“I feel very blessed to be a part of this.”

The new manager of the Elks Opera House, Parker Ruiz, is a man who is extremely happy with his new job.

Ruiz comes with a lot of experience in theatre in general, and running theaters specifically. In fact, the Elks is literally the newest theatre he has ever managed. Before he created the Leadville (Colorado) Theatre Company in a theatre built in 1879, he managed The Wheeler Opera House, which was built in 1889. The Elks is the newest theatre he’s ever managed, having been built in 1905. Ruiz says, “I love working in historic theatres. It gives you a sense of where you’re at. I don’t know if I could have the same passion for a new theatre.”

Ruiz started on stage in the theatre when he was 12 years old. He was a dancer, singer and actor. Then, as he says, “Your body starts to tell you that you can’t do it anymore.” Once that happened he didn’t know what to do. He loved theatre but had always been on stage. He says he hadn’t really “noticed” what else went into making a production, and never really thought about the other jobs that existed to make a show a reality; lights, stage manager, producer, sound. He said, “Then I found a new love of theatre on this side of the curtain.” He started producing shows in Tucson. That eventually led to work in the theatres in Colorado.

When he felt it was time to move on from the theatres in Colorado, he started looking for a different job on-line. He applied for jobs in New York, and was even offered a couple. But, he felt that he had to turn them down. He says, “I knew something else was waiting for me.” Then, when the Elks job was posted he “got a funny feeling. The job read like my resume. It fit me to a T. But, I had lived in Tucson and didn’t want to live in Arizona again. But, my partner had gone to school in Flagstaff, and he knew that Prescott’s weather was not like Tucson’s.”

Ruiz says that when he came to Prescott for his interview he “instantly fell in love with the theatre, the climate and the people. I knew I would take the job if it were offered. I think the surroundings of a place are important. Will you fit? Will you be welcome?” Ruiz came out a day early and stayed a day after his interview to get to know Prescott a little. He said he went to the Courthouse Square and asked someone for directions. The trick was, he already knew where that place was. Having been in New York for several years he was used to a typical New York response, such as, “What am I? Your map!?”

Quite the opposite happened. Ruiz says, “I don’t know who the person was, but I will always remember her face. She said, “Here. Let me take you there.” Even though it was in the opposite direction from where she was headed. I spent the two extra days talking to people and couldn’t find one unhappy person here. Then I really knew I wanted to live here.”

Ruiz got the job and was in Prescott in 16 days. He says that when he walked into the theatre, “I could instantly see the past and the future for this place. What a grand place it was. What a grand place it’s going to be. The grandeur of the box office… the new seats. I’m so blessed to be a part of this.”

As Ruiz was visiting with random people around town he would talk to them about the Elks. He was very surprised when people who had been in Prescott all their lives would say things like, “It that still open? I haven’t been there since the 1970’s!” He said, “It broke my heart. If natives don’t know about you…  well, we want to bring in quality shows and get the word out that we are still here. The Elks is a jewel of a theatre in the middle of a beautiful town and we want people to be aware of it.”

Keeping the theatre’s door open is a priority for Ruiz. He thinks it’s important to have shows in the theatre like the Arizona Revue, and Tea with Zaza. He also wants to make sure it’s available for other things and open to the community. He’d like the theatre to pursue even more shows and comedians.

One of the upcoming projects is a children’s play, Disney’s Aladdin Jr, which will hold open auditions for performers ages 6 through 17. He feels that children, tweens and teens can get a lot out of the theatre experience. “They learn how to work together. They get confidence that will follow them forever no matter what field they go into. They learn when it’s ok to be in the spotlight and when to step back and be a part of the crowd. They learn about discipline, how to be quite, still. It teaches them how to work and be part of a bigger team.”

Ruiz envisions four children’s plays each year; a Kids Christmas, spring, summer and fall shows. The productions would be free to the performers. He said, “It won’t be tuition-based. And we will be selling tickets to the performance at a reasonable price.”

