Green Lake’s Aqua Theatre to be memorialized

by | Apr 29, 2009

The Aqua Theatre at the southwest end of Green Lake used to be a hot spot for entertainment. On Saturday, you can relive those days with the unveiling of signage celebrating the Aqua Theatre’s history. (The photo below of an Aqua Follies crowd is from Seattle Municipal Archives.)

Friends of the Aqua Theatre, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the community will unveil an interpretive sign at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the remains of the theatre, next to the Green Lake Small Craft Center, 5900 W. Green Lake Way N.
According to a press release:

Becky Sokolow, whose father produced shows and designed sets for the theatre in the 1950s and 1960s, formed Friends of the Aqua Theatre and applied for and received a “small and simple” award from the Neighborhood Matching Fund to chronicle the history made at the site from 1950 to 1964 on interpretive signage.
The Aqua Theatre, an open-air stadium with an over-water stage, seated an audience of 5,500 showcased the talents of entertainers from 1950 to 1969, and hosted opera performances, Broadway musicals, and the first Seafair, including the Aqua Follies with its cast of 125. All of the original structure has been removed because of structural concerns, except for one set of concrete bleachers.
Other notables who performed there included Bert Parks, Bob Hope, Cole Porter, Sonny and Cher, Led Zeppelin, and the Grateful Dead.

Some of the former actors, directors, performers and divers will be on hand for the ceremony.

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