PERFORMANCES by Shakespeare Orange County at the Festival Amphitheater on Main Street in Garden Grove wouldn’t be displaced by new management of the facility (File photo).

By Jim Tortolano

The existing programming of live theater, film screenings and tribute bands at the Festival Amphitheater on Main Street in Garden Grove would continue under a proposed agreement with the LFA Group to take over management of the 550-seat outdoor facility.

A presentation was made to the city council at its meeting Tuesday in the Community Meeting Center. The LFA Group, whose members have experience in operating other venues such as concert halls, bars and restaurants, is proposing to rent the building complex which is currently home to Shakespeare Orange County and M&D Silva Enterprises, which sponsors movies, concerts and other entertainment.

Under the proposal – which won’t be formally considered by the council until the Jan. 24 meeting – the LFA Group would not pay rent for a three-year period, but instead make at least $125,000 in improvements to the facility, including upgrades to the inside and outside of the building, restrooms, stage, concession stand, box office, lighting and sound system. The total value of improvements could exceed $290,000.

Responding to questions from Councilman Phat Bui, the council was assured that it was the city’s intention that use of the facility by Shakespeare Orange County and M&D Silva Enterprises could continue under the new management.

Also revealed at the meeting were plans by LFA to increase the seating at the Amphitheatre by reducing the size of the stage and replace the stadium-style chairs with a bench arrangement. Also proposed is converting the facility’s snack bar with a small kitchen and eatery, what Mayor Steve Jones termed a “hip new restaurant.” The project could be “one dynamic that could transform downtown.”