Forest Theater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Forest Theater |
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Sunset over Forest Theater in 1997
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| General information | |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Location | Santa Rita St, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°33′13″N 121°55′00″W / 36.5535°N 121.9168°W |
| Opened | July 10, 1910 |
| Owner | City of Carmel-by-the-Sea |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Works Progress Administration (WPA) |
The Forest Theater is a special outdoor theater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It opened in 1910, making it one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rocky Mountains. Today, many groups use the theater for shows, concerts, and movies. It also has a smaller indoor theater and a school for acting.
A writer named Herbert Heron helped build the theater and started putting on plays there in 1910. They performed new plays, old plays, and even plays by Shakespeare. Another early writer and director was Mary Austin. Between 1915 and 1924, the theater put on 50 plays and musicals.
In 1924, the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club bought the land and created the Forest Theater Corporation to manage the plays. During the Great Depression, the theater needed repairs. In 1937, the Club gave the theater to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. This allowed them to get money from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for big renovations. The WPA rebuilt the outdoor theater and added an indoor space under the stage.
The theater reopened in 1942 as The Carmel Shakespeare Festival. Herbert Heron was its director. Plays continued, except during World War II in 1943-44 and 1946. In 1949, Heron and other villagers started the Forest Theater Guild. This group helped put on plays and keep the theater running. In 1961, the Guild stopped, and the theater was used for other things, like Boy Scout camps.
From 1968 to 2010, Marcia Hovick's Children's Experimental Theatre (CET) used the indoor theater to teach young people about acting. In 1971, a new Forest Theater Guild was formed. They started putting on summer musicals and community plays on the outdoor stage.
In 1984, Pacific Repertory Theatre (PacRep) began performing classics, children's shows, and musicals on the outdoor stage. PacRep brought back the Carmel Shakespeare Festival in 1990. They continued to perform plays every September and October, and later in August too. The Forest Theater Guild also put on many plays during this time. In 1997, the Guild started Films in the Forest, a movie series.
In 2011, PacRep started leasing the indoor theater for its School of Dramatic Arts. The theater was closed for renovations in 2014 and reopened in 2016. In 2021, the theater reopened with a seven-week season by PacRep. In 2022, PacRep became the main manager of the Forest Theater.
Contents
The Theater's Early Days
Building the Forest Theater
Herbert Heron found a beautiful, bowl-shaped piece of land in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He talked to James Franklin Devendorf, who helped start the Carmel Development Company, about using it for an outdoor theater. Devendorf let them use the land for free and even helped clear it. They built a wooden stage for the 540-seat outdoor amphitheater. Starting in 1910, Heron put on plays by local writers, with people from Carmel acting in them. This group was called the Forest Theater Society.
The very first play was David, a six-act story from the Bible. It was directed by Garnet Holme and opened on July 9, 1910. More than 1,000 people came to watch! Heron acted as David, and other local residents played the other parts.
Before electricity came to the theater in 1912, special bright lights called limelights were brought from Monterey by horse-drawn wagon to light the stage. Two large bonfires were also lit in stone firepits on each side of the stage. This tradition of lighting bonfires continues even today! In July 1911, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night opened the second season. The Forest Theater Society put on several other plays in the next few years. This included a children's play in 1912 called Alice in Wonderland, adapted by Bertha Newberry and Arthur Honywood Vachell.
Growing the Theater Community
In 1913, the theater put on four new plays, including a Robin Hood story and Fire by Mary Austin. For a short time, there were two groups putting on plays, but they eventually worked together again. In 1915, they had a season with 11 productions. One play was Junipero Serra, a historical show about Father Junípero Serra.
Many talented artists acted or designed sets for the theater. The Forest Theater was very busy between 1915 and 1924, putting on 50 plays and musicals. This included a 1922 show of Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. Putting on so many plays became difficult. In 1924, the different theater groups joined together to form the Forest Theater Corporation. This group managed the plays. Many people from the village helped out by building sets, making costumes, and acting. This success allowed the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club to buy the land in 1925.
