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Arlington Theater
updated: Jan 29, 2011, 8:45 AM
By the dedicated staff, photos by Edhat contributors
As the stars come out for the 26th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, some of Hollywood's hottest actors and actresses will walk the red carpet into the Arlington Theater over the next week.
But unlike a red carpet event in the big city, the Arlington is an everyman's venue under its impressive façade on State Street. There's only this one week a year when you'll see stars there who aren't on the big screen.
The rest of the year Santa Barbara heads to the Arlington for movies, live theater, concerts, World Cup soccer, holiday events like the Martin Luther King Day Tribute, and much more. You might see Jack Johnson perform one month, and catch a premiere surf movie the next. President Obama's inauguration and Michael Jackson's funeral are among the events people have gathered to watch there via movie screen TV.
Films with local hooks like "Sideways," the indie wine buddy flick that put Santa Barbara wine country on the map, or "Citizen McCaw", the documentary that chronicles the downfall of the Santa Barbara News-Press, have premiered there to sell-out crowds. And every year, the red carpet of the Film Festival is a major draw for local and international media and those hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.
The Arlington rose, literally, from the ashes of the 1925 earthquake. This earthquake is responsible for much of the development of Santa Barbara as we know it today. The Arlington Hotel, which had stood there before the quake, was destroyed and the theater was built in its place. Completed in 1931, the Arlington was intended as a showpiece movie house. Local architects Edwards and Plunkett are responsible for its Spanish Colonial Revival and Mission Revival styles. The impressive steeple often photographed is a Mission Revival touch. It was renovated to its current state in 1976. Some of the seats are now worn but the effect is one of aging charm.
Here are a few of our favorite reasons to visit.
 There's no better place to wait in line. Just ask the folks who were recently camped out there overnight for one of the Twilight vampire movie premieres. Take a lawn chair, bring some snacks, hang out with a few of your buddies and meet some new ones. You'll be covered from the elements by the convenient overhanging roof, and if you want to run out for snacks, a half-dozen of the best restaurants on State Street are less than a block away. Jane, Opal, Carlitos, Café Buenos Aires, Olio e Limone, Arigato and Tupelo Junction are a few of our nearby favorites for a pre- or post-theater snack.
 Go to the restroom. Yes, that's right. Don't miss a trip to the Arlington's beautiful restrooms if you stop in for a performance. They're easily the most impressive in town, with beautiful arched doorways, detailed Spanish-style wall paintings, and nice furnishings. Your generic multi-plex movie theater restroom back home will never look the same.
No such thing as a bad seat. Even if you are in the upper balcony seating, you'll be treated to the full Arlington experience. The farthest back lower level seats may be a slight strain on the eyes during a live performance, but the accomplished lighting and stagehand staff creates some amazing affects with stage and spotlights. In the front rows of the orchestra section, you're super close to the stage and the performances making music or art upon it. An orchestra pit and pipe organ are directly beneath the stage.
 The magic inside.As a small child, the writer of this piece went to a performance of the Nutcracker with her parents. Going into the theater for the first time, the very special interior design of the theater made an amazing first impression. Tiny twinkling lights were sparking within two stories of what looked like a village, with balconies and staircases. The closest comparison seemed to be the movie-set like experience of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean - without the singing pirates and parrots, of course. The decor is intended to make the audience feel as though they are sitting in an outdoor plaza beneath a starry sky. Don't forget to look up. The stars will seem like they're right above your head.
Here are some of the photographs that Edhat contributors have taken of the theater recently:
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