Alameda High's Kofman Auditorium Gets a Century Upgrade
The 1926 theater got new lights, curtains and dressing rooms in time for its 100th birthday.
By The Alameda Pulse
Alameda High School's Kofman Auditorium turned 100 this year, and the district gave it a present: new stage lights, new curtains, new dressing rooms and a stage floor that's finally been refinished. The renovated theater reopened with a ribbon cutting on May 22.
A hundred-year-old stage gets modern gear
The auditorium was designed in 1926 by architect Carl Werner and later named for Abe and Sarah Kofman. Abe Kofman fought to save the building from demolition back in the 1970s, so there's real history behind those walls, not just nostalgia.
Paid for with Measure B bond funding, the renovation touched nearly every part of the space. Here's what changed:
- New production lighting, fixed battens and lighting controls
- An upgraded sound and AV system, including a full-size projection screen and new projector
- Replacement fire and proscenium curtains
- A refinished stage floor
- Three new dressing rooms and an accessible restroom backstage
- New balcony guardrails and stronger balcony lighting
Why this matters even if you don't have a kid in drama club
Kofman isn't just for the theater crowd. It's where AUSD holds graduations, choir concerts, band nights and district-wide events, so a lot of Alameda families end up in those seats sooner or later, whether their kid is on stage or in the audience. It's bond money at work, the kind Alameda voters already approved, now showing up as an actual working curtain and a floor that doesn't creak.
The ribbon cutting had a nice local touch. Alameda High's student tech crew, known as the Tech Wizards, ran the lights, sound, projector and curtains for the ceremony themselves, on the same new equipment they'll be running for school shows all year. Ruth Boyd managed the project for the district, and the whole thing was timed to land on Kofman's 100th birthday rather than just whenever construction wrapped.
What's next for the stage
With the equipment finally caught up to the building's age, AUSD can start booking bigger productions again, from student musicals to guest speakers to community concerts, without worrying about a curtain that won't close or a spotlight that won't hold. That's the real payoff of a renovation like this. It's not flashy, it's just a venue that finally works the way it should.
Watch our events calendar for the next show or concert booked into Kofman, and see our story on the College of Alameda FabLab funding for another look at where local education dollars are landing this year.
