Alcazar Theatre Announces Renovation Fundraiser with the Doublewide Kings
Palmer Jackson Jr.’s band, the Doublewide Kings, is doing a benefit show to raise funding for the Alcazar Theatre’s 2024 renovations on February 2 and February 3. The band has a huge following and announced that early sponsorship VIPs include Montecito’s Scott Brittingham of Brittingham Family Foundation, Bill and Katie Garland,Board Treasurer of Casa del Herrero Gary Bradhering, Carpinteria philanthropists Tim and Ginny Bliss, Adam Peck, screenwriter/producer Jenny Bicks, and Jill Mazursky.
I interviewed Jackson Jr. at the theater this week about his band and their commitment to the Alcazar. He shared:
“To start, three of us in the band went to Cate School in Carpinteria, and we love Carpinteria. The band played at the Alcazar five years ago. We loved it. The “room” is subterranean, so it has incredible depth of sound. We really enjoyed playing here five different times since then, and the team, starting with Laz [Mike Lazaro], is so great and such fans of ours. Our band has a history now of playing places to help those places raise money, like we just did at the Granada Theatre and the Lobero Theatre. The band formed 15 years ago with three members from a prior group, The Mobile Home Boys, an acoustic Americana band. We got named Doublewide because we use electric guitars with a larger sound. We invite everyone to our February 2nd and 3rd shows. We’ll be joined by keyboardist/saxophonist Joe Farey. We’ll be playing a few highlights from the recent Moondance show, as well as rock classics.”
Current renovations will level up the venue to both “green” and professional performing arts standards current in the industry. The 2024 renovations include new electrical wiring, stage lighting and lighting truss, an updated tech control booth, new movie projector to replace its 20-year-old predecessor, a new wireless microphone system, cables, mic stands, drum riser, operational sound gear system with fiber optics, live streaming, and ongoing assessments for the latest tech and guest experience. In addition to the tech upgrades, local artist John Wullbrandt and his team have been painting the proscenium arch and Juliet balconies. Many recording artists are now insisting that the venues where they perform are technologically and aesthetically up to date.
Technical Director and the Board of Directors VP, Michael Avery, lends his 35-year expertise to the updates. In our interview he said, “We are reviving the Alcazar! We are improving the lights, sound, acoustics, and the staging. It’s going to be amazing! The audience will be able to hear the sound equally throughout the theater. We are putting four video cameras to live stream and record the performances via local TV stations and online. And we will have the ability to stream in from other live performing venues.” In the mix is music industry expert Joe Interlande who is the House and Sound Engineer.
On taking the theater up a few notches to pro-level, Executive Director Debbie Nomura shared, “We are striving to establish the Alcazar as a premier event venue along the Central Coast, a hub of entertainment and talent development. We are aiming to give space to a diverse range of performing arts, including theater, concerts, speaker series, comedy shows, films, and more for all of the community. I grew up going to the Sydney Opera House, where children are given the chance to perform using the same facilities as world-renowned performers who are household names. It shows children their creativity is important and encourages them to dream big. It is my personal goal to give children the chance to perform on the Alcazar stage, through inviting their participation in our theater productions, training programs, and by hosting school events. The Alcazar’s mission is focused on the community and relies on the community for support. We currently need help continuing our theater restoration work and upgrade our equipment – for instance, more microphones for our speaker series and school shows.”
When asked the hard question: What is your funding goal estimate? Board President Mike Lazaroshared, “We are doing the renovations in two major phases, with phase one already in progress. Current equipment and labor costs for the 2024 renovations are approximately $100K. The Alcazar is approaching a hundred years old. There’s a lot of restoration work that needs to be done to bring it back into its full glory, and to make it a sustainable green space to match the consciousness of the community. With our 2024 revisions, we will have the capability to offer professional musicians residencies, a place to rehearse, record, do a live performance and stream it, and continue to provide many community-based events as well. We are local, we are independent, and a nonprofit.”
