Today we’d like to introduce you to David Hunt Stafford.
Hi David Hunt, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from Cal Arts in the early 70s and have been active in Los Angeles theatre ever since, both as a producer and an actor. I associated myself with the Los Angeles Actors Theatre in the late 70s and 80s and did a number of shows with the L.A.A.T. as well as making various TV appearances. I joined Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills as an actor in 1989 and performed in numerous plays during the 90s and joined Theatre 40’s Artistic Committee and then the Board of Directors. In the year 2000, the theater got into a bit of trouble with the B.H. Unified School District’s Board of Education through an unfortunate misunderstanding and were nearly asked to leave the campus. Theatre 40 is located on the campus of the Beverly Hills High School and it is always important to avoid, at all costs, friction between Theatre 40 and the School District officials. When this particular conflict arose, it was through my efforts that the matter was resolved and Theatre 40 was able to continue. At that time, I was asked to be the Managing Director and Artistic Director. Over the years, I have produced over 150 plays and have appeared in over 80 of them including the enormously popular and long-running, critically acclaimed The Manor – Murder and Madness at Greystone which has been running since 2001 inside Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. It has been a tremendous pleasure and joy to helm this excellent theater company and I am proud of who Theatre 40 is, our company of actors and our outstanding technical staff and our track record of accomplishments.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been pretty smooth. Theatre 40 is very fortunate to have such a wonderful small theater that is well appointed and very well equipped and staffed. As I mentioned, there was one major conflict with the Board of Education in the year 2000 but that was resolved and since then, there have been no major conflicts. Funding is always a struggle. A lot of time is spent and has been spent developing donors and contributors from the Beverly Hills community. I would say audience development and funding are the two areas that present struggles along the way. But we make it through with the assistance of supporters in the community and the City of Beverly Hills has been enormously supportive to us.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work over the years has been in the arts and in the pursuit of excellence in the theatre arts. I have been an actor in countless productions and readings for over 50 years. I love good plays and love putting the people together to make high-quality productions that satisfy both audiences who see them and the artists who are involved in making them. I specialize in excellent communication, careful management of resources, interesting play selection, allowing artists to express themselves through their work both in performance and in the technical aspects of the theater. I am quite proud of my longevity in this field. Small theater production is very rewarding but it is a tightrope to walk many times with the challenges of keeping the operation robust and funded with the resources needed to remain vibrant. What sets Theatre 40 apart from others is; quality. We have a great staff – make great and interesting play selections and deliver extraordinary quality on limited budgets.
What are your plans for the future?
No big changes. Our plan is to continue and grow – to maintain our theater operation and sustain ourselves and the quality we are known for. We do want to continue to add great actors and technicians to our membership and of course grow the audience as much as possible. The more season ticket holders and audience we have, the healthier we are both financially and artistically.
Pricing:
- $180.00 for a 5 play season ticket package
- $35.00 single ticket price
- FREE parking
- Donations are encouraged
- 2 free tickets for every subscriber
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.theatre40.org
- Facebook: Theatre 40
