By Brooklynn Wong
North Orange County has long been thought of by some as an arts desert.
Sure there are some small regional theaters, but if you want to see the really good stuff, head to LA or the Segerstrom Center in South County. That’s where all the national tours and big-name performing groups pass through. So save up your bucks and go to those ones, right?
One man, and one North Orange County theater, are trying to change that, to add one local theater to the landscape and present it as a contender that will woo North County’s theater aficionados to opt for staying closer to home when they go out to the theater, and have the guarantee that they will see a high-quality production.
Look no further than the city of Orange, and Chapman University’s resident performing arts center, and Mr. Richard Bryant, its Executive Director.
The Musco Center, a beautiful theater on the campus of Chapman University, opened in 2016, and it has been the backdrop for performances from both students in Chapman’s highly-regarded performing arts programs, and professionals.
I spoke on the phone recently with Bryant, who has been at the helm of the Musco Center for most of its days of existence.
He’s a fairly soft-spoken man, but an eloquent and passionate one, who can go on and on when prompted on various topics of culture, the arts and the theater. To nearly all of my questions, he’d talk at length, then say, “so that’s the long answer to your short question. I hope that’s alright.”
He spoke of his position as being a champion and supporter of all the region’s theaters, not seeing them as being in competition with one another, and of his hope that (and evidence of it already happening) the Musco Center will create a new contingent of theater lovers right here in North Orange County.
When I asked Bryant what theater-goers can get by going to the Musco Center that they can’t get from going to a bigger theater like the Segerstrom, he called that “a leading question.” He worked at the Segerstrom Center for ten years in the ‘80s and ‘90s as its Director of Communications and Marketing, and continues to have a great affinity for it as an OC arts institution. If Bryant didn’t outright admit that his current theater can’t compete with his alma mater though, he did say that they’re certainly different, in terms of reputation, funding, and programming.
But he sang the praises of all of Southern California’s theaters, saying they all bring something different to the table, the more the merrier, and they all serve the purpose of introducing more people to the art of the theater.
About the theaters, he said, “I’m for all of them,” and said going to the theater is an “elevated experience” that creates distinctive and lifelong memories.
“You can remember what you wore to the theater when you were eight,” he said.
But when it comes down to it, Bryant said what makes the Musco Center different is it’s “smaller, easy, parking is free, we take good care of people,” and it has the distinctive feel that comes with being in a university community.
And one very interesting statistic that Bryant provided was that the Musco Center has found that 11% of people who come to shows there are not going anywhere else. In other words, they are not people who were already theater aficionados attending the bigger theaters who just happened to hear about Musco Center and have added that to their rotation of theatrical nights on the town. They are either new theater appreciators who have discovered the medium via the Musco Center, or have ceased going to other theaters and have made Musco their home for live entertainment.
Bryant seemed particularly excited about this bigger picture aspect. It would appear, he said, that a new audience of theater appreciators is being formed in North Orange County as the result of the Musco Center’s presence there.
Bryant and the Musco Center are very thoughtful in their programming too. They produce a lot of their own in-house shows, and put together a thematic schedule for the year, rather than just hosting anything and everything that’s coming through town.
That includes their Christmas programming. This year that will be comprised of three shows: “Nochebuena: Christmas Eve in Mexico,” which happened December 11, “A Southern California Christmas” (this weekend, with a shows on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday the 15th), and “Mark O’Connor’s An Appalachian Christmas” next Tuesday, December 17.
Bryant talked at length about the desire to represent different “flavors” and different cultures’ takes on Christmas.
“Nochebuena” showcased the dance group Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles accompanied by a highly-touted mariachi band. Bryant spoke of the rich Mexican culture in North Orange County, in Anaheim and Santa Ana, and that that nuance of Christmas ought to be celebrated.
“A Southern California Christmas” is quickly becoming an annual tradition. It’s in its third year now, and has only been a one-off Sunday afternoon show the past two years. This year, there will be a Saturday night show too. It’s a traditional, warm-and-fuzzy celebration that is part concert by local performing groups and part group caroling session. Bryant said the show is “built around” the Orange Community Master Chorale, and it involves the Southern California Children’s Chorus, the Southern California Brass Consortium, Anaheim Ballet performing selections from The Nutcracker, and more.
Bryant said the live music, with the acoustics of the theater, makes for a simply “glorious sound.”
And lastly, next Tuesday, December 17, the Musco Center will host “Mark O’Connor’s An Appalachian Christmas” for the first time ever. The group won a Grammy in recent years for “Best Bluegrass Album.”
Bryant calls this “American roots music” and is proud of the well-rounded holiday programming the Center is offering, including, he says, a celebration of Mexican Christmas traditions, European in “A Southern California Christmas”, and “American roots.”
See MuscoCenter.org to learn more about the Musco Center, its current Christmas programming and how it is contributing to the building of a unique contingent of theater connoisseurs in North Orange County.
