Shafter Theatre

MichaelKilgore on March 5, 2026 at 11:02 am

“The Paneros' theater on Central Avenue near Five Points, which opened in May 1937, was still a state-of-the-art venue 10 years later, with its curving design features and rich decor. The front of the building had a rounded, opaque glass wall that gave diffuse light inside the lobby and a projection above with its name – SHAFTER – in large neon letters. The box office stood on the left side under the overhang, and inside the swinging doors there was the long candy counter to the left near the box office door. Across the lobby a wide, graceful ramp led down to the beautifully tiled bathrooms. Beyond the inner lobby doors there was thick, richly patterned carpeting that covered the floor between the lower seating and the loges above, a total of 750 seats.”

That’s part of an excellent theater-based memoir article by Dolly Hei in the Shafter Historical Society’s newsletter via the Wacso Tribune of April 8, 2021.