April 1 -- In an end befitting the twists and turns of a Byzantine drama, the Loretta Theater has mysteriously vanished from the city’s performing arts stage before the curtain ever rose.

Once touted as the Santa Monica’s premiere outlet for quality theater, the non-profit venue was approved by the Santa Monica City Council in August, 1997 amid protests from the neighbors. It received the final go-ahead from the California Coastal Commission in February, 1998.

But after all the sound and fury that ushered in its entrance, the theater’s end came silently.

"The previous tenant who was intending to do a theater decided not to go forward with it," said Abby Sher, owner of the Frank Gehry-designed Edgemar complex on Main Street where the theater would have been located. "I’m in negotiations with another theater operator who presents an equally exciting prospect. It will be two months before we’re certain."

The phone at the Loretta Theater’s office in Venice was no longer in service Thursday.

The company, whose board included Academy-Award winning actress Holly Hunter, Academy Award-nominee Ed Harris and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Beth Henley, would have included a 99-seat and a 65-seat venue in cavernous 8,000-square-foot space.