Photo Credit: Baron Spafford

 

The Granada Theatre celebrated its centennial year and honored two women who played instrumental roles in restoring the theater to its former glory at its 8th annual Legends Gala, which took place on September 14, 2024.

The night was a celebration of The Granada’s history and an evening to honor Susan Gulbransen and Joan Rutkowski, the visionaries behind the restoration of The Granada in 2008.

Since its opening in 1924, The Granada has brought the best art and entertainment to the Santa Barbara community. The theater has worn many hats, from its early years as a silent film and live theatre venue to its time as a celebrated movie palace. Today, The Granada stands as the premiere center for arts and cultural programming in Santa Barbara.

“It was a great night to shine a spotlight on The Granada’s storied past, present, and particularly the exciting future and its role in the Santa Barbara community,” said Palmer Jackson, Jr., Executive Chairman of The Granada’s Board of Directors.

 

Celebrating in Style

The evening featured a gourmet three-course dinner of local fare paired with wine and live entertainment. The night started with welcome remarks by Andrew Firestone, Master of Ceremonies, and Palmer Jackson Jr.

Ross Melnick, Film Historian and UCSB Professor of Film and Media Studies, shared the origin story of The Granada, while State Street Ballet performed an excerpt of Charlie Chaplin and The One-Night-Stand-Band performed on The One Night Bandstand to entertain the crowd. Euphony, comprising of students from three Santa Barbara high schools, also delighted the audience with a performance of “The Nicest Kids in Town” from Hairspray.

The highlight of the night was paying tribute to Gulbransen and Rutkowski.

“It was great to give special recognition to the vision of Susan and Joan, two of the many people who made the restoration of The Granada in 2008 a reality,” said Jackson, Jr.

 

Legend Honorees

Photo Credit: Baron Spafford

 

Actress Fannie Flagg presented the Legends Award to Gulbransen, a Santa Barbara native author and book reviewer who has worked tirelessly to support and improve life in Santa Barbara. She has served on many boards, including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Montecito Educational Foundation, Santa Barbara Public Education Foundation, UCSB History Associates Board, Antioch University, and CALM (Child Abuse Listening and Mediation) Board, a nonprofit her mother founded.

In 1998, Gulbransen and Rutkowski began the restoration project for the Granada Theatre, which reopened in 2008.

“When we started, we didn’t have any idea The Granada would be as fantastic of a place as it is now,” said Gulbransen.

Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Symphony, presented the award to Rutkowski, whose motto is, “If one succeeds, we all succeed.” A philosophy Rutkowski used to inspire those who have worked with her to improve the arts in Santa Barbara.

Music has been in Rutkowski’s blood since she started playing piano at age four. As a high schooler, she was in an elite group of young musicians that comprised The All-American Chorus. She went on to study opera at USC and performed throughout the world for a decade. Rutkowski taught private vocal lessons in Santa Barbara for years. She’s served as the Artistic Administrator of Opera Santa Barbara for years and is currently serving her third term. With Gulbransen, she spearheaded the renovation of The Granada.

The restoration, which brought The Granada back to its glory as a state-of-the-art performing venue and preserved its rich cultural legacy, was a transformative project that ensured the theater’s continued role as a vibrant center for the arts in Santa Barbara.

When Rutkowski first stepped into the lobby after The Granada’s restoration she thought, “Oh my goodness, this really has happened. This is the fulfillment of all my dreams.”

The visionary efforts of Rutkowski and Gulbransen not only breathed new life into the theater but also cemented its future as a beacon of culture and arts in the community for the next hundred years and beyond.

Photo Credit: Baron Spafford