Lolita HarperIt outlived petticoats, bell bottoms, skinny...

Lolita Harper

It outlived petticoats, bell bottoms, skinny ties, baggy pants and

the grunge look.

It sparked a love of theater in many of Newport-Mesa’s most

talented and enthusiastic actors.

It is the Robert Wentz Theater, in the Norman Loats Auditorium at

Newport Harbor High School, and it will have its final curtain call

Monday.

The 73-year-old theater, which is shared by all schools in the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District, will be torn down to improve

safety.

Gail Brower-Nedler, drama instructor at Newport Harbor High

School, said the theater would not be safe in an earthquake and

needed to be rebuilt.

“The doors are going to be shut, and that is going to be it for

five years,” Bower-Nedler said. “We are really sad.”

Before the theater goes dark, the Newport-Mesa drama community

will host one final event: the Lights Out Tribute.

Theater enthusiasts who have performed, taught or attended shows

in the famed theater are invited to one last evening in the Robert

Wentz Theater. Bower-Nedler said she expects about 500 people who

wish to pay tribute to the wonderful talents who have graced the

stage.

“All these wonderful people have come through our theater and done

these amazing things,” the 18-year veteran said.

The Lights Out performance has been “thrown together” because

school officials just received word it would be torn down. The

theater was built in the 1930s and sat 2,000 people. In 1979, it was

made a “more intimate” 700-seat house, Brower-Nedler said.

Many have encouraged her to get the theater declared a historic

landmark so it can be saved. But the theater still wouldn’t be safe

to perform in, she said.

“We would rather be in it than looking at it, so we are happy to

have it rebuilt,” Bower-Nedler said.

The new theater will have about 500 seats and a bigger stage.

Brower-Nedler said the scaled-back venue is ample for this day and

age.

“In the old days, theater was so popular, but now with all the

movies,” she said, trailing off. “Generally, 500 is pretty good and

even better for earthquake safety.”

Despite the popularity of blockbusters such as “The Matrix,” many

locals still have a soft spot for “real acting.”

“If she could talk, she would tell you wonderful stories about the

students who have graced her stage,” Martha Glaskow wrote in an

e-mail, explaining the significance of the theater. “She would tell

you about the techies who work tirelessly to create the sets, the

light shows [and] wire the actors for sound. She would especially

tell you about the hard-working drama teachers who give so many

talented students the opportunity to show us their stuff.”

The Lights Out tribute will start at 6:30 p.m. with a dessert

reception. The performance will be at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 per

person and children under 12 are admitted for free.

For more information, call (949) 515-6341.