repertory Theatre and the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company. He co-founded the Southern California Jewish Repertory Theatre. He even played the most famous Jew of all-time - Jesus - at the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim in 1984.
"I am inescapably Jewish," he says. "I'm often defined by my physiology and my name. But there are a lot of great plays that are about Jews or by Jews. Jews make up many of the major voices in theater. I understand those characters so I have an affinity for those plays."
Despite his frequent forays into Jewish theater, Ellenstein considers himself a cultural Jew rather than a religious one. Growing up in Santa Monica (where his family moved when his father got more TV and movie work), David was constantly surrounded by the arts.
"Our Jewishness had to do with being surrounded by people in theater and books and the ways ideas were expressed," he says. "My father always said if there was a symbol for Judaism, it would be a big question mark. I would say that my temple is the theater. That's where I'm of service to humanity."
Taking the position at NCRT was a huge question mark for Ellenstein, but the timing was right. His wife, web designer Denise Woung, was pregnant and tired of his busy travel schedule (their son, James, is now 1). Not only did North County seem a better place to raise a child than L.A., but he could see NCRT's untapped potential.
"There's a real opportunity to grow NCRT into a full professional company in three to five years," he says. "It won't happen overnight. First, we're trying to raise the money to build a new theater and we're talking to both the cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach about where to put it. Then, I want to change the theater's culture. It's still so much of a volunteer organization, but that can't be the main thing if we want to attract the top people. There are no Equity theaters between the La Jolla Playhouse and South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa. I think that North County is a place that will support it."
Ellenstein also plans to continue working outside of NCRT, an idea that's supported by the board. He's directing two shows at the Coconut Grove Theatre in Florida, one of which may move to London's West End. Like other San Diego artistic directors such as Jack O'Brien of the Globe or Michael Grief of the La Jolla Playhouse, this kind of work often brings attention and credit to the director's home theater as well.
But like any good physician, Ellenstein's first priority is helping NCRT become healthy.
"The theater was in a perilous position when I took over," he admits. "The perception was that it was in trouble and I had to shore it up. It's really amazing how many people care about this theater and want it to succeed. So that's what we're working on now."
Sight Unseen
When: Sunday, Aug. 3-Sunday, Sept. 7; Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 & 7 p.m.
Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987D Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Tickets $25-$27. For more information, call (858) 481-1055.
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