On This Date

On June 9, 1891, bare-knuckle boxing champion John L. Sullivan tried his (probably) battered and bloodied hand at acting, marking his debut with a performance at the Lobero. Sullivan has...

On June 8, 1948, indomitable matador Barnaby Conrad recounted his time in the ring to an enraptured Lobero audience. Twenty-six years old at the time, he told of how, a...

On June 7, 1940, renowned Hollywood actress Joan Blondell appeared in the world premiere of the comedy farce “Goodbye to Love” before a packed Lobero audience. Hopes were high that...

On June 3, 1887, 11 seniors from Santa Barbara High School were celebrated in a standing-room-only graduation ceremony at Lobero’s Opera House. The Lobero was lavishly decorated with flags and...

On June 1, 1955, Aldous Huxley, one of the most provocative thinkers of the 20th century, gave a talk on the Lobero stage. Huxley was the author of the influential...

On May 27 & 28, 1963, Psychic Peter Hurkos appeared at the Lobero as part of a wildly popular West Coast ESP tour. Peter Hurkos, the “Man with the X-Ray...

On May 24, 1988 Nigeria's King Sunny Ade played the Lobero Theatre for the first time. King Sunny Ade, “The King of Juju Music” is one of the true superstars...

From 1955 – 1970, there were 10 Miss Santa Barbara contests held at the Lobero. Being crowned Miss Santa Barbara meant the winner could compete in the Miss California and...

On May 17, 1873–Just three months after the Lobero opened its doors–the Wilton Dramatic Troupe staged a production of the Broadway play “Under the Gaslight.” This production featured high-quality special...

In the spring and summer of 1885, Prof. Hinton’s Dancing School booked the theatre three days a week to offer group and private lessons. The original Lobero Theatre did not...