Coronado Community Playhouse Improvement Project

August 12, 2026

Christine Johnson

Pictured left to right: Tim Farmer, City of Coronado Director of Recreation & Golf Services; Alex Murillo, Coronado Junior Arts League; Helen Kupka, Coronado Community Foundation; Blake McCarty, Coronado Playhouse; Michelle Gilmore, Coronado Community Foundation.

"When a community comes together for a cause, great things can happen. When the CORONADO community works as one, we benefit from efforts that change the fabric of what we hold dear."

We are excited to share that we have been spearheading a collaboration project with Coronado Playhouse, Coronado Junior Arts League, and the City of Coronado. In 2021, our Board President and Founder, Helen Kupka, gathered four organizations who shared a vision for improving the Coronado Performing Arts at Coronado High School. This successful effort not only upgraded the venue but allowed it to become a true community performing arts center, hosting organizations such as the Coronado Philharmonic Orchestra and the Coronado Film Festival. Observing that success, it became obvious that this model would be a blueprint for another community theater.

In early 2025, Coronado Junior Arts League Founder and Artistic Director, Cat Baker, began producing performances at the Coronado Community Playhouse. This theater is a gift to our community but was also experiencing aging technology and atmosphere that limited productions held within its walls. Lighting, sound, audience sightlines, and projectors were all outdated and needed a force to fund the improvements and make it a true community theater experience. Instead of raising funds independently, Baker contacted CCF to explore a much bigger idea in hopes of a very exciting ending. Working along these organizations, we developed a comprehensive plan to raise funds for the project. Christine Johnson, Coronado Community member and writer for the Coronado Eagle & Journal

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