"I'm a hands-on manager..."
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"I'm a hands-on manager..." |
There comes a time when every good director must take his final bow. For Lile O. Cruse, beloved artistic director of Cabrillo Stage for the last 22 years, his time has come to say good-bye. Cruse, who has been at the helm of such locally produced Broadway quality shows such as “West Side Story,” “Some Like it Hot,” “Honk!” and others, cites reasons for his departure that include financial cutbacks the company has endured, resulting in his concerns about the quality of future productions, and his own increased job duties, which began to look like that of a fundraiser.
Since January this year Cruse has watched his creation, Cabrillo Stage, come under fiscal attack, especially by Cabrillo College. “They did a 10 percent cut of the entire show budget; that represented 43.5 percent [of what] the college allocated to us [for ‘West Side Story’].” Cruse says. This equals about $31,800, says Claire Biancalana, vice president of instruction at Cabrillo College.
With the swift removal of funds, Cruse says that he became forced to take on a sort of fundraiser role, one that he was not enthused about.
"I'm a hands-on manager," Cruse says. "I just looked at the reality of the situation. I looked at the fact that there was less money and I was going to be pushed into a corner." A lot of people are calling it (his resignation) a retirement. I never said I’m retiring. I’m keeping my options open and keeping the door open.”
Still, he will be missed. Skip Epperson, who has been involved with Cabrillo Stage since 1990 in a variety of roles, including set design, costume designing and technical directing, is stepping into the position of artistic director.
“They’re incredibly big shoes,” Epperson says, of filling Cruse’s post. “My style is to make the transition as smooth as possible with as few ripples as necessary, to have the leadership remain strong and the company be a smooth running operation. … I told him (Cruse) that I cannot do this [job], I will not … unless we can keep the quality.” And that’s exactly what Epperson plans to do.
Cruse chose Epperson as his replacement because the pair has worked closely over the years and “I knew the college would demand that whoever replaced me was part of the college faculty,” Cruse says. Epperson is indeed that—for the last four years he has been and will continue to remain, the chair of theater arts for the college.
“He’ll bring a sure hand, one that will work with people really well,” Cruse says of Epperson. “He will have certain expectations of people who work with him and I think he’ll have a very good artistic eye.”
As Cruse departs he reflects on some of the things that he’ll miss most about his 22 years: the people, the janitors, the casts, the orchestra.
As a creative tribute and farewell to Cruse, GT asked him to imagine that his last 22 years working with Cabrillo Stage were the basis for a new theatrical play. He found the idea both amusing and challenging.
Good Times: Who would write the play?
Lile Cruse: Probably my wife, Michele Ribard. She’s been there through the whole process. [She] would probably co-write it with Jana Marcus. [She’s] the historian for Cabrillo Stage. I’ve known her since she was a little girl.
GT: What would this play be called?
LC: [He has no idea.] We came from nowhere from this atypical community theater production to a professional company. It’s a rags to riches kind of thing, a little stepchild that turned into something else.
GT: What would the story be about?
LC: How great can we make this show/this company?
GT: Who would direct the play?
LC: I could direct it real well.
GT: What time period would it be set in?
LC: The ’80s and ’90s. What I would do is a collage representing 20 years, a collage of all those wonderful colors and characters of 20 years.
GT: Who would play the part of Lile Cruse?
LC: It would have to be someone who really cared—cared about the people who worked for him.
GT: What characters would be crucial to the story?
LC: My wife, she was there through all the ups and downs. My production managers have always been very significant people.
GT: Who would be the stage manager?
LC: Donna Gorman. She was our stage manager until this past year (for about 22 years). She and I go back to 1971 when I was musical director of my first show at Cabrillo Stage. She was this young little teeny bopper working on the show.
GT: What would be the climax of the story?
LC: When the media of the immediate Bay Area recognizes Cabrillo Stage for what it is. (A lot of people in the Bay Area still say it’s one of the best-kept secrets around, and this summer in particular, the impact from people … was really quite stunning. I had people walking up to me to let me know they see theater all the time on Broadway and this (“West Side Story”) was just as good as anything on Broadway.) … A woman in a grocery story stopped me [recently]. She saw the national tour of “West Side Story.” She said, ‘It was a sleeper compared to your show.’ Cabrillo Stage is dynamic and we get those comments all the time.
GT: What would be the conflict in the play?
LC: Finding the right players (the actors). And, do we have enough money for the show to go on?
GT: How would the show end?
LC: It’s time for Lile to move on. Who knows, after the curtain call? … We’re going to wait for a sequel.