Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts

stuberman on February 18, 2007 at 2:30 am

I used to be a lighting designer for the Oakland Metropolitan Ballet Theater Company in the late 1970’s which performed at this theater. At the time it was also a venue for showing films from India. It had a fairly large seating capacity of around 500 seats.
The stage had an old resistance type lighting dimmer system as well as a full ‘fly gallery’ that used sand bag counter weights.

Vern Nerden was the Artistic Director of the company and created some of the finest original ballets I have ever seen.

Details of the building can also be found from a City of Oakland Planning Comission report here: View link

Notable details:
Built in 1927-28 by the Women’s City Club of Oakland and the East Bay
Designed by the firm of (Chester) Miller & (Carl I.) Warnecke
In 1948 it became a Moose Lodge and then a residential hotel.
In the 1970’s I knew this facility as the Metropolitan Theater. I remember that we stored costumes, props and sets in rooms in the building.
The projection booth was unusually large.
The lobby was also large but without a formal box office or way to strictly manage paying audience attendees.

gsmurph on December 23, 2004 at 2:49 pm

In 2004, the center changed its name to the Malonga Casqueloard Center for the Arts in honor and memory of a recently-deceased benefactor of its activities. This should be called MALONGA CASQUELOARD CENTER FOR THE ARTS THEATER.

gsmurph on June 23, 2004 at 8:57 am

The Alice Arts Center recently changed its name to the Malonga Casqueloard Center.