Palm Canyon Theatre

Once Upon a Time… a family from Kentucky who loved theatre and valued education visited the Coachella Valley, and realized, they could bring the joy of live stage productions to the area. Dr. William “Bill” Layne, his wife Sylvia, his son, J.W., and other members of their family submitted the winning proposal to the City of Palm Springs for how to repurpose the historic Frances S. Stevens School with a cultural, nonprofit organization. After extensive tenant renovations, the Palm Canyon Theatre opened its doors in September 1997 with Romberg and Hammerstein’s operetta “The Desert Song.” One of the leading roles was played by none other than Bill and Sylvia’s daughter, Se Layne, who was at the time, a working actress in New York City. It wasn’t long before Se moved to the desert with her family to cultivate the family’s passion in a place they all had grown to love. Se has two children, Wyatt and Ava; they are now the third generation to live and love theatre life at PCT.