VISION

 OLD VENUE, NEW VISION

Artwork by Emily Wilker

Learn more about the artist

Save Starlight is an initiative working to restore, revive and revitalize Starlight Bowl—an open-air amphitheater in the heart of San Diego’s Balboa Park. The Bowl has been closed since 2012, and has fallen into disrepair.

We envision a venue for open-air performances, concerts, cinema, festivals, plays, community events, and musical theater. 

We imagine a new generation of diverse performances, a stage for the San Diego community hosting magical entertainment experiences. Our goal is to preserve the Bowl’s heritage, ensure accessibility, and use creative technology to address opportunities and challenges for its location and architecture.

The Bowl is located in the Palisades area of San Diego’s beloved Balboa Park. It is directly under the flight path for San Diego’s airport, the busiest single runway airport in the US, Lindbergh Field.

For decades, theatrical performances would “freeze” mid-scene or song as the planes passed overhead. As air traffic increased dramatically so did the noise and interruptions, creating problems for the venue’s traditional programming.

Step 1: Campaign

Stop the decline of the Bowl through maintenance and care.

Build a coalition of volunteers, leaders, advisors, supporters and participants.

Develop a sustainable operating plan.

Step 2: Rehabilitation

Phase 1: Secure and fund raise

Phase 2: Rehabilitate and retrofit concessions and ticketing building including main     

                   entrance to the Bowl. 

Phase 3: Test lighting and technology

Phase 4: Programming  

Step 2: Operations

Plan coming soon

Frequently Asked Questions

Supporters

Save Starlight—a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization—is a grassroots initiative led by a team with experience in theatre technology, urban culture, community production, urban revitalization, historic preservation, and sustainable business. Our growing team has a deep commitment to the heritage of the Bowl and surrounding park. Our DIT (do it together) spirit is generating collective momentum across San Diego for this vision.

CEO and Founder

Steve Stopper is the former audio technician for Starlight. He currently runs the largest audio, video design service, in San Diego, with customers ranging from the NFL to the Navy. Stopper is also the founder of The School for Creative Careers, a nonprofit focused on giving students experiences in real world performance art environments.

BOARD OFficials 

Chairman of the Board

Steve Karo has performed as a percussionist from Boston to Los Angeles for over 50 years, including many years as percussionist for Starlight Opera at Starlight Bowl. He founded the Save Our Balboa movement when Balboa Theatre faced imminent destruction; He was a founding member of the Balboa Theatre Foundation and listed as agent by the State of California.

Vice Chair

Alexandra Germon is a real estate agent and former radio personality whose show supported small businesses on a local AM 1170 radio. She is passionate about causes that change people's lives. Alexandra devotes her time to helping Save Starlight to be recognized as pillars of San Diego's community.

Treasurer

Dan Woodard is an alumnus of UC San Diego and received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1986. He’s been an attorney in private practice since then. In addition to nearly 30 years in estate planning and litigation practice, he’s mediated nearly 1000 disputes. He was honored by the Los Angeles Superior Court as the Probate mediator of the year in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He has been a member of numerous Boards of Directors and been counsel to multiple non-profit organizations over the past 25 years.

Secretary

Mary Karo was a member of the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera and California Ballet Orchestras and created the Festival String Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra. She was a leader and musical contractor for Starlight Opera for 5 years and subsequently for San Diego Lyric Opera.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Stan Canaris recently retired after 36 years of service within the Sweetwater Union High School District as a teacher, football coach and dean of activities at various schools. He oversaw the opening of Eastlake High School in 1992 and served as vice principal before assuming the role of principal in 1995. It was under his leadership that the school, then the newest in the district, earned recognition as a California Distinguished School as well as numerous athletic banners. Upon retirement, to honor him and his contributions to the District and the community, Eastlake High named its athletic stadium Stan Canaris Stadium. He also taught and was head football coach at Hilltop High, taught at Sweetwater High School, and served as dean of activities at Mar Vista High School. Stan is a life-time member and Vice President of Eastlake Education Foundation.  He has received numerous awards over the years. Highlights of these are: Administrator of the Year at Sweetwater Union High District, San Diego Proclamation, Coach of the Year, Certificate of Congressional Recognition, Recognition from President George W. Bush.

Kevin Charles Patterson comes to San Diego after an extensive career in the performing arts which has taken him on tours for productions around the world. He is also the Executive Director of the San Diego International Fringe Festival as well as the Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival. He is a graduate of the University of the Arts (formerly Philadelphia College of Performing Arts), where he received a BFA in Theatre/Dance.

Steve Woodard A Graduate of Denver University (DU) achieving a degree in Business with an emphasis in Finance.  He is a local Businessman and Entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in Business Development and Strategic Planning and Startups. Having previously held senior leadership roles in Fortune 50 companies as well as Start-ups in the Healthcare Sector, Steve brings a wealth of experience and demonstrated success is all aspects of Business Development, Sales, and Operations.

