The Office of Sixth District Councilmember Dee Andrews, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine celebrated the opening of the Manazar Gamboa Community Theater at Homeland Cultural Center in MacArthur Park, 1321 East Anaheim St., with a public celebration on Saturday, June 25. The celebration showcased the center’s programs and included break dancing, African drumming and belly dancing.
“Homeland Cultural Center is already called home for artists from all genres— musicians, visual artists, writers, poets, dancers and actors,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster. “The new 70-seat Manazar Gamboa Community Theater will celebrate and support the wonderful diversity, cultural traditions and will take artistic expressions to a new level in Long Beach.”
The 3,000-square-foot theater is named after Manazar Gamboa, who served as the artistic director at Homeland from 1989 to 2000. Gamboa was a former convict who used his talent for poetry to help others with troubled backgrounds to express themselves. He directed theater and literary programs and led writing workshops for youths, teens and adults. Gamboa passed away in December 2000.
“Manazar Gamboa empowered a generation of young people and adults to showcase their artistic creativity, channeling it through poetry, literacy, writing, and the arts,” Andrews said. “Opening this new theater will encourage the community to continue to express their creativity while allowing them a place to showcase it.”
