Oceanside kicks off revitalization of 1936 Sunshine Brooks Theater

The Oceanside Theatre Company has kicked off a two-phase, $2.2 million revitalization at the city-owned 1936 Sunshine Brooks Theater.

One of the most anticipated improvements will triple the size of the North Coast Highway venue’s only two restrooms, a huge relief for visitors who’ve waited in line for the facilities.

A new, more accessible lobby with a higher ceiling will be created to host pre-show and rental events. Also coming is an upgrade of the “black box”-style Studio 219 theater that seats about 80 people to make it more of a multi-use performance, rehearsal and meeting space.

“This facility can be a remarkable, sustainable beacon of the arts for all of North County,” said John McCoy, president of the Oceanside Theatre Company’s board of directors, at a celebration of the project’s start earlier this month.

The “wall smashing” ceremony gave theater company members, local elected officials and guests a chance to whack holes in the drywall that will be removed to improve circulation within the building.

The first phase of work should be finished by next March in time for the building’s 90th anniversary, said Leann Garms, vice president of the board. She thanked city and county officials for their financial and administrative support.

“We’ve been thrilled to see Oceanside Theatre Company become a pillar in the community and region for professional theatre,” said Chuck Lowery, a former Oceanside City Council member and co-chair of the group’s capital campaign committee. “This project represents an important new chapter for OTC to extend our impact further with upgraded facilities and flexible capacity.”

Also making remarks were San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond and Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez.

The theater company recently extended its five-year lease of the property to 20 years, and has expanded activities on the property in the past year. The city contributed $500,000 toward the revitalization work.

“This place is busy all the time,” said Ann Worth, an architect on the project. “Music, theater, dance, visual arts and comedy. You name it, and you can find it here.”

A second phase of the revitalization will include an expansion of the building’s small facade with its classic Art Deco marquee to include more of the front of the building along North Coast Highway. In all, the theater company leases about 10,000 square feet of the property. The city also leases about 2,500 square feet of the building to the Petite Madeline Bakery.

The venue opened Nov. 20, 1936, as the Rancho Santa Margarita Theatre with 659 seats, according to the OTC website. The name was soon shortened to the Margo Theatre to save marquee space. It became the Towne Theater in 1948 and was one of three downtown movie houses in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.

For a time in the 1980s, the building was part of the Pussycat chain of X-rated theaters. Then a martial arts center moved in and taught karate lessons for a while in the 1990s.

The city acquired the building in 1993 and renovated it at a cost of $1.5 million for live performances by a local group called the Pacific Coast Players. The city renamed the building for Hattie “Sunshine” Brooks, who donated a majority of the property. The city bought the remaining share from the Procopio Family Trust for $66,600.

The Players operated the theater for about five years, followed by another group, the New Vision Theater Company that managed it for about six years.

In early 2003, the theater was closed by city budget cuts. Then, in 2005, it reopened when the New Vision Theatre Company moved in with John Kalb as artistic director.

The Oceanside Theatre Company formed in 2011 and was awarded an initial five-year contract to manage the property, according to the website. The group hired its first managing director, Alex Goodman, in 2022, and later hired Kevin “Blax” Burroughs as artistic director.