Welcome to Dezart Playhouse—the magnificent finale to a multi-year, architecturally sensitive adaptive reuse of a prized midcentury church designed by Modernist masters Robson Chambers and Albert Frey.
Since 1957, the First Church of Christ Scientist has occupied a quiet corner in a residential neighborhood—far from easy notice by most in the city. In 2024 the church was purchased by Dezart Performs, a professional theater company that envisioned a respectful conversion of this hidden gem into an intimate but first-class performance space. Now, the Playhouse transformation takes center stage with an inaugural five-act Modernism Week event.
ACT 1: A brief orientation talk on the patio will provide the historical and architectural backdrop for your visit.
ACT 2: A self-guided, docent-assisted tour at your own pace.
ACT 3: A sneak peek of a rehearsal for an upcoming stage production.
ACT 4: A multimedia presentation hosted by Playhouse Historian Eric Chiel, Dezart Performs’ Artistic Director Michael Shaw and the adaptation’s acclaimed architect, Susan Secoy-Jensen.
ACT 5: A catered patio reception—time for informal Q&A with the principals who guided the conversion.
For nearly 70 years the church was rarely seen by anyone outside its congregation. In its rebirth as the state-of-the-art Dezart Playhouse, the building’s architectural provenance can finally be appreciated by a wider audience.
Award-winning Dezart Performs brings bold, thought-provoking and rarely-seen work to the Coachella Valley—theater that reflects the full range of our community’s identities and experiences.
DezartPerforms.org