History of CET at the Indoor Forest Theatre
The story of CET at the Forest Theatre began back in 1968/1969. At that time there were no theatrical performances happening and no tenant at the Forest Theatre. The downstairs, a WPA project in 1939/1940, had occasionally been used by avant-garde companies. The walls were painted black and the various small companies were doing rather unpopular material. The site finally fell into disuse.
The City was threatened with losing the property to realtors and the first Sunset Center Manager, Cole Weston, decided to put CET in there to serve a multitude of needs. Little did he know at the time what a stroke of brilliance that was!
CET needed a permanent home (having been temporarily placed in Room 22 at Sunset Center after having outgrown the Circle Theater), and the city needed a tenant doing theatre at the site. The scuttlebutt was that the property was left to the City with the proviso that it continue to be used for theatrical performances! Without a tenant, the City was not carrying its end of the deal and was in danger of losing the property.
This marriage of convenience saved both from dire consequences. The outdoor stage was being ravaged by young vandals and no other group really wanted to go into the downstairs since it was then a slime-covered blackened pit whose walls were literally oozing mold from disuse and leakage from upstairs, with slime-green carpets throughout.
After several months of CET's then technical director, Bill Lewis, running de-humidifiers around the clock to dry out the interior, tearing up rotting carpet and replacing it, painting, fixing, and generally sprucing up the cement structure, CET moved into its new home in 1969. That year CET also launched Staff Players Repertory Company's first production, "The American Dame." and the rest is 36 continuous years of resident creativity, training of youngsters and the next generation of theatre artists in our community and some great classical theatre! In fact, Staff Players is the longest continually producing theatre in Carmel! All thanks to the far-sighted vision of the first Sunset Center Manager!
At that point the vandalism decreased dramatically and CET had its permanent home. Several years later in 1972, the Forest Theatre Guild re-grouped and did its first production in many, many years, with guest artist Dame Judith Anderson. CET has been there ever since quietly and steadily creating the artists and technicians and directors and founders who have populated the current theatrical scene in Carmel. Unicorn Theatre, Pac Rep, MPC ... many of the professionals that are integral to those theatres got their start at CET/SPRC!
This is definitely a story that had a happy ending for all concerned!
Location
The Indoor Forest Theatre is located in Carmel-by-the-Sea at the corner of Mountain View Avenue and Santa Rita Street.
From
Highway 1 southbound -
Turn right (west) on Ocean Avenue
Go to the first stop sign (Carpenter Street / Forest Road)
Continue on Ocean Avenue 2 more blocks to Santa Rita Street
Turn left (south) on Santa Rita Street and go the end of the street, where it ends at Mountain View Avenue
Make a sharp left turn (almost a U-turn) into the Forest Theatre parking area
From Highway 1 via Carpenter Street -
Follow Carpenter until it intersects with Ocean Avenue
Turn right (west) on Ocean Avenue
Go 2 blocks to Santa Rita Street
Turn left (south) on Santa Rita Street and go the end of the street, where it ends at Mountain View Avenue
Make a sharp left turn (almost a U-turn) into the Forest Theatre parking area
From the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea -
Go to the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Avenue
At the intersection, turn up Mountain View Avenue, which angles in from the southeast
Continue on Mountain View to the intersection with Santa Rita and turn left into the Forest Theatre parking area
