San Clemente Community Theatre

The Cabrillo Playhouse's mission is to enrich, educate and entertain audiences and artists through a variety of performing arts in an intimate setting, acting as a significant cultural asset to South Orange County by providing a platform for community involvement in theatre arts.

In 1953 fifteen theatre lovers formed the San Clemente Community Theatre.  They held monthly pot luck dinners and produced a newsletter.  At their pot luck diners, they performed skits, invited singers and in 1964 even had Karl Malden as a guest speaker.  Show tickets were $1.00 in those days.
 
In 1966 they were able to purchase a home.  The Grand Opening was in June 1966 with a Gala opening of "Bell, Book and Candle" followed by a Champagne Supper requiring tux and gowns.  The theatre was incorporated in 1953 and moved to the permanent location with an official name change to Cabrillo Playhouse.  Channel 4 TV came to San Clemente with a news broadcast announcing the opening.
 
To prepare for the opening, windows were opened wide, partitions were torn down, restrooms had to be renovated.  There was a stage to build.  Lights located.  A sound board would come later along with dressing rooms.  Years later an addition was built to hold the shop, prop room and costume room.  A patio was also a late addition.  And prices were increased to $2.00 and shows were sold out.  

The Cabrillo stage went dark in July 2025 to begin a major, costly renovation. Because Cabrillo is a designated historical building and nearly 100 years old, renovation invariably presents challenges. But we persevered were able to raise the stage ceiling, enlarge the stage, add ADA accessible wheelchair seating and bathroom, make major lighting upgrades, update dressing rooms and the business office, and improve prop and concession supply storage.

To keep patrons engaged and at least some income flowing, Cabrillo staged a number of very successful shows at a local venue.

While managing the renovation, the Cabrillo Board remained active, adopting fully updated Bylaws, establishing important policies and procedures, and acquiring a Google drive, for central file storage, uniform emails, and shared calendar access. Volunteer responsibilities were updated and clarified. Board oversight of various theater activities was strengthened. Monthly e-newsletters began to connect patrons with the website, and news stories.

Of course, fundraising is always needed to keep the lights on and the shows rolling. The Board formalized grant writing committee, that among other activities, applied for and was granted a $5k grant from OCCF. To start strong in the next fiscal year a “Wavemaker” fundraising campaign was launched.

Cabrillo opened its very successful 2026 season in January 2026 and concludes in September, with Around the World in Eighty Days. We presented 6 shows selling out most of the 17 performances per show. We had a wide variety of presentations, including The Spitfire Grill and The Cottage.

Cabrillo’s 2026-27 season opens in October, with The Addams Family, with a healthy start in season ticket sales.

Our current needs list is long. Each year we try do one major project to properly maintain this landmark building. Our "Raise the Roof" project is now completed, but it strained our budget. We are trying to build up our capital, while continuing to improve our historic building. In addition to the Raise the Roof project, we updated our theatre for ADA Compliance, and continue to work on accessibility issues.

We primarily serve South Orange County, however; as our quality has improved we find we attract patrons from all over Orange Co and even some from L.A and San Diego.  Many people have a second home in San Clemente or visit their time shares regularly.  Many tell us they plan their visits based on our production schedule which is very gratifying to hear.

We are a landmark building in San Clemente with the responsibilities of a historical building. We are adjacent to the main downtown street with many restaurants and we complement each other. Our actors are volunteers and come from all over the southland. Our Artistic Director has an excellent reputation for assisting cast members to hone their skills. As a result our productions are getting better and better as our reputation grows. We are expanding into more edgy productions and more current topics. The sophistication of our audience allows us to include a wide variety of material.

The Cabrillo Theater enjoys a community wide, positive reputation for presenting family friendly programs in Drama, Music and Special Events. As with any volunteer group, a significant focus of time is the ongoing maintenance of the venue and the raising of funds to help the entire process. All members of the Board of Directors are working volunteers who donate to the theatre. Actors, singers, dancers are all volunteers and very proud to serve in our community.
We hope to continue to generate wonderful participation by our local community. The fact that the Cabrillo continues to sell out performances attests to its decades long reputation as a endearing community asset.
Having a 66 seat venue allows for an intimate theatre experience for the patrons but also limits the ability to raise funds. By keeping our pricing structure affordable we have enjoyed wide spread support from families and other patrons.
 This does render our need for additional financial support from other organizations and theatre loving donors. The entire volunteer Board has demonstrated year after year sound judgement of expenditures and the Cabrillo has continued to maintain its healthy financial position. However; the need to replace, update, modernize our infrastructure is an on going challenge for the Board.
Funds received will be utilized with respect and sound management to enhance the theatre experience for all.