Sombrero Playhouse
| Address | 4747 North Seventh Street Phoenix, Arizona United States of America |
|---|---|
| Owner | Richard Charlton |
| Operator | Sombrero Playhouse Corporation |
| Type | Regional Theater |
| Capacity | 550 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 22, 1949 |
| Opened | March 29, 1949 |
| Closed | 1981 |
| Demolished | 1982 |
| Construction cost | $100,000 (1949) |
| General contractor | Allison Steel Manufacturing Company |
The Sombrero Playhouse was a regional theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. It was built in March 1949, the first legitimate professional theater in Phoenix, though the city did have a long tradition of Little Theater. Major Broadway and Hollywood stars of the time performed on stage at the Sombrero, including Katharine Cornell, Helen Hayes, Kirk Douglas, Milton Berle, Billie Burke, Burgess Meredith, Walter Pidgeon, Tom Drake, Vincent Price, and Mary Astor. Despite its limited capacity, it was one of the most widely-known regional theaters in the Western United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. It presented recent Broadway hits (sometimes while they were still playing there), revivals, and on several occasions original productions that then went on national tour.
After 20 seasons of presenting plays, the Sombrero "went dark" after the 1968 season, became an art film house in 1976, before being sold and demolished in 1982.