Forest Theater

Founded in 1910, the Forest Theater, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, was the first outdoor theater west of the Rockies, [Carmel at Work and Play, Bostick, 1977] Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, and poet/novelist Mary Austin is often credited with suggesting the idea. [Carmel's Forest Theater, by Michael Williams, Pacific Monthly, 1912] Numerous groups presented plays and pageants. Original works by California authors, children's theatre, and the plays of Shakespeare were the main focus. [Carmel Today and Yesterday, Bostick, 1945]

The property was deeded to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea in order to qualify for federal funding and, in 1939, the site became a WPA project. After several years, the site re-opened as "The Carmel Shakespeare Festival", with Herbert Heron as its Director, and, with the exception of the WWII years of 1943-44, the festival continued through the 1940s. In 1949, Heron created the Forest Theatre Guild and while under the leadership of Cole Weston, the 60-seat indoor Forest Theater was created.

For most of the 1960s, the outdoor theater lay unused and neglected. In 1968, Marcia Hovick's Children's Experimental Theater leased the indoor theater and continues today. In 1972, the Forest Theater Guild was reactivated and continues to produce musicals, adding a film series in 1997. In 1984, Pacific Repertory Theatre (PacRep) began producing, reactivating Herbert Heron's Carmel Shakespeare Festival in 1990. [Shakespeare Companies and Festivals: An International Guide By Ron Engle, Felicia Hardison Londré, Daniel J. Watermeier. Entry on Carmel Shakespeare Festival by Philip Clarkson] In 2005, PacRep presented the theater's highest-attended production, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", to a combined audience of over 10,000 ticket holders.

References