Taking the Stage: 50 Years Ago at the Mayer

Louis B. Mayer Theatre opened its doors in 1975, ushering in a new era of dramatic arts at Santa Clara University. With five floors and over 47,000 square feet, the Mayer Theatre has a main stage for seating audiences up to 570 people, and the smaller Fess Parker Studio for more intimate performances up to 130 people. It also houses the Department of Theatre and Dance faculty offices. Our spring exhibit, Taking the Stage: 50 Years Ago at the Mayer celebrates the 50th anniversary of SCU’s Louis B. Mayer Theatre by telling the story of the building’s construction, its opening night and some of the first performances that graced its stage. Taking the Stage features documents, images, and artifacts that illustrate the early history of the Mayer Theatre with materials from Santa Clara University Library Archives & Special Collections, and on loan from the Santa Clara University Department of Theatre & Dance. The exhibition will be on display on the third floor of the University Library until June 15th, 2026.

Before the Mayer: The Ship & The Lifeboat

Italianate Victorian building with trees and a trolley in front. — College Hall or “The Ship” from the corner of Alviso and Franklin Streets, c. 1905 (left) and an aerial view of the Alameda with the Lifeboat Warehouse (right).

Aerial view of the Alameda showing a warehouses surrounded by parking lots. — College Hall or “The Ship” from the corner of Alviso and Franklin Streets, c. 1905 (left) and an aerial view of the Alameda with the Lifeboat Warehouse (right).

Before enjoying its current home, SCU’s Department of Theatre and Dance (originally the Department of Speech and Drama) put on productions in a 3,000 seat theater on the second floor of a dormitory building called College Hall. Generations of students affectionately referred to College Hall as “The Ship” because its construction featured huge, wooden, dovetailed beams like that of the hull of a ship, and because it protected its occupants through many storms since its construction in 1886. It was moved from the corner of Alviso and Franklin streets to Franklin and Lafayette streets in 1912, but the durable Ship remained Santa Clara’s campus theater until 1962.

“The Ship” sailed its last voyage in 1962. After its demolition due to concerns over fire safety, theatre productions moved to a temporary building appropriately named the Lifeboat Theatre, a 16,000 square foot warehouse on the Alameda that was donated for use at a reduced rate by James Viso.

The Mayer Theatre

The construction of Mayer Theatre symbolized a commitment to performing arts education at Santa Clara University (McKevitt, 94), and the opening of the Mayer Theatre was a moment of major excitement for the whole campus community. The private opening night ceremony honored stage and film actress Helen Hayes with an honorary doctorate degree, as well as a celebration of local Santa Clara University alumni with distinguished careers in theatre (The Santa Clara, Nov. 6, 1975). The first production to grace the stage at the newly minted Theatre was “A Man for All Seasons”, chosen both for its extravagance in terms of set and costume design, and for its core message on the importance of humanity (A Man for All Seasons program, Director’s note). Students act and dance in the performances at the Mayer, but they also are involved backstage, learning skills related to all aspects of putting on a show while being supported by numerous professional staff and faculty.

Since the groundbreaking in 1975 and the inaugural production of A Man for All Seasons, Mayer Theatre has hosted hundreds of plays, dance performances, and annual events, adding to Santa Clara University’s distinguished history of excellence in performing arts. The Department of Theatre and dance has ushered over 700 students to degrees in Theatre Arts since they began offering the degree in 1967.