If you’ve joined us recently at the Sunshine Brooks Theater, you’ve already experienced something special: a theater in motion.
As guests arrive, they are stepping into the early stages of Phase I of the $2.2 million Revitalization of The Brooks capital campaign — a visible and energizing transformation designed entirely with the audience experience in mind.
Improvements underway include three times the restroom capacity, bold enhancements to Studio 219, increased ADA accessibility, state-of-the-art climate control, and a direct connection between the lobby and the Studio performance space, all while preserving the integrity and character of this historic center for the performing and visual arts.
As we undertake this transformation, we are also celebrating a major milestone: The Brooks marks its 90th birthday this November, having first opened and dedicated in 1936 — making this revitalization both a tribute to its legacy and an investment in its future.
What makes this moment truly remarkable is not just the scale of the work — but that it is happening in real time. The theater remains open, vibrant, and actively serving the community even as it evolves around us.
Wall-Smashing Images Taken by InsageProduction
Progress Photos
Revitalize the Brooks Team
Revitalize the Brooks Co-Chairs
Chuck Lowery and Leann Garms
We are deeply grateful to the Board of Directors of Oceanside Theatre Company, members of the Revitalize The Brooks Committee—Chuck Lowery; John Daley; Leann Garms; Kristi Hawthorne; Michelle Jimmink; John McCoy; Ed Parish; Ken Rees; Ann Worth—and those community members whose leadership gifts and pledges are helping bring Phase I of The Revitalization of The Brooks Theater to life. Special thanks to Leann Garms and Dave Gulling, Kurt Horst, Ralph Johnson, Chuck Lowery, Ed Parish, Pat & Jerry Rugg, Julie and Jay Sarno, Elizabeth Van Hunnick, and Joe and Alice White, whose leadership gifts and pledges have brought us this far.
Their belief in the future of The Brooks and the importance of cultural arts is already transforming what’s possible.
Oceanside Theatre Company has raised nearly $720,000 toward its Phase I goal of $885,000. That progress is significant — and worth celebrating. But we are not across the finish line.
As construction wraps this spring, the success of Phase I depends on closing this final gap. Every additional gift right now ensures the full vision of Phase I is realized — not scaled back — and positions us to begin securing essential seed funding for Phase II of the full $2.2 million revitalization.
Step inside the future of the Historic Brooks Theater at our VIP Hard Hat Tours!
Meet Architect, Ann Worth from Object-Projects Design, and learn about the history of the Sunshine Brooks and experience the revitalization firsthand. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour — Tuesdays at 11 AM in April or at an upcoming Hard Hat Happy Hour.
Please RSVP to Jacqueline Rossow with your preferred dates at Jacqueline@oceansidetheatre.org or call/text 917.620.7171.