Civic Arts Plaza Opens With a Flourish : Thousand Oaks: Patrons dressed to the nines greet ribbon-cutting mayor with a standing ovation as dream at last becomes reality.

Buoyed by a standing ovation, an elated Mayor Alex Fiore on Friday slashed a red ribbon to open Thousand Oaks’ new auditorium, presenting residents, at long last, with their coveted cultural center.

The gala aimed to launch Thousand Oaks into an elite stratum. With a flounce and a flourish, the one-time ranching town proudly displayed its new mandate: to showcase the best in professional theater, music and dance while nurturing local talent as well.

“You are witness to a history-making event,” Fiore told the crowd. “Tonight’s event has been nearly 25 years in the making.”

Touting their performance center as world class, Thousand Oaks leaders hope to draw audiences from the San Fernando Valley to Santa Barbara. They reached out to that broad sweep of Southern California on Friday evening, hosting a sparkling party to tell the region Thousand Oaks had arrived. An even more glitzy bash will take place tonight--a black-tie celebration expected to last until 2 a.m.

But patrons attending the Friday night gala found the atmosphere thrilling enough, even without the free champagne, pressed tuxedos and glittery evening gowns that will crowd the 1,800-seat auditorium this evening.

“I don’t care what they say about (tonight’s) gala, this is the real grand opening,” John Otte said. “This is fantastic.”

Appearing from a second story balcony, volunteer Cathy Shutz noted with satisfaction: “Everyone’s all decked out. Look at all those jewels and spangles.”

As they filed into the Probst Auditorium, guided by beaming ushers in black and purple uniforms, spectators twisted and craned to look at the theater’s intricate details. They gazed at the multifaceted walls, designed to bounce sound evenly throughout the hall; the deep purple seats, covered with flame-retardant fabric; and the gently curving aisles, patterned after European concert halls.

First-time visitors often shared the amazement of Lynn Youngren, a choir member who had stood stock-still on stage for a solid five minutes before her first rehearsal in the Civic Arts Plaza earlier this week.

“I’m soaking it up,” Youngren had said, eyes wide. “I’m just in awe. It’s gorgeous.”

For all its elegance, however, the theater still bore a slightly unfinished look. Yellow ‘caution’ tapes still cordoned off the park outside the illuminated Civic Arts Plaza. And the bougainvillea vines designed to curl around outdoor pillars stretched only a few feet out of the pots.

“The volume of work, and the volume of dirt produced by that work, is such that it could take weeks or months to completely clean up,” technical production manager Gary Mintz said before the grand opening. “New theaters always have a sheen of plaster dust over them for a while.”

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But on Friday, nobody cared.

Fiore and council members Judy Lazar and Frank Schillo strode triumphantly on stage at 8 p.m. to a standing ovation. Councilwomen Elois Zeanah and Jaime Zukowski, two outspoken critics of the plaza’s costs, did not attend.

Shortly after Fiore snipped the ribbon stretched across the broad stage, the Conejo Symphony Orchestra launched into a thunderous performance, greeted by equally thunderous applause. On the program: the national anthem and the aptly named “Festival Overture” and “Ode to Joy.”

Demonstrating the theater’s versatility in attracting international superstars and local artists alike, the opening-night program featured a 200-member community choir in the first act, followed by Broadway veteran Bernadette Peters after intermission.

“I’ve talked to many people who probably never would have come to a concert like this, but they were thrilled to pieces to have it right here in town,” said Alyce Schuldt, whose husband sang in the chorus.

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With the spirited three-hour show, Thousand Oaks leaders tried to move beyond the lingering controversy about the size and cost of the Civic Arts Plaza. They shifted their focus instead to the thrilling--and sometimes risky--business of running a first-class theater.

Even in this maiden season, members of the performance center’s Board of Governors believe they will record a small profit. If the Alliance for the Arts meets its commitment to contribute $250,000 from the endowment fund, the theater department could end up about $25,000 in the black.

“We’ve got a hard, cold budget,” said Julian Macdonald, chair of the Board of Governor’s operations and finance committee. “We really sat down and locked everything in. We’re moving forward on this thing, and it’s going to be good.”

To ensure booming business at the box office, Theater Director Tom Mitze has booked a season crammed with guaranteed hits.

The inaugural season includes such perennial favorites as the “The Nutcracker” ballet and “The Music Man.” The professional Theater League troupe will bring in tried-and-true Broadway musicals such as “A Chorus Line” and “42nd Street.” And a dozen superstars will hold solo performances: Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Bill Cosby, Liza Minelli, and more.

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Hoping to attract whole families, Mitze has also arranged for a strong lineup of children’s shows, from “The Velveteen Rabbit” to “The Secret Garden,” from juggling acts to storytelling.

Most of the fare lands squarely in the mainstream of American culture--what Mitze called “middle-of-the-road programming.” The biggest reach may be the American Indian Dance Theatre, which will present a single show in February. Or perhaps, the local rock group “majority DOG”.

But as soon as the theaters start earning solid profits, and the endowment fund begins churning out regular payments, Mitze hopes to book more eclectic entertainment--opera, modern dance, a festival of 20th Century music.

“We will have the money to sponsor shows that are more artistic or cultural, and less box-office oriented,” he said. “But we’ll walk before we run.”

Proudly describing the spectacular ticket sales and speedy sell-outs, Mitze added: “We’re not being experimental now, because we want to get all our groups going here, and start building an audience for the future. We need to put this place on the cultural map first. Then there will be time to start taking artistic risks.”

Staff writer Pancho Doll contributed to this story.

Schedule of Events The grand opening celebration continues all weekend, both inside and on the grounds of the Civic Arts Plaza. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Today:

* Children’s show “Jungalbook,” Forum Theatre. 1 p.m. Tickets: $6.

* Grand opening concert and black-tie reception, 8 p.m. Sold out.

Sunday:

* Community arts exhibit, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* Dedication of children’s tiles, 11 a.m.

* “Jungalbook,” Forum Theatre, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets: $6.

* Children’s arts festival, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

* Construction of Recycleo, noon to 4 p.m.

* City Hall Open House, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

* Community Showcase, 2 p.m. in Probst Auditorium. Tickets: $5 or $25.

* Cal Lutheran University faculty recital, Forum Theatre, 7 p.m.