Rachael Akin is the Brand Czar & Co-Founder at Benchmark Brewing Company in San Diego.  She is a fifth generation San Diegan, who attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, and holds a BS in Interior Design from the Art Institute of San Diego. Rachael worked for several years in theater design and management, beginning her car rear at the Starlight Bowl. She later transitioned to commercial interior design and graphics where she focused on patient experience and brand identity for large healthcare facilities, specializing in children’s hospitals. She currently holds the office of secretary of the San Diego Brewers Guild, and sits on the board for Save Starlight.

Ed Hollingsworth is an actor and a retired teacher.  He appeared in 35 productions at Starlight, starting in 1980. His wife and all four of his kids have performed at Starlight.  He met his wife on the lawn by the back parking lot of Starlight on September 2, 1982.  He proposed to her in the same spot one year later. Starlight is a major part of his life.

Iovanka Todt  is a Senior Management Analyst in the Performance & Analytics Department. She supports efficiency and effectiveness efforts led by the Performance & Analytics Department, which she joined in September of 2013. Before that, she served 10 years as executive director in the non-profit sector working with agencies, the private sector, interest groups, and academia to improve state and federal policy for water, environment, and public safety. Her past experience also includes over 10 years of experience in: project management services for civil and environmental engineering public projects; program development and management in government grants acquisition for infrastructure projects, public involvement, inter-agency collaboration, education, outreach, and volunteer coordination; and management consulting services in the defense sector.

Iovanka graduated from Princeton University with a combined degree in civil engineering and operations research with a concentration in engineering management and is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt through UC San Diego Extension.

ORGANIZATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE

Welton Jones has been involved with San Diego arts and entertainment since 1966, as a theatre and music critic for The San Diego Union-Tribune; as a playwright, director and producer at many venues; and as an activist for innumerable cultural projects.

Diana Cantu is an international business development executive with extensive experience in the intersection of technology and the arts/humanities. Currently she’s a consultant specializing telecommunications, broadcast, and multimedia distribution infrastructure. She also has served/currently serves in leadership capacity on boards for nonprofit arts organizations.

Stephanie Sherman is an art director, public curator, and social designer who creates collaborative systems by transforming underutilized spaces and surplus resources. She co-founded Elsewhere--a living museum and artist residency set in a former thrift store that helped to revitalize Greensboro, NC, and is currently the co-director of Common Field, a new national arts organizing network. She has worked as a collaborator and cultural consultant with Materials & Applications (LA), Sensible Recovery (NY), DesignLab (San Diego), Provisions Library (DC) Rebuild Foundation (Chicago), Kulturpark (Berlin), Save Starlight (San Diego), Merz Barn (UK), Forecast Public Art (MN), RadioEE (Miami) and Port-to-Port (international). Her projects have been supported by the Warhol Foundation, Kresge Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and ArtPlace America. She holds a BA from University of Pennsylvania in 20th C. Literature, an MA from Duke in Critical Theory+Visual Culture, and is currently working on a Phd in Art+Design at UCSD. She believes there is an art to everything. http://stephaniesherman.net

Staff

Executive Director of Operations

Janelle Woodard  Graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) achieving a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Business Marketing and a Minor in Fine Art History while interning with the American Federation of The Arts (The AFA) in New York City.  Upon graduating and returning to California she was a Media Account Executive for Honda through Rubin Postaer and Associates.  Her career then led to the Five-Star resort, Stein Ericksen Lodge where she was the Sales and Marketing Manager and Corporate Event Planner.    She then secured the role of  International Sales Manager for the Park City Chamber allowing her to travel abroad marketing the area and the Olympics Games.  In 2015 she founded the North County chapter of the Non-profit Teen Volunteers in Action (TVIA).  Where she currently is the Founder /President of the Board and is the spokesperson for the Chapter's 120 members.  

Communications Manager

Sierra Poppleton graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with her B.A. in Photography (www.sierrapoppleton.com). She is the founder of BYU-Idaho’s Last Voice Standing and has served as the director of their dance and sports program. She has a passion for theatre, dance, sports, business and plans to return to school to get her M.B.A. in the future. 

Community Outreach

Jamie McGuffee is a creative spirit connected with The School For Creative Careers and many other performance art entities. McGuffee has been involved with School for Creative Careers since 2014. As an instructor she has helped to create and teach seminars for students about music and live production. She has worked for over 60 music festivals and events across the country. She is able to combine her passion and skills for preforming arts, by creating events  and  through these skills she aims to develop a Save Starlight community. McGuffee is currently part of the outreach team for the campaign.

Assistant to the CEO

Glenna Trone has experience in both photography and videography with a background in theatre. She first became involved with Americas Finest Sound as technical support in 2014. Soon, she expanded her skills in media through the School For Creative Careers. Her enthusiasm for media production continues to grow through her involvement with Save Starlight.  

