CCCNews Podcast: Curtain Call and Comeback: Chuck Gomez Revives the Granada

Oct 9

Written By Columbia Community Connection

The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 9, 2025 — When Chuck Gomez and his wife, Deborah Liddell, bought the long-shuttered Granada Theater in 2017, they weren’t just investing in a building. They were betting on The Dalles’ downtown and its history.

The couple has spent years painstakingly restoring the 1929 Art Deco Moorish landmark, upgrading everything from HVAC systems to sound design, and most recently unveiling a digital marquee that now beams upcoming shows and community messages across East Second Street.

“It’s really not a job, it’s more a passion,” Gomez said, describing how he and his wife view the project as both a business and a community mission2025-10-09 10-05-24.

Tom Peterson, right, and Chuck Gomez show off a couple of favorite albums after talking showmanship, music and how to take the long-shuttered Granada Theatre in The Dalles back to being a hub of entertainment and community involvement. Albums - *The Who Sell Out* and *Jimmy Cliff In Concert.*

From Chicago to The Dalles

A native of Chicago’s South Side and a lifelong musician, Gomez toured with blues and rock greats before moving into theater management. He and Deborah ran the Waseca Theater in Illinois, where they brought in national acts to small-town crowds. A chance conversation with a realtor friend eventually pointed them toward The Dalles, where the Granada had sat dark for nearly a decade under city ownership.

Securing the theater wasn’t easy. City councilors and the Urban Renewal Board hesitated, worried about competition with the city-owned Civic Auditorium. But Gomez argued the town needed a theater district, not a rivalry. Today, the Granada regularly promotes Civic events on its own marquee.

Restoring Every Square Inch

From the start, Gomez approached the Granada as a complete overhaul. “We have literally restored every square inch of the theater,” he said, describing updates that span plumbing, lighting, seating, and stage design2025-10-09 10-05-24.

The work has paid off. The Granada has hosted everything from country legend Ronnie Milsap to comedy shows by John Caparulo, which drew hundreds despite Gomez’s modest expectations. Other productions, like a Liberace–Liza Minnelli tribute dinner theater, brought world-class talent but struggled to find an audience.

“Some shows you think will sell out don’t, and some you’re unsure about blow the doors off,” Gomez admitted, comparing booking to advertising — half works, half doesn’t, but no one knows which half in advance.

A Community Stage

The Granada is more than a concert hall. It hosts library movie nights, fundraisers, and partnerships with local nonprofits like The Dalles Overground, which is holding horror film series this month for ‘Spooktober.’ For Gomez, these events are vital in keeping the venue tied to the community.

He and Deborah even staged their own wedding on the Granada’s opening night in 2017, surprising the audience with a vaudeville-style “grand finale” ceremony. The gesture cemented their place in The Dalles, signaling that they were not outsiders but new stewards of a shared landmark.

Looking Ahead

Gomez says the theater’s mission remains clear: preserve history, support downtown, and bring world-class entertainment to a small-town stage. From his years as a professional saxophonist playing with Santana and Canned Heat, to his hands-on work today changing lightbulbs and cleaning up after sold-out shows, the Granada is his latest performance.

“I live and die for the theater,” Gomez said. “It’s my baby.”