110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine - Index

ABODE I BY DON HUNTINGTON I PHOTOS BY RUSSELL BYRNE
MAKING OVER A THEATRE
AND A DOWNTOWN
El Campanil Theatre, located in Antioch’s historic
Rivertown Business District, opened with its first
performance on November 1, 1928. Over the intervening
eight decades the venue had its ups-anddowns
but for the past four years it has occupied
a place in the sun as a performing arts center
because of extensive remodeling and its revitalized
performance schedule.
Bob Rezak, a volunteer Public Relations Manager,
has been working with area nonprofit arts organizations
for four decades. He founded and has served
on the Arts And Culture Commission for Contra
Costa County. Rezak declares Antioch to be especially
rich in such things as stage performances, art
galleries, and lectures.
The El Campanil Theatre is the crown jewel of
the Antioch arts scene. The renovation of the glorious-but-decaying
landmark came about when Rick
Carraher, displaying an amazing amount of energy
and persistence, formed a citizens group to oversee
the three million dollar project.
Rick subsequently pushed the project to the
next phase by scheduling the kinds of events,
presentations, concerts, plays, and movies that
would keep the theater busy and bustling. The
theater has hosted musicals such as “Ain’t
Misbehavin’” and most recently a sold out tribute
to Abba, called “Abbacadabra.”
Rick is a hands-on theater manager doing everything
from selling tickets to supervising perform-
48 www.110mag.com September/October 2008
THE EL CAMPANIL THEATRE MAKEOVER IS A
HOPEFUL AND ENCOURAGING PORTENT FOR
ANTIOCH’S SOMEWHAT SOMNOLENT DOWN-
TOWN RIVERTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT.
ances. The Antioch Chamber of Commerce appropriately
honored him this year with a lifetime achievement
award in recognition of his civic endeavors.
El Campanil is increasing downtown foot traffic
and exerting a revitalizing force in the local
economy. As Rezak pointed out, many residents,
upon arriving at home following two hours or
more of commuting, are not ready to hop in their
cars and go right back to Oakland or to Walnut
Creek to attend a concert or play.
El Campanil, on the other hand, is relatively
accessible to all East County residents, with no
traffic congestion and ample free parking located
a short stroll away. Plus, ticket prices are affordable.
We who attend events there love the whole
experience. Especially, we love the ambiance
found in that truly glorious edifice.
Rezak said, “I’m always glad to sit next to
someone who is entering the theater for the first
time. They are thrilled and delighted by their
initial experience in seeing the sweeping lines of
the place and by the elegance right down to the
smallest details of design and decoration!”
El Campanil patrons don’t see all the ongoing
hard work that is put into keeping the theater
operational. The lady is showing her age and is
experiencing problems that are attendant to any
ancient building. For example, the air conditioner
chose to conk out right in the middle of the only
triple digit weather that we had this summer. Rick
arranged for industrial size fans to blow cool air
across the surface of tons of ice that he had
hauled in into the theater.
El Campanil is wonderfully performing the role
that civic leaders were hoping for because the
hundreds of lights in its new marquee serve as a
beacon, symbolizing the effect that the theater is
having in revitalizing the Rivertown business
scene. In May the Contra Costa Council named El
Campanil the Antioch Small Business of the Year
— the only non-profit ever to receive the award.
November 15 will be a red-letter day in the story
of our rejuvenated theater. It will be our 80 th
Anniversary “Jubilee!” show presenting a retrospective
of musical events presented since the theater’s
2004 reopening including numbers from the Diablo
Light Opera and the Diablo Symphony Orchestra,
opera singers Bella Sorella, the song stylists
Vocalese, the Strolling Strings, the Sonos Handbell
Ensemble, Vagabond Players — to name just a few
of the people and acts performing that night.
It will be a grand night for singing! A tribute to
a glorious past and the next step on a hopeful
path to the future for the El Campanil Theatre —
our Graceful Antioch Lady.
°
Visit the box office at 602 West Second Street. Or
call 925-757-9500, email elcampanil@comcast.net,
go to www.elcampaniltheatre.com. Send comments
on the article to editors@110mag.com.