The La Habra Depot Theatre

Our Mission

The La Habra Depot Theatre was founded to

• Educate, develop and encourage community interest, support and involvement in cultural and performing arts.
• Provide cultural and personal enrichment for the benefit of the citizens and community of La Habra, North Orange County, and East Los Angeles County.
• Provide an opportunity for citizens to participate in theatrical productions.
• Provide a well-rounded background in theatre arts.

Purpose

We believe our first responsibility is to be responsive to the objectives and growth of our community at large, without whose support we could not remain operational.

Secondly, we believe we have a responsibility to our youth. Since ancient times, no education was considered complete without the universal truths conveyed by the arts. Early exposure to the arts and to a variety of the worlds cultures and societies may give new generations a broader sense of our basic humanity in the increasingly interdependent, international, global community in which they will undoubtedly have to function.

Furthermore, the arts have the potential to expand lives by showing that the quality of life can be measured, not only by material possessions, but by the beauty, joy and truth it contains. This is a powerful insight which can help youths counter the pervasive threat of drug use and gang influence.

It has been argued that involvement in sports can provide these benefits to our youth. This is true. But it is also true that not every child is interested in or good at sports. Music, drama, dance, public speaking, and the "back stage" technical aspects of theatre can give these youths something they can be involved in. For this reason, the community is indeed fortunate to have this all-volunteer organization which contributes, not only to keeping the arts alive, but to the education of its youth as well.

Theatre Profile

The La Habra Community Theatre began in 1976 as a Children’s Theatre project of the City’s newly established Cultural Arts Council. The first production was Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It was performed in La Habra High School’s lecture hall since the city did not have a Community Performing Arts Facility.

At the same time, the 1909 Pacific Electric Depot building stood empty and in danger of demolition if it was not restored to a functional role in the community. Planning for its renovation as a Community Performing Arts Facility was initiated by the Mayor of La Habra and supported by the City Council as well as many community members. The "train station", or depot, was then moved across the street to its current location in Portola Park to integrate it into the master plan for the redevelopment of downtown La Habra.

Funding to restore the depot and convert it to a Theatre came largely from the Federal Government Restoration of Historical Landmarks. "The Depot" was declared Orange County Historical Landmark Site #14.

In January of 1980, the Children’s Theatre project was expanded to incorporate adult theatre. Then, in July of 1982, the 100 members of the Community Theatre moved into the Depot Playhouse. The first performance in the restored building was the musical Oklahoma. On August 15, 1995 the Depot Playhouse became a non-profit tax-exempt organization and officially became know as Depot Theatre of La Habra. The theatre’s board of directors and all production committees are comprised of community volunteers. The Depot Theatre is one of the few community organizations which functions without a single paid staff member.