Bakersfield Community Theatre - Mid-20th Century

Mid-20th Century

Commencing with the 1936-1937 season, five production presented. With few exceptions, each season since has been made up of, at least, five shows. Since the theatre did not have a playhouse to call home, between 1927 and 1961 the productions were presented in the auditoriums at Washington Junior High School (which is now the administration building for Bakersfield City School District), Standard Junior High School, Golden State Junior High School (now the Blair Learning Center), and the old auditorium at Bakersfield High School.

In April 1961 BCT opened a new playhouse to call their own with a production of For the Love of Maggie, written by Barbara Gardener and Ann Agabashian (both of Bakersfield) and directed by Howard Miller. This production was presented between the 4th and 5th productions of the 1960-1961 season. The playhouse (located at 2400 South Chester Avenue) has been the location for all productions presented since April 1961 with the exception of two presented at the Bakersfield College Indoor Theatre in 1968 and 1983.

In the summer of 1976, remodeling of the playhouse began under the supervision of Roger Benischek. The design to give the theatre a new look was drafted by Joseph Licastro. The first remodeling was the interior of the auditorium, completed just prior to opening night of Play It Again Sam. The ticket office was revamped to include an office, ticket counter, and a spacious lounge with posters on the walls of past productions. The front of the theatre was given a complete face-lift in the summer of 1980. The various new features included a brick patio with plants and a metal sculpture (created by Frank Wattron), a lawn with a high white stucco wall, a ramp and deck overlooking the patio, a new light booth, two small lobbies and a bright, gleaming white electric sign with Bakersfield Community Theatre" in blue lettering on it. All of these features were completed just a few scant hours prior to the opening of Side by Side by Sondheim in September 1980. Since then a rehearsal hall/workshop has been added to the back of the theatre. The most recent remodeling was done in the summer of 1983 when the auditorium seats were replaced with 181 brand new ones. The interior was again remodeled to match the decor of the seats.