Carmel’s beloved theater taking longer than expected to re-open
The reopening of Carmel’s historic Forest Theater has been pushed back to 2016 the city announced Thursday.
The city said the delay was mostly due to preparing lengthy construction documents and the timeline for construction; included in that timeline was planning for inclement weather in the spring.
Stephen Moorer, founder and executive director of the Pacific Repertory Theatre Co., and Yvonne Hildebrand-Bowen, executive director of the Forest Theater Guild were part of the decision with the city.
Each organization stages shows at the Forest Theater.
There had initially been plans to reopen in July, then September after design revisions.
The Forest Theater was closed in April 2014 after serious structural and safety issues were found. City officials then decided to immediately close the theater.
“We’re really excited that the Forest Theater is finally getting the attention that it deserves and we’ve been saying since the closing that we need to get it done right,” said Moorer.
Hildebrand-Bowen said, “All of the theater users and community members want what’s best for the theater and community: a good safe place to have our shows and a community gathering place. We really want it to be done right. I’m so happy that the city is taking the steps to move forward. I’m looking forward to seeing it open again.”
“I think we’re all disappointed,” said Andy Vanderford, the city’s project manager for the work at the Forest Theater. “The city has been pursuing a very fast-paced and compressed schedule since the theater was red-tagged.”
The first phase of the work would cost about $2 million, that’s half of the city’s capital improvement project during the current fiscal year.
The indoor theater that is used by the School of Dramatic Arts (SoDA) and run by PacRep will also stayed closed.
The Wizard of Oz was set to be the opening play this summer, now PacRep said it will perform Oliver! at the Golden Bough, starting in mid-September.
The Forest Theater staged its first production more than 100 years ago.
