Dear Theatre-lovers,
It is with great pleasure I announce that Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) and the City Urban Revitalization Corporation (CURC), owner of the Desert Cinemas movie theater located at the corner of Highway 111 and Cathedral Canyon Drive in Cathedral City, have signed agreements giving CVRep a two year option to acquire the property.
CVRep plans to purchase the property that now operates as the Desert Cinemas Large Format movie theater (previously referred to as the IMAX Theatre) and redevelop it into a state-of-the-art, live performance playhouse, a move that will be transformative for the Coachella Valley community, Cathedral City, and CVRep.
After much discussion and consideration the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to support this magical dream that I envisioned when we started CVRep eight years ago.
The option agreement will enable CVRep to move from its current rental space of an 86-seat venue at The Atrium shopping complex in Rancho Mirage to a permanently owned land and building with a 200-seat iconic, modern, live performance playhouse in Cathedral City with a thrust stage that will still provide an intimate theatrical experience.
So why are we doing this? There are many reasons, but let me name just a few.
- The need for more seating became apparent during this past season as we reached a 95%+ full capacity during most plays leaving patrons facing sold out performances and an inability to buy tickets.
- Besides our series of plays, we will now be able to expand other types of theater offerings such as cabaret, jazz, classical, dance and other types of performing arts.
- This new theatre will enhance our presentations with state of the art equipment, a larger stage that will be able to accommodate greater and larger productions while still maintaining our intimacy that we are known for. We will always preserve the high quality, thought provoking plays and musicals that reflect the interests, values and lifestyles of our local and visiting theatergoers.
- The ability to have our own permanent stage is a dream of many theater companies. We will no longer be dependent on leasing a space for our plays and productions allowing us the freedom to create our visions and to evolve our vision accordingly.
- The redeveloped property will provide expanded space for CVRep’s Conservatory, lobby, box office, special events, dressing rooms, and executive offices.
- The many technical upgrades planned for this new theater will also expand CVRep’s capabilities for mounting even more ambitious productions.
- CVRep will be able to expand our outreach into the local school districts by accommodating more students to experience age appropriate, culturally relevant, and topically sensitive live theater free of change through CVRep’s Youth Outreach program.
- We intend to increase our Conservatory classes by increasing our roster of unique educational possibilities for adults and children looking to explore skills such as acting, writing, voice and improvisation.
These are only a few of the reasons why we hope to move to a new space.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (ext. 102) or Andrea “Andi” Spirtos, our VP of Development (ext. 107) at 760-296-2966.
With great respect,
Ron Celona
CVRep Founding Artistic Director