The Redlands Bowl is an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is located a ...

, USA, founded in 1924. It is used for music and theatrical

performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

s which are offered to the public at no charge. The bowl is within Smiley Park Historic District that also includes, Smiley Park, the A.K. Smiley Public Library and the

Lincoln Memorial Shrine The Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, California, is a memorial and research center dedicated to the memory of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. It was opened on February 12, 1932, by local philanthropist ...

History

In 1923, local resident Grace Stewart Mullen founded the Redlands Community Music Association and by 1924, she had organized the first season of music concerts at the local Smiley Park. A small band stand shell was located east of the current site, where the Lincoln Memorial Shrine stands now. As the music association gained success, Mullen was successful in collecting donations year round to make the music festival an annual event. She died in 1967. The existing structure and current site was commissioned and built by local philanthropists, Florence R. and Clarence G. White in 1929. The White family, as new residents of Redlands, gifted a new band stand amphitheater structure they named the "Prosellis," from Latin, loosely meaning "before the seats". Designed by native architect Herbert J. Powell, the Prosellis was designed to match the nearby AK Smiley Public Library's architecture. The new amphitheater by commission, has inscribed, Proverbs 29:18, "Without vision a people perish", across the

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

above the stage.

Programs

The bowl is owned by the City of Redlands and is considered a public park. It is run by The Redlands Bowl Performing Arts Association, a non-profit separate

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

. The association now holds the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival. The music festival takes place each summer from late June through August, with 18-20 programs in diverse musical genres offered on Tuesday and Friday nights. It is the oldest continuous music festival in the United States at which no admission is charged. The Redlands Shakespeare Festival has occurred the last three weekends in May every year since its inception in 2004, presenting three full-scale Shakespearean productions in

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

, along with a series of educational lectures, community workshops, and special events. The 2014 festival was canceled. The Redlands Bowl also serves as a venue for other productions and community events, including high school graduation ceremonies for local Redlands schools.

Mission Gables House

The Redlands Community Music Association purchased the 7,500 sq ft Mission Gables House directly southeast of the bowl from the city of Redlands in the 1990s after it was deemed uninhabitable and considered for demolition. The home was completely renovated and excavated to add restrooms for events, meetings and performances at a cost of over $1.8 million. The home overlooks the Redlands Bowl and is now used as executive office space for the Association and Performing Arts groups.

References

External links

Official web siteOfficial web site of Redlands Shakespeare Festival
{{commonscat Buildings and structures in Redlands, California Amphitheaters in California Outdoor theatres Music venues in California Shakespeare festivals in the United States 1924 establishments in California Tourist attractions in San Bernardino County, California History of Redlands, California