MPAC

By: Editor | April 24, 2008 | Local Profile

THE MALIBU PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The joint vision of Gene Shiveley and the late Bob Scott, the Malibu Performing Art’s Center is a growing force in the Southern California artistic community.  The crowned artistic jewel of Malibu is creatively lead by record executive and music producer Tony Berg, a man blessed with an unlimited supply of fresh ideas mixed with a healthy dose of practical entrepreneurship. Offering a variety of opportunities for musicians, filmmakers, small-business owners and residents, MPAC houses a fully functional, state-of-the-art multimedia facility equipped with a beautiful 500-seat auditorium — perfect for recording music, spoken word, concerts, theater and other forms of entertainment. Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Berg and talking to him about why he, MPAC and Malibu are the perfect it.

Ben Bassu

What is your position at the MPAC?

I am the informal creative director of the center. (Nicely nebulous, right?)

Can you summarize the role MPAC plays?

MPAC is a uniquely equipped home for the arts; it has a theater, recording studio, dance studios, kick-boxing and fencing studios, vintage-guitar retail space and graphic arts company all housed in a beautiful, state-of-the-art building on six acres overlooking the ocean. Malibu might have the world’s largest per capita contribution to the arts and entertainment industries, but there is, however, little in the way of facilities designed to produce and perform. MPAC fills that void.

What do you have in store for 2008?

This year promises to be a tremendous year at MPAC. We begin a long-term association with KCRW [this month] as we begin KCRWSessions, a regular series of filmed and recorded concerts. The first features Sia. We are in the development stage of a television series with Stuart Copeland (who has foolishly let a modest Police tour momentarily postpone our production schedule) called Relay. We have a series of concerts benefiting the Midnight Mission in downtown, initiated by Norman Harris. Our first concert featured Jackson Browne, Los Lobos, and Richie Sambora, and it was a tremendous success. Our next concert features one of America’s greatest songwriters. We are in the process of joining forces with a large Internet site as we provide a regular stream of filmed, Web-cast, and phone-cast concerts. We will soon begin filming a series of musical performances, which will culminate in a concert on May 1, featuring a number of noted artists to be included in a documentary about the brilliant historian Howard Zinn. We will be expanding our outdoor performance area to accommodate catered sunset performances by some of the world’s most distinguished musicians. And we’re looking to provide a great cup of coffee to the neighborhood.

How has technology affected the way MPAC approaches art and entertainment?

MPAC is at the technological forefront as it combines the latest HD video and audio capabilities with uplink and downlink capabilities in practically every room in the building. We are able to broadcast, Web-cast (utilizing our own link to the Roberts satellite), and document and store anything and everything. But the place maintains the warmth and accessibility of a mom-and-pop operation.

Has technology created a better or worse environment for artists?

Technology is neutral. How it is used is not.

If you could have any artist come and perform at MPAC, who would it be and why?

Perhaps a day that features lectures by Nelson Mandela, Martin Amis and Noam Chomsky (Tony we love you so much for this answer you have no idea…), followed by a concert featuring Radiohead, Bjork, and Tom Waits would be nice.  Is that unrealistic?  Why?  Are you kidding? 

How close did the 2007 fires come to the MPAC?

The fires were close enough to MPAC that Cary O’Neal, our chief security officer was in the building at 6 a.m. on the morning of the fire, putting out embers that were flying inside. The building escaped unscathed, though the hillside surrounding our outdoor performing area was burnt to a crisp.

How can Malibu residents get more involved with MPAC?

Drop by, see a show, buy a guitar, film your television pilot, learn to kick-box, plié, and execute a coup lancé with your épée.

Ben Bassu

What are the some of the future goals for MPAC?

Providing an environment for the development and production of world-class art and entertainment while addressing specifically the tastes and needs of the local community.

What is the most exciting thing about music in 2008?

The most exciting thing is that the major labels have finally identified themselves as the homes for mainstream blockbuster artists. In the process, it creates an enormous void in which the independent labels and DIY-oriented artists can flourish.

What is the most depressing thing about music in 2008?

The most prevalent influence on what we hear is ... Las Vegas!  We are being inundated with glitzy, garish “entertainment” replete with flash, devoid of content. Don’t worry, this happened 50 years ago and we recovered.

Does the music business effect what you and your staff at MPAC are doing?

It does when your neighbors are Rick Rubin, Rivers Cuomo, Tom Petty, Mikey Einziger, Steve Moir, etc.

Who are your top five favorite living musicians?

Thom Yorke, Bjork, Tom Waits (but I’ve already tipped my hand on those three, haven’t I?), Aretha Franklin, and a tie between my daughter Z, and my son Thomas.

Top five favorite living actors?

Vanessa Redgrave, Peter O’Toole, Meryl Streep, Daniel Day-Lewis and Patricia Clarkson.

Top five favorite living filmmakers?

Coen brothers, Spike Jonze, Peter Weir, Francis Ford Coppola (watch The Conversation, man) and Mike Leigh

Top five favorite living painters?

Gerhard Richter, Lucian Freud, John Virtue, R.B. Kitaj (only recently deceased) and my daughter Alex.

Top five favorite living authors?

Martin Amis, Peter Carey, Milan Kundera, Thomas Pynchon and Fyodor Dostoyevsky — he lives forever.

Top five living athletes?

They’re all fine, but as a kid, I lived for Roberto Clemente. Everyone else pales by comparison.

 

Bookmarks: Page 1 of 1 pages