Theater holds open house to remember Rebik

Redwood Curtain Theatre invites the public to an open house at the theater to honor the life of theater founder and Artistic Director Clint Rebik.

Rebik died Nov. 4, 2021 after a battle with esophageal cancer. Redwood Curtain is hosting the open house to honor and say goodbye to Rebik. It will be held at the theater (220 First St.) Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. There will be no formal program, but everyone is invited to take the opportunity to come by and visit the space that Rebik helped create.

In 1999, Clint Rebik, Peggy Metzger and an enthusiastic and intrepid group of theater artists formed Redwood Curtain Theatre. The organization started with a simple premise: produce quality theater and pay artists for their work.

According to Metzger, “To the end, Clint and I argued about whose crazy idea it was to create a professional theater company in Humboldt County. But I also can tell you that neither one of us was willing to do it without the determination and vision of the other.

“In our 20-plus years, we have staged more than 90 productions and paid more than 1,000 people for their artistic work,” said Metzger.

Rebik was an integral part of the organization, serving as the artistic director. He directed or acted in many shows at Redwood Curtain.

“Even when he wasn’t on stage or directly involved with a show, his fingerprints were on the production” said local stage manager Jessica McKnight. “Clint provided notes and suggestions to directors to help them create the best possible show, he encouraged actors to deliver their best performances and he found creative solutions to endless production related challenges. He and Peggy together made Redwood Curtain a wonderful place for artists to share their work.”

The open house complements the “Celebration of Life” for Rebik happening on Saturday in Blue Lake Casino’s Sapphire Palace.

To read more about Rebik’s life and work, see this week’s Urge magazine, which comes out Thursday.