A Legendary Night 

Two of Santa Barbara’s great dames were lauded for their exemplary work at the venerable century-old Granada Theatre’s Legends Gala.

The capacious stage was socially gridlocked when 240 guests, marking the 8th anniversary of the popular event, honored Joan Rutkowski, who was a founding board member in 1997, starting the multi-million dollar renovation project the following year with help from the late Mike Towbes, Roger and Sarah Chrisman, Sara Miller McCune, and Susan Gulbransen, who served as president of the board of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts for six years.

The 1,500-seat theater is home to eight resident companies, including the State Street Ballet, UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, CAMA – the Community Arts Music Association, the American Theatre Guild, the Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Symphony.

The renovation of the building cost more than $50 million, the grand reopening ceremony receiving coverage in my then column in the News-Press in 2008 – a year after I moved to our rarefied enclave from Hancock Park in Los Angeles, where I was a commentator on the KTLA-TV morning show.

Palmer Jackson Jr., the Granada’s executive chairman and current chairman of the board, described Joan and Susan as the major “driving force” behind the extensive work.

“Without them none of this would have happened,” he gushed.

The ubiquitous Andrew Firestone, dashingly attired in a burgundy tux jacket, emceed the bustling bash, which was co-chaired by Anne Smith Towbes, jetting off to Tuscany the next day, and Merryl Snow Zegar.

Ross Melnick, film historian and UCSB Professor of Film & Media Studies, reiterated the history of our Eden by the Beach’s tallest building, while the ballet company performed an excerpt from its work Chaplin, whose early films were shown at the Granada.

Celebrating the Granada present was the One-Night Stand Band performing the Tom Jones hit “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” and celebrating its future The Nicest Kids in Town from the musical Hairspray, performed by the show choir Euphony.

Symphony maestro Nir Kabaretti paid tribute to Joan while Montecito-based Fried Green Tomatoes author Fannie Flagg, a Legend herself, made the presentation to Susan.

Among the heavenly horde – noshing on the Seasons catering and quaffing the wine and champagne from Pence – were Eric and Nina Phillips, Allen and Anne Sides, rocker Kenny Loggins, Janet Garufis, George and Laurie Leis, Gretchen Lieff, Sybil Rosen, Brooks and Kate Firestone, Jelinda DeVorzon, Caren Rager, Mara Abboud, Robert Adams, Mashey Bernstein, Lynn Kirst, Rodney Gustafson, Cecily MacDougall, Peter and Kathryn Martin, Deborah Bertling, Dan and Meg Burnham, Dan White, Kristi Newton, Mary Dorra, Ed Birch, Kostis Protopapas, Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey, and Fred and Nancy Golden.