Ferndale Repertory Theatre

Mission

Our mission is to provide quality live entertainment that engages, educates and excites.

History

The Ferndale Repertory Theatre is the oldest and largest of the North Coast's resident community theatres. It is located in the small Victorian Village of Ferndale, in the historic Hart Theatre building, built in 1920.

Most theatre companies start with a core group of actors and directors looking for a place to perform... sometimes that means a storefront, a church basement or a school auditorium. In Ferndale, the theatre building came first, supported by a community that, in turn, invited in actors, directors and other artists.

By the early 1970s, the Hart Theatre building had been vacant for nearly 15 years. The community of Ferndale was experiencing an artistic boom, with scores of artists living and working in the town. When a group of Ferndale residents became excited by the possibility of renovating the old movie theatre as a play house, a remarkable and energentic community came together including businesspeople, merchants, artists, Navy personnel, farmers, ranchers.

Among the early believers were Mrs Harris Connick, who led the effort, and Tom Dimmick, owner of the Hart Theatre building. Mr. Dimmick not only helped to fund the renovation work, but eventually sold the building to the non-profit group at a figure far below market value, and dismissed the remaining debt upon his death in 1998. Mr. Dimmick's generosity provided the company with a stable home, thus helping to ensure its continued success.