SPOTLIGHT ON will begin a series "spotlighting" MCTA member theatres. The first is on California's First Theatre and The Troupers of the Gold Coast. Thanks to Marabee Boone & Steve Harris for providing information for this article.
The building that we now know as California's First Theatre was built as a boarding house and saloon in 1847 by Jack Swan, a British sailor of Scottish decent. In 1845 or 1846 Jack built a small adobe building near the corner of Pacific and Scott Streets in Monterey. He began baking pies and pastries and selling them to residents of Monterey. Eventually he had enough money to build his boarding house and saloon. Among the patrons of his establishment were American troops who were with Colonel J.D. Stevenson's regiment stationed at the Presidio of Monterey. Before Jack Swan arrived and opened his bakery, the diet in Monterey was primarily the native Mexican cooking. Jack offered to the soldiers and sailors the type of cuisine they remembered from back home meat pies, lots of vegetables, and fruit pies. When he opened the saloon, they not only came for the food but also to hang out to play chess or checkers or cards and have at least a little Navy grog. Early in 1848 some of these men approached Jack and asked permission to do plays at his establishment for pay. They had been volunteers, not regular army, and many of them came from the East Coast. They were familiar with theatre and had been putting on little entertainments for themselves on the military base to keep themselves amused. These were primarily minstrel shows. Now that the Mexican War was over, their paychecks had stopped, and they needed money to get back home. Since Jack had been clever enough to build apartments divided by hinged partitions (one is still in the theatre today) that could be swung up and secured to the ceiling, the living quarters turned into a large auditorium with a "stage" at one end of the building. The curious thing is that during the first show that was presented (in the spring of 1848) called PUTNAM, THE IRON SON OF '76, the partition was used as a curtain and was brought down every time they needed to change the sets. As the actors were all men, the ones portraying women's roles wore bandanas. The backdrops were blankets. The audience sat on planks supported by nail or gunpowder kegs. The floor was compacted earth. The admission then was the equivalent of $5.00 per person (probably paid in Spanish Doubloons). The price of admission was high, but the audience was willing to pay. Each show was a sell-out. What little entertainment there was in Monterey in 1848 was primarily connected to the church. There were occasional native fandangos (dances). Other plays followed PUTNAM, presumably BOX AND COX and, at least, the balcony scene from ROMEO AND JULIET. Though the building was not built as a theatre, it became the First Theatre in California with the opening of the first paid performance in the State.
The Gold Rush claimed many men including Jack Swan. In the fall of 1848 he headed for the gold fields and in January of 1849 his building was leased as a United States Navy storehouse. In 1854 it was the headquarters of a whaling company. The building continued being used as a boarding house (with whalers hanging their hammocks in the attic) and at various times Jack attempted to reincarnate it as a theatre. At one point he named it the Union Theatre and, at one point, named it the Jenny Lind Theatre. Historical records indicate that Jenny Lind never came further west than the Mississippi River and, yet, there have been a number of Jenny Lind Theatres in San Francisco. From 1859 to 1885 Jack Swan was back and forth from the Monterey Peninsula to British Columbia. In 1885 Jack returned to Monterey for good, nearly penniless and in poor health. From 1890 until the time of his death (at age 84) in 1896, he lived in the building.
From 1896 until 1906 the building stood empty and disintegrating. During those days there was an organization known as the California Historic Landmarks League. In 1906, at the suggestion of this organization's treasurer, Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother of William Randolph Hearst), funds were given to the State of California for the restoration of this historic building. Added to funds given by the California Legislature and the Chamber of Commerce, the building's restoration project began. The restoration would take nearly 30 years.
In the years following the restoration, the building had several uses including tea room, curio shop, museum, and book store. At one point, in front of the building was a Japanese-style Torii Gate and suspended from that was a sign which advertised "Antiques, Waffles and Tamales". In 1937, the two ladies responsible for starting the Bach Festival in Carmel began to rent the building from the State to use as a theatre. Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous began producing melodramas starting with the production of TATTERS, THE PET OF SQUATTERS' GULCH on June 3, 1937. They named their group of actors, "The Troupers of the Gold Coast". The name was patented (now belonging to Laverne Seeman) and "The Troupers" have become the oldest continually performing theatrical company in the world. The plays are of British or American origin and always conclude with an "Olio" a vaudeville aftershow.
Today there are "Troupers" who have been there for many years and are still the backbone of today's California's First Theatre. Of course there is Laverne Seeman, the producer. She also directs most of the productions. Other directors include Marabee Boone (also the business manager) and Cassy Reed. There is Chris Kirk - actor, Master of Ceremonies and stage manager for most of the shows. There is Barbara Souza, the pianist who plays the old time songs during scene changes and accompanies the "Troupers" during the Olio. And there is Steve Harris, First Theatre actor and docent for the Monterey Historic Parks and for "The Troupers of the Gold Coast". He greets visitors Wednesday through Saturday, talking about the history of the building and the theatre company and taking reservations. Along with these dedicated folks are many, many other volunteers that make the productions possible by volunteering their time and talents. Management estimates there are hundreds of "Troupers" living in Monterey County.
The theatre has never been closed since that opening nearly 63 years ago. The "Troupers" perform year-round, closing one show on Saturday and opening the next show the following Friday. The current producer, Laverne Seeman, has been with the troupe since 1952 and has held the concession with the State of California since 1966. The concession dictates that all plays performed must have been written prior to 1900. Laverne has over 2000 scripts to choose from.
The stage being used today was built in 1937 and that same year the wooden benches were put in. In 1972 tables and captains chairs replaced some of the front benches. The backdrops for the performances are canvas curtains and have been used for many years. Each drop gets a lot of use over the year be it a library or study or even a mountain scene. Some famous artists have painted these backdrops. One painter was Lieutenant Alfred Sully; he painted some sets and performed here at the time the Stevenson regiment was here. Later, 1941/42, another prominent artist, James Fitzgerald, painted sets for the plays. During the 1960s Nick LeFeuvre added his artistic touch to the curtains (including the front curtain) and in the 1970s many curtains were added by Ian Graham. The theatre maintains an extensive wardrobe of costumes, some dating back to the 1800s. During the 1960s and 70s Joan Milner, the "Troupers" Aussie connection, replicated many of the old costumes in order to keep the "Troupers" well dressed in authentic duds. In recent years Lavelle Brown, Bryce Parker and Janell Roseman have added their handiwork to the "Troupers" wardrobe.
Among the approximately 2000 actors who have performed at the First Theatre since 1937, many have achieved prominence locally and nationwide. Probably the best known would be Richard Boone, Steve Cochran and Bobs Watson. Bobs was a member of Hollywood's famous Watson family and as a youngster played "Pee Wee" in the movie "Boys Town." Bobs came back through the years to help the "Troupers" celebrate milestones.
Thousands of performers around the world are proud to be known as a "Trouper of the Gold Coast". This special designation carries with it a life long pride and they all know that "Once a Trouper, always a Trouper".