theatr A-LISTSe
IN BUSINESS PARTNERS
AND IN LIFE
JOSHUA CARR
AND RAY LIMON
of Welk Resorts Theatre
by bill biss
Dreamcoat. So, my first association here was as an actor. About four years after that, I came and directed The Sound of Music here. Then, about a year ago, the theatre manager and producer called me and asked me if I’d like to take over the helm here.” As stated, both Joshua and Ray are partners. They
T
(l to r) Ray Limon and Joshua Carr
he Welk Resorts Theatre in Es- condido is located just a little less than 30 minutes from San Diego. The intimate theatre has 339 seats and the theatre was built originally to screen a film based on Lawrence Welk’s legendary career. The playhouse became a live theatre venue in 1982 and has been presenting plays for the past 28 years. Joshua Carr is
the resident producer and theatre manager while Ray Limon directs and choreographs based on availability for the Welk Resorts Theatre. Both are life partners and have been together going on 16 years now. Ray Limon is first to chime in about what he en- joys about the theatre itself. “I’m used to working in bigger venues that seat 1,000 to 1,200 people so I like the intimacy of the space. There’s really not a bad seat in the house. It brings the audience really close to the action. I think you lose a lot of intimacy on those big, huge stages. I’m usually hired to do a show a year and contracted as director and choreographer.”
Josh Carr explains just what his role as producer of
the Welk Resorts Theatre involves. “I pick the seasons, assist in the casting, do all the contracting and over- see the theatre management. I also do the marketing right now. For the most part, it’s really running the whole operation here.” For some people not in the know, there is a natural stigma that the Welk Resorts Theatre audience is primarily a much older crowd. Laughing, Ray sets the record straight, “I’ve been do- ing shows there for almost 14 years now. I will say the demographic has changed considerably since I’ve been there. I think that was certainly true at one time. When I first started there, you could hit a golf ball and not hit anyone under the age of 80 (laughter). It’s become very family-friendly. You see a lot more young people. There is a much larger demographic of ages now. People in their thirties or forties who you really didn’t see before. The resort is playing to a much broader crowd now.” Joshua Carr describes just how he discovered
his job at the Welk Resorts Theatre. “Through Ray actually! He brought me in about 12 years ago to
play Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
met each other at a dinner theatre in Tustin and have been together ever since. The two men started their own production company called Limon-Carr Produc- tions where they had a very successful eight-year run at The Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Since then they have continued working on their our own shows for Tustin’s Broadway in the Park, which is now in its tenth year. Joshua elaborates, “We’ve always worked together which is interesting. Usually it’s odd for partners to work together and stay together but it’s been a great ride and a great relationship.” Ray explains one of the most challenging aspects
of bringing a show to life at Welk Resorts Theatre. “At the Welk, it’s the time limitations. We basically have ten days to put the show up from the very first rehearsal to our first audience. That’s a lot for anybody…even an equity company. Granted they’re eight-hour days but that’s a big undertaking. With costuming, lighting, sound and sets, there is a lot to it. The last four or five days, you are doing run- throughs. So in reality, you are putting up a show in five to six days. That’s the biggest challenge. We’ve done huge productions there like West Side Story… it’s definitely a challenge. People have no idea. They think we’ve been rehearsing for months or the show was brought in from another venue.” The current production at the Welk Resorts Theatre
until May 2 is The Pirates of Penzance. Ray enthuses about the simple joy of this show, “It’s a fun evening. Be ready to have a good time with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Be prepared to go and have a lot of laughs. It’s one of those kind of evenings!”
APRIL 2010 | RAGE monthly 13
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