Joy and her husband, Bill Groves, performed in many theatre, television and movie productions. In about 1975 the couple moved from the Los Angeles area to the Morongo Basin. Joy began teaching in the local school district and Bill traveled into LA to perform and also wrote many plays such as Good Night, Sweet Mother.

  Around 1985, the Groves purchased a small log cabin style house on Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley. Bill was already well known for his portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln, and thus, this became the Lincoln Cabin Theatre. The original seating consisted of folding chairs, which were later replaced by old airplane seats and then by used movie theatre seats. The stage was originally where the seating area is today.

  The first show presented in the theatre was Howard Hughes in Hollywood. Spotlighting Bill’s skill portraying Lincoln, he and Joy did a series of shows as President & Mrs. Lincoln, sometimes joined by a cast of other civil war era characters. The theatre garnered much recognition and a number of acting and civic awards as a result.

  In 1996, Bill passed away. Despite this great loss, Joy was determined to continue bringing quality productions to the Morongo Basin. A dedicated group decided to help Joy move the theatre forward. Their efforts included applying for non-profit status and renting a new and larger venue in Yucca Valley, at the corner of Route 62 and Mohawk Trail. This new location was named the Groves Theatre of Americana.

  The “new Groves” started with a civil war era piece, I Love You Virginia. Many other shows were produced such as Steel Magnolias, Shadowbox and Marvin’s Room. Plays written by local playwrights including Kurt Schauppner and Dolores Becker were also performed. After about five years of trying to cover $1,000 per month in rent, the decision was made to move back to the little cabin in Morongo Valley.

   The Groves Cabin Theatre opened in the spring of 2001 at the same location on Desert Willow Trail. The first production was Night Mother, which starred Joy Groves and Vicki Montgomery and was directed by David Lawrence. Shortly after this production, David Lawrence passed away.

  Joy and Vicki Montgomery have continued to run the theatre, which has been very successful. Joy retired from teaching in 2006 and continues to be very active in theatre and the local community.

  Since 2001, the theatre has been nominated for over 70 Desert Theatre League awards. As a result of these nominations, Groves’ actors have won awards in almost every category, including 14 awards in 2003 alone!

Last modified: 10/11/08