Organization

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La Habra Depot Theatre

The La Habra Community Theatre began in 1976 as a Children’s Theatre project of the City’s newly established Cultural Arts Council. The first production was Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It was performed in La Habra High School’s lecture hall since the city did not have a Community Performing Arts Facility. At the same time, the 1909 Pacific Electric Depot building stood empty and in danger of demolition if it was not restored to a functional role in the community. Planning for its renovation as a Community Performing Arts Facility was initiated by the Mayor of La Habra and supported by the City Council as well as many community members. The “train station”, or depot, was then moved across the street to its current location in Portola Park to integrate it into the master plan for the redevelopment of downtown La Habra. Funding to restore the depot and convert it to a Theatre came largely from the Federal Government Restoration of Historical Landmarks. “The Depot” was declared Orange County Historical Landmark Site #14. In January of 1980, the Children’s Theatre project was expanded to incorporate adult theatre. Then, in July of 1982, the 100 members of the Community Theatre moved into the Depot Playhouse. The first performance in the restored building was the musical Oklahoma. On August 15, 1995 the Depot Playhouse became a non-profit tax-exempt organization and officially became know as Depot Theatre of La Habra. The theatre’s board of directors and all production committees are comprised of community volunteers. The Depot Theatre is one of the few community organizations which functions without a single paid staff member.