By Helen Harlan

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.

And he did. Ooley installed the stage, the 35 seats and the lighting, sinking $30,000 into the space after all was said and done. He put an awning out front and called it a most straightforward name: The Ooley Theatre. The performers came and put on comedy, plays and even opera, with Ooley renting them the space at a reasonable rate.

Though Ooley didn’t appear onstage as an actor at his namesake theater, he took his love of life in the creative space a step further by building an apartment backstage and living in it for almost two decades.

“Theater makes a lot of noise, and if you want a place to sleep, you don’t want somebody on the other side of the wall doing a show,” Ooley said. “But it didn’t bother me in the least.”

In 2023, Ooley handed off the lease to Sacramento theater luminary Elise Hodge, whom he met when she began renting the space from him in 2014. That same year, Hodge turned Ooley Theatre into a nonprofit corporation. Her inaugural season as the group’s creative director began in 2024. Her second season starts on Jan. 23 with the mounting of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile” from Hodge’s own theater company, The Artist’s Collective. 

Hodge, originally from Loma Linda in San Bernardino County, earned a degree in interior design from Sacramento State. When the acting bug bit, she worked in the L.A. theater scene before relocating to Sacramento, where she began producing shows 12 years ago. She said she’s looking forward to 2025 and hoping that local theatergoers will see The Ooley as more than a “best-kept secret” but a legitimate venue for live drama, comedy, cabaret and more.

“I’d still like to see us being able to get more outreach into our neighborhood and more people knowing that we are here,” Hodge said.

In addition to “Murder on the Nile,” Hodge’s 2025 season includes the Women’s Wit and Wisdom Theater Festival in March and another festival featuring 10-minute plays by local playwrights in June.

Sacramento comedian Buddy Rahming hosts his comedy night “Yeah Buddy!” at The Ooley Theatre once a month. Formerly called “Funny Bidness Comedy Night,” the evening showcases up-and-coming comedians from Sacramento, the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

“I’m very fortunate [that] Elise provides a space for artists to develop their craft and grow their vision,” said Rahming, who has worked with Hodge since 2023.  

“Yeah Buddy!” will utilize The Ooley’s live-streaming capabilities, which Hodge installed when she took over the reins. The theater will also remain available to rent in Hodge’s effort to welcome and nurture local talent.

Shane Robert, director of The Ooley’s 2024 sold-out “Heathers; The Musical,” and a member of The Artist’s Collective, said Hodge is supportive of creative vision. 

“Anytime you do a show there, Hodge] is just a really big support system,” Robert said. “She wants to make sure that you have the show that you are envisioning.”

As she enters her second formal season in charge of The Ooley, Hodge said she has no intention of changing the theater’s name.

“When Mr. Ooley asked if I would take over, he requested I keep the name, given how much he had put into building the space. I felt this was a fair request and was happy to oblige,” Hodge said. “Besides, it’s a unique name, and it lent to a fun catchphrase, ‘Come say Oooh! at The Ooley Theatre!’” 

As for Ooley, his days in the theater are far behind him. He’s settled in a double-wide in a trailer community in the Delta. Ooley is still a salesman, working part-time for Capitol Tarpaulin Company and enjoys “semi-retired things” like golfing and fishing. To say he still looks back on his time as a theater owner, tenant and enthusiast with fondness is an understatement.

“My whole life has always been doing something for somebody else, and this is something I just wanted to do for myself. It’s something I loved unconditionally, ” Ooley said. “I miss being there right now. It was a perfect time.”

This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.