Santa Barbara Dance Theater

In 2010, when Jerry Pearson stepped down as artistic director of Santa Barbara Dance Theater, UCSB’s in-residence modern professional dance company, there was a sense that perhaps the institution wouldn’t continue. For 20 years Mr. Peason had put such a personal stamp on the company that filling his shoes felt daunting. But two years later, Christopher Pilafian, a member of the dance faculty at UCSB since 1990, privately premiered an introductory glimpse into the new-look SBDT, with a piece called “Leap of Faith.”

“It reflects more about my situation and attitude and less about the overall subject matter of the piece,” he says now. “It’s the reality behind the situation of the piece.”

Supporters of the Ensemble Theater Company project participate in a groundbreaking in June by pulling on a rope and bringing down a privacy wallin Victoria Community Hall. Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider and Derek Westen, co-chairman of the project, are in the foreground. Steve Malone/News-Press file photo — Supporters of the Ensemble Theater Company project participate in a groundbreaking in June by pulling on a rope and bringing down a privacy wallin Victoria Community Hall. Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider and Derek Westen, co-chairman of the project, are in the foreground.
Steve Malone/News-Press file photo

As the year closes, the biggest change in theater in Santa Barbara is physical, as the back of Victoria Hall remains open and exposed to the elements while major remodeling carries on. By fall, the Ensemble Theater Company will take the big leap from the tiny Alhecama Theatre on Santa Barbara Street and move into these bigger digs. Meanwhile, 2012 featured the unveiling of the remodeled Garvin Theater with its lavish production of “Avenue Q” followed by “August: Osage County,” while UCSB also premiered a refurbished Hatlen Theater.

The Ensemble had a good year with the hilarious “The 39 Steps,” the bleak “Creditors,” “Black Pearl Sings!” “Crime and Punishment” and “Bell, Book and Candle.” Carpinteria’s Plaza Theater proved to be a place for all sorts of events, from one-man shows to their lavish community productions of “Appointment with Death” and “A Christmas Carol.”

Tag: Santa Barbara Dance Theater

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