Turning up the lights
James Gruessing, Jr., Artistic Director of Palos Verdes Performing ArtsPhoto by Gloria Plascencia James W. Gruessing, Jr., the artistic director of Palos Verdes Performing Arts, though most of us still think of as simply “the Norris,” comes across as self-assured and commanding. And so, when asked about his initial interest in theater, his answer is surprising. “I was always a very shy kid,” he says. “I never wanted to be in the spotlight. Actually, growing up, I wanted to be a puppeteer.” Gruessing got his first whiff of things to come when he was 13, when he appeared in “A Christmas Carol” in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. By his mid-teen years Gruessing’s passion for theater was set in stone: “And I said, Yeah, I want to do this forever.” Looking for greener pastures, Gruessing moved to Southern California 14 years ago. He took a job as the box office manager for the Coronet Theatre, then as an assistant treasurer at the Hollywood Bowl, and then spent three years as the artistic director of the Huntington Beach Playhouse. Then he came to the Norris, (newly renamed the Palos Verdes Performing Arts). where he’s been for a decade. During this period, he performed minor…
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