Garden Grove Playhouse - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Garden Grove Playhouse was a non-profit community theater organization located near the western edge of the city of Garden Grove

Garden Grove, California

Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...

in Orange County

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The organization was originally called the Garden Grove Community Theatre, but the name changed in 1995 by a vote of the Board of Directors and the general membership. Prior to this name change, the organization was known briefly as the Orange County Actors’ Theater – Garden Grove, but the general membership did not accept this name and at the annual meeting in January 1995, the Garden Grove Playhouse (GGP) name was suggested and accepted.

GGP was founded in 1974 – the same year the nearby Westminster Community Theatre began construction on its permanent home. GGP’s first production, Desk Set

Desk Set

Desk Set is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn...

, opened in June 1974 and was presented at Rancho Alamitos High School

Rancho Alamitos High School

Rancho Alamitos High School is located in Garden Grove, California. It is a member of the Garden Grove Unified School District.This high school first opened in the spring of 1957 with no senior class. The first graduating class was in 1958. The school colors are green and gold...

. Because of conflicts with school schedules, the Rancho Alamitos campus could not continue to be used, but the Garden Grove Unified School District

Garden Grove Unified School District

The Garden Grove Unified School District is the third largest school district in Orange County, and the twelfth largest in the State of California...

allowed GGP to use Lake High School, an alternative or ‘continuation’ campus.

GGP’s next home was found in Garden Grove’s Gem Theater, though it was a very brief stay. The Gem Theater was originally a single screen movie theater that the City of Garden Grove obtained grants to remodel and convert to a performing arts space. GGP would only present two productions at the Gem – it was decided that the space would be used only for professional or equity theater.

While GGP was left homeless, the situation lead to the conversion of another city-owned facility – one with a rather odd history. The building that would eventually become the permanent home of the GGP was used originally as an office to sell newly-built homes in west Garden Grove. After the homes were all sold, the building became city property and was moved to Eastgate Park to be converted into a teen center. The center was closed during the 1970s due to lack of interest and vandalism, and remained largely unused for several years – though it was periodically used as a rehearsal space for the Gem Theater. GGP's Board of Directors convinced the Garden Grove City Council that the space could be converted into a theater, and work began in 1981. The building saw its first opening night in January 1982 with a production of Any Wednesday

Any Wednesday

Any Wednesday is a 1966 comedy film directed by Robert Ellis Miller, starring Jane Fonda, Jason Robards, and Dean Jones. The story centers around a Manhattan woman who is trying to decide between two suitors on the day of her 30th birthday.On August 18, 2009, Warner Brothers released the movie...

and served as GGP’s home continuously until it ceased operations in 2009.

The productions presented by GGP varied slightly from year to year, often including a balanced roster of traditional favorites and seasonal variety show

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

s. In 2003, the GGP presented its first original production, a collection of three one-acts written and produced by a local playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

. In 2005, GGP began including more experimental fare, including productions of Lee Blessing

Lee Blessing

-Biography:Blessing's best-known play is A Walk in the Woods, which depicts the developing relationship between two arms limitation negotiators, one Russian and one American, over years of negotiation...

's Eleemosanary and Moisés Kaufman

Moisés Kaufman

Moisés Kaufman is a playwright, director and founder of Tectonic Theater Project. He is the author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, 33 Variations and is perhaps best known for writing The Laramie Project with other members of Tectonic Theater Project...

's The Laramie Project

The Laramie Project

The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie,...

. However, in 2006, GGP returned to presenting more traditional, classic plays and variety shows which continued until the organization's demise.

Interestingly, the original location of the Eastgate Park building remains somewhat of a mystery. A thorough search of city building records only returned the building permit that allowed the building to be moved to Eastgate Park. While that document showed the destination address for the building, the original address was omitted and remains unknown, making it virtually impossible to find the original building permits for its construction. During the summer of 2009, the City of Garden Grove began using the building as a teen center once again, returning the building to its pre-theater use.

External links

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