And on March 25, 1966, it opened. Redwood and brick, 201 seats, large proscenium, fly system. The building still stands at 2627 Pico Boulevard, and it is still hosting performances.
There is no other history like this in the western part of Los Angeles. And for Los Angeles families searching for the first theater experience that costs less than a movie ticket for four, the morgan wixson theatre is one of the most extraordinary places in the whole city.
Morgan Wixson Theatre and the 80-Year Story Behind the Building
The morgan wixson theatre is the oldest theatrical organization in Santa Monica, established in 1946 as Santa Monica Theatre Guild. Its first venue was the Miles Playhouse. In 1950 the company moved into the abandoned facility of the Naval Auxiliary Station located at 5th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, renovated it and named the venue Ranch Playhouse, and later changed its name into the Morgan Theatre after Geoffrey Morgan, the prominent citizen who helped the organization to obtain the property.
For more than a decade the Morgan was the hub of live theater in the city. But then, in 1962, a fire destroyed the building.
What happened next says much about the character of the organization more than any mission statement ever could. The company had managed its funds carefully. They had their savings. Grace Godino and her volunteers raised money for the next five months, escrow closed on the Pico Boulevard property in July 1963, demolition took place in August, and September brought some earth-moving.
The Santa Monica Theatre Guild continues to exist today as the 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater company known as Morgan-Wixson, still operated by volunteers and still located in the building erected by them. The company receives grants from the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the Santa Monica Arts Commission - a testament to the fact that the small Pico Blvd house does punch above its weight.
Roughly 200 seats. Two full seasons a year. Performers, creative staff, and crew from Santa Monica and the surrounding communities. What this results in is the certain atmosphere that any theater visitor can instantly detect: wood paneled lobby, the volunteers welcoming you like a friend, and the feeling that the actors live nearby.
Morgan-Wixson Theatre and the Y.E.S. Program That Makes It a Family Destination
Here is the part that makes the difference for parents and deserves a separate paragraph. The morgan-wixson theatre offers the Youth Education/Entertainment Series - Y.E.S., and it is truly award-winning work. In 2008 the American Alliance for Theatre and Education named Y.E.S. the Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company of the Nation. Not the regional award. The national award.
The Y.E.S. idea is quite elegant: productions are imaginative interpretations of children's literature aimed specifically at promoting literacy. The kids see a familiar book turning into a living drama with actors and light and music and make a connection between the reading and the performance that no classroom lesson can provide.
This program serves two audiences simultaneously. Young viewers get performances specially created for them. And young performers are trained - the purpose of the series is to develop audience as well as talent, so the kids performing are often about the same age as the kids viewing.
When families are considering morgan wixson theatre vs other LA theaters, this is the decisive factor. The big theater provides the spectacular view. The Morgan-Wixson Theatre provides proximity - your kid sitting fifteen rows from the stage where other kids perform the story they have read. The gap between "I saw the show" and "I can do that" closes quickly in such a hall.
Morgan Wixson Theatre Santa Monica CA - Practical Information in One Place
Morgan Wixson theatre Santa Monica CA practical information, compiled for planning purposes. The address: 2627 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Phone: (310) 828-7519. The box office hours are limited mid-week afternoons - traditionally 4 PM to 7 PM Wednesday through Friday - and the building is open only during performance times. Booking is done through the official morgan-wixson.org website.
Ticket pricing is the headline. The theater describes their prices as reasonable and the reviews back this claim up - this is the community theater pricing, a fraction of what comparable seats cost at the big LA theaters. A family of four can attend a performance here for the price that gets you only two tickets elsewhere in the city.
Some details to remember before your visit. Snacks and soda drinks are available in the lobby, but only water is allowed inside the auditorium. You can leave the theater during intermission and return later. Seats receive compliments for comfort, and the building remains well-maintained despite its age - the organization has run several capital campaigns to renovate the lobby, the concession stand, the restroom and the outdoor lounge.
The morgan wixson theatre Santa Monica CA listing is marked as family-friendly venue by the city, and this description is far from adequate. It isn't just the venue tolerating children. It offers the award-winning program designed specifically for them.
Morgan Wixson Theatre Pico Boulevard Santa Monica CA and the Neighborhood It Stands In
Search of morgan wixson theatre Pico Boulevard Santa Monica CA puts you into the Sunset Park area, at the Pico between Cloverfield and Centinela - the commercial-residential street rather than the entertainment district, which is exactly the point. This theater is a neighborhood institution located physically in the neighborhood that built it.
This location creates the evening atmosphere. No traffic, no parking structure lines, no feeling that this is an event requiring planning. You simply drive along Pico, find a place to park, enter the wood-paneled lobby, and a volunteer hands you the program.
