Bakersfield Community Theatre facts for kids

Bakersfield Community Theatre (BCT) in Bakersfield, California is a very old and special place! It's the oldest community theatre that's still running in California. It's also the second oldest amateur community theatre in the entire Western United States. The only one older is the Tacoma Little Theatre, which started in 1918 in Tacoma, Washington.

BCT officially began in 1927. Since then, it has put on a full season of plays and musicals every year. Albert Johnson directed the first shows, starting a long tradition of performances. The theatre building has been updated a few times. Today, it can hold an audience of 181 people.

The Story of BCT

Bakersfield Community Theatre was officially started in May 1927. Before that, different clubs in Bakersfield often put on plays. Groups like the Bakersfield Woman's Club, the Elks, DeMolay, and the Plymouth Guild all enjoyed theatre. Albert Johnson worked hard to make community theatre a big part of Bakersfield's culture.

In November 1926, Gilmor Brown from the famous Pasadena Playhouse visited. He gave a speech to the Bakersfield Woman's Club. He explained how to start a local community theatre. He advised them to "Call a mass meeting." He also said not to rely only on well-known people. He believed that "Sincere workers and promising talent will be found in unexpected places." He wanted it to be a true community project.

In early May 1927, a group of women met at the Woman's Club building. They wanted to create a community theatre. These women included Alma Campbell, Ethel Robinson, Mrs. George Shearer, and Helen T. Peairs. They used phones and newspapers to announce a public meeting. This meeting was held a few days later, on May 16, 1927, at the clubhouse. More than fifty people came! The founding group grew to include Mrs. Ross C. Miller, Evelyn Derby, Dwight Clark, Thomas McManus, and Laurence Taylor.

Just ten days later, the founders had finished writing the rules for the theatre. They also had 98 people sign up as paid members for the season. They decided to call their new group Bakersfield Community Theatre (BCT).

Another public meeting was held on May 31, 1927, at the courthouse. This meeting was to elect board members and officers. By then, the number of paid members had grown to 125! By the end of that evening, the new community theatre was ready to go. Committee leaders had their jobs assigned. It took just over two weeks to create the theatre!

On October 31, 1927, BCT put on its very first show. It was a play called The First Year by Frank Craven. It was performed at Bakersfield High School's auditorium. More than 400 people came to watch! Alma Campbell directed this first production.

For the first nine years, BCT put on four plays each season. For many years, each play was only performed once. Over time, the number of performances for each play slowly grew. By the mid-1950s, they were doing four performances per play. Today, a typical adult show at BCT has six performances. They also have their Annual One-Act Festival every August.

A New Home for Theatre

Starting with the 1936-1937 season, BCT began presenting five plays each year. Since then, most seasons have had at least five shows. For a long time, the theatre didn't have its own building. So, between 1927 and 1961, plays were performed in school auditoriums. These included Washington Junior High School, Standard Junior High School, Golden State Junior High School, and the old Bakersfield High School auditorium.

In April 1961, BCT finally opened its very own playhouse! The first show in the new building was For The Love Of Maggie. This play was written by Barbara Gardener and Ann Agabashian from Bakersfield. Howard Miller directed it. The playhouse, located at 2400 South Chester Avenue, has been the home for almost all BCT shows since April 1961. Only two shows were performed elsewhere, at the Bakersfield College Indoor Theatre, in 1968 and 1983.

In the summer of 1976, the playhouse got a big makeover! Roger Benischek oversaw the work, with approval from the BCT Board of Directors. Richard ‘Stubby” Newman was the President at that time. Joseph Licastro designed the new look. First, the inside of the auditorium was remodeled. This was finished just before the opening night of “Play It Again, Sam”. The ticket office was also updated. It got an office, a ticket counter, and a lounge with posters of past shows.

The front of the theatre was updated in the summer of 1980. New features included a brick patio with plants and a metal sculpture by Frank Wattron. There was also a lawn with a tall white stucco wall, a ramp, and a deck overlooking the patio. A new light booth was added, along with two small lobbies. A white electric sign with "Bakersfield Community Theatre" in blue letters was also put up. All these changes were finished just hours before the opening of Side by Side by Sondheim in September 1980. Since then, a rehearsal hall and workshop have been added to the back of the theatre. The most recent update was in the summer of 1983. The auditorium seats were replaced with 181 new ones. The inside of the theatre was also redecorated to match the new seats.

BCT Today

Bakersfield Community Theatre continues to put on five main shows each year. They also have an annual one-act play festival and many youth theatre shows. The theatre has been putting on shows without stopping since 1927!

Types of Shows at BCT

BCT has performed many different kinds of shows over the years. Here are some examples:

Musicals

• Kiss Me Kate
• The Music Man
• South Pacific
• The Sound Of Music
• Guys And Dolls
• West Side Story
• The King And I
• Oklahoma!
• My Fair Lady
• Annie Get Your Gun
• Gypsy
• Bye Bye Birdie
• Oliver!
• Hello Dolly!
• Fiddler On The Roof
• Peter Pan
• Annie

Non-musical Plays

Drama

• Deathtrap
• The Gin Game
• The Diary Of Anne Frank
• Death Of A Salesman
• The Mousetrap

Comedy

• Plaza Suite
• Barefoot In The Park
• Noises Off
• Cactus Flower
• You Can't Take It With You
• No ... Please, We’re British
• Play It Again, Sam
• Harvey
• Arsenic And Old Lace