Theater History
More than seven decades have passed since Carmel’s Sunset School celebrated the opening of its new auditorium. In 1931, it was the finest assembly hall of any school in the area with seating for over 700. In 1963, the City of Carmel bought the Sunset School complex and renamed it the Sunset Community and Cultural Center. The school's auditorium, originally built as an addition to the grammar school during the Great Depression, became the Sunset Center.
For nearly forty years, the Sunset Center was home to symphonies, chamber musicians, singers, actors, and dancers. By the early 1990’s, however, near-constant performances had taken their toll. For decades, patrons had to overlook the auditorium’s poor acoustics and sight lines as well as the inconvenient, remote restrooms. Meanwhile, performers were regularly hampered by its small stage - too small, in fact, to comfortably hold a complete, modern orchestra.
To address the problem of a facility that was ill-equipped for the 21st century, a combined public and private partnership was formed with the goal of modernizing and renovating the Sunset Center. A nonprofit corporation, Sunset Center for the Arts, raised $13.4 million in private donations from foundations and nearly 1,200 individuals; the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea sold bonds to provide the balance of the $21.4 million needed for renovation.
The construction project began in September 2001 and in July 2003, less than two years later, the Sunset Center reopened with the Carmel Bach Festival, a long-standing annual music event in Carmel. After leading the first orchestra rehearsal, Bruno Weil, music director of the Carmel Bach Festival affirmed, “It’s a miracle, the acoustics are unbelievable.”
The distinctive, Gothic-inspired arches of the theater ceiling, previously an acoustical nightmare, had been transformed into graceful, acoustically transparent, perforated-metal ribs. The new, enlarged stage area and proscenium arch could now accommodate a full orchestra and chorus for Beethoven’s remarkable Ninth Symphony. In the first year following the reopening, audiences enjoyed performances from the renowned tenor Jose Carreras, Garrison Keillor, Wynton Marsalis, Keb’Mo, Judy Collins, and an assortment of other acts. Since the renovation, Sunset Center continues to host more than 50 classical music performances each year and welcomes artists from around the world to its stage.
Under the leadership of Sunset Cultural Center, Inc., the non-profit corporation that assumed management of the city-owned theater in 2004, more exciting performances and live entertainment, in addition to classes and community events, are sure to continue in the future. The contract between SCC, Inc. and Carmel-by-the-Sea establishes that Sunset Center be managed and operated as a place for public, cultural, entertainment and community events so that Sunset Center will serve as an economic and cultural stimulant for the community, the people of Carmel, and its environs.
