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UCLA Live Director David Sefton announced this week his resignation after controversy over the program's restructuring. Due to budget cuts the program that is known for having one the top international theatre festivals in Los Angeles is losing the man who made it what it is.
UCLA Live had a previous budget of about $9 million annually to bring in the top music, dance, and touring theater companies to the campus. But Dean of the School of Arts and Architecture Christopher Waterman, who oversees the program, said the festival is simply not making enough in sales and donations to continue the same way, according to aLos Angeles Times article. Waterman explained that the search for the new director would keep in mind the heart of program, with edgy, interesting yet quality performances. “We're certainly not going to start putting Broadway musicals on our stages to sell tickets,” Waterman told the Times, “We're an arts program.”
Sefton, however, resigned only after securing next year’s line up for the 2010-11 season and reassured that it will be just as strong as ever.