The location of morgan wixson theatre Pico Boulevard Santa Monica CA also allows to organize a complete family day on one street. Pico starts at the beach at one end and stretches through Sunset Park and into the western Los Angeles - restaurants, cafes, Virginia Avenue Park farmers market on Saturdays, and our own play space at 828 Pico Blvd about a mile and a half west from the theater. All in one street, something that most LA family day cannot boast of.
And for families traveling to the theater from the eastern LA, the theater is about 10 minutes off the 10 freeway at Cloverfield. Clear.
Morgan Wixson Theatre Parking - What the Reviews Actually Say
The morgan wixson theatre parking situation is one of the local-knowledge details that transforms a stressful arrival into a peaceful one, and it has been clearly documented by the reviewers.
Street parking is available along Pico Blvd and side streets, and it is usually available - but this is Santa Monica, so the posted signs count and it takes you 30 seconds to read them, which you should definitely do. The frequent advice of the reviewers is exactly that: use the street parking if you can, but pay attention to the signs.
The well kept secret is the free parking lot. Several reviewers pointed out to the free parking in the Venice Family Clinic lot one block away from the theater, which handles the overflow on the performance days for free. For a Santa Monica venue, the free parking in the vicinity is a close to miracle as it can get.
Practical advice for the morgan wixson theatre parking from the regular visitors: come to the theater 20 to 30 minutes before the performance starts, use the street parking if the spot is open after the first try, and use the lot instead of circling the street.
Morgan Wixson Theatre Events and How to Plan the Season
The events calendar of the morgan wixson theatre includes two different programs per year, and understanding the difference helps to choose the suitable night for your family.
The MainStage season is made of the plays and musicals for general audiences - the famous titles performed in excellent manner by the community theaters. The recent seasons include the productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, comedy plays and musicals of all types. The reviews tell about the professional-level performances at the community theater prices, and one Yelp user summed it up well: The Morgan-Wixson might not be the Palladium, but they'd go again.
The Y.E.S. season runs alongside the MainStage productions and includes imaginative adaptations of children's literature. These productions are intended for young audiences.
Since the morgan wixson theatre events calendar is run by the volunteers at the small theater, the booking principle is clear and simple: check the season program, select your performance early, and do not assume that the popular performance has the seats available at the last minute. Small theaters run out of seats.
Morgan Wixson Theatre Santa Monica and the Whole Pico Corridor Family Day
The morgan wixson theatre Santa Monica experience is best arranged when the performance becomes the part of the day rather than the task - and the Pico Corridor makes this easy to do.
The common challenge for children and theater is universal and it is not the theater. A kid who has been indoors all day long arrives at the performance with the energy to expend, and there is nowhere to expend it in the small theater. Families that know how to do this bring the children outdoors first.
This is exactly what our play spaces help to accomplish - the Fun Play World location at 828 Pico Blvd hosts walk-in Open Play - weekdays starting at 10 AM, Sundays - at 9 AM - with multilevel climbing structures, zoned floors, soft surfaces everywhere and the comfortable seating for the parents. The first child is $35 per two hour session, $25 for the second child, $20 for the third one, two parents included. The Los Angeles location at 10672 West Pico Blvd is for families traveling from the east side of the corridor. The $200 monthly membership is what the regulars prefer.
The Y.E.S. matinee plan followed by the local families: visit the play space in the morning, have lunch somewhere on Pico, watch the matinee at the theater in the afternoon with a child who is tired enough to behave but not too tired to sleep. Or just switch the order: start with the theater and finish the day with physical play.
Birthdays can be organized the same way. Matinee of the children's theater is a perfect small celebration for kids already interested in performance. The whole group of twenty kids fits far better on our play floor, which is built exactly for that. Our birthday packages are the Basic Package - $1,800, the Adventure Package - $2,300, the Ultimate Package - $2,700, the VIP Package - $5,700 with the catering, dedicated staff and the private party room, including setup and breakdown. An 18% service fee applies to all events, the 40% deposit guarantees the availability of the date, and the payment of the balance is due 5 days before the event.
Why This Small Theater Is More Than Its Size Suggests
Eighty years of history. Fire, rebuild with the hands of the volunteers, national award for children's programming, and the small 200-seat house in Pico Boulevard, still run by the volunteers who live nearby.
Los Angeles has grander stages. It does not have many places where the kids can watch the performance of other kids of the same age, who interpret the book they have read, in the building that was erected by the neighbors themselves, for the price that does not require any budgeting. Such combination is rare enough to be protected, and the way to protect the community theater is simple - buy the tickets and bring your kids.
