Huntington Beach Auditorium Celebrates 100 Years with Birthday Show

The historic venue will host "A Century of Stars and Stories" to commemorate its centennial anniversary.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 12:55am

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A bold, colorful silkscreen-style illustration featuring a vintage microphone icon repeated in a grid pattern, capturing the celebratory spirit and performance legacy of the Huntington Beach auditorium's centennial.The historic Huntington Beach auditorium celebrates 100 years of bringing the community together through the power of performance.Huntington Beach Today

The Huntington Beach Union High School District's iconic auditorium, designed in the Lombard Romanesque Revival style, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a special variety show on April 18th. The production, titled "A Century of Stars and Stories", will take the audience through a decade-by-decade journey of the auditorium's history, featuring dance, musical theater, and video segments highlighting the venue's role in the community.

Why it matters

The auditorium has been a cultural hub for Huntington Beach for the past century, hosting thousands of performances, assemblies, and ceremonies for local schools. The centennial celebration not only honors the building's architectural legacy, but also recognizes the generations of students, performers, and community members who have brought it to life.

The details

The show is primarily a fundraiser for a much-needed green room renovation. It will be a variety performance divided into decades, with each era featuring a video about the history of the theater, the city, and the world at that time, followed by dance and musical theater acts appropriate to the decade. The first act will cover the 1920s through the 1960s, including a special dedication to longtime technical theater director Joe Batte, who passed away last September. The second act will focus on the Asian immigration into the city in the 1970s and the development of Little Saigon in nearby Westminster.

  • The auditorium opened in 1926 on the campus of Huntington Beach High School.
  • The venue was named the Darrell Stillwagon Auditorium in 2000.
  • The auditorium underwent a $10 million renovation in 2009.
  • The centennial celebration show "A Century of Stars and Stories" will be held on April 18, 2026.

The players

Huntington Beach Union High School District

The school district that owns and operates the historic auditorium.

Tara Choat

A 2015 graduate of Huntington Beach High School who participated in the school's performing arts program, and is now producing and directing the centennial celebration show.

Joe Batte

The longtime technical theater director at the auditorium, who passed away in September of the previous year.

Andrea Taylor

The administrator of the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, who approached Tara Choat about directing the centennial show.

Thien An Performing Arts

A performing arts group that will be featured in the segment of the show focusing on Asian immigration and the development of Little Saigon in the 1970s.

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What they’re saying

“[‘For’] anyone who has any love for this city, this campus, the show is a really unique way to come and celebrate how historic this campus is and appreciate how much time and effort and energy has gone into that building.”

— Tara Choat, Producer and Director of the Centennial Celebration Show

“There have been so many people just performing and bringing what they love to the stage. It's such a happy space, so it's cool for people to be able to come and get some information about it but also try and support it through fundraising.”

— Tara Choat, Producer and Director of the Centennial Celebration Show

What’s next

Tickets for the "A Century of Stars and Stories" centennial celebration show are available through the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts website, with prices ranging from $25 for balcony seats to $100 for a VIP package that includes preferred seating and a swag bag.

The takeaway

The Huntington Beach Union High School District's historic auditorium has been a beloved community hub for 100 years, hosting countless performances, ceremonies, and events that have shaped the cultural fabric of the city. This centennial celebration show is a chance for locals to come together and honor the legacy of this iconic venue while also supporting its future through much-needed renovations.