Driven by passion and determination, Theatre on the Ridge in Paradise continues to deliver quality performances despite a lifetime of odds against them.
Established in 1975, the nonprofit was created by a group of parents associated with a children's theatre program at the Paradise Recreation Center.
Executive Director Judy Clemens has been a part of the theatre for nearly the entire time it’s been around.
"I'm very proud to be a member of Theatre on the Ridge," Clemens said. I'm dating myself by saying I've been involved with the theatre for 48 of those 50 years.”
Clemens started as a performer and became the executive director in 2005.
Theatre on the Ridge is the oldest community theater in California north of Sacramento. Their very first production was "The Detective." After that, they continued to produce and perform several musicals before moving into their current location on Neal Road.
“It was an old silk screening shop and wood shop,” Clemens said. “The owners, Bill and Sue Galloway, basically just turned the space over to us to gut and put a theatre company together.”
“We all support each other, and one of the gifts of the fire was bringing us all together,”- Judy Clemens, Theatre on the Ridge executive director
Clemens said the owners were always kind and accommodating, offered payment flexibility and a rent-to-own arrangement.
“They were our angels, because Theatre on the Ridge wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for their generosity and basically donating the building to us,” Clemens said.
Disaster strikes twice with Camp Fire and pandemic
Amidst the widespread devastation of the Camp Fire, which consumed most of Paradise, Theatre on the Ridge remarkably made it through the disaster.
“We did not have any trees, and we had our asphalt parking lot surrounding the building,” Clemens said. “I think that saved us, although I still think it's a miracle.”
The night before the fire, the theatre had its canvas awning over the front entrance and forgot to put it away. Clemens said how it didn’t catch fire is a mystery.
“I'm certainly glad that it survived because our home did not, and truthfully, I don't know what I would have done without the theatre to concentrate on to build back up and bring back after the fire,” Clemens said.
Despite the structure remaining intact the theatre did lose a significant portion of their season ticket holders after the fire.
“We lost half of our season ticket base, a lot of single ticket buyers, of course, a lot of people relocated, some people did not choose to come back and rebuild, and that's still ongoing,” Clemens said.
Then, just as they were getting back in the groove of things, the COVID-19 pandemic happened.
The state shut down a day after the theatre wrapped up its second production of the 2020 season. The theatre was closed from March 2020 until July 2021.
Fortunately, Clemens said many people were enthusiastic about returning, and many others kindly donated their season tickets, which allowed the venue to stay afloat.
“We had a lot of support from our season ticket holders. I can't even begin to thank them enough for their generosity,” Clemens said.
The future looks bright
Clemens believes the theatre’s resilience is primarily due to the dedicated individuals who stayed.
Fueled by their love of art and deep connection to Paradise, these people kept the theatre alive. Clemens points to the community's strong bonds as a key factor in this perseverance.
“We all support each other, and one of the gifts of the fire was bringing us all together,” Clemens said.
“It's the love of creating. It's the love of getting together with a group of people for six to eight weeks, and you form strong bonds with those people. And so that's what gets me up.”- Judy Clemens, Theatre on the Ridge executive director
The theatre operates primarily on volunteers, with some stipends for directors and designers. Despite receiving some pandemic aid, Theatre on the Ridge depends on community support rather than grants.
“It's the love of creating. It's the love of getting together with a group of people for six to eight weeks, and you form strong bonds with those people. And so that's what gets me up,” Clemens said.
The theatre is integrated into the Paradise Arts, Theater and Culture Hub (PATCH), an initiative to establish an arts district within Paradise's downtown.
PATCH originated from the Town of Paradise's June 2019 Long-Term Recovery Plan following the Camp Fire, and significant progress has been made since its inception.
There is a strong desire to relocate the theater to a more central location within the downtown area. Clemens said that’s because its current location has limited visibility and many people don’t know it’s there.
“I jokingly say we're on the way to the landfill, keep going past the theatre and go straight to the landfill,” Clemens said, laughing.
Looking ahead, the theater aims to grow its children's program and maintains an optimistic outlook regarding this expansion.
The theatre is commemorating its anniversary with a season featuring six productions, each representing a standout show from every decade of its history.
