There May Be a Glint in Future of the Starlight : Burbank: Several nonprofit groups propose staging fund-raisers at the amphitheatre, which has been dark since ’88.

The curtain may rise once again on the troubled Burbank Starlight Amphitheatre.

Burbank park officials said Thursday they are investigating several proposals by nonprofit groups that want to stage fund-raisers and community events at the city-owned hillside theater, which has been dark since 1988.

Mary Alvord, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said a nonprofit group might have more success running the 6,000-seat Starlight than several private promoters who have tried unsuccessfully over the past 20 years to turn the facility into a commercial venue.

“The Parks and Recreation Board has asked us whether this would be more feasible as a management solution for the Starlight,” Alvord said, adding that she hopes to make a recommendation to the Burbank City Council by early May.

The nonprofit group selected to run the facility would manage the venue and decide who would use it, Alvord said.

The council also must decide whether to authorize spending more than $101,000 to refurbish the deteriorating hillside facility. Several major repairs, including the replacement of fiberglass benches, and a new electrical system are needed, she said.

Several groups, including the Burbank Educational Foundation, Chamber Orchestra, Civic Light Opera and Symphony, have expressed interest in operating the Starlight, Alvord said.

“The location is so beautiful, and is so inspiring,” said Bill Kneisel, president of the Burbank Chamber Orchestra. “Also, the acoustics are good, and it’s the envy of many surrounding cities. It’s a shame that it’s been allowed to deteriorate.”

Joe Hooven, a commissioner on the parks and recreation board, said he would support the staging of events at the Starlight--as long as they weren’t too eventful.

“We don’t want Randy Travis or the Judds up there,” Hooven said. “That would be too much. But it’s the perfect place to showcase local groups. It’s a community asset. Why shouldn’t it be open?”

The city shut down the amphitheater in 1989 after a promoter hired by the council to present major concerts by Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers backed out of the agreement.

The decision by World Entertainment Services came after the city demanded that the company limit the number of performances and the size of the audiences, representatives of the company said.

Council members said they were responding to the fears of nearby residents who said they did not want heavy traffic and rowdy crowds coming through their neighborhoods.