About Chanticleers: Who We Are
Our History
In 1948, a small group of actors and actresses from the Castro Valley Woman's Club formed a drama group called the Castro Valley Little Theatre Group. They started rehearsing in an old, cold chicken coop belonging to charter member, John Hayes.
In 1951, they held a city wide contest to select a new name for the drama group. The name 'Chanticleers', submitted by Lucille Cochran, was selected.
Chanticleer was appropriate for several reasons: it meant "to sing clear"; at that time, Castro Valley had a thriving poultry business (one of the largest in the state); and there was a sign at the west end of Castro Valley Boulevard proclaiming, "Castro Valley, something to crow about."
Chanticleer [a rooster. 14th century Middle English chauntecler, from Old French chantecler, the name of the rooster in the take of Reynaud the Fox: chanter, to sing: see chant + cler, elear: see clear.]
In September 1951, under the direction of Ruth Dingnan, Chanticleers presented their first major production The Mystery of the Whispering Bell. The production was held two nights at the Castro Valley Grammar School and the prices were $1.00 for adults and 50 cents for children.
During the next seven years, Chanticleers presented two productions per year. As they had no permanent theatre, productions were in various local venues- Castro Valley Grammar School, A. B. Morris School, Brett Harte School, Cal State University, First Methodist Church, and Castro Valley High School.
In 1958, Chanticleers acquired their first permanent location- The Palomares Little Red School House, where their first production, Anniversary Waltz directed by Rosalinda Thomas, was performed in November of 1959.
Fire destroyed the facility in 1976. The last production at the Little Red School House was Born Yesterday.
The group found a new home in Castro Valley by leasing the old Castro Valley Community Center from H.A.R.D. The indoor basketball court was transformed into a 100-seat theatre by volunteers to meet the needs of Chanticleers and its audiences.