History

The El Rancho, located at 45 East High Street in Moorpark, California, was built in 1927 to replace a wooden structure that housed a silent movie Theatre on the site. The El Rancho was the only "talking movie" Theatre in the east end of Ventura County.

It closed as a movie house in the 1950's to be used for activities such as school and community productions, a Spanish Theatre and a junk shop. It was re-opened as a live Theatre in 1982. Contributed by Charles Van Bibber

The theatre has a very rich, sometimes mysterious, sometimes confusing history. Appearing in the city listings in 1926, the Moorpark Theatre (at 115 East High Street) is referred to as such through 1952, but an El Rancho Theatre is listed at the same address from 1938 through 1952. In 1957, an El Rancho Theatre appears at 43 High Street through 1960, renamed the following year as the Park Theatre and operating as a cinema for the next few years and then functioning as a commercial building for several decades. It opened in 1983 as the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama & Vaudeville Co., changed ownership several years later and had limited success before it went bankrupt in 1999.

When Larry Janss, whose father and grandfather developed much of Westwood and the San Fernando Valley, bought the dilapidated building for $275,000 in 2001, some figured he would save the venue. He revamped it inside and out, putting in new sound and projection equipment, a retractable movie screen and new plumbing and electrical systems. The deteriorated Theatre was transformed into a bright venue for classic film, live concerts and plays. The extensive renovation resulted in an eye-catching marquee, a lobby with a deep blue, high-domed ceiling and other details that recall the Theatre's history. Comfortable Seats feature wooden shelves, as they did in the 20s, allowing patrons to bring food and drinks purchased in the lobby into the Theatre. Any way you look at it, the Theatre on High Street is a unique venue due to its historic underpinnings and intimate seating.

In fact, Moorpark’s Theatre on High Street was on the brink of becoming trendy—and and perhaps highly profitable. Janss contracted with the power brokers behind The Canyon in Agoura Hills to handle booking entertainment for his smaller, 285-seat Theatre. Sadly, the two-year, $1.65 million renovation actually resulted in a loss to him and the prominent real estate developer is now ready to sell.

In a letter to the Moorpark City Council, Janss, president of the Thousand Oaks-based Lawrence Janss Co., a real estate investment firm, wrote that a church had offered to buy the Theatre, but because he wants it to remain a Theatre, he offered to sell it to the city. Asking $1.65 million, a price he called "moderately negotiable", it would include everything in the city's only performing arts venue except the modern Mexican artwork that decorates the walls.

Janss outlined the beneficial relationships between other cities and their Theatres Department. In Thousand Oaks, the Civic Arts Plaza Theatres were built with redevelopment agency funds. The Alliance for the Arts, a nonprofit arm of the two Theatres, was created to raise endowment funds to support operations and underwrite performance costs. The city authorized the Alliance to sell naming opportunities in exchange for charitable contributions, Janss wrote. Operating revenue is mainly generated by facilities rentals. Local performing arts groups and school outreach performances that are underwritten by the fundraising efforts of the Alliance, Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza and the public.

Simi Valley paid a total of $3.7 million to open its 240-seat arts center. The city purchased the building for $800,000 and pumped another $2.9 million into renovation costs, Janss said, adding that the city received federal HUD and other historic preservation grants.

Janss believes that the first job of a city is to provide public safety and a working infrastructure and the second job is to enhance the quality of life for its citizens. He believes that the Civic and Cultural Arts Centers in adjoining towns have glued the fabric of their communities -- and the Theatre on High Street could be an enormous influence to the city of Moorpark’s financial health -- churning and enhancing financial growth band creating an exciting and vibrant downtown."

As of September, 2004, City Council members are considering the proposal. Councilwoman Roseann Mikos said she is not sure how the city should be involved, but she is not ready to give up on the Theatre just because it got a slow start. "I would rather that we try to help facilitate it stay a Theatre because it will be good for High Street," she said. "We shouldn't just wash our hands of it."

We (High Street Theater Foundation) have had multiple productions since we formed our non-profit corp. in Jan '05. We have produced Three Melodramas, (Sleeping Beauty, Xorro and The Ice King), The Man of La Mancha (A Broadway musical), Vaudeville Returns to Moorpark(a musical review) Love Letters (a play), and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (A youth musical).

We have also sponsored Buddy Shell Private Detective (a Radio Broadcast), The Best of the Ojai Film Festival, Historic Haunts of High Street (a Halloween Ghost walk), a Buster Keaton Silent Film for Member appreciation day and Pirates of Penzance (A youth musical).

Finally, and most important of all, we have conducted a four-week theater workshop for youth culminating in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory over the summer of '05, two eight week workshops, Bewitchin' the West, in the Spring of '06 and Grease Jr, Spring 07. We look forward to offering a Winter and Summer Youth Theater Workshop in 2008.

The city bought the theater from Larry Janss on August 1, 2005.

Read a more detailed history here, submitted by Judy Triem.