On the east side of the plaza in downtown Sonoma there is a beautiful, old and obviously historic building underneath an old-fashioned neon sign proclaiming it the Sebastiani Theatre.

Walk up the tiled tunnel entrance and you will wonder what, exactly, is this odd and charming old building? And what is that mannequin doing inside a glass booth? Posters of intriguing foreign and artistic domestic films decorate the tunnel walls. Once inside it gets even better: black and white photographs signed by old movie stars grace the lobby and the décor has a decided air of the grand old days of theatre and cinema. The stage and theatre itself are large, graceful and obviously genuine examples of an early twentieth century American Playhouse, complete with velvet curtains, side columns and an elaborate chandelier. The next surprise is the variety and quality of what one can see in this theatre in the heart of California’s wine country.

The Sebastiani, as it is simply known, was built in 1933 by Sam Sebastiani and currently supplies the town and visitors with an impressive array of live performances and films. Indeed, there are not too many small towns where one can find film festivals, European films, performances of opera and ballet, accapella and folk musical performances, Broadway musicals, talent shows and of course, the famous (and infamous) annual Witchy-Poo Halloween Show.

The man behind the Sebastiani today is the current manager, Roger Rhoten. Rhoten came to Sonoma in 1972, initially as a horse farrier and a performing magician. The theatre was showing films exclusively at that time and by the mid-eighties the then-owner, Flo McCann, was having increasing financial difficulties. Rhoten essentially stepped in and organized a non-profit group that successfully raised enough money to upgrade the electrical system and put in a fire safety sprinkler system. Along the way he became coordinator and promoter of live events.

By 1991, Rhoten became full-time permanent manager of the entire theatre. Since that time he has devoted as much theatre time as possible to live performances, and a quick look at some of this season’s list of upcoming events bears witness to the impressive results. In Rhoten’s own words, he aimed to “help preserve the spirit of Old Sonoma, keep our tradition of live theatre alive and support and nurture local talent.” True to these words he maintains a schedule which features high quality Bay area performers but also allows Sonoma’s own homegrown talent an extra venue to develop and flourish.

The Sonoma Valley Film Festival will be at the Sebastiani this April and the Vintage Film Festival will arrive in August. Folk singer John McCutcheon comes to the Sebastiani every February, while the Edlos (the very funny “bad boys of accapella”) are also regular performers. Joanie Morris will perform the poetry of Patsy Cline, the Sonoma Hometown Band will be performing two Sousa concerts this year and the theatre will also host the Sonoma City Opera in October and the Sonoma Conservatory Ballet this June. Magic shows and talent shows are also expected features at the Sebastiani. And all are performed within the wonderful old walls of this grand theatre on the Sonoma Plaza.