Historic Theatre

By Brett Hodges On a cool March evening in 1976, an orange-robed, bearded man sat cross-legged on a wooden dais on the Lobero Theatre stage. Sri Swami Satchidananda was one...

In December 1869, José Lobero (born “Giuseppe” in Genoa, Italy) announced his plans to construct a grand opera house in Santa Barbara, even though the town had fewer than 3,000...

By Brett Hodges Death on the stage is as old as the history of theater. The ancient Greek playwright Sophocles famously depicted the on-stage suicide of the warrior Ajax, and...

By Brett Hodges On February 23, 1931 a standing-room-only audience filled the Lobero to hear singer Paul Robeson unleash his rich timbered bass-baritone in a program that ranged from classical...

By Brett Hodges It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Invite Ray Bradbury - celebrated science fiction author and provocateur of the imagination - to speak...

By Brett Hodges The Lobero Theatre has seen many colorful and memorable performances in its 148-year history. But arguably the most bizarre took place over three days beginning on January...

By Brett Hodges On New Year’s Eve 1947 the comic whirlwind that was Lucille Ball took to the Lobero stage in the ambitious comedy-fantasy Dream Girl. Lucille Ball had begun...

By Brett Hodges It was the holiday season in Santa Barbara in 1883, and the town was in the throes of roller-skating mania. The Lobero Opera House was skating-central, with...

1952 was the year America fell in love with José Greco and classical flamenco dance. That was the year Greco - almost single-handedly - revived the art of flamenco and...

Browsing the calendar of events at American theaters and opera houses in the late 1800’s can be an uncomfortable experience for the modern sensibility. It was a time when stage...