ROSE CENTER THEATER in Westminster.

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

The Rose Center Theater, a 419-seat facility opened in 2006 to bring fine arts performances to the City of Westminster, will be closing its doors at the end of the year, perhaps to be re-born as a cultural center.

On a 3–1-1 vote on Nov. 12 , the city council decided to pass on extending the contract for the management of the facility.

The motion to not extend the contract was opposed by Vice Mayor Carlos Manzo with Councilmember Amy Phan West abstaining.

In a statement posted on social media, the RSM management stated “The Friends of the Rose has been formally notified that the City of Westminster is moving forward with plans to repurpose the Rose Center into a cultural center … we have been directed to begin winding down our operations and prepare for departure from the theater that has been our home for more than 20 years.”

At that meeting, the council rejected a staff recommendation for a one-year extension to the Friends of the Rose Center Theater that would have run until June 30, 2026, with an optional three-month extension.

The extension would have included a 5 percent venue fee to be paid monthly to cover the cost of operating the facility. Currently the city pays for expenses of the theater over income, stated to be about $50,000 annually.

Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen, who made the motion to not extend the agreement, complained that “for 20 years the City of Westminster has been paying for this,” he said.

Manzo said, “They’re providing a service” and compared the operation of the theater to the city’s park system.