About Us

The Theater

The Totah theatre opened its doors for the first time on May 4th, 1948 with the film, The Paleface, starring Bob Hope. It later became known as the "Home of the Action Pictures," featuring Bruce Lee/Kung Fu movies, and Clint Eastwood classics. The Totah was the second of a dozen movie houses the Allen Family built and managed in Farmington. Until the Civic Center opened, the Totah was home to the Community Concert Association. The Totah closed as a movie house in 1982, then reopened briefly in the early 1990s as the home of the San Juan Stage Co., a local drama troupe that is no longer in existence.

The theater was purchased from Allen Theaters, renovated, and reopened its doors in 2004. Built in the "pueblo-deco" style, the Totah is unique in design and name. The Totah has outstanding acoustics coupled with vast new stage accommodations. The renovated venue has a capacity of 300 with 100 new dinner-style seats and 200 normal theater-style seats.

The Talent

Over the last several decades, the Totah has hosted entertainment greats like John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, and Julie Andrews. OK... those performers were on-screen when the Totah was a bustling movie theater. But just look at a short sampling of some of the talent to appear at the Totah in the last few years:

The General Manger, Lead Sound and Lighting Technician - Greg Churchill

Greg is the mind and muscle behind the renovation and day-to-day operation of the Totah Theater. A life-long love of sharing good music drives his efforts to bring great talent to this local venue. He's been in the sound business for fifteen years. Owner of "Grooves on the Move", a mobile DJ service, Greg is also the producer of several records, and the local band, Sol Vista. Ongoing projects include sound and effects design for Theater Ensemble Arts, and the design and installation of the all sound and lighting systems at the Totah. Check out Greg's resume. When he's not at the Totah he's usually lending his talents to other performing arts groups, theaters, or hanging out with his boys.

The Marketing Pro - Teia Camacho

Teia works to promote Totah Theater events in the local and regional communities. Her marketing savvy helps find the best performers and lets the community know about them.

The Web/Media Man - Steve Churchill

OK, so Steve owes Greg a lot of favors. Greg's commitment to bring good music and entertainment to Farmington has inspired Steve to help out where he can - by putting together this web site and assisting with some of The Totah's other design needs. Steve has spent way too much time and money on school, but along the way he's learned the plug-and-chug method of web/graphic design. If you like what you see here, he's available to do some freelance work, so contact Greg if you want to get in touch with Steve.

The Town

Farmington is in the enchanted northwest corner of New Mexico. The culturally-rich area is known as the Four Corners and sometimes as Tres Rios. A regional hub for commerce and entertainment, it's easy for musicians, actors and actresses to find many things to do when they come here to perform. Read more about Farmington at this link.