Take a Back Stage Tour of Lafayette’s Unknown Gem
Julie Sullivan, Author
Artistic Director Clive Worsley calls Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre, which has stood at 3535 School Street since 1914, an unknown gem because many Lamorinda residents aren’t aware it exists.
On Thursday, July 21, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Lafayette Historical Society is providing an insider’s tour of this historic structure, including back stage, prop and dressing rooms and Worsley’s overview of the building’s history.
The tour is limited to the first 50 people who make reservations, and a donation of $10 for LHS members and $15 for non-members is requested. (Handicap access is limited to the theatre itself and is not available backstage. Parking is on School Street.)
Those attending will sit in on a rehearsal of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town currently in production, visit with directors Joel Roster and Dennis Markam, and be able to purchase refreshments at the concession stand. Worsley will outline future productions and offer any new subscriber who signs up that evening a discount on season tickets.
Town Hall is the oldest continuously active theatre in Contra Costa County, according to the Town Hall website, http://www.thtc.org. Check there for more information about future performances.
“We decided to sponsor this tour because Town Hall is one of the few remaining historical buildings in Lafayette,” according to Mary McCosker, LHS president. “This year is also the one hundredth anniversary of the Lafayette Improvement Association (LIA), the group that raised the money to build Town Hall.”
Mary provided a history of the building and the groups that have met there. Under the impetus of the Lafayette Improvement Club (renamed the Lafayette Improvement Association in 1941) the building, originally intended for community and social events, was constructed in 1914 on land donated by Frank and Rosa Ghiglione. Hundreds of people attended the Saturday night dances, many arriving by train from Oakland, Martinez and Antioch. Often the trains waited at the station on School Street until 3 a.m. to take revelers home.
Use of the building for theatrical performances began in 1941 with the Lafayette Playshop, and in the late 1940’s the Straw Hat Review held summer productions there. In 1955 the Dramateurs began performances and contributed time and money in modernizing the building. In 1956 the Laf-Frantics began performing at the hall, and both groups entertained residents for many years.
In 1964 Town Hall was temporarily shut down for safety reasons, and LIA and the Dramateurs conducted a Save Town Hall fundraising drive that successfully restored the building. The Laf-Frantics ended their performances in 1986 after 30 years, and in 1991 the Dramateurs reorganized as the Town Hall Theatre Company of Lafayette.
For more information call (925) 283-1848 or visit the History Room in the Lafayette Library and Learning Center – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
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