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Long-time Owner of Castro Theatre Gives Exclusive Tour of Famous Movie House
Castro Theatre to Celebrate 85th Anniversary August 10-12 With Festivities and Special Events
By Romanus Wolter
Though New York City has the Apollo, Washington D.C. has the Kennedy Center and Los Angeles has Mann’s Chinese Theatre, there is no performance space quite like the Castro Theatre. Built in 1922, the Castro Theatre is a nationally recognized cultural and entertainment icon.
Recently featured by Kathy Griffin on “My Life on the D-list,” it is a mix of cinema and show space and a community center. Designated a historical landmark by the City in 1977, many consider the theater the heart of the Castro.
As the theater prepares for its 85th anniversary celebration Aug. 10-12, Don Nasser, president of the Castro Theatre since 2001, agreed to give the Courier a sneak peak behind its curtain. The Nasser family has owned the theater since it opened.
Courier: Let’s start with the entrance to the theater. It reminds me of a trip to Mexico City. I love the bright tile work.
Nasser: The outside of the theater with its large windows, the shape of its roofline and the wall decorations, are meant to convey a look of grandeur. I’m glad it reminds you of your trip south: the motif is Spanish. The colorful tiles on the side of the building and on its stairs are meant to portray a grand Mexican Cathedral.
When you walk past the tent-like box office and through the gilded doors, you step back into time and have an overwhelming sensation of an international stage.
This theater is indeed worldly. The Castro’s designer, Timothy Pflueger, wanted every piece of the theater to symbolize a different area of the world. The motifs on the walls, ceiling and stage run a gamut of designs, from a Moorish tent to the Spanish Renaissance to the Orient. The auditorium seats more than 1,400 people.
The ceiling of the auditorium is striking. It looks like a circus big top or even a hot air balloon. What does it symbolize?
The ceiling is an oriental motif that, I believe, creates a very emotional experience for most people. It is, in fact, the lower portion of a hot air balloon. It shows that when you enter the Castro you had better be ready for high-flying entertainment.
The chandelier gives the impression of almost coming alive.
The Art Deco chandelier dates from 1937 and it definitely eats electricity. It has more than 400 bulbs throughout its structure.
Four hundred bulbs and suspended from a high ceiling. It must be quite a production when a bulb goes out.
Once a year the chandelier is lowered to the level of the top of the seats and a whole group of people gathers to replace the bulbs. There is also 14 feet of space between the ceiling the actual roof, so you can walk from the projection booth to the back stage without ever having to venture downstairs.
The murals on the walls look fresh. I take it they’re newer than 1922.
No, actually these murals, which depict scenes from the Italian Renaissance, have lasted through the ages because they are not just painted. They were made through a process called scraffito. Layers of wet plaster tinted in contrasting colors are applied to the walls. Then the topcoat of plaster was scratched by the artist to reveal an undercoat of contrasting and deeper color.
The stage and balconies are grand, and inspiring. What was the original intent when the theater was built?
The stage was built for both vaudeville acts and to project films. It is Roman inspired, and the balconies and columns represent the stage plays that were performed during that time. The balconies have never been used though, they just add to the atmosphere.
The pipes on the walls, are they from the organ that plays before every performance?
Yes, they’re part of the mighty Wurlitzer organ. The piping itself looks like octopus tentacles. It’s an engineering feat in itself. Wait till you see how everything twists around backstage.
The orchestra pit is daunting. Has there even been a catastrophe in the pit, like an actor falling in?
No, I don’t remember anything like that. There is a cement wall that surrounds the pit so it can hold 20 musicians or more. The original screen went back to the wall, another 15 feet from the current one. And, there is a lot of gold and plaster work behind it that no one can see.
I love the backstage, it is more elegant than you would normally find. The ornamental work is floor to ceiling even back here.
Yes, even the original pink and black curtains are still here. The painted ceiling is gorgeous. Plus the graffiti on the walls really tells the story of many of the artists who have performed at the Castro over the years.
The graffiti scratched into the walls carries on the scraffito theme. The pipes look like a heating system. That’s not what they are, right?
Those are the pipes for the organ I was talking about earlier. They run the entire back of the building and you feel them vibrate during performances. Each side of the backstage has storage rooms for pieces of the organ, plus dressing rooms and bathrooms.
What was the first film shown at the Castro?
Well our first theater was a nickelodeon that was built in 1908 where the current Rolo store is on Castro Street. I’m not sure what the first film was there, but we mainly showed silent films. It was such a success that we moved to a larger venue where Cliff’s Variety is currently located.
The first film shown at the current site was an aviation epic, “Across the Continent.” Janet Gaynor, the winner of the first Best Actress Academy Award, was an usher, or usherette as they were known here, at the Castro. They wore blue and white uniforms.
How does the rental of the theater work? Do organizations approach you or do you have a sales team?
Most organizations approach us and obtain what we call a four-wall rental. This is where special events like the “Sing Along Sound of Music” and festivals, such as the Silent Film Festival, rent the entire theater and are responsible for managing the process.
We love festivals! They are the core support for the Castro. We have more than 30 festivals a year, which makes the theater unique in the City.
What is the most popular series?
“Sound of Music” is our best seller. “Grease” also, but it is fading.
I understand you’re in this business for the love of it, not they money.
Yes. My family has owned this theater since it was built. However, we have leased it out to various theater companies but took back full management in 2001. This is not a money making venture for us. In fact, I’m the president and I am a volunteer. Any profit we make goes back into enhancing and preserving the beauty and functionality of the theater.
We want to thank the community, the neighborhood and the City for supporting us along the way. I am personally grateful for that because without it, the Castro would not be in existence today. It would be closed.
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