He would also like to challenge each first grade class in the quad-city area to create, “The First Grade Chorus” and give them a chance to perform on stage. He envisions a smaller “Recital Series” where talented kids could have a chance to perform, perhaps on Saturday afternoons.  Ruiz says, “It could bring out and encourage kids. Give them a place to go and perform and try out in front of an audience before they have to go to auditions. It could be for acting, singing, dancing, and musical instruments. I see it as encouraging all the performing arts. I’d love for drama teachers to call me and say, “I’ve got a kid to needs to be featured.” And the student could be a star or part of a duet or a band for that moment.”

Ruiz also feels that encouraging students to learn the behind the scenes crafts is important. He says, “I’ve had kids who had no intention of going to college but went to college to get into the technical part of theatre. These are kids who had not been encouraged to go to college at all. They say that if you can affect the life of one kid in your lifetime you’ve done well. I’ve been blessed by affecting several.”

Students will be able to learn how to do theatre from the ground up; building sets, costumes, lighting, sound, and backstage crew. He says, “Not everyone is cut out to be on stage. A funny thing happens a lot. If a 14 to 16 year old is cast in a part they will generally have 2 or 3 friends come with them. I tell them they have to either leave or go backstage and work. That’s how we get a lot of the crew!”

One of the skills that Ruiz brings with him is writing grants. He looks forward to doing a lot of that to help fund the ideas he has for the theatre. And, he is very happy that Dawn Castaneda, the Events Coordinator, has stayed on at the theatre. (She has been there for 5 years and Ruiz is the 5th manager.) One of Castaneda’s dreams has been to bring films back to the Elks. They are setting that in motion on August 10th with the screening of “Singin’ in the Rain” starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Cable One and Turner Classic Movies are co-sponsoring the event, which is a part of a new series called “The Monsoon Movies.” This will be a benefit for the Elks Opera House Foundation, but there is no charge for the tickets, which can be picked up at the Elks or Cable One. At this point they are about 60% sold out. Doors open at 12:30, and the film starts at 1:00.

Donations will be accepted during the screening, and the concession stand will be open. Ruiz says that if all goes well they will make this a series, and the next film would probably be “Casablanca.” Ruiz’s list of creative ways to keep the doors of the theatre open spin on. “A series of grand movie musicals, the big 150-girls-coming-down-the-big-stairs with Fred Astiar, a film marathon with Elvis movies, show all the Indiana Jones series or Shirley Temple all Sunday afternoon. Show the versatility of the theatre. I can even see a wedding in the theatre. It would be very dramatic; of course, it’s in a theatre. Then have the reception across the street at the Hassayampa, then while you’re over at the Hassayampa your band is setting up here in the theatre, and you can come back for dancing at the Elks. It would make a bride very happy.”

And Ruiz is certainly happy to be in Prescott doing something he truly loves, knows inside and out, and is passionate about. He laughingly says,  “I’ve done everything in the theatre from performing to cleaning the toilets and I have no problem doing any of it.”

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written by Emily Brent, August 01, 2008

I think they should do Halloween nights (or a week) at the Elks. Show a bunch of scary movies and have everyone dress up. Maybe you get free candy if you come in costume, maybe donations, maybe tickets or just a cover charge. They could do a contest. For a small donation you could be entered in a drawing for a halloween inspired prize. They could also do a Haunted House with admission fee. Of course there would be candy!

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written by jessica, August 09, 2008

Prescott is the perfect town for a weekly presentation of ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW...Great place for all the teenagers in town who have nothing creative to do and nowhere to hang out.

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Thanks, Parker and Dawn!
written by Ian Eller, October 22, 2008

I play the role of the Sultan in Elks Opera House's 'Disney's Aladdin, Jr.' and I just wanted to thank our directors Parker Ruiz and Dawn West for helping create a wondeful show!

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written by Vanessa, November 14, 2008

I think the rocky horror picture show idea is great! I would go every week. My mom used to go when she was a teenager and she said it was really fun.. never boring, even after watching it hundreds of times.

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