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In the Spotlight
What’s happening at El
Campanil Theatre
Gala celebration in the
works
Plans are under way for
a special gala one-night-only show in celebration of El Campanil’s 80th
anniversary. The event is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, November 15,
2008. Featured on stage will be a diverse array of performers representing
groups and individuals who have appeared since 2004, when the theater was
reopened as a performing arts center. The theater initially opened in 1928 as a
vaudeville venue. Over the years it became a movie palace, and later a church.
It was shuttered for a number of years before the El Campanil Preservation
Foundation purchased the facility in 2003 and restored it to its original
grandeur.
Let there be light, sound-- and cool air
Grants from PG&E, The Dean
and Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Antioch Community Fund and Mirant
Corporation are enabling El Campanil to install new state-of-the-art lights to
illuminate our stage at a cost of $60,000. While the lights are generally out
of site above the stage, one thing patrons will notice are brighter and a
variety of more contemporary colors. As part of the project, the large console
that technicians use to control lights and sound will be moved to a booth behind
the last row of the balcony. Before, the equipment occupied a seating area on
the side of the loge section. In addition, installation of air conditioning in
the performers’ dressing room below the stage was recently completed.
Top honor for the
theater
El Campanil was
selected as Antioch’s small business of the year. The announcement was made in
early May by the Contra Costa Council at its annual luncheon honoring
award-winning small business owners selected by Chambers of Commerce throughout
Contra Costa County. The theater was the only nonprofit business to receive an
award. Rick Carraher, the theater’s executive director, accepted it on behalf
of the board of directors. The Contra Costa Council is a public policy advocacy
organization that promotes the economic vitality of Contra Costa County and the
region. The event was produced by the council in conjunction with the Contra
Costa Times and the East Bay Business Times.
Grants awarded for
kids’ programs
Programs for children
at El Campanil Theatre have received some welcomed financial support. Dow
Chemical Corporation provided a grant of $2,500. In part, the money was used to
allow 1,200 children to see a special show, “Objects in Motion,” this spring.
The program focus was to explore math and science concepts – through a novel
approach – comedy juggling. Since the theater’s reopening in 2004, more than
20000 children have attended El Campanil for programs and shows especially
tailored for them.
Lifetime achievement award
Rick Carraher, a
business leader in Antioch and executive director of the El Campanil Theatre, is
still in awe of being honored earlier this year for lifetime achievement for a
variety of his civic endeavors. The well-deserved award, presented by the
Antioch Chamber of Commerce, cited his accomplishments that include promoting
businesses in Antioch’s downtown Rivertown District, organizing the city’s
annual Fourth of July celebration, and leading the successful effort to restore
and reopen the El Campanil Theatre. The owner of the popular restaurant Rick’s
on Second, Carraher told the awards-ceremony audience: "It's extremely exciting
to be recognized for doing things in a community I've enjoyed being a part of
for more than 27 years. It's nice to see that a lot of things I've worked on
have benefited a broad number of people . . .It would be totally impossible to
do this without the support of my wife and all the employees at the restaurant
who work twice as hard because I'm not there quite often. It's truly the people
I work with who make these things happen."
Kids offered a boost at El Campanil
Children who may have difficulty seeing the stage at El Campanil because their
seats may be too low for them have received a boost in the form of thick
cushions that can be placed on the regular seats. The cushions –12 of them,
resemble Yellow Pages directories. The children (and some short adults, too),
are most appreciative.
Officers re-elected
El Campanil’s Board of
Directors re-elected Gwen Fenolio as president; Gary Reiman, vice president;
Rick Ingrassia, treasurer, and Corrine Evans, secretary. They will serve until
December, 2009. Other board members are Sharon Beswick, Katie Cook, and Bob
Rezak.
New ticket
system
El Campanil has
introduced a new online ticket service that allows patrons to view a seating
chart and select specific seats for a performance. Patrons can also arrange to
print their tickets via their home computers. Check it all out at:
www.elcampaniltheatre.com
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