Lancaster Performing Arts Center

The Lancaster Performing Arts Center is barely a year old, but the city-owned, $10-million theater has already changed its director and its direction. Susan Davis, performing arts manager for the theater's first season, left at the end of the season when her husband was transferred from Edwards Air Force Base to a position at the Pentagon. Her replacement, Bruce Spain, took over the position in June.

THEATER Uneasy family reunion In Arthur Miller's classic drama, "The Price," when two estranged brothers -- one a police officer about to retire from the force, the other a successful surgeon -- meet to dispose of their father's belongings, their uneasy reunion turns into a battle over the past. With stage veterans Len Lesser (who played Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld"), Geoff Elliott, Robertson Dean and Deborah Strang. "The Price," A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Opens Friday, 8 p.m.

Premiering with a sold-out concert headlined by Henry Mancini and his orchestra, Lancaster inaugurated its new 758-seat Performing Arts Center on Friday night, a $10-million-plus boost for downtown that arrived nearly a year behind schedule. City officials, civic leaders and other Antelope Valley residents turned out for the black-tie optional event that kicked off a weekend of theater activities. The $50 and $75 Mancini tickets had sold out long in advance.

There is more than one way to crack a nut, and San Fernando Valley dance companies will prove it during this year's renditions of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." Pacific Dance Academy in Van Nuys--which will present the holiday classic today in three performances at Cal State Northridge--has trimmed the ballet and added a narrator to help children understand the story.

* Chorus--The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles will perform Dec. 15-17 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. $15-$35. (800) 414-2539. * Dancing--Pasadena Ballroom Dance Assn. will sponsor a big band dance Dec. 16 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road. $25-$30. (626) 799-5689. * Ballet--The Antelope Valley Ballet performs "The Nutcracker" Dec. 16-17 at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. $12-$25. (661) 723-5950.

The manager of a university theater in Oklahoma has been named to fill the same job at the $10-million, 758-seat Lancaster Performing Arts Center that opened last November. Bruce Spain, 33, is slated to start the $44,808-a-year Lancaster job June 10. Spain has managed the 1,065-seat theater at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., and has nine years of technical and theater management experience, city officials said. He was selected from about 70 applicants for the job.

When the $13-million Lancaster Performing Arts Center opens later this year, patrons will be able to enjoy ballet, plays and concerts in the 758-seat theater. But they will not be able to sip a glass of Chardonnay or champagne at intermission, city officials have decided. To the surprise of some in the Antelope Valley community, the Lancaster City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to ban the sale of wine and champagne at intermissions, despite a city staff recommendation to the contrary.

When the $13-million Lancaster Performing Arts Center opens later this year, patrons will be able to enjoy ballet, plays and concerts in the 758-seat theater. But they will not be able to sip a glass of Chardonnay or champagne at intermission, city officials have decided. To the surprise of some in the Antelope Valley community, the Lancaster City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to ban the sale of wine and champagne at intermissions, despite a city staff recommendation to the contrary.

There is more than one way to crack a nut, and San Fernando Valley dance companies will prove it during this year's renditions of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." Pacific Dance Academy in Van Nuys--which will present the holiday classic today in three performances at Cal State Northridge--has trimmed the ballet and added a narrator to help children understand the story.

Lancaster had to wait a long time and pay a hefty price for its first legit theater--the 758-seat facility opened a year behind schedule and $2.5 million over budget--but early indications are that the first season at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center will be a hit. Not only was the gala Nov. 22 opening performance sold out, its open-house celebration two days later was a mob scene.

* Chorus--The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles will perform Dec. 15-17 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. $15-$35. (800) 414-2539. * Dancing--Pasadena Ballroom Dance Assn. will sponsor a big band dance Dec. 16 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road. $25-$30. (626) 799-5689. * Ballet--The Antelope Valley Ballet performs "The Nutcracker" Dec. 16-17 at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. $12-$25. (661) 723-5950.

The Christmas tree is growing through the roof again, the mice are nastier than ever and only Clara's strange new doll stands between her and complete disaster--as usual. Yes, it's the season for "The Nutcracker," performed in dozens of Southland versions--some infinitely more imaginative, charming, professional and/or expensive than others. Below, the annual list of productions, starting with those on view this very weekend.

Mice in black leotards scampered beneath the floor of the Smart & Final store on Main Street. Snowflakes swirled softly on tiny feet along a padded floor. Dolls came to life. Just another Saturday afternoon in Ventura? Actually, just another late November Saturday afternoon in the Channel Islands Ballet Company's new basement studio, as dancers young and old rehearsed for the ensemble's annual production of "The Nutcracker."

Have yourself a scary little Christmas. Or maybe just a wary one. Sabin Epstein's adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" for A Noise Within emphasizes the ghosts in the Dickens classic. Especially at the beginning, when the fog rolls out and specters rustle through the darkness, it's as if you're watching a Halloween show. These ghosts don't make you gasp. They're likelier to make you sigh. The production has a world-weary quality.

The idea of opening a performing arts center in this high desert city was born a decade ago with a plan to renovate an old school auditorium. But for years the Palmdale City Council flip-flopped between renovating the Maryott Auditorium and building a new theater, changing their decision about half a dozen times. And the city kept altering the size and scope of the project, with the net effect of delaying the opening of a theater--any theater--and frustrating its supporters.

When the Lancaster Performing Arts Center had been running for a year, and the books showed an operating deficit of $400,000, city officials weren't worried. It was, in fact, about what they had expected. They knew that there is no such thing as a major municipal facility for the performing arts that is not heavily subsidized by tax dollars. Lancaster officials didn't mind, though, because they saw benefits that went far beyond packed houses and an impressive calendar of events.

The Lancaster City Council has voted to grant the first exception to its no-alcohol policy for the city's new performing arts center, permitting a private champagne and wine reception for theater donors at the center's grand opening next month. The 4-1 council decision Monday night brought cheers and jeers from people on opposing sides of the policy dispute. On June 3, in an unexpected action, the council voted 3 to 2 for the alcohol ban but also allowed for limited exceptions.

The Lancaster City Council has reversed a ban on alcoholic drinks in the city's new Performing Arts Center, authorizing sale of wine and champagne to theater-goers. With the exception of inaugural festivities in November, 1991, the $10-million center has had a no-alcohol policy.

It was always wrong, manager Bruce Spain says, to think of the Lancaster Performing Arts Center simply as a 758-seat theater. Now, there's nothing simple about the main auditorium and its capability of transforming from a place where "Hamlet" is staged one night to where Emmylou Harris appears the next. But inside the center is a black box, waiting to be noticed. It's actually right next to the main stage itself, and even most regular patrons know nothing of its existence.

The Lancaster Performing Arts Center is going country. For the first time in its three-year history, the center will host country artists to complement its regular diet of classical, pop and folk artists. Among the country acts scheduled to perform are Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and Kathy Mattea. "We wanted to give people more-balanced entertainment," said Bruce Spain, the center's manager. "That's what people wanted." The center, Spain said, will also feature more local theater.