Ojai movie house Reopens As Live Venue

SO-CAL CINEMA: Originally opened in 1914, the Ojai Playhouse plans to host concerts and other performances. (Ciro Coelho / Ojai Playhouse)

Renovation of 5,500-square-foot theater cost $10 million

After being dark for a decade, the historic Ojai Playhouse reopens Friday as a bright community hub for film and live entertainment in the coastal California arts enclave nestled between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

“It will be, now that we are running, the oldest running, single-screen cinema in California, maybe the country,” said owner David Berger. “It’s been a theater its whole life and every owner made sure the next owner continued to preserve its intention and purpose. But I saw this incredible opportunity here to also make a live stage.”

The renovated 5,500-square-foot theater, a $10 million project, opens with an impressive slate of first-run and vintage films, but future plans include booking concerts and live performances including comedy, speakers, podcasts and curated music including songwriters, jazz, blues and classical.

The community is ready to welcome back the independent art house. The theater’s first month of programming includes Oscar contenders, holiday classics, independent films and cult midnight movies including Heat, Mulholland Drive, Anora, The Wild Robot, Babygirl, Emilia Perez and The Brutalist. Berger said many of the shows are sold out and additional shows have been added.

“People in town are excited,” Berger said. “It’s  going to affect the creative community of Ojai in a profound way. It’s for people.”

Originally opened in 1914 for silent films, the renovated 200-fixed-seat space now boasts state-of-the-art audio and visual upgrades.

The theater, which has been a movie house from the start, now features a green room, front lobby refreshments, a rear box office, an outdoor garden, private event space and a cafe and bar.

The four-year, complete structural and interior revitalization was led by principal architect Bob Kupiec and local builder Kerry Miller, who had been involved with the restoration since a water main break in 2014 ruined the foundation and flooded the building.

The theater was sound engineered by Newson Brown Acoustics. The construction team of Holwick Constructors has experience building theaters and professional screening rooms and Berger said the finished theater has the quality and feel of a private screening room in a public space.

Berger, whose first job was as an usher and working the concession stands, invested more than $10 million on the ground-up, walls-out renovations. He leaned heavily into his extensive background as a music industry executive including stints at Ticketmaster, Live Nation and Endeavor along with his pioneering VIP ticketing work and running his own ticketing businesses, Future Beat, and his current incarnation, One More Time VIP.

Berger is the seventh owner of the Ojai Playhouse. He bought the theater in 2020, the same year it was designated an Ojai Historic Landmark. He had a clear vision of what the venue could mean to the community with a live performance stage and upgraded audience amenities.

“To see the theater, even in its shambles, it was for me just an amazing space,” Berger said. “Right away, I saw the potential and how incredible the venue could be. I pushed everyone — What more can we do? What’s the best we can do?” This was a way for me to combine live and screen and enhance the theater experience into another realm.”

The venue features a fresh air HVAC system and top technical equipment including a Meyer Sound cinema system, Yamaha Active Field Control Immersive Audio System, Nexo live PA, Dolby Atmos for cinema and listening events and Sony FR7 PTZ cameras for video capturing and live streaming. The theater is equipped with Simplex 35mm reel-to-reel projectors and a Barco 4k laser projector and includes both professional theatrical lighting and flexible mood lighting. The mood is elevated contemporary.

“It’s like a museum in here,” said Berger, speaking to VenuesNow from the lobby. “It’s a fine performing arts cinema theater that we created.”

Just as much attention was given to the exterior. The building’s original facade was carefully restored using original materials, including repurposing the original wood, and a color scheme appropriate for the mission revival building and its historic significance to the city’s historic downtown.

“The rule was if there was any beauty – organic, structural elements – we would want to restore them, and keep them, and freeze them in time,” explained Berger. “We didn’t want to recreate anything that wasn’t true. We were true to the historic nature and original materials.”