LOS ANGELES, CA –Eric Umali considered the Camarillo Skyway Playhouse his home. He worked on his first show at the playhouse in 2003 and after that, pretty much moved in.
- Camarillo Skyway Playhouse fears final curtain
- Oxnard Union High School District selling playhouse's property
- Starting bid is just under $700,000
“I’ve run sound and designed sound," said Umali. "I’ve run lights and designed lights.”
Umali also acts and is rehearsing for the show “As You Like It” set in the 80s, which opens on February 8.
The community theatre has been in the space for 39 years but the story of the building goes back a lot further. It started as a movie theatre for the old Oxnard Air Force Base. What used to be the projection room now serves as part tech booth, part museum, with crews from each show leaving a lasting impression.
“It’s this great record of all these people who have literally made their mark on Skyway Playhouse," says Umali, pointing out the logos and signatures that cover the wall. "The idea that somebody can come in and knock this wall down is just not okay with me.”
The Oxnard Union High School District, which own the property, has put it up for sale. The starting bid is just under $700,000, a tall order when most of the shows only bring in a few hundred dollars.
“So we really, really, truly depend on the kindness of strangers as they say in ‘Streetcar Names Desire,'" says Jolyn Johnson, the theatre group's social media director.
Johnson says patrons can play a role by contacting the city council, donating money or just buying tickets to the shows, which will go on. The troupe had already announced the full 2019 season before the property was put on the market, and for now they plan to take it show by show.
However, this doesn’t have to be their final bow. Johnson launched the hashtag #keepskywayflying and says it is possible a new owner could buy the building and let them stay.
Even if no one buys the building, Umali says this doesn’t have to be a tragedy. The theatre troupe will "evolve and be whatever we’re going to be next," Umali says, hopefully landing in a new space where they can begin their second act.