History of The Raven Performing Arts Theater
FROM "MOVE-OVER" TO COMMUNITY CENTER
The Raven Theater was built in Healdsburg in 1949 as a “move-over” motion picture theater. It was named the “Aven,” which was the owner’s wife’s name spelled backwards. In the 1990s the theater was remodeled by a new ownership group and became a community center offering movies, concerts, and a venue for local perfo
rmance groups. LOCAL INDIVIDUALS SAVE THEATER AS PERFORMING ARTS VENUE
In 2000 falling attendance and increased competition forced the owners to put the Raven Theater building up for sale. A small group of local individuals worked to save the theater as a performance venue and in 2001 incorporated as Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater (H-PAT). H-PAT entered into a lease/purchase agreement with the theater’s owners, exercised their option in 2005 and purchased the Raven for approximately $850,000. The theater is continually undergoing upgrades to its performance space, making the facility more versatile and audience- and performer-friendly. THE RAVEN PERFORMING ARTS THEATER
Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater now operates under the name Raven Performing Arts Theater. Since the purchase of the Healdsburg building, this organization has grown to include more than one hundred volunteers and performers. More than 130 performances are presented annually. The Raven is now the performance home of the Raven Players, H-Town Youth Theater, and Healdsburg Jazz Festival, as well as annual school performances by Healdsburg Elementary School, Westside School, and St. John’s School. In 2014, the Raven launched a second smaller black-box venue in Windsor. At 2015’s year end, the Windsor venue closed to focus on the original Healdsburg location. WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT THE PERFORMING ARTS? Performing arts are more than a momentary distraction; they reflect our dreams, expand our world, offer respite from our troubles, fill us with wonder and joy, and make us laugh out loud. The value we place on performing arts reflects the value we place on the quality of our lives.