Challenges and Rebuilding
The Great Depression and WPA
During the Great Depression, the Forest Theater faced money problems. In 1934, it celebrated its 100th play, The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife. In 1936, a play called Inchling and a village fair helped reduce the theater's debt.
When the theater needed major repairs, they couldn't find local donors. They looked into getting money from the WPA, a government program. But only government groups could get these funds. So, in 1937, the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club gave the theater to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. This allowed the city to get WPA money for big renovations. The agreement was that the theater would remain a public park and continue to have outdoor performances.
In 1939, the WPA started rebuilding the Forest Theater. It was closed for three years. The WPA rebuilt the outdoor stage and created an indoor theater underneath it. The theater reopened in 1942 as The Carmel Shakespeare Festival. Herbert Heron was the director. They performed plays by Shakespeare, like Macbeth and Hamlet, and also plays by local writers. During World War II, coastal towns had to have blackouts, so the theater closed in 1943-44 and again in 1946.
From 1947 to 1949, the theater went back to its yearly plays. In 1949, Heron and twenty villagers started the first Forest Theater Guild. This group helped put on plays and maintain the theater. In 1958, the city council created an Arts Commission to run the theater. Heron continued to write, direct, and act. In 1960, he completed his 50th year with the theater. The Guild stopped in 1961, and the theater mostly closed down. By the mid-1960s, the theater was not used much for plays. The city used the site for other things, like Boy Scout camps. Heron passed away in 1968.
New Beginnings and Modern Era
From 1968 to 2010
From 1968 to 2010, Marcia Hovick's Children's Experimental Theatre (CET) used the indoor theater. CET taught young people acting skills. In 1969, Hovick formed the Staff Players Repertory Company. They performed classic plays on the small Indoor Forest Theater stage. The main outdoor stage was not used. In 1971, some people thought about closing the theater for good. But the people of Carmel did not want that.
A second Forest Theater Guild was started with Cole Weston as its president. To raise money and attention, they put on readings of plays. The mayor, Gunnar Norberg, and Weston worked together to save the theater. In 1972, they put on a full production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to raise money. The new Guild then started putting on summer musicals and community plays on the outdoor stage.
In 1984, Pacific Repertory Theatre (PacRep) began performing classics, children's theater, and musicals on the outdoor stage. PacRep brought back the Carmel Shakespeare Festival in 1990. They continued to put on shows at the Forest Theater every September and October, and later in August too. The Forest Theater Guild also put on more than 20 plays during this time. In 2005, PacRep put on Beauty and the Beast, which was the most popular show ever at the theater, with over 10,000 tickets sold.
In 1997, the Guild started Films in the Forest. This was a series of new movies, classic films, and documentaries.
The Theater Today
In 2011, after CET stopped its operations, the City of Carmel gave the lease for the indoor theater to Pacific Repertory Theatre. They use it for their School of Dramatic Arts, which is an acting school. On April 23, 2014, the theater had to close because it needed many repairs and had safety issues. On May 5, 2014, the city council said it was a "cultural community emergency" and planned to reopen the theater as soon as possible.
The theater reopened in June 2016 after renovations. They put on shows like The Wizard of Oz and Twelfth Night. In 2017, the nearby Sunset Center signed a long-term agreement to manage the theater. In 2019, the Forest Theater Guild announced that the Sunset Center had greatly reduced their theater season, offering only 12 dates for films and no dates for plays. The Guild asked the city council for help. In 2020, the theater closed again because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the Sunset Center wanted to end its agreement early. The city of Carmel looked for a new group to manage the theater. In August 2021, the theater reopened with a seven-week run of Shrek, put on by PacRep.
In early 2022, the city of Carmel made an agreement with Pacific Repertory Theatre. PacRep now manages the theater for the next five years, with an option to continue for another five years. The Forest Theater Guild is now called an "historic user," meaning they still have a special place at the theater. The Forest Theater continues to host events from the Forest Theater Guild, PacRep, Monterey Symphony, and other arts groups, as well as films and community events.
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheaters
