For the first time since the early 1900s, an outdoor amphitheater will be at the center of Avalon’s entertainment scene.
The Ackerman Family Amphitheater is one of the most anticipated spaces in the Catalina Island Museum’s Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building slated to open in 2015.
Centered on the hillside at the back of the building’s second floor and capable of seating approximately 100 people, the amphitheater will be surrounded by a sculpture garden containing native and drought tolerant plants.
For the first time since the early 1900s, an outdoor amphitheater will be at the center of Avalon’s entertainment scene.
The Ackerman Family Amphitheater is one of the most anticipated spaces in the Catalina Island Museum’s Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building slated to open in 2015.
Centered on the hillside at the back of the building’s second floor and capable of seating approximately 100 people, the amphitheater will be surrounded by a sculpture garden containing native and drought tolerant plants.
Though not as large as Avalon’s original outdoor amphitheater constructed by the Banning brothers in 1904, the museum’s amphitheater was heavily influenced by it.
Often referred to as the Avalon Bowl, the original amphitheater was situated at the south end of Avalon and could seat 750 people. Afternoon and evening concerts occurred daily during the summer months. Used heavily till the 1930s, it is now forlorn and forgotten.
Since then Avalon has lacked a large outdoor venue with a proper seating area. This will all change in 2015, with the opening of the Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building.
“We wanted every square inch of the museum’s new building to evoke Catalina Island’s history in some way,” said Michael De Marsche, Executive Director of the Catalina Island Museum. “The Ackerman Family Amphitheater is a perfect example of this.”
The museum’s amphitheater will offer endless entertainment opportunities to the island’s growing audience. It will be a new stage for local and visiting musicians. A state-of-the-art system will project movies on to a huge screen at the back of the building opposite the amphitheater. Films related to Catalina Island and the museum’s special exhibitions, as well as independent and foreign films, will be showcased.
“The island’s favorable weather will allow us to use the amphitheater for a variety of events throughout the year,” said De Marsche. “Few museums have an outdoor space like this connected to their facility. It is just one more reason the Catalina Island Museum is unique.”
The construction of the Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building will expand the present museum’s space by over 8,000 square feet. Exhibition space will more than double with spaces dedicated to plein air painting, Catalina Island history and special exhibitions. Amenities in the new building will include a spacious entrance lobby and visitor center, a digital theater, an atrium and sculpture garden, an expansive museum store, and a vault area dedicated to staff offices, storage and research.
The Catalina Island Museum is Avalon’s sole institution devoted to art, culture and history. The museum, its digital theater and store are currently located on the ground floor of Avalon’s historic Casino and are open 7 days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, the museum may be reached by phone at 310-510-2414 or at its website: CatalinaMuseum.org.
