El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation

The El Campanil Theater was built in 1928 in the town of Antioch on the eastern edge of Contra Costa County and for 75 years was operated as a vaudeville hall, a movie palace and a church. By 2005 the 700 seat art-deco palace had fallen into disrepair and was bought by the non-profit El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation who undertook a $1,000,000 renovation that restored the landmark to its original glory while updating it with more efficient lighting and sound equipment and much more comfortable seats! After five years of operation El Campanil presents 100+ arts events for 30,000 people a year and is home a to a resident community theater group (performing classic musicals for senior citizens), a free children’s theatre company and programs an eclectic array of artistic and civic-oriented events ranging from Pink Floyd tribute bands, to chamber music concerts, Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, matinee performances for local school kids and town-hall meetings. With renewed support this young organization in an old building will expand rental subsidies so that more community based arts organizations from Antioch’s underserved populations can present work at the theater and will deepen its commitment to being an essential cultural and economic cornerstone to the revitalization of Antioch’s bitterly distressed Rivertown District.

El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation is a major cultural and economic cornerstone in downtown Antioch, California. Located in eastern Contra Costa County, where there are few other nonprofit arts organizations, El Campanil produces more than 120 events and reaches more than 35,000 people each year. Its beautifully restored 700-seat art deco theater is home to an eclectic suite of music, theater, and dance programs; a children’s theater program; a group of senior performers; and a foreign film series.