CLEARLAKE— This Thursday at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake, Mike Adams, project coordinator, discussed a brief history of the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport as well as their plans for its immediate future.
Adams made a point to commend the group he spoke before for continuing the legacy of Judge Richard Freeborn, knowing exactly what it takes to uphold such legacies through his many years with the Soper Reese Theatre. Recalling his first interactions with the Soper Reese over 20 years ago when some friends with the Lake County Arts Council purchased the building from Bob and Margaret Reese in 1997 with the intentions of creating a venue for the performing arts in Lake County.
Adams has been with the theatre ever since. He said, “We started with a gutted building and $42,000 in the bank, now we have $250,000.” Adams shared that the success has been hard fought noting “We have no debt, and we survived Covid. That was no easy task.” Yet Adams expressed gratitude for their entirely volunteer based staff, who works tirelessly to continue the Soper Reese legacy.
“The Soper Reese is an old building with a lot of rough edges.” Shared Adams. “The building holds 300, but the women’s bathroom only has two stalls. We are going to fix that.” The bathrooms especially date the establishment, as they have not been expanded yet. Their current goal is to build new restrooms located outside, although more fundraising is necessary to start that project. Adams said, “This project will cost three times what we have.” When complete it will house several more stalls. Clearlake resident Barbara Christwitz asked, “Where will you vision these bathrooms being located?” Adams responded, “They will be on the corner of the property. There’s a courtyard on the south side of the property that has trees, there is a handicap ramp and an exit that will still be there.” He continued explaining this next project has been in their plans for some time despite some obstacles, which includes their desire to uphold the integrity of the main lobby, maintaining its original artwork and architecture.
The Soper Reese Theatre is also home to many different localized community groups and performers, including the Lake County Symphony who will be performing their Summer Chamber Concert on Sunday August 18. The Lake County Community Youth Orchestra will also be performing Marches from the Pokemon Soundtrack on September 22.
Other upcoming events at the Soper Reese Theatre include Bastille Day with Stella Heath also with Bandjango Collectif on Saturday July 13 followed by a free showing of Disney’s “Cars” on Wednesday July 17 and “Gone With the Wind” on Tuesday July 23. The Adam Moezinia Folk Element Trio plays on Saturday July 27 and the Aubrey Johnson Group makes their appearance on Saturday August 17. On Tuesday August 13 the Soper Reese will play “Cabaret,” followed by “Dirty Dancing” on Tuesday August 27. For more information on upcoming events or how to become involved with the Soper Reese their website is soperreesetheatre.com.
The Judge’s Breakfast is held every Thursday at 7 a.m. inside the Masonic Hall in Clearlake. A full breakfast is available for purchase but not required for participation. Next week’s guest speaker is Mireya Turner, Director of Community Development.
