By GARRY L. CLARK

By GARRY L. CLARK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Playhouse owes about $183,000 to a variety of creditors.
Documents obtained by The Vindicator show that the bulk of that amount, $82,000, is owed to the A.P. O'Horo Co. of Liberty, general contractor for the facility's recent renovations.
In comments earlier this week, Donna Wilson, former Playhouse treasurer who left the organization in March, confirmed the overall situation.
"I was treasurer for about 18 months. They can't afford an audit," she said. "They [the board] didn't have a budget. They didn't give one to the managing director. There's no money left there."
She further stated that "until they get a board who is willing to work together with the artists, they can't do anything."
"I was very disappointed at each meeting," said former managing director Michael Moritz. "I would ask for reports about fund raising, and they were more interested in how we were answering the phone and what we were using to mop the floors."
Moritz said he resigned in February along with Jonathan Emerson, an administrative assistant, shortly before Wilson departed.
"All we were looking for was some degree of respect and trust and following actual job titles that were on file."
Here's the situation
With no announcement yet of plays and musicals for the coming season and the swift exit Monday night of Bentley Lenhoff, who was returning to the 80-year-old institution to assist in turning it around, sources of income appear to be in doubt.
Lenhoff provided the financial documents that also showed utility companies are owed several thousand dollars, and a listing titled "state employee taxes" shows an amount of $5,000 owed to that entity.
Real estate taxes owed are listed at $1,543, and insurance premiums for the building are $4,200, down from $7,000 after a $2,800 payment was listed as having been made April 23.
Various other area businesses are owed money along with publishers of plays and musicals, including Dramatic Publishing, Samuel French Inc., Music Theatre International and Rodgers and Hammerstein Music Library.
Past directors and technical personnel also are awaiting payment of nearly $33,000, the bulk of which is listed as being owed to former Playhouse managing director Robert Vargo ($22,000) for his work in directing productions during his tenure. Vargo had agreed to work as the organization's managing director for $1 per year.
Efforts to reach Vargo on Thursday were unsuccessful.
The Playhouse has not received any grant money for the past several seasons other than the $1.9 million obtained by former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. through the National Park Service.
John Maluso was re-elected to the position of board president at Monday evening's annual membership meeting. Ida McLaughlin was named first vice president and treasurer, and Mary Jane Karam was selected as second vice president. Lois Thornton will continue to serve as secretary.
XCONTRIBUTOR: Ian Hill, Vindicator staff writer