The historic Huntington Beach auditorium has been a fundamental part of the community since it was founded in 1926. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this fundamental landmark, the Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) and Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) put on a show last Saturday, April 18, celebrating every decade of the theater’s legacy.
Theatrical history
The auditorium was the first building established on the Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) campus, designed by architects Allison and Allison. It’s also known as Orange County’s Historical Site #36 and is most recognized by its 120-foot bell tower. Even after the demolition and renovation of the campus in the ’70s, the bell tower stood.
In 2009, the auditorium underwent extensive modernizations, including improvements to the roof, restoration of the bell tower, and additions to the APA Studio Theater (black box). During these renovations, it was also renamed the “Darrell R. Stillwagon Auditorium” to honor the former activities director.
Now, the theatre is a hub for various performing arts programs like APA, Orange County Children’s Theater (OCCT), Coast City Ballet (CCB), Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and other district high schools like Edison and Marina. APA, originally called the School of the Performing Arts (SPA), has been performing in the theater since it was built and when OCCT was founded in 1969, they began using the theater too.
A glimpse into the show
Tara Choat, a member of the costume design faculty at APA and the director of the 100th anniversary show, said, “To celebrate the 100 years of our historic auditorium, the show is broken into 10 decades. Each decade has a video encapsulating the history and footage of the time, followed by a short performance that embraces the feel of that decade. For example, in the 1950s, the musical theatre freshman, sophomore and junior classes performed a medley from ‘Grease.’ [For] the 2000s [era, the] HBHS dance team performed a mashup of various famous boy band songs of the time.”
The 1930s era featured a medley from ‘Annie’ the musical, performed by OCCT.
Lily Jacobs, an OCCT freshman who played the part of Annie, said, “In the medley, we perform some songs from the show, and we have a pretty small cast. I’m also in APA’s ‘Grease’ medley, which takes place in the 1950s section.”
This performance also showcased the APA Jazz Ensemble, who performed songs from Michael Jackson to represent the ’80s decade. Then, the HBHS Dance Team danced to various boy band songs from the ’90s.
Natalie Sand, a freshman on Dance Team, said, “[Dance Team performed] a boy band medley with songs like ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and ‘The Call.’ Coach Mac does the choreography, and how it works is that there are three sections of choreography where we use these three tables that we all rotate throughout the dance.”
Other local groups like the Surf City Singers, APA Orchestra and MMET were also featured. The finale of the show had everyone who was in a previous number come onstage and perform together.
Sophia Yopp-Morley, junior in the APA dance department, said, “I’m in the Modern and Tap Ensemble ’20s piece that Cara Laughlin and Shiloh Orr choreographed. It’s a combination of the two ensembles, and it captures the era of the 20s kind of dance. I’m also in the Jazz Ensemble 80s Michael Jackson hip-hop dance by Coach Mac, which we also did for Fusion.”
The auditorium is a crucial part of the Huntington Beach arts community. It has hosted numerous performances and assemblies through programs like APA and OCCT. Without it, a massive piece of local history and arts education would be missing. The proceeds from this show will be put towards renovating the green room backstage. Patrons who attended the show were encouraged to donate.
“This is a really unique event that has so many people participating. It is a fun opportunity to support the theater and all the love and passion that performers have brought into the space. We are also using the event as a way to honor Joe Batte, the previous Technical Theatre Director, and honor all that he gave to this space. We have so many different acts and unique facets of the show, it really has something for everyone,” said Choat.
The “Century of Stars and Stories” anniversary performance celebrated a century of arts excellence and will hopefully continue to foster young talent for centuries to come.
