{"id":137757,"date":"2026-01-17T13:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/137757\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T13:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:41:08","slug":"bay-theatre-planning-anniversary-celebration-of-historic-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/137757\/","title":{"rendered":"Bay Theatre planning Anniversary celebration of historic reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Courtesy Photo
\nThe multi-year renovation of the iconic Bay Theatre on Main Street celebrates its first anniversary Jan. 23-25 with special weekend of film and fun. <\/p>\n

Nearly eight decades after it first opened, the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach will celebrate its first anniversary as a restored movie theatre and live event venue the weekend of January 23\u201325, 2026, capping off a successful year of films, live music, comedy, and community events.<\/p>\n

The anniversary weekend kicks off Friday, January 23, with a screening of the award-winning documentary \u201cHarbour Chronicles,\u201d which tells the story of legendary board shaper Rich Harbour and how Harbour Surfboards, the oldest surf shop in the world, helped define surf culture. On Saturday, January 24, the Bay Theatre will welcome back Surfin\u2019: The Beach Boys Tribute Band following their sold-out and highly energetic Christmas show. The celebration concludes Sunday, January 25, with classic cinema favorites \u201cCinema Paradiso\u201d and \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally opened in 1945 as the Beach Theatre, the venue became the Bay Theatre in 1946 under Fox West Coast Theatres. In 1975, owner Richard Loderhose transformed it into a destination for independent, foreign, and classic films, installing a massive Wurlitzer pipe organ that was once considered the largest in any operating theatre in the world.
The Bay Theatre also holds a unique place in film history, with an unauthorized biography of Steven Spielberg citing it as his favorite place to watch foreign films while he attended Cal State Long Beach in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

After closing in 2012, the building was designated a Seal Beach Historical Landmark in 2016. That same year, current owner Paul Dunlap purchased the theatre and spent eight years researching, restoring, and redesigning it to reflect its original vintage aesthetic while incorporating state-of-the-art modern sound and lighting systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people walk in and see it for the first time, the reaction has been incredibly positive,\u201d Dunlap said. \u201cPeople love how it looks and feels\u2026 and they just have so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since reopening, the Bay Theatre has hosted a mix of films, concerts, and live performances, quickly establishing itself as a popular gathering place for the community and a favorite venue for artists. Audiences and performers alike have praised the theatre\u2019s design and acoustics, with some musicians even requesting to record albums there.<\/p>\n

Dunlap says the biggest challenge has been choosing engaging programming that motivates audiences to leave their homes in an era of streaming. \u201cWhen you find the right fit, it really works,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce people come and experience it, they\u2019re overwhelmingly likely to return.\u201d<\/p>\n

That response has been especially clear with \u201cHarbour Chronicles,\u201d which sold out all nine screenings, as well as several live music events. \u201cThe applause at the end of a movie or a live show like that\u2026 that\u2019s when you know it\u2019s working,\u201d Dunlap said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Dunlap hopes the Bay Theatre will continue to be known as a joyful, high-quality venue that brings people together. A favorite quote by Plato, often displayed on the Bay Theatre\u2019s marquee, captures that spirit: \u201cBy caring about the happiness of others, we find our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what this place is about,\u201d Dunlap said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Courtesy Photo The multi-year renovation of the iconic Bay Theatre on Main Street celebrates its first anniversary Jan.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137758,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-137757","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-long-beach","9":"tag-long-beach-headlines","10":"tag-long-beach-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}