Venue Information

The High Street Arts Center has had a long and rich history as a source of culture and entertainment for the residents of Moorpark. In its early incarnation, the El Rancho, located at 45 East High Street in Moorpark, California, was built in 1927 to replace an old wooden structure that housed a silent movie theater. The El Rancho had the distinction of being the only "talking movie" theater in the east end of Ventura County. Sometimes referred to as the Moorpark Theatre, it closed as a movie house in the 1950´s and was used for school and community productions. It had many incarnations, even being used as a junk shop. It eventually re-opened as a live event theater in 1983, as the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama & Vaudeville Co., and changed ownership several times. The theater enjoyed limited success before it went bankrupt in 1999.

In 2001 Larry Janss, whose father and grandfather developed much of Westwood and the San Fernando Valley, bought the buildin ...