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BACKGROUND In 1999, the City of Pleasanton's Civic Arts Division developed and implemented a children's theatre based program known as the "Civic Arts Stage Company". At that time, all professional, artistic, technical and administrative support was provided by City of Pleasanton staff. As a result of the City producing the "Civic Arts Stage Company" program for over nine years, public interest in programming grew more than the City could accommodate on its own. To address this situation, the City initiated discussions about the feasibility of having San Francisco Shakespeare Festival (SFSF) assist with the program. In 2008, the City began to contract with SFSF to produce shows. However, since it was still considered a trial period, the contract(s) only covered one (1) show at a time. Under separate contracts, the City hired SFSF to produce "Sleepy Hollow", "Ramona Quimby" and "Cinderella." In 2010, the Firehouse Arts Center opened and the City initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for a "Shakespeare" based outdoor theater production and children's theatrical production services. The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival was the only theatre company to submit a proposal. Although there was one (1) proposal received, the City felt confident in recommending SFSF based on their past performance. The current Service Agreement with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival expires on June 30, 2013. However, to assure that the City can continue to provide children's theatrical production services without interruption, it conducted a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. As a result, two (2) theatre companies responded to the City's RFP for the children's theatrical production services; the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and the Bay Area Children's Theatre. On October 26, 2012 a Screening Committee consisting of two (2) Civic Arts Commissioners and City staff reviewed the proposals and interviewed both of the two (2) theatre companies. Although the Screening Committee acknowledged the service the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival had provided in the past, the Screening Committee unanimously voted to recommend the Bay Area Children's Theatre based on the facts that the Bay Area Children's Theater has proposed a more comprehensive range of programming, that it was more responsive to the overall requirements of the program, and that it could result in improved program administration and management. Overall, the Committee and Commission were impressed with the Bay Area Children's Theatre's vast experience working with multiple cities in the Bay Area, including currently providing similar programming for the City of San Ramon. They also felt strongly that the Bay Area Children's Theatre would not only continue the excellent level of children's theater that the community had come to expect, but with their knowledge of children's theater, the City's program would continue to grow and the experiences for the community would be more enriched. It should also be noted that while there was initially significant public concern regarding this matter, much of this was related to concerns that the change in vendor was intended to reduce or minimize the children's theatrical programming. However, the Commission and staff view this recommendation as a way of both continuing and improving the program overall. Page 2 of 4