Ruskin Group Theatre Co.

In May 2002, an old hangar in the Santa Monica Airport across the street from Ruskin School of Acting became available and we rented it. Over the next few months we demolished, we constructed, we painted, and we polished. We fell, we hurt ourselves, but we grew to become a family of artists with a dream to create great theatre and serve our community. On Saturdays we were honored to gather together and have Anthony Hopkins teach us in our new theatre. On February 14, 2003, we formerly opened our theatre with the play "Career" by James Lee. When the lights went out a few minutes into the play the wonderful actors didn't even flinch or miss a beat, but instead one of them said "Did you pay the light bill?" Well, the lights came back on and play continued. During the curtain I noticed that Anthony Franciosa, the great actor who had starred in the film version of "Career", was standing up with his wife, Rita, in the front row clapping. We were honored that they had blessed our theatre on opening night with their presence and we were even more honored when Tony became a teacher at the school and the whole Franciosa family became friends of the theatre. Over the past years we have been graced to work with so many other incredible actors, writers, directors, and other artists. We are grateful to each and every one of them for their generosity and artistry. Our dream was to produce unforgettable theatre with world-class artists and let these individuals help serve their community in outreach programs. We have been living that dream and invite you all to come and see the proof at our theatre. We have continued our work through charitable donations, the support of our community, our families and friends. We are proud to say that our lights are still on and we look forward to many years to come.