The California Theatre is a performing arts venue located in the historic Downtown area of San Bernardino, California. Originally a part of the Fox Theatre chain, it opened in 1928 and still houses its original Wurlitzer Style 216 pipe organ. It was also the last performance venue of Will Rogers prior to his death in a 1935 plane crash.
In the early years of Hollywood, filmmakers would test-screen their movies at the California Theatre. Classic films such as "King Kong" and "The Wizard of Oz" were first seen by audiences at the theatre in the 1930s.
The theatre is managed by Theatrical Arts International, the largest theatre company in the Inland Empire, which presents Broadway tours from the national touring circuit, and has hosted the San Bernardino Symphony since 1929. The theatre has recently hosted the tapings of Showtime's "The Latin Divas of Comedy", and "The Payaso Comedy Slam".
Famous quotes containing the words california and/or theatre:
“It shone on everyone, whether they had a contract or not. The most democratic thing I’d ever seen, that California sunshine.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)
“To save the theatre, the theatre must be destroyed, the actors and actresses must all die of the plague. They poison the air, they make art impossible. It is not drama that they play, but pieces for the theatre. We should return to the Greeks, play in the open air: the drama dies of stalls and boxes and evening dress, and people who come to digest their dinner.”
—Eleonora Duse (1858–1924)