History

From “Move-Over” to Community Center

The Raven Theater was built in Healdsburg in 1949 as a “move-over” motion picture theater. It was named the “Aven,” which was the owner’s wife’s name spelled backwards; the “R”  in “Raven” was added later.  In the 1990s the theater was remodeled by a new ownership group and became a community center offering first-run movies, concerts, and a venue for local performance groups.

Local Individuals Save theater as Performing Arts Venue

In 2000 falling attendance and increased competition forced the owners to put the Raven Theater building up for sale. A small group of local individuals worked to save the theater as a performance venue and in 2001 incorporated as Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater (H-PAT). H-PAT entered into a lease/purchase agreement with the theater’s owners; in 2005, they exercised their option and purchased the Raven for approximately $850,000. The theater has continued to upgrade its performance space, making the facility more versatile and audience- and performer-friendly.

The Raven Performing Arts Theater

The Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater now operates under the name Raven Performing Arts Theater. Since the purchase of the building, this organization has grown to include more than one hundred volunteers with more than 130 productions each year. The Raven is now the permanent home of the Raven Players, Young At Heart Youth Theater, and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. The theater also provides a home for local schools, offering annual performances by Healdsburg Elementary School, Westside School, and St. John’s School.

In 2014, the Raven launched a second smaller black-box venue in Windsor. At 2015’s year end, the Windsor venue closed to focus on the original Healdsburg location. 

Past Annual Events

Two of our fondest fundraising events continued annually for years:

The Mr. Healdsburg Pageant — an all-male sendup of the anachronistic beauty contest — was one of the Raven’s most important fundraisers for 15 years, bringing in around $20K each year. Five local “judges” were helped by audience members who rated the contestants by making donations to the Raven. 2018 was the end of an era for the uproarious event. Producer Carol Noack.  

Dancing with the Stars at the Raven ran from 2011 thru 2019. This entertaining and rousing couples dance competition netted over $300,000 for the Raven in its 8-year run; the event also raised $19,131.20 for the North Bay Fire Relief Fund for Sonoma County in 2017. Producer Vera Harvey with co-producers Susan Degive, Tom Brand, and Joe Gellura.

© Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater, dba Raven Performing Arts Theater 2024. All rights reserved.
A 501c3 not-for-profit performing arts center. ID 68-0470571 Serving Sonoma County since the turn of the century.