May 19 – June 11, 2023

THE VIEWING ROOM

by Mark Edward Smith
Directed by Peter Gelblum

When he died, Chester Dumbrosky had a lot to be sorry for in his relationships with his wife and children. But he didn’t let death stop him – he appears at his own wake to try to make amends and heal old wounds. The ensuing uproarious laughter turns serious as his dysfunctional family seeks to resolve conflicts that everyone will recognize if they can stop laughing long enough.

Come join the fun at the Bay Area and Central Coast premiere of a show that is both “heartfelt” and has audiences “rolling with laughter in the aisles.”  (The Willits News.)  The cast features MCT veterans David Leach, Steve Capasso, Hannah Eckstein, Dave Halper, Tracy Smith, and Scott Kravitz, as well as actors new to MCT, Martin Kachuck and Mo Corleone.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm.  Tickets are $20 for Seniors and Students and $25 for everyone else. May 20 is Community Night when all tickets are two for $25.

There will be a champagne reception after the show on Opening Night, May 19, and a talk-back with the cast and director after the show on June 4.

Mountain Community Theatre is currently celebrating its 41st year of bringing quality entertainment to Santa Cruz County. Masks are recommended, but not required.  Buy Tickets HERE

THE HUMANS
by Stephen Karam
Directed by Miguel Reyna

ALL PERFORMANCES OF THIS PLAY WILL BE HELD AT Park Hall
Ben Lomond, CA

Tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com

Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, with Sunday Matinees at 2 PM. 

The Humans tells the story of the quintessential family reunion–a group of people who love each other but still wrestle with basic human fears: old age, abandonment, poverty, and death. Filled with equal parts humor and hurt, the family explores each other’s familiar idiosyncrasies yet finds a deeper meaning in the struggles of life.

Mountain Community Theatre is currently celebrating its 40th year of bringing quality entertainment to Santa Cruz County. Masks are required for audiences at all performances. 

Don’t miss this community event featuring dancers from all over the bay area! Be swept away by amazing dance, music and wonderful people. Be there or be talked about! $10 suggested donation. More information at santacruzraks@gmail.com

Park Hall would like to send special thanks to the following people for their unwavering dedication and support to this weekend’s fundraiser: Jessica Bukowinski
Sara Pichette and Eli
Morris Ridgeway
Ronnie Trubek
Gil Sanchez
Denise Gorham
Surreyya Hada
Lyle Troxell
Wyatt Troxell
Larry Cuprys
Scott Deal
Delle Townsend
Miguel Reyna
Cathy Smith
Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce
Matt Clarke
Michele Gelblum
Naomi Gorham
Mokili Wa
Taylor Rae
Also to Christina Wise, Tina at KBCZ, and Julie Horner for boosting the signal. It takes a village. Thank you for helping us build community and keeping the arts in SLV!

Donations can still be made if you were unable to attend. Just click the link Below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/park-hall-fundraiser-with-taylor-rae-and-mokili-wa-tickets-441932310437?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Join us for two new community classes beginning Nov. 2nd! Make sure to register with COMMUNITY MOUNTAIN GYM!!

Taylor Rae and Mokili Wa to perform at this special event! Purchase your tickets Here

Don’t miss this special event for all ages!!

Doors 6:30
Show 7pm

Park Hall is coming up on it’s 100th year anniversary, and they want you to know they are planning for at least another 100.  With new staffing, a new trustee and a determination to build community, the hall is having a fundraiser on November 5th, 2022. Former Little People’s Repertory Theater actress turned singer-songwriter Taylor Rae will be coming home for this special event. The guitarist/singer/songwriter’s eclectic style traverses folk, R&B, jazz and blues.  She says, “I call it ‘South & Roll’ – a blend of the earliest days of American music.”  The NEXTie award-winning musician who now resides in Austin, TX is returning “to the place where it all started” for her career on the stage – Park Hall in Ben Lomond, CA. “Getting to play an event to raise money for restoration of the hall I grew up performing in feels like a full circle moment,” shares Taylor, who will be opening for local band Mokili Wa.  

“Mokili Wa” means “World Listen” in Lingala and Lari, band leader Elie Mabanza’s native languages of the congo. Originally formed in 2019, the band wonderfully fuses Jazz and African influences, and is gaining popularity in and around Santa Cruz, CA.  Elie shares, “We are thrilled to share the historic Park Hall stage with our great friend Taylor Rae. Please join us for a special evening in service of this longstanding cultural center for artists and performers.” 

AUGUST 7th 1PM

The CZU Fire In Their Own Words – Fighting Fires, Losing Homes, and Rebuilding Community is a new powerful and moving 90-minute film produced by Mountain Community Theater, created by Peter Gelblum.

