Foothill college - Smithwick Theater

The Smethwick Theatre is a performance venue located in Los Altos Hills, California, USA. It is a part of the Foothill College campus and serves as the main theatre for the Foothill Music Theatre and the Foothill Repertory Dance Company. Here are some details about the theatre:

Venue Information:

* Seating capacity: The theatre has a seating capacity of 964, with 542 seats in the orchestra section and 422 seats in the balcony.

* Stage dimensions: The stage is 60 feet wide and 36 feet deep, with a proscenium arch that is 45 feet wide and 25 feet high.

* Technical specifications: The theatre is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, as well as a fly system with 47 line sets.

* Accessibility: The theatre is wheelchair accessible and has designated seating for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices are also available upon request.

* Parking: There is ample free parking available for patrons in the adjacent parking lot.

* Events: The theatre hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including plays, musicals, dance performances, concerts, and more.

The Smithwick Theatre was built in 1973 and was named in honor of Wilbur C. Smithwick, who was the first superintendent of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. The theatre has undergone several renovations and upgrades over the years to keep it up-to-date and technologically advanced, Overall, the Smethwick Theatre is a premier performance venue in the Silicon Valley region and is renowned for its world-class productions and talented performers.

In July 1956, Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Henry M. Gunn called a meeting of local school superintendents that led to the creation of Foothill College. Calvin Flint, then President of Monterey Peninsula College was hired as the first District Superintendent and President; he started work on March 1, 1958.

Candidates for the new college's name, besides Foothill, were Peninsula, Junipero Serra, Mid-Peninsula, Earl Warren, Herbert Hoover, North Santa Clara, Altos, Valley, Skyline, Highland, and Intercity. At first the name was Foothill Junior College, but because Flint insisted that his new college would be not junior to anyone the Board dropped the Junior in September 1958.Foothill held its first classes in the old Highway School campus on El Camino Real in Mountain View on September 15, 1958. It was accredited by March of the next year and was the first school in the state to ever reach full accreditation in less than six months. The owl mascot originated from a concrete owl that was a decoration on the Highway School's bell tower; it was later moved to the new campus.