Venue’s New Operators Face Eviction

VENTURA â€”  The new operators of the Ventura Theatre, who promised three months ago to bring big-name acts to the county, are poised to be evicted Monday after falling two months behind in rent and failing to pay employees and construction crews renovating the Art Deco-style venue.

Co-manager Dan Catullo said theater owner Angelo Elardo served the operators with an eviction notice this week.

“We have until Monday morning to get out,� Catullo said, calling from a pay phone in Seattle, where he was desperately seeking investors for Backstreet Entertainment.

Catullo, 25, acknowledges that he has not paid rent on the 1928 theater on Chestnut Street for two months and that he is more than a month behind covering payments to many contractors and employees.

But he also expressed frustration that Elardo wants to push Backstreet out after the business has come so close to completing needed renovations of the historic theater.

“Look at the work we did on that place,� Catullo said. “He can get the building scot-free with all the renovations we have done and everything.�

Sitting in an office on Chestnut Street, Elardo said through an intermediary that he had no comment.

The theater is now dark, the marquee advertises no upcoming bands until the Outsiders’ show on June 29. Peter Wassyng, promotions director for the Ventura Theatre, said that the two concerts by pop legends Emerson, Lake & Palmer have been canceled. He said he knows of nothing scheduled beyond that.

Catullo and his partner Glenis Gross of Backstreet Entertainment signed a long-term agreement with property owner Elardo on April 18 to lease the onetime movie theater that for the past eight years has functioned as a concert hall.

The pair renamed the venue the New Ventura Theatre and proceeded to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into restoring it. They said they hoped to attract David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and other stars and wanted ballet troupes and theater productions to entertain on the Ventura stage.

Catullo and Gross said they planned to buy the theater and even made an offer. But Elardo turned them down.

“He wanted $3.1 million,� Catullo said. “The building isn’t worth that much.�

Still, the new managers rushed to finish the bulk of renovations in time for the gala Ventura Chamber Music Festival on May 10.

After that, work ground to a halt.

Gross told The Times last month that an investor had pulled out days before the theater’s grand opening. She said the renovation was 90% complete, and the shows would go on--on schedule.

But around that time, the relationship between Elardo and Backstreet Entertainment began to sour. Indeed, Catullo called the police last Friday, complaining about Elardo’s tactics.

“According to the police report, [Catullo] said they were being intimidated by the owner, Angelo Elardo,� Ventura Police Lt. Carl Handy said. “We don’t deal with civil problems. . . . We went and made sure things were OK. When we got over there, it was obvious there was some kind of conflict going on over management.�

Since Backstreet’s first investor pulled out, Catullo said it has been an uphill battle to keep the business afloat. More investors have since departed, he said, leaving Backstreet unable to even pay employees.

Catullo said he pawned his watch and sold his VCR to help cover his payroll, adding that Elardo retained control of the bar proceeds, a major source of income for the establishment. And the ticket sales were not enough to keep the business going.

At a certain point, Catullo said, they had to shut down the theater.

This week, Edison turned off the electricity. On Thursday morning, three firefighters arrived to check out the condition of the building.

“It’s probably going to be vacant for a while,� firefighter Vernon Alstot said, emerging from the darkened building.

Meanwhile, workers complain that they have not been paid in weeks. Two quit in frustration and have filed claims with the state labor board.

Bill Carpenter, who performed renovation work on the theater’s mezzanine, is scheduled to appear before the labor commissioner June 24.

Carpenter said his second paycheck was late and his third never came. He now faces eviction because he can’t pay his rent.

“I said, ‘Pay me or give me work where I can get paid,’ � Carpenter said. “I’ve got bills to pay.�

Many employees, including Carpenter, say they kept working without pay because they love the gracious, old building.

“The only reason I stayed here was for the theater,� Carpenter said. “All that artwork--we did it for the love of it.�

Still, at least one contractor remains optimistic that things can be worked out.

“They have been hustling,� the contractor said. “When that one backer pulled out, Dan was on the phone constantly.�

Catullo, who said he has not slept in five days, has spent the last week flying all over the country trying to find new investors.

Catullo said that as long as Backstreet Entertainment can make rent payments, Elardo cannot kick them out.

“I have someone right now who will do it,� he said. “They can give me a Band-Aid to pay the rent. The rest will have to come from a bank.