In the spring of 2021, in response to the August 2020 CZU Fires, we interviewed people who fought the fires and people who lost their homes about their experiences, which many of us shared – evacuating, losing homes and possessions to the fire, and getting support from the community.  Using only the words from those interviews, we created a script, cast actors to play the interviewees, and used both the characters’ family photographs and images donated by several generous local photographers to create this film. The film is a document of that extraordinary time and a gift from MCT to the community.

We hope you’ll join us and other community members at an upcoming screening.  Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will go to the local volunteer fire departments and the Community Foundation’s Fire Recovery Fund.  The director and others associated with the film will be there to answer questions. Masks are highly recommended at all screenings.

AUGUST 7th 5PM

Santa Cruz Raks – a quarterly community dance event!!! $10 suggested donation at the door.

We officially have a new Park Hall Manager, the Janitor position is filled and we are still in search of a part-time Facilities Maintenance Technician. Please submit resumes or inquiries to parkhall.communitycenter@gmail.com

Park Hall is open for rentals – Contact us for the most up to date availability!

We are so excited for MCT that their run of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was such a huge, SOLD OUT success! Their next production “Calendar Girls” opens this Friday, May 20th! Tickets and more information can be found HERE

Update November 10th 2021: After this post due to covid spread increasing a few things changed… we went dark again. But this optimism will return!

Great news, San Lorenzo Valley! Park Hall is reopening! Here is our hopefully almost post pandemic update:

Shopfront Changes
Beth at Where the Fur Flys worked through the Pandemic, and continues to be open to attend to your pet grooming needs. You can reach her shop at (831) 336-8747 to book an appointment.

Long term Park Hall renter, Buttons of Mill Street Hairquarters, has sold her business. We will miss her friendly presence, but look forward to introducing you to our new renters soon.

Community Theater Returns to downtown Ben Lomond
We are excited to welcome back first Little People’s Repertory Theatre and then Mountain Community Theater this summer.

Community Rentals Resume
Our online calendar is up to date. While weekend rentals are limited due to use by the theater companies, we always have openings around the holiday season. You’ll also see that the weekends of August 7th and October 16th are completely free, and there will be plenty of midweek daytime availability once LPRT finishes their summer run. You can find more info on using the hall here.

Staffing Updates
During the pandemic we closed the hall completely. Park Hall is a community owned gathering space that relies on rental revenue to pay staff, and could not have survived without our volunteers. Our seven trustees continued to meet virtually monthly and attend to any building and tenant needs that could not wait. Ann Scott, Cathy Smith, Dick Mills, Lyle Troxell, Gil Sanchez, Denise Gorham, and Steve Edmonds each did their part to help Park Hall survive the closure. Thank you to our trustees for serving through fire, evacuations and pandemic.

Park Hall’s pre-pandemic team has been invited back, but due to changes in their lives over the last year they have each chosen to move on. Before we recruit replacements we’d like to celebrate their contributions:

Joel Bahu, Facilities Director
Joel was exactly who Park Hall needed to help us catch up on long deferred maintenance and spruce up the hall in time for our upcoming (2023!) 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Hall Trust, which left Park Hall to the people of Ben Lomond in 1923. In addition to facilities management expertise Joel brought a love for the original workmanship, the building itself, and the community it holds. During his tenure Joel fixed things as needed, but more importantly he also worked with our manager and trustees to establish, prioritize and begin work on a list of facilities maintenance and improvements. He approached every task with attention to and respect for the building’s history and was a true advocate for investing in, maintaining, and improving Park Hall. We were so grateful to have him on our team.

Wyatt Troxell, Janitor
Wyatt may have been the most efficient janitor ever, and having grown up around Park Hall as part of the LPRT and MCT communities he knows the building better than most of us ever will. We were lucky to have him help with not only cleaning, but also building walk throughs. We wish him well is all his future endeavors.

Miguel Reyna, Janitor
Miguel knows the hall well due to his roles as an MCT performer and director. While his regular work was closed due to the pandemic Miguel stepped in as our temporary janitor. His willingness to help allowed us to safely host LPRT’s modified summer 2020 program.

Jessica Bukowinski, Manager
Former Park Hall Manager, Jessica Bukowinski, has returned temporarily as our Interim Manager to help the trustees reopen and restaff the hall.

Can you or someone you know fill any of their shoes? We are seeking folks to fill the following part-time contract positions ASAP:
Park Hall Manager
Facilities Maintenance Technician
Janitor
Applicants should email resumes and cover letters to: parkhall.communitycenter@gmail.com

Please help us to spread the word about Park Hall’s reopening and these work opportunities. THANK YOU!