OCPAC continues free movies

Like many arts organizations, the Orange County Performing Arts Center has been struggling financially and scaling back lately, but President Terry Dwyer says he has not scaled back his commitment to a host of low-cost programs that he has instituted during his three-year tenure.

In that time, Dwyer has launched an aggressive campaign to get a wider variety of people to Costa Mesa performance halls, especially younger crowds. To this effect, the center has heavily subsidized a number of expensive offerings so that it can remain affordable to those who attend.

“It’s a wonderful thing for our future. We know that many of the ticket buyers haven’t ever purchased a ticket here before. The audiences also feel more diverse by many criteria: geography, ethnicity, age,” Dwyer said.

Several of the programs are on hold until the economy rebounds and the center’s fundraising picks up, but two of the most popular have endured.

Free Movie Mondays is one that will continue through the recession. This summer’s line up has four old movies, each of which will be projected on a huge screen mounted on the wall of Segerstrom Hall.

All of the movies are musical in nature.

This year, starting July 13 and continuing every Monday until Aug. 3, the center is showing “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (the original with Gene Wilder), “Annie,” “Footloose” and “Mamma Mia!”

Each show starts at dusk (about 8 p.m.) but many viewers come an hour or two early to have picnic dinners.

If You Go

What: Free Movie Mondays

Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center

When: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” July 13; “Annie,” July 20; “Footloose,” July 27; “Mamma Mia!,” Aug. 3

Cost: Free