INCLUDES OPENING NIGHT VIDEO | See what has become of the former ‘Day Theater’, and what this completely renovated performance space promises for the Southeast Portland arts community …
Friends and supporters wait in front of the new Foster Theater for the doors to swing wide on its opening night.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
It was first opened in 1915 as the Star Theater, and in 1928 was renamed Ames Theater – one of several movie auditoriums built along S.E. Foster Road’s grand “theater row”, and was long known as the Day Theater.
But it’s unlikely that its early owners would have guessed that, more than a century later, it would renovated into a state-or-the-art performance venue in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood; but that is what has happened. It reopened on November 8th.
Wrangling the giant ceremonial scissors at the ribbon cutting is Foster Theater Directing Manager Paul LeFeber, as its new and visionary owner Sarah Rigles looks on.
Classical Ballet Academy Director Sarah Rigles welcomes guests into the Foster Theater on opening night.
“Back in 2004 when I opened the Classical Ballet Academy studios in Sellwood, I never believed this would be possible,” remarked Sarah Rigles, the owner of the dance school, and now also of the theater, on opening night.
Take a ‘backstage tour’ the afternoon of Opening Night with Sarah Rigles in our video. It also includes a look at the actual Grand Opening evening!
“This is truly a dream come true – but it’s all due to a collective effort of so many people, who together made this possible.”
“We renamed this the ‘Foster Theater’ as a way to pay tribute to its roots along one of Portland’s original historic theater districts,” Rigles said.
The Foster Theater’s lobby is more than an entrance; it’s a work of art!
Eager guests make their way into the theater.
As the ballet academy was moving to its new and considerably-larger Creston-Kenilworth studios in 2023, renovating the long-neglected theater attached to them seemed like a nearly impossible goal,” Rigles acknowledged. [See our article about the start of the project: CLICK HERE]
“But now, here we are, on opening night!” she enthused.
From the Café Balcony, guests can enjoy refreshments from this perch high above the auditorium.
The Rattigan family enjoys part of the evening enjoying refreshments while in the Café Balcony.
Touring the theater before the doors opened, Rigles showed off the balcony and café that overlook the main theater, complete with a serving bar, high-top tables, and stools. “We decided to leave the Coca-Cola sign that was painted on the next-door building’s wall before the theater was built,” she pointed out.
Although they’d hoped to restore the antique theater seats, those were too dilapidated to be saved. So now the theater features modern premium seating – stair-stepped up, row-by-row.
“It’s about a 200-seat theater; and more floor seating can be added, depending on the event,” Rigles explained. “Instead of building a raised stage, we created it to be in ‘black box’ style, with a larger, floor-level performance area, making space for music, theater and dance.
The once-dilapidated movie house is now a state-or-the-art performance space.
“The stage area is a more intimate – a 50 foot by 50 foot performance space with s “sprung’ floor, resilient for dancing,” Rigles pointed out. “We’ll have many of our dance performances here, but there’s no backstage and minimal side-wing area, so it’s better for a small dance company.”
With the help of experts, the Foster Theater has superb acoustics for music and theater – and, it’s equipped with computer-controlled sound and lighting systems that includes a high-definition, full-back-wall LED screen that can become any “set” that a creative person can imagine.
“We’re looking forward to having groups who present musical theater, dramatic and comedic theater, folk music, and musical groups,” remarked Rigles. “We’ve heard from some in the community that they’d like to use this as a meeting space, too.”
With the transformation complete, the all-new Foster Theater stands ready to provide a live arts space for years to come.
As Rigles said during her remarks at the opening ceremony, “Our mission is to experience, create, and connect; the Foster Theater is now a dedicated performing arts venue, designed to support a diverse range of programming.”
As the door opened and the sizable crowd waiting outside streamed in, guests were amazed and delighted at the ornate Deco-style mural and lighting in the lobby.
Throughout the evening, the guests enjoyed professional musical and dance performances as the Foster Theater came alive.
The Foster Theater is located at 5444 SE Foster Road. Learn more by visiting their website: CLICK HERE.
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
click here to subscribe
