Pennies From Heaven
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Tomaska, producer of the long-running Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding, and Sloan, producer emeritus at Second City, first announced the multitheater complex in 1995, when the local theater scene was still fairly robust. But months dragged into years, and though Tomaska and Sloan have put considerable work into the 90,000-square-foot complex (one source estimates that they’ve spent close to $1 million), they’ve never announced an opening date, sparking rumors that funds had dried up, that the project was collapsing. “I didn’t want to show the facility to anyone until we were finished,” explains Tomaska.
A source says that as recently as a month ago Sloan seemed despondent about the future of the complex, talking as if it might never open. Apparently recent developments have given her new cause for hope, but she remains more cautious than her partner in assessing the situation. “Not everything is signed and sealed,” she says, “so I don’t want to make any statements yet.”
Tarter was traveling and unavailable for comment, but Stagebill publisher Shira Kalish says his acquisition of the company should allow it to expand in a variety of ways. She would like to roll out a new children’s theater program book she’s been developing at Carnegie Hall, and she also expects Tarter to beef up the company’s ad sales department, which by all accounts has been underperforming. Purchasers of media properties often move quickly to bring in a new team, but Kalish says she expects no major changes in the magazine’s current staff.
