C8 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
Welcome to Davis
LEFT: Performers go over their script while Jori Gonzales, who plays the lead, is in flight over the stage during a rehearsal of “Mary Poppins” by the Davis Musical Theatre Company.
Caleb Hampton/Enterprise photo
MISHKA’S: Jazz returns to the spacious plaza From Page C7 policy after more and more students gravitated to Mishka’s, subverting his noble intentions and turning much of the café into a study hall. While the more scholarly patrons hunker down for six-hour stretches in the far reaches of Mishka’s, The Rule ensures there is also seating available for casual cafégoers. Despite rising rents and the proliferation of chain coffee shops on the block, the café remains as popular as ever. On a good day, roughly 500 people pass through. “We follow our own vision,” Novakovic said. “We’re holding our own without any problem.” While COVID-19 closed off the indoor seating for more than a year, Mishka’s continued operating throughout the pandemic, adapting to a reality where baristas took to-go orders from behind a plexiglass barrier until that, like everything else, became completely normal. In April, Mishka’s reopened its indoor seating and the
outdoor tables are once again in high demand. The café’s hours remain scaled back, closing most days by 6 p.m., but Novakovic plans to extend them to 8:30 p.m. when UC Davis’ fall quarter begins. In August, the completion of construction in front of the Hunt-Boyer Mansion allowed Mishka’s to expand its outdoor seating across the plaza — and Novakovic has more plans for the months to come. At present, he is applying for a beer and wine license for Mishka’s and plotting out the construction of a fence around the outdoor seating so people can enjoy a glass of wine on the patio. The addition of alcohol would go hand-in-hand with an old Mishka’s tradition Novakovic wants to bring back. “We’re going to try to put together some live music nights,” he said. The jazz nights — a callback to weekly music events Mishka’s hosted in the ’90s — could start as early as this fall. Novakovic said he wants to commit to organizing the events for a year to allow them to catch on.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021
BELOW: Tessa Fray, actress, talks with Steve Isaacson, director, during a rehearsal. Victoria Sheridan/ Enterprise photos
DMTC: Big Day of Giving was a big help From Page C3 the pandemic ends. DMTC’s loyal benefactors also helped. “We have very generous donors,” said Issacson. “Once I told them we weren’t charging them, they said, ‘Well, I’m going to have to make large donations.’” Every little bit helped. Rent on the theater (located on Pena in East Davis) went up twice, Issacson said, “and we were down to our last bit of money. Then the Shuttered Grant came through.” Donors on the Big Day of Giving helped cover rent payments as well. “It was touch-and-go for a while, but we made it,” he said. Looking ahead, Issacson said he knows some of DMTC’s loyal patrons “don’t feel comfortable going out yet.
“I have zero problem with that. I totally respect that.” However, he added, “we are checking vaccine cards when people come in and we’re very strict about it. “And if people are upset by it,
good luck to them.” Learn more about DMTC and upcoming shows — and buy tickets — by visiting https://dmtc.org Make a donation at https:// app.arts-people.com/index. php?donation=dmtc.
