El Campanil Theatre

The theater itself is beautiful. Unfortunately the beauty can’t fix the attitudes and extreme rudeness of the ushers and people who run this place. I’ve gone there for three years and every year the service is just a little worse. It’s truly unfortunate that such a beautiful location is run by people that don’t know the meaning of treating people well. As a person who manages a staff of over 40 people I teach my staff that they should treat each client as a guest in their home, I most certainly wasn’t treated that way here. Instead I felt like a person who was inconveniencing them. It’s really to bad. Performers, Theater Companies and all beware.

The first show we saw here in this beautiful venue was the Eagles tribute band. Really good– a few weeks ago, Almost Elton John was also very enjoyable. The guy sitting next to me had on a pair of crazy Elton glasses to complete the evening!

Other than being discriminated against I would have other wise had a great time.

My wife & I have enjoyed three concerts here. The place is beautiful, the facilities are clean and staff super friendly.

Here is a five star formula. Renovate an iconic theater in a charming delta town, attract top notch entertainment, run the operation with dedicated volunteers (it is a 501©3 group), and maintain the premises spotlessly. We went to see Franc D’Ambrosio of Phantom of the Opera fame, the acoustics were marvelous, the staff friendly, the sound system really good. This is much better than going to San Francisco with the inflated prices, atrocious parking, and rude people. We plan to return.

The Mrs. and i were here to watch my nephew in a production of Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Old world charm in a dilapidated part of downtown Antioch. Parking was plentiful and free. Seats comfortable and clean.

Great old theater. I miss watching movies here. The place was packed when Debbie Reynolds performed here a few years ago.

I give this place 4 stars only because it’s local and deserves credit for attempting to provide a local spot for good entertainment. However, for the quality of that entertainment I’m afraid it deserves no more than a 3, or a «C» grade, for AVERAGE, which is kinda sad.
It appears that the aim is to be middle of the road, entertainment wise, which is a darned shame. I am not suggesting they go nuts with the hard stuff, but the reliance onn“tribute” bands, at least this year, is unimaginative and quite appalling. There are many very good to excellent local entertainers,.as well as performers of some repute who play other venues close by but never seem to make it out highway 4. But El Campanil seems to want to play it safe. Tsk tsk
This is blasphemy, but perhaps the promoter, who has worked hard,.quite admirably, to make downtown Antioch interesting, should turn the promoting over to someone in the area (Ms.Hicks? Mr. Ocean?) who knows how to provide quality local entertainment and could bring new people downtown. Have more to add about downtown, but that can wait til my next review

Just came home after attending Delta Blues Festival benefit concert, and it was incredible. I must have had the stupidest grin on my face, because all the performers came over to our end of the stage to look at me. El Campanil surprised the heck out of me. This is not a struggling backwater company (forgive me, El Campanil for being a cultural snob, and not attending earlier!). This is a real living breathing peace of California culture, with a huge variety of acts and shows! It is obvious that whoever is running El Campanil is a great arts manager, who also loves this venue. One owes it to one’s self to attend at least once to experience it. The interior is beautiful, done in the Spanish/​Moorish/​deco-​ish style. The only beef I have are with the seats — they are old, and not too comfortable — though in good shape. Think San Francisco opera… one must suffer a little to enjoy a lot, I guess. P. S. Ticket prices vary with shows, but are very fair. They are having International Movie Nights now.

I couldn’t believe that this great Antioch establishment was missing from Unilocal!This theatre has been around since 1928 for heaven’s sake! Instantly, I knew I had to add it.
This theatre, like many other Antioch establishments, dates back to my childhood. I remember when I was taking ballet lessons at the Delta Ballet Academy (
), we would usually have our recitals in the Antioch Community Center. But once, only once, when my teacher announced we were having a performance here that was open to the public, my heart leaped! I was about 8 or 9. I knew this was a big deal, and my excitement to perform at a bigger venue foreshadowed my current passion to perform on stage.
Over the years, El Camp has seen its fair shares of rough times when they were forced to shut down due to financial reasons. But after a major restoration project in 2003, business (non-​profit to boot) has been booming since! I’ve seen numerous movies here including To Kill a Mockingbird and It’s a Wonderful Life (my dad’s all time fav). I’ve also seen numerous performances here including world renowned Hawaiian slack key guitarist Keola Beamer.
Other notable performers who have performed at the El Campanil:
The Three Stooges
Debbie Reynolds
Roy Rogers with his horse Trigger
Sally Rand — Fan Dancer
Usherettes
Edgar Bergen
Donald O’Connor
Ted Lewis
Al Jolson
Gene Autry
The Limeliters
I’m thankful this place is around for people to enjoy. What a wonderful venue that’s here for stay!