Actors Theater performance , which draw actors and directors from around the Bay Area .
Heath , a year away from celebrating his 50th birthday , is at home onstage and in Gilroy . He hails from an even smaller town – Sidney , NY – population 3,000 . After attending college at Fairfield University in Massachusetts , Heath lived in Connecticut , Boston and New York City , working for an ad agency and then a medical publishing company – always in account executive positions . Tired of the cold east coast winters , he moved to California in 1999 .
Moving to San Francisco , Heath said was an easy transition and settled into a human relations job for a public relations company . Two years later he moved to Gilroy , which Heath described as a culture shock , “ but I really craved having a backyard , I wanted to have a dog . I wanted to have a house ,” he said .
“ I said , I just have an instinct about it . This is where I am supposed to be ,” Heath said . In quick order , Heath bought a home and adopted a dog and soon realized his dream of working where he lives when he landed a job at Dennis Daniels Company , a family-owned wholesale frame and photo album company in Gilroy . Heath ’ s position evolved into general manager . He said co-owner Shannon Daniels took him in and was like a sister . He said he enjoyed travelling internationally , representing the company as a buyer , salesperson and at tradeshows , but still harbored a dream to be self-employed .
About this time , Heath said he met his now-husband , local Realtor Alan Obata , through mutual friends .
“ I knocked a drink out of his hands ,” Heath laughs . “ We ended up becoming best friends .”
Heath said Obata ’ s family , who grew up in Gilroy , quickly became his family as well . They were married in August 2008 .
Heath , who is also a wedding officiant and has married 300 people , was thinking about growing his wedding business , when fate took another turn . He was invited to be on the board for the Gilroy Arts Alliance in the summer of 2010 .
A year earlier , the city had purchased the old Salvation Army building at the corner of Seventh and Monterey streets , which the Gilroy Arts Alliance began leasing with the hopes of transforming the drab building into an arts center . Heath , who at this point was the president of the board , said it took about 10 months to transform the inside . He said the doors opened with horrible Linoleum floors and no landscaping . Within the first year , a generous donation from the Christopher family made a complete renovation possible – from new floors and lighting to an ADA bathroom , beautifully lit marquee sign , and a parking lot . A year later , additional donations built the courtyard on the property . But the question remained , “ how do we let people know we ’ re open ?” Heath said .
In November 2010 , developer Gary Walton , who owned the Lizarran Restaurant at the time , asked Heath if the center could present a play at the restaurant . Heath was up for the challenge . “ Acting has always been a huge hobby of mine ,” Heath said , who had been in shows through Pintello Comedy Theater , the former Odyssey Theater , and the South Valley Civic Theater Company , the latter of which he was on the board . “ Tech is not my thing ,” Heath confessed laughing , “ But I can build a beautiful set and I can be on stage .”
While he had no plans to open a theater , fate stepped in when the Board asked him to consider it .
“ If I ’ m going to do this , I didn ’ t want it to be rinky dink ,” Heath recalled . Limelight Actors Theater was born and became the resident theater company at the Gilroy Arts Alliance Center for the Arts .
After mulling over dozens of names , Heath settled on Limelight Actors Theater , which he says is really about the actors .
“ If you don ’ t have actors , you don ’ t have theater , so I wanted to give actors their credit ,” Heath said .
The first production opened on January 21 , 2011 for two nights with just a few lights . A handpicked cast starred in the show and audience members were invited to bring their own dinner .
“ It was such a huge hit that I said , ‘ we have to do this . There ’ s nothing else like this ; we have to do this ’.”
The second show opened in February for one weekend and the third show – a series of one acts about travel – played at Lizarran for three weekends . A summer show played to audiences at the center for three weekends , when finally the Arts Board realized the benefit of a four-weekend run .
Heath said this season marks the second full season of plays – with five shows opening per year - at the Arts Center .
“ I still look at it and say I can ’ t believe this is happening . I didn ’ t expect this ,” Heath said .
The theater ’ s capacity is 50 people and
Heath will often have to place patrons on a wait list or ask them to come to a future performance . Heath said he is “ blown away ” by the attention the theater has received , even from directors in San Jose . “ Every time I do a show I say I ’ m loving this . We are so fortunate ,” he said . “ Part of the success is because we filled a different approach to theater . We filled gaps that weren ’ t met here .”
Heath , who now serves as the operations manager of the center , and Obata work as a team - with Heath choosing and casting the shows and directing some of the plays while Obata runs the front of the house . Both work together to construct the sets .
Heath said Limelight Actors Theater presents comedies , dramas , and a onewoman musical theater – a first for the theater and doesn ’ t shy away from more provocative or serious storylines , including a son coming out to his father .
“ My belief in theater is it ’ s great to laugh , it ’ s OK to cry , it ’ s OK to feel like you can see yourself up there ,” Heath said .
Heath wants to continue bringing quality shows that people aren ’ t used to seeing here . This fall , the theater will present a “ dramedy ” called “ Art ” about three men and their friendship . At the center of the plot is a blank white canvas that one of the characters purchased for $ 250,000 .
For Heath , the moment that drove home that they were doing the right thing happened following a showing of the “ Cemetery Club ,” a play about widows who visit their husbands ’ graves together . One of the characters dies during the course of the show .
Heath said a small group of women approached him at the end of the show . They all said they had just lost their husbands this year and that this was the best therapy for them .
“ I always say if you do theater and you do it well , then that ’ s what you want . You want to have a reaction from the audience ,” Heath said .
Heath said the performances often become like a big party , noting that theatergoers who originally met at Limelight Actors Theater now come to shows together , arriving early to enjoy the art gallery and check out the handmade wares sold by local artisans .
“ I want an opportunity for people to hang out and catch up and enjoy themselves , and see a quality production , and say you know what ? I want to see my friends and do that again . And in the sheer numbers I think that is being accomplished ,” Heath said .
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