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This lifelong lover of the performing arts talks about helping support local arts, Orange County’s bad rap and educating Randy Newman.

Terence Loose
Jean Weiss

Photo By Ralph Palumbo

I

f you’ve ever enjoyed a night out at the Orange County Performing Arts Center or South Coast Repertory, you owe Jean and Tim Weiss a bit of thanks. For 18 years, this couple has not only worked tirelessly behind the scenes, doing fundraising, organization and promoting the performing arts scene in Orange County, they’ve also put their money where their energy is. A lot of it. In fact, this year will mark their 10th year as Honorary Producers underwriting plays for SCR. Thanks to them, plays as diverse as Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and the world premiere of the musical The Education of Randy Newman have made it to the SCR stage. But even this is not enough for Jean, who took on the Herculean task of chairing the 45th anniversary 2008 SCR Gala Ball, which took place September 6 and is the theater’s one major fundraiser in support of educational programs, as well as being considered the opener to Orange County’s social and theatrical seasons. Still, she says, “It’s the creative people in the theater that deserve the real respect. Every time I see a play, I marvel at how they do it.”

Here, she talks about her “easy” part.

What was your introduction to the performing arts?
I grew up in a very small town in the South that didn’t have a lot of performing arts, so the first time I ever saw a play was when a traveling theater came to my high school. I was completely amazed, and it really opened my eyes and exposed me to the arts. It thrilled and amazed me, and I’ve been changed ever since.

When did you become active in Orange County’s performing arts scene?
I moved to California in 1986 and my husband Tim got me into it. In fact, one of our first dates was a play at South Coast Repertory. Tim joined the board of OCPAC, SCR and the Orange County Museum of Art, so we got very involved in 1990.

Why did your husband, and you, get so involved?
Even though Tim worked for The Capital Group in investment management, his education is in English literature. But his philosophy professor once told him to take business courses as well as humanities. He told the class if they didn’t get a business education as well, “All of you will be the Socrates of the breadline.” Tim took that seriously. And even though my career was in business, I sat through a few accounting classes and I thought, “Thank God I know people who are good at this.”

You and your husband have underwritten 10 productions. How do you choose?
It’s difficult, but a few things guide us. One is the Pacific Playwright Festival. We like to go and listen to the plays being read. Then when Martin and David choose which ones they can do, we’re one of the first in line to choose and back one. We choose one that either moves us or that has some connection to our lives. For example, when we underwrote The Education of Randy Newman, we were delighted because it had something to do with my Southern roots.

How involved do you get creatively?
Not at all; we leave it to the professionals. I’m certain we would be allowed to watch rehearsals, but we never have, and we would never get involved creatively. I think everyone’s happy when we just get out of the way, as they say. Besides, we love being surprised opening night when we see it for the first time.

Do you have a favorite?
That’s tough, but I’d have to say Intimate Apparel. I loved everything about it – the story, the staging, the set, and it was the first time that we had worked with this very young director, Kate Whoriskey, who is brilliant. When we first met her, she was so young I thought she was an intern at SCR. Then I came to find out she was the director of the play we were underwriting. Another favorite was The Education of Randy Newman because it was a musical and was so close to my heart. It was also fun to meet Randy Newman.

How has the Orange County arts scene changed over the years?
It has grown enormously. It’s been exciting to watch the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall open, the Performing Arts Center develop more and certainly how dedicated South Coast Repertory is to up-and-coming writers and directors through their Pacific Playwrights Festival. All that gets our juices flowing. And the Orange County Museum bringing in a new director and thinking of bringing a museum to the arts plaza is great. I think centralizing the arts where the concert hall, SCR and the Performing Arts Center is now is wonderful because it really spotlights Orange County’s dedication to the arts.

Is it frustrating that most outsiders see Orange County through the lens of TV shows like “The OC” or “Laguna Beach: The Real OC”?
Definitely. Thanks to shows like those, the view of Orange County is very shallow. It’s known for having wealth and plastic surgery and not for its arts scene. So I’m glad that we’re getting more on the cultural map. After all, SCR is a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning theater and one of the top five theaters in the country. Martin and David have done an amazing job with it, as evidenced by the fact that they’re going into their 45th season. It’s astonishing what they’ve brought to Orange County.

Will it get better?
I think so. Once the Performing Arts Center is completed, I hope Orange County becomes known first and foremost for the arts. Los Angeles certainly carries some of the same stigmas that Orange County does, with Hollywood and such, but it’s also known for theater and music. Unfortunately, Orange County just kind of blends into the scenery and comes across as more vanilla than it really is. There’s a lot happening here. It’s not just about how fancy your car is.

For information on SCR, visit scr.org; for information on OCPAC, visit ocpac.org