On September 14, The Granada Theatre celebrated its 100th anniversary at its annual Legends Gala, a grand, black-tie affair. The evening commenced with a lively reception in the Founders Room and first- and second-floor foyers, followed by an elegant dinner on the theater’s stage. The gala also celebrated Susan Gulbransen and Joan Rutkowski for leading the theater’s $52 million restoration project, which enabled it to reopen in 2008.
In the program, Board Chair Palmer Jackson Jr. succinctly summed up the honorees’ role: “Without those two, we would not be here; there is no way.” Author and actress Fannie Flagg and S.B. Symphony Music & Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti presented the awards to Gulbransen and Rutkowski, respectively. In accepting the award, Gulbransen expressed gratitude both for the honor and to the multitude of other people who made the renovation possible. Rutkowski similarly expressed gratitude for the honor and remarked that “hopes and dreams count, and without charity, there can be nothing good.”
The 245 lucky guests in attendance were a who’s who of Santa Barbara, comprising many past Legends honorees and other supporters of the Granada and its eight resident companies. When I ran into a friend in the ladies’ room, we remarked simultaneously, “Everybody is here!” Indeed, the venue was filled with generous philanthropists without whom the Granada and Santa Barbara’s other cultural institutions could not survive.
Master of Ceremonies Andrew Firestone interjected humor and enthusiasm throughout the evening. UCSB Professor of Film & Media Studies Ross Melnick gave historical highlights of the theater, which opened in 1924 as a silent movie and live performance venue. When the city ground to a halt in the 1925 earthquake, Melnick noted, builder Charles Urton boasted that the Granada survived without a crack.
Under the ownership of Warner Brothers in the 1930s, the Granada became a venue for Hollywood previews for films such as The Wizard of Oz and Guys and Dolls, using Santa Barbara audiences as tests before releasing anywhere else. It went on to host world premieres, including My Dream Is Yours with Doris Day in 1949.
Granada Centennial Producer Scott Seltzer related that in 2000, Rob Rossi purchased the theater with ambitious plans, but then generously agreed to sell the theater on terms that amounted to donating more than half the market value of the property. The sale was made to the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts so that the theater could be transformed into a venue for the benefit of the entire community.
Throughout the evening, historical accounts and award presentations were interspersed with entertainment. There was a fun sneak peek of State Street Ballet’s Chaplin and a great performance by a band created just for the evening, the One-Night-Stand Band, featuring Morganfield Burnett, Hunter Hawkins, Lois Mahalia, Tariqh Akoni, George Friedenthal, Herman Matthews, and Randy Tico. Euphony, comprising students from Santa Barbara Unified’s three high schools, delighted guests in performing Hairspray’s “The Nicest Kids in Town.”
Gulbransen was board president of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts for six years, and Rutkowski was a founding board member in 1997. The restoration project (1998-2008) transformed the theater back into a state-of-the-art performance venue and was made possible by many local philanthropists, including Michael Towbes, Sarah and Roger Chrisman, and Sara Miller McCune.
Fundraisers like this are necessary because ticket sales, rental income, and investment income cover only about 60 percent of the Granada’s annual operating costs. The Granada does not receive any ongoing financial assistance from any government entity.
The Granada hosts events from national production companies in addition to performances by its eight resident companies: American Theatre Guild, CAMA, Santa Barbara Choral Society, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet, the Santa Barbara Symphony, and UCSB Arts & Lectures.
