95 years Valley of the Sun United Way 85 years Junior League of Phoenix 65 years Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Arizona Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show 60 years Phoenix Art Museum 100 YEARS Phoenix College Phoenix Panhellenic Association Perhaps the biggest star of all never walked the boards but, rather, used the theater for another purpose. Steven Spielberg, who had worked backstage on a couple of shows doing props, asked to use the theater to show his first film in 1964 when he was just 17. He ran reel-to-reel sound for his movie, called “Firelight,” while his father ran the projector. “They ran it for two nights,” Barnard said. “They spent $520 on the film and raised $525 in ticket sales, so he walked away with a nice, crisp $5 profit.” The 70s wasn’t an easy time. “They probably went through more artistic directors in that decade than they did in the rest of the 100 years,” Barnard said. In the late 70s, federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act grants made it possible to bring in professional theater artists to mentor community players and raise production values. Unfortunately, the program only lasted a couple of years. “When that grant went away, the bottom fell out of the theater again,” Barnard said. But there were bright spots. In the early 80s, the creation of a secondary theater called Theatre One made it possible to introduce edgier, Off-Broadway and niche-marketed shows that might not appeal to a broad audience. Around this time, Barnard began his first stint at the theater. A native Arizonan, he grew up in Glendale and returned to Phoenix after earning his master’s degree. Barnard was directing and performing in show bands around the country when he was spotted and hired in 1979 to be Phoenix Little Theatre’s first production manager as well as a resident director and choreographer. He eventually left in 1983 to work for the Disney Corporation in Anaheim. Some 16 years later, Phoenix Theatre contacted him again. The theater — which had dropped the “Little” from its name in 1985 — was not in good shape and asked if Barnard would be willing to return. At the time, Disney was going through an overhaul, Barnard’s mother had recently passed away, and his sister was in ill health. Also celebrating MILESTONE Anniversaries in 2020 A 1949 production of “On Borrowed Time” and a young Steven Spielberg posing at Phoenix Little Theatre ( right ), where his first full-length film, “Firelight” (a precursor to “Close Encounters”), was shown in 1964.

50 Years Arizona Heart Foundation Esperança 40 years Make-A-Wish Arizona 35 Years CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Services) Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona 30 Years Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona Herberger Theater Center Save the Family “I thought it would be a good time for me to say, ‘Hasta luego’ to L.A. and go back to the theater where I got my professional start,” he said. Little did he know when he arrived back in 1999 that the theater was half a million dollars in debt. “We had a mailing list of 11,000 — but only 2,000 of those members were alive. And the marketing director on the first show I directed after coming back forgot to place the ads for the first week.” The show? “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” As if that weren’t enough, four weeks before the show opened, the City of Phoenix decided to tear the stage out because it was termite-laden and rotting. Barnard called the mayor and told him the theater wouldn’t stand a chance without a stage. “Within three days, we had a new stage,” he said. Thus began years of work to return the theater to financial stability and strong attendance. “When I got here, there was less than $5,000 in the bank, and no vendors would take our credit. I was worried that I would be the one to close the theater,” Barnard said. Fortunately, he had an able ally in Vincent VanVleet, who started at the theater in 1998 as a stage manager. “When Michael got roped in and a lot of people left, no one would be the production manager. He said, ‘You have to do it,’” VanVleet said. Originally from Wisconsin and a veteran of the Chicago theater scene, VanVleet sprang into action. With no money, VanVleet persuaded a board member who owned a lumber yard to drop off lumber to build sets. He got another board member who owned a steel yard to donate steel. Together, Barnard and VanVleet got much of the theater’s debt relieved and secured a new line of credit. The Arizona Republic donated free advertising and sponsors like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, SRP and APS ponied up support, as did philanthropists like Kax Herberger. “She said, ‘I hope this will help’ and handed me a $50,000 check,” Barnard recalled. “Then she said, ‘Now you come back when you need a little bit more.’” 100 Years The beloved musical “The Sound of Music” was instrumental in reviving the theater more than 30 years ago. The show recently enjoyed another run during The Phoenix Theatre Company’s 100 th season.