What We Offer
The Lark offers a broad range of cultural programming in a friendly and intimate setting. The repertoire includes first-run, independent, foreign and classic films, live broadcasts of opera, theater, ballet, and art. Among this array of options are: Live From The Met in HD opera series, Britain’s National Theatre Live, Art and Architecture in Cinemas, and the On Stage at the Lark series featuring a stellar roster of nationally recognized live comedy acts, jazz and classical music.
Annually the Lark partners with the Mill Valley Film Festival to present world premieres and special events as part of the Festival’s program roster. The Lark also serves as a venue for civic fundraisers for local schools and other non-profit organizations.
Our Mission
To maintain and advance the 1936 Art Deco Lark Theater as a single-screen/single-stage, state-of the-art community film and cultural center with exceptional programming to enhance the artistic, cultural, educational and social life of Marin County and the Bay Area.
Our Vision
The Lark Theater aspires to be the foremost example of a revitalized single-screen/single-stage theater that runs as a community-based film and cultural center.
History
In 2004, Bernice Baeza and Heidi Hillenbrand, with the help of its dedicated group of volunteers, refurbished the Lark’s entire interior to it’s original 1936 glory, including a renovated lobby, red velvet seats, an art deco mural, new light fixtures, state-of-the-art sound and visual systems, and a revitalized marquee brightly shining as the north end anchor of the historic downtown.
In 2007, donations from more than 800 individuals helped establish the Lark as a permanent business. In 2012 management was taken over by Ellie Mednick. Under her leadership, the Lark has professionalized the staff, overhauled finances, strengthened community relations and customer experience, secured private and public grants, expanded film and live programming, brought the Mill Valley Film Festival to the Lark and recruited a prestigious national film buyer to widen and deepen programming.
Our success is an example for small towns everywhere to save their rapidly disappearing local historic theaters, and with them, a unique neighborhood experience. Saving the Lark Theater from demolition and restoring it to create a community cultural center has been an extraordinary accomplishment.
- Art Deco Historic Restoration completed July 2004
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- An Historic American Theater
- Winner of the Art Deco Society Preservation Award
- County of Marin Certified Green Business