The Broadway Playhouse is located in the Santa Cruz Art League. It is the home of WEST Creative Performing Arts who has been the Resident Theatre company since 2008. WEST Creative Performing Arts holds year round theatre and arts education classes and events at the Broadway Playhouse.
The mission of the Santa Cruz Art League is to function as an agent for the artistic experience. The Santa Cruz Art League encourages visual and performing arts in an environment that is supportive to the artist, to students, and to the community. Approximately twelve art shows are held each year, some for members, some juried, and some invitational.
The Santa Cruz Art League was founded in 1919 by eleven landscape artists yearning for a place to meet in order to share their art, to teach, and to motivate one another.
In 1885, many of these same people had started the first local art gallery and classes. Beginning in 1923, the second president lived in the basement of the local library and managed the property in exchange for exhibition space for the Art League on the walls of the city-owned building. The Art League was evicted in 1947 and the members recognized the need for artists to have a gallery owned by themselves. The current building was opened to the public in 1951.
For almost 100 years, the Santa Cruz Art League has bent and swayed and adapted to the times. It is a membership organization open to anyone.
