By Marj O’Neill-Butler

	Avi Hoffman, founder of the New Vista Theatre, clowns around with Broadway star Bruce Adler. Both actors will appear in New Vista’s second season.

Barely a year old, Avi Hoffman’s New Vista Theatre Company heads into its second season with another demanding schedule.  There are big changes, including production partnerships, new venues, and an expanded season.   Hoffman, one of the most popular performers in South Florida, sat down with Marj O’Neill-Butler for MiamiARTzine.com to talk about his fledgling theatre company’s past, present and future.

Why did you start New Vista?
I have always wanted my own venue, rather than having to constantly rely on others to produce the projects that I thought were worthy or timely, or just plain fun. I also felt that there was an enormous hunger in the theater going community in west Palm Beach County and Broward County for a large-scale professional company.  Our ticket sales have proved me right.  And I wanted to be able to have an outlet to work with as many as possible of the talented people that I knew and respected, both locally and nationally.  That may take a very long time, but hopefully the New Vista Theatre will be around longer than I will, so that tradition continues with my successor.

	Steve Gladstone and Avi Hoffman in New Vista’s inaugural production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in December 2006. The show garnered five Carbonell nominations.

Was it hard to find rehearsal space and a scene shop for building, as your company doesn't (yet) have its own building?
We rehearsed in a yoga studio right next door to our office in Boynton Beach, and the sets were all built under the supervision of our set designer, who found the shops to build them in.

What was the most difficult part of running the season?
The fast turnover and the newness of it all.  Even though we were understaffed, we were still able to sell over 22,000 tickets, produce three huge shows with a total of 19 Equity actors plus 3 Equity stage managers, 3 assistant stage managers, 13 musicians, plenty of stage hands, lights and costumes and a full crew of amazingly dedicated people. Not bad for our inaugural season. Hopefully we will learn from the mistakes we made this year and not make too many new mistakes next season.

What will you do differently next season?
Funny you should ask.  More box office personnel and staff, more pre-production meetings so everyone is on the same page and more load in time at the theater.  I'm sure there's plenty more, but those are the big ones.

What is your production schedule for 2007-2008?
Funny Girl starring Irene Adjan and directed by Amy London, Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris with the Carbonell award winning cast: Avi Hoffman, Laura Turnbull, Lisa Manuli, and Tangi Colombel.  Both of these shows are co-productions with the Broward Center at the Miniaci PAC.  The shows will then move to West Boca.  The season also includes The Odd Couple starring Gary Marachek and Avi Hoffman (a co-production with Walnut St. Theatre in Philadelphia),  I’m Not Rappaport starring Bruce Adler and directed by Amy London  and Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.   In addition, starting in August, I am performing my productions of  Too Jewish? and  Too Jewish Too! in repertory, celebrating my 'Bar Mitzvah' -13 years since I wrote and opened Too Jewish?  in New York.

	Married performers Laura Turnbull and Avi Hoffman, who will appear in New Vista’s production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

You are in a new performance location at the West Boca Performing Arts Theater on the campus of West Boca Raton Community High School.  Tell me something about the facility.
It has 855 seats, full fly, convenient parking and a great attitude.  They have been trying to find a professional company to live there and we found each other.  They have given us seven slots between now and next summer, and we are discussing the creation of a Theater Academy and a Summer Drama Camp.   For now, we are all having a wonderful honeymoon and are hoping for a long and successful marriage.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
After watching the loss of several wonderful Equity theaters, I am so pleased to have been able to add a large Equity theater company into the mix of the South Florida theater community.  I truly believe that we have one of the most dynamic and creative theater communities in the country and I look forward to the day when the rest of the country recognizes what we already know.