The Lompoc Theatre Project today announced a historic $6 million gift from Santa Barbara philanthropist and arts champion Cheryl Goldberg, the largest private contribution in the organization’s history. The gift brings the $18.9 million Lompoc Theatre Centennial Renovation to the threshold of full funding and marks a defining milestone in the effort to restore one of Santa Barbara County’s most treasured historic landmarks.
Of the total gift, $5 million will directly support the restoration and reopening of the historic Lompoc Theatre. The remaining $1 million will establish The Cheryl Goldberg Santa Barbara Performing Arts Fund, creating a multi-year resource to bring Santa Barbara County based performing arts organizations to Lompoc for annual performances, educational programming, and community engagement.
The new fund reflects Goldberg’s belief that the arts should unite communities across Santa Barbara County. By creating lasting partnerships between South County arts organizations and North County audiences, the fund will expand access to exceptional music, dance, theatre, film, and educational experiences for generations to come.
“Cheryl Goldberg has changed the future of the Lompoc Theatre and our entire community,” said Mark Herrier, Executive Director of the Lompoc Theatre Project. “Her extraordinary generosity has brought this incredible arts complex and community center so much closer to completion. Just as meaningful, the performing arts fund she is creating will build a lasting bridge between North County and South County through the arts. We are profoundly grateful for her vision and her belief in what this theatre can become.”
Goldberg has become one of the defining philanthropic leaders of Santa Barbara’s arts community and her investment in the Lompoc Theatre represents her first major philanthropic commitment to a North County arts institution.
“When Mark Herrier and Benton Delinger took me on a tour of the theatre and described their vision of what it would become, I was amazed by all the uses and configurations they had planned for it,” said Cheryl Goldberg. “It was going to cover so many bases as a performing arts center, and their plan for incorporating other Santa Barbara County arts organizations into their performance offerings seemed like a win-win collaboration for both the Lompoc and greater Santa Barbara County communities. I knew then that I wanted to be a part of making this theater happen.”
Opened in 1927, the Lompoc Theatre served for decades as the cultural heart of the Lompoc Valley, welcoming generations of families for films, concerts, live performances, and community celebrations. After closing in 1991, the landmark sat vacant for decades until the Lompoc Theatre Project was formed in 2012 to rescue and restore the historic building. The organization secured ownership in 2016 and has since completed an extensive first phase of stabilization, environmental remediation, and preservation, laying the foundation for the theatre’s rebirth.
When complete, the restored theatre will feature:
- A 450-seat historic auditorium
- A professional stage for theatre, music, dance, film, and community events
- Flexible onstage performance space for intimate productions
- Education and rehearsal studios serving local youth
- Public gathering spaces and outdoor performance areas
- The restored historic Land Office, one of California’s oldest surviving commercial wooden buildings
- State-of-the-art acoustics, lighting, projection, and theatrical technology
The project is led by Executive Director Mark Herrier, nationally recognized theatre consultants TheatreDNA, led by Benton Delinger, and 19six Architects, whose portfolio includes the acclaimed restoration of Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre. Honorary Campaign Chairs Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall have championed the campaign from its earliest stages, inspired by their longtime friendship with Herrier and their shared belief in the power of the arts to transform communities.
Construction is progressing in phases toward the theatre’s grand reopening in Spring 2028, during its Centennial Season. Beginning in early 2027, however, audiences won’t have to wait for the full restoration to experience the Lompoc Theatre. Through an innovative design conceived by TheatreDNA and Executive Director Mark Herrier, the historic stage will open as an intimate performance venue while the auditorium renovation continues. Seating more than 80 guests, the space will host acoustic concerts, lectures, and immersive performances, allowing the community to once again experience live performances inside the Lompoc Theatre months before the full restoration is complete.
Following Goldberg’s gift, the Centennial Campaign is now within approximately $5,000,000 of fully funding the $18.9 million restoration.
“Cheryl has decisively propelled us towards the finish line” Herrier said. “Now is the time for Santa Barbara County to come together and help us achieve our final fundraising goals. Together, we can restore this historic landmark, reopen its doors, and bring the Lompoc Theatre, our very heart and soul, back to life.”
Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann added: “This major gift transforms the Lompoc Theatre Project from dream to reality and is a defining moment for this community. The Theatre will create Lompoc’s arts and culture district, transforming downtown for generations. ‘One County, One Future’ is more than an aspiration—it is a commitment we live by. This extraordinary act of generosity proves it. It builds a bridge between north and south, weaving our communities together through culture and shared purpose. This is how we enrich lives, strengthen connections, and shape the future we all believe in.”
The Lompoc Theatre Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the historic 1927 Lompoc Theatre as a world class performing arts venue, educational center, and community gathering place. Once reopened, the theatre will serve more than 90,000 residents throughout North Santa Barbara County while acting as a catalyst for economic revitalization, arts education, tourism, and cultural engagement. The project represents a once-in-a-generation investment in the future of Lompoc and Santa Barbara County.
