Theatre of the Golden Bough

About

The Golden Bough Playhouse is a theatre complex in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the third in a succession of theatres associated with the name Golden Bough dating to 1924. Located on Monte Verde Street, the present facility contains the 280-seat Founders Theatre and the 120-seat Circle Theatre. The facility has been operated by Pacific Repertory Theatre since 1994.

The first theatre in Carmel named Golden Bough, Theatre of the Golden Bough, was built on Ocean Avenue by Edward G. Kuster in 1924. After that theatre was destroyed by fire in 1935, Kuster relocated his cinema lease operations to another of his properties, the former Arts and Crafts Theatre on Monte Verde Street, renaming it the Filmarte. In 1940 he reopened it as the Golden Bough Playhouse. That theatre burned down in 1949.

Kuster constructed the present Golden Bough Playhouse in 1952. The Founders Theatre presents both movies and live performances. Beneath it, the Circle Theatre, with a theatre-in-the-round format, has its entrance on Casanova Street, and is located on the former site of the Arts and Crafts Hall. Between 2011 and 2024, Pacific Repertory Theatre oversaw major restoration and renovation projects at the facility. It is the oldest indoor performing arts venue in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.