posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on October 2, 2015 at 1:48 pm

Theatre’s Star-Studded Legends Gala Takes Center Stage

The event honors supporters of multi-million-dollar restoration of Granada as a state-of-the-art building. Originally opened in 1924, the Granada celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2014 with more than 100,000 people attending performances in 2012. The historic theater’s mission is to serve as a vibrant venue that promotes the arts and enhances quality of life in the community. Read more about the event on the Santa Barbara NOOZHAWK website. http://www.noozhawk.com/article/granada_theater_legends_gala

From the Granada/Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts website

Originally formed as a non-profit organization in 1983, Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts reinvigorated in 1997 with the vision of creating a world class performing arts center to serve Santa Barbara and the region. We started by renovating one of the city’s historic downtown theatres, The Granada. This storied venue, the anchor of Santa Barbara’s Cultural District, underwent a monumental restoration and re-opened in March 2008.

The Granada Theatre is proud to be the home of the area’s finest performing arts companies – Opera Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Symphony, CAMA, State Street Ballet and Santa Barbara Choral Society. The venue is also a favorite stop for UCSB Arts & Lectures’ events on tour as well as Music Academy of the West’s Summer Festival Concert Series and the ever popular Broadway Series. Additionally, 2011 saw the launch of the exciting new Granada Theatre Concert Series. Every month the Granada Theatre showcases popular entertainers, such as The Moody Blues, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and world famous comedians. A dynamic array of outside presenters also bring top-level productions on tour to The Granada Theatre.

The Granada Theatre: A Remarakable Restoration

For the past decade, The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, a non-profit organization, spearheaded a remarkable plan for the restoration of The Granada. With the help of the New York firm Sachs Morgan — theatre consultants for The Pantages in Los Angeles, The Orpheum in San Francisco and ten Broadway theatres — an amazing vision became a monumental feat when the historic entertainment palace re-opened March 2008.

To support this exciting plan, the non-profit created or acquired an additional 13,000 sq. ft. of adjacent space to ensure audience comfort and fulfill the needs of both performers and audience alike. The plan included a comprehensive list of upgrades and enhancements. Enjoy a photo gallery that includes images from backstage, the auditorium, interiors and facades on the Granada website. https://www.granadasb.org/GalleryAlbum.aspx?CID=4&type&PV

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ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres on our website at historictheatres.org