The show must go on, and it has been for 98 years at The Alcazar Theatre in downtown Carpinteria. The brainchild of character actor Oliver Bettle Prickett — a k a Oliver Blake, perhaps best known locally for his uncredited role in Casablanca — the Spanish-style theater opened as a movie house, screening The Fifty-Fifty Girl starring Bebe Daniels and Warner Oland on a Friday night in April 1928. Primarily a movie theater over the decades, the name and proprietors have changed more than a few times. Sixteen years ago, it became a 501(C) (3) nonprofit and returned to its original name in 2017.
Today, the Alcazar is a performing arts center offering plays, films, concerts, lectures, workshops, and classes among other events. Currently, summer drama camp is in full swing, and the December weekends are blacked out for the town’s beloved holiday-themed traditional show — this year it’s A Christmas Carol following Miracle on 34th Street’s five-year run. (Odds are, if you live in Carp, you have been part of the cast and/or crew, sat in the audience, or volunteered at the snack bar on more than one December night.)
The way the theater is configured, a multitude of different offerings are possible, according to Mike Lazaro, president of the board of directors. “One day, we could do stand-up comedy or a play. Then we can pivot two days later and host a full concert series. To me, that’s our magic. Others don’t have that ability.”
Director, Operations & Development Lynne Herrell adds, “Yeah, but it’s really a multidimensional performing arts center, right? It’s not just, you know, acts coming in, but there’s this huge community component, education, and outreach that we really try and balance.”…