London Circle Players and Oakland Civic Theatre collection, 1955-1996

The London Circle Players operated from 1955 to 1964 in Oakland's Jack London Square. Its founder and director was E. W. "Ted" Smalley. It closed in 1964, after nine seasons, when it lost its venue, a converted warehouse space at 399 Water Street, to redevelopment at the Port of Oakland. In 1965, with support from the Oakland Recreation Department, Ted Smalley started a new company, the Oakland Civic Theatre. It presented plays, mostly at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, for 31 seasons. It closed in 1996 after losing its Oakland Recreation Department funding.