Creative Director

Diana Benavidez  is a Visual Artist and Undergraduate Researcher for UC San Diego's The DesignLab Creative. She has previously been involved as Executive Production Assistant for Parkeology and Design Forward. Her work as a Visual Artist adopts the Mexican craft of piñata making as a medium to create sculptures that involve the absurd-like exaggeration of mass-produced objects, which plays off on both the viewers intimate knowledge of, and their shared relationship to taken-for-granted objects. Her sculptures are also a reflection of the artist’s own hybrid identity as a Mexican-American growing up near the San Diego/Tijuana border where the language of commodification and the culture of conspicuous consumption transcends both sides of the border. Works have been exhibited in a variety of spaces that include UC San Diego’s Adam D. Kamil Gallery and The Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. http://www.dbenavidez.com/

Advisors
 

Alan Ames from Ames Universal is an Internationally acclaimed Award-Winning media production and consulting firm specializing in live event production, internet broadcasting, animation, post-production and distribution. With over thirty years of professional entertainment industry experience. 

Debbie Glivar Roberts  is an award winning musical theatre expert with more than four decades of experience. Recognized as a gifted soprano vocalist she has appeared in more than 150 musical productions, concerts, television specials and recordings throughout the United States and Europe.  Debbie studied classical and Broadway voice with two of New York's finest vocal coaches, Felix Knight and Marni Nixon.  As a musical and vocal director, conductor and musician, Debbie has worked with students of all grade levels and ages.  Her passion for inspiring and teaching children has lead her to become one of San Diego's most highly sought after voice and audition coaches.

Bill Biersach senior lecturer at USC Thornton, studied electronic music at USC under current faculty member Frederick Lesemann. He taught beginning and advanced Synthesizer Techniques classes from 1975 to 2009, and assisted Richard McIlvery in revamping and expanding the Recording Arts Workshop program, which later became the Music Industry program, from 1984 through 2003.

Gary Kelley A native San Diegan that basically grew up on the radio. Gary got his first job, as a freshman at Clairemont High School, at KSEA, which eventually turned into KSON. During the next 29 years Gary played rock and roll at KPRI, B100, the Top 40 at KCBQ, and classic rock at The Eagle.

John Bolthouse is the executive director of the Friends of Balboa Park  .  He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with a degree in air transportation and aviation sciences and a master’s in nonprofit leadership and management from the University of San Diego.

Rita Cartwright Cantos first took the stage when she was 14 — Starlight Opera put her in a production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” She’s been “addicted” to being up there ever since, although she’s done some writing and teaching (in human rights and women’s issues) along the way.

Community outreach

Gallery

reverse gardening party august 13, 2016

Halloween Family Day at balboa park - oct. 29,2016

Save Starlight was invited to be part of the annual Halloween Family Day hosted by The Balboa Park Conservancy. As part of our efforts to raise awareness about our organization the Save Starlight Band was formed. The band's debut took place at this event. We are happy to say that the little ones became our #1 Fans!

Starlight Social Club - Oct. 21, 2016

As a gesture of gratitude towards our volunteers, donors, and supporters Save Starlight Hosted the first Starlight Social. Our guests enjoyed delicious food  and participated during a open forum/presentation that discussed possible strategies that could be implemented towards our campaign efforts. 

Stage Cleanup - December 10, 2016

In collaboration with the City of San Diego, members of our Save Starlight community joined efforts to clean the abandoned stage of Starlight Bowl. Special Thanks to our sponsors Luigi Pizzeria, Liquid Eden, Einstein Bros Bagels, Cafe Moto and of course the amazing people from The City of San Diego!

Save Starlight holiday party - december 16, 2016

The holiday season was the perfect season to express our gratitude to all our supporters. On December 16, we invited everyone who is part of our Save Starlight community to join us on a special donor and volunteer appreciation holiday party. 

Giving a hand to our friends from the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater

our Save Starlight Staff, Board members, and volunteers joined forces to show some love to the beloved The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater. Our own Stephen Stopper and America's Finest Sound donated and installed a couple of JBL speakers to improve the quality of sound for the upcoming puppet performances.

Puppets and Rock & Roll!

The Save Starlight band performed for a group of patients as part of their Music Therapy project. Puppets and music instruments were provided to the lovely audience as they were encouraged to rock out to their favorite classics.

2017 Volunteer Appreciation & Opportunity Fair

We were very happy to participate in 2017 Volunteer Appreciation & Opportunity Fair hosted by the City of San Diego last April. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate local volunteerism in presence of all our top city officials under a beautiful sunny sky in Balboa Park. 

Arbor Day

Ceremony hosted by Friends of Balboa Park

Fiesta botanica flower wagon parade

A celebration of Balboa Park's 20 unique gardens and historic landscape. Event hosted by Balboa Park Conservancy and The City of San Diego. Photography by Sierra Poppleton. Save Starlight Wagon by Diana Benavidez. Wagon signage by Glenna Trone

Balboa Park Community Meeting

A conversation of Balboa Park's needs and priorities hosted by Councilmember Chris Ward. May 30, 2017