Ojai Theatre Festival

A Bold Dream. A Vintage Auditorium. A Town That Showed Up.

Written by

Kevin Schneider

It started with a conversation on the other side of the world.

In 2007, while filming The Pacific in Australia, actors Joshua Bitton and Jon Bernthal were playing best friends on screen and sharing real dreams off screen. One night, walking through Melbourne, they admitted something out loud—something both had carried quietly for years. Someday, we’re going to start our own theatre company.

From Idea to Festival

Sixteen years later, that quiet promise transformed into a brand-new theatre festival in Ojai, California, a festival not built for prestige or press but for the people of a small town they loved.

Joshua, alongside fellow actor-director Isidora Goreshter and Emmy-nominated Bernthal (The Punisher, The Bear, The Walking Dead), launched the Ojai Theatre Festival in summer 2025. They weren’t interested in creating a slick, exclusive event. They wanted something intimate. Local. Transformational.

“I’m not saying I’m without ego, but this was as selfless as any artistic endeavor I’ve set out on. We all realized the goal was bigger than us.”
Joshua Bitton

The inaugural production featured Ironbound by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok, staged inside Ojai’s century-old Chaparral Auditorium. Isidora stepped into the space with Joshua, looked around, and smiled. “This is it,” he said. “This is our theatre.”

A Theatre Built by the Community

From the beginning, the festival was a communal effort. Local high school students from Nordhoff helped build the set, working alongside designer Eric Thorne and Joshua himself. “Eric Thorne, our set designer, and I loaded in and started building the set alongside the kids from Nordhoff High. As the space progressed, I couldn’t believe how real it looked,” Joshua said. “Then the actors came in for their first rehearsal, and I could see them light up at the playground they had.”

During the run, multiple audience members asked how they’d managed to build a theatre around a street corner. “I’d take them outside and show them it was just the old Chaparral Auditorium, and then I’d wait for the light bulb to click on,” he laughed.

Jon Hoj, the theatre teacher at Nordhoff High, also played a vital role, mentoring students and supporting the production as they worked side by side with seasoned professionals. “We wanted the community to be a part of this,” Joshua said. “And they were.”

Designers Matt Richter and Chris Moscatiello joined Thorne and director Guillermo Cienfuegos for what Josh called a “war room strategy session” to solve the technical challenges of the space.

“Every step of this felt impossible at first, but I watched them work through each issue in real time, and I knew we were going to make it happen.”
Joshua Bitton

Tickets, Talkbacks, and a Town That Showed Up

Tickets went on sale and sold out in just 24 hours.

“We had just announced it on socials,” said Joshua Bitton, Co-Artistic Director. “And we watched in real time as the tickets started moving. Chase, Izzy, and I were constantly texting and calling, giving play-by-play. Still makes me smile.”

Patrons weren’t just attending. They were returning—some night after night. One student saw the show four times. “It’s just so amazing to watch them,” she told Chase.

The artists didn’t just perform. They stayed for talkbacks. They offered advice. They made space for learning. All proceeds went back to Nordhoff High School’s theatre program, and planning for next year’s festival is already underway, including ideas for student classes and mentorship.

“We had special Ojai-only nights,” Joshua said. “And we did our best to respect the space, which is cherished by so many in the community.”

Behind the scenes, Ludus helped the team ticket, manage, and adapt with ease. “Ludus made professional ticketing accessible for a brand-new festival with zero learning curve,” said Chase. “We were able to easily exchange tickets, field a ton of patron requests, and keep people happy, which built our reputation fast.”

How Ludus Helped Behind the Scenes

More importantly, Ludus freed the team to focus on what mattered most. As Josh put it, “The platform always has a solution for whatever weird, quirky thing you want to set up for sales, reservations, announcements, whatever. It made show day the easiest part of the experience.”

And while the tools made the logistics possible, the people made the magic happen.

The Magic That Mattered Most

At breakfast one morning, a woman in her seventies stopped Joshua and the team to say, “You have no idea what this means to us.” And maybe that’s what matters most.

The Ojai Theatre Festival wasn’t just a production. It was a homecoming. A gift. A reminder that even in a town of just a few thousand people, theatre can still shake the walls, stir the heart, and leave a mark that lasts. And it all began with a simple promise, spoken halfway around the world:
Let’s build something together.