Legacy in theater is a many splendored thing. To have been around long enough to cobble one is a privilege and a goal for even the most modest theater. With the rise of AI, the dwindling of monetary resources for the arts and the uncertainty of audience attendance, theater is struggling in this modern era. It seems that each year, theater in particular is held to the question of whether the art form is obsolete and whether or not it has staying power.
It is very uplifting then to be able to celebrate the legacy of a company that’s been around for 60 years: Marin Theater (MT). They’re inviting the community to join in their celebration with a gala fundraiser to be held on April 19 to honor some of their longtime friends and artists and to revel in the joy of the thing. (The play, that is.)
Founded in 1966 by an eager group of local performers, Marin Theatre is now one of the most notable professional companies in the Bay Area, producing high quality shows while still keeping it community-focused. It is the aspired stage of many of our local actors (this author included), playwrights and designers, and the high calibre of its work is admired nationally. To see the quality of work of an MT performance is to share in the transcendent experience that is live theater.
Lance Gardner, the company’s artistic director since 2023, notes that the relationship between community and organization is what has long sustained the company and is sincerely looking forward to what might be in store for MT. Gardner notes that “I’m incredibly proud of the growth that we’ve seen. Last season saw a 43% increase in attendance, and we’re on track to double last season’s numbers. The thing I’m proudest of though is the sense of community that the growth has created.”
Even so, like many of our plucky community theater companies, MT still relies mainly on public funding to produce its work, and the gala will act as both a fundraiser as well as a soirée.
Gardner, who knows that despite their reputation, MT is indeed indebted to its patronage, states that “… as a non-profit organization, the only thing that will sustain us into the future is the financial support of the community that we are building through our work. Unlike Broadway, where tourism allows the most successful shows to thrive on ticket sales alone … we count on donations to support our productions and operations.”
That said, at the gala patrons can bid on “rare treasures” during both a silent and live auction, sip bubbly and mingle with Marin’s finest while acknowledging the contributions of several major and invaluable MT contributors.
Honorees of this year’s gala include Carey Perloff, one of the most acclaimed Bay Area directors, who led American Conservatory Theatre as artistic director for 25 years, and longtime volunteer and board president Ivan Poutiatine, who himself has 60 years of volunteering experience within the Marin community. The third honoree is Vickie Soulier, a former volunteer and longtime supporter, who was not interviewed for this article.
Both Perloff and Poutiatine remain dedicated to the creative mission of MT as it heads into another 60 years, and express continued enthusiasm and passion for Marin Theatre and its place in the artistic world.
Perloff, the recent director of MT’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, calls MT “my favorite artistic home,” and says that what sets MT apart is that “Marin Theatre creates a real HOME for artists… We are all treated as central to Marin Theatre’s mission, and we operate as a true company of artists all in pursuit of the same goals.”
And indeed, the goal of a theater company is to bring people together to create art, and then to share it with an audience for one magical performance. The investment is wholly about collaboration and creation and the transformative experience that comes with immersion in a production.
Gardner, who is also an actor and was directed by Perloff in The Cherry Orchard, says, “As a performer, my best memory is of the first show that I ever acted in at Marin Theatre. Josh Costello, who directed this season’s award-winning production of Eureka Day, cast me in Lovers & Executioners, which was my first play as a member of Actors’ Equity. That feeling of being seen and accepted as a ‘professional actor’ is one that I’ll never forget.”
Perloff, with her decades of experience working with actors and stories of all kinds, envisions that, in the coming years, “Marin Theatre will establish itself as one of the finest theaters on the West Coast… I think the best artists will continue to flock to Marin because it offers wonderful challenges in a welcoming environment, and because it consistently engages its audiences fully.”
Throughout his years of volunteering, current board president Ivan Poutiatine says he was inspired to help MT “survive and grow… I knew we could develop Marin Theatre into a recognized, regional theater company.” As he is honored for his contributions to MT, Poutiatine notes that “true happiness can be achieved by finding something more important than oneself and then by devoting oneself to its prosperity.”
Poutiatine sees Marin Theatre as continuing to lead the way in the Bay Area arts community, but notes that: “One thing is for certain: To survive, Marin Theatre will need strong leadership and financial support from the community… We must step up to the plate and provide the necessary financial support for it to thrive.”
Perloff attributes the current prosperity of MT to Lance Gardner’s leadership, saying: “It’s true that the American theater is struggling, but to me, the key area to focus on is not scarcity but leadership. And here, Marin Theatre is blessed in having Lance Gardner as executive artistic director…The team Lance has assembled at Marin is small but mighty. They say yes to the most difficult requests if they possibly can and create an atmosphere of trust and collaboration that means everyone can do their best work.”
As MT looks towards the future, Gardner muses: “This year and in the coming years, I hope that people will appreciate the profound need for and the deep impact of what we do, and I hope that they’ll show their appreciation through gifts that will allow us to grow in scope for the sake of improving our shared human experience.”
The Marin Theatre 60th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser will be held on Sunday, April 19, at 5pm, at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto. Tickets from $275. 415.388.5208. marintheatre.org.
