Read the full article by Helen Harlan at Sacramento News & Review
When Gerald Ooley returned to Sacramento from working in military intelligence in the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, he was a young man in his mid-20s with one thing on his mind: girls. But instead of hanging out at bars or nightclubs, he chose a different scene to pursue the fairer sex. He took acting classes at Sacramento City College.
“I was just following the halter tops and the cute girls, so that’s why I took the acting class,” Ooley, 76, said. “It wasn’t a childhood dream or anything.”
The acting bug bit, so Ooley took more classes on the craft and met more people. He went on auditions and took roles in local shows like “Harvey” and “Six Degrees of Separation.” All the while, he worked full-time as a traveling salesman, hitting the road to sell electrical and plumbing supplies.
In 2003, the same year as Ooley’s divorce from his wife of 35 years, an empty building at 2007 28th St. in downtown Sacramento became available to lease. By then, Ooley was well into his 50s, but he had the vision and idealism one might associate with the blush of youth.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna build myself a theater here. A real theater,’” Ooley reminisced.