Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1998 - 10

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~lIiO~NI~

hen asked to wlite an article about tlle
tlleatres in Soutllem Califomia, my
first tllOught was "\\11ere do I SlaI1?"
There are hundreds of tlleatres in tlle
area. A breakdown of tlleatres by size reveals
some amazing statistics: fifty-seven large-house
tllealres (500 seats or more), seventy-four medium-house tlleatres (100 to 499 seats) and 141
small houses (99 seats and less). If we add tlle
five dinner tlleatres and tlle seventy independent
theatre companies tllat eitller tour or rent tlleir
peIfonnance spaces, we have a grand total of 34
tlleatres and tlleatre companies, and tllat doesn't
include any of tlle stimulating college and univel'
sity tlleatres and programs!
\\11at a dilenmla! How to choose? \\1tich do
I include? \\11at do I leave out? \\110 will I offend?
Finally, I put myself in tlle place of someone who
has never been to Soutllem Califomia and Iasked
tlle question: \\11at tlleatres would I be interested
in reading about and possibly seeing when I aI'
live in sunny Soutllem Califontia for tlle USITI
Conference & Stage E;xpo in Long Beach? The answer: The big new tlleatres which house state-oftlle-aI1 equipment and schedule world-class
talent; and tlle ItistOlic tlleatres still in use tllat
have been aI'ound since tlle 1920s and '30s; and
tl,e most exciting and aWaI'd-winning tlleatrical
orgaltizations, tl,e not-foI'profit regional tlleau'es.
So here we go-a quick tour to only a few of
Southem California's tlleatre U·easures. And I
apologize in advance tl,at I cOlddn't include mallY
more,
Let's start our joumey with tlle HistOlical
Theau'es. DOWTItOl\ll Los Angeles has its 0\\11
"Broadway Distlict" witll over sixteen former
mOl~e palaces, all \\~th working stages. The lA
COnSelYaIICY runs tours of tllese tlleaU'es on a

WI:-ITER

1998

TD&T

regulal' basis. (For a beautifully-lit tour tll1'ough
tlle Broadway District minus tlle walking, look
tlu'ough Tbe Ltist Remaining Seats, Movie Pa/aces ojTinse/tolVl1 \\~tll photographs by Robet1
Berger and Anne Conser). Unfotllmately most of
tl,ese beautiftd old movie houses aI'e closed dOl'll
or being used for otller commercial purposes.
The Orpheum is tlle oilly one tllat occasionally is
used for live shows or mOl~e screenings.
Luckily tlle tl,eatres in lA's Broadway DisUict aI'en't tlle only ones of ItistOlical interest.
Many beautiful tlleau'es, built in tlle '20s and '30s,
aI'e alive and well. Anyone who has watched tlle
Academy A\vaI'ds in tl,e last few yem'S has seen tlle
Shrine Auditorium. The SllIine auditolium, a
ltistOlic venue in Los Angeles, is listed in tlle National Register of HistOtic Places, is a Los Angeles
HistOlic-Cultural Monument alld is designated a
Los Angeles Area Historic Civil Engineeling L1I1dmaI'k. It was built in 1925-26 at a cost of 2.7
million. Its MorocCaIl-motif aI'cltitecture includes
a dome cupola at each end of tlle building. The
lushly omate auditotium seats about 6,400. It is
tlle headqual1erS of tlle AI Mlikah Temple, a di\~-
sion of tlle Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of tlle
Mystic Shline. Tltis laI'ge and beautiful tlleatre is
home for many ballet and opera companies, as
well as tlle location of tl,e Academy AWaI'ds cel'
emony,
According to Executive Director Mat1in
~1gall, tlle ltistotic Alex TI,eatre, located in
Glendale, is "a grand vaudeville palace \\~tll an
entrance and inteliors to match Cecil B. DeMille
spectacles." TIle Alex has been recognized since
1925 as one of Amelica's most beautiftIi alld vel'
satile tlleau'es. Tllree yem'S ago, tlle 1,460 seat
tlleatre was completely renovated. Amlience
anlenities were enlumced willie aI'CltitecRllw fea-

Rtres \vere preserved. TIle Alex tlleatre's producing organization pro~des its conmlllnity \~tll a
seties of plays aIld musicals each season.
The ItistOlic 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic
Auditorium is revered as one of tlle finest pel'
fomlance halls in tl,e nation. TIle multipurpose
facility was built in 1931, and is home to tl,e
Plinle TIme En1l11Y AWaI'ds, . CP Lmage AWaI'ds
and tl,e Pasadena Symphony. TIle Ci~c also hosts
Broadway musicals, a distinguished speaker selies and special events. Also located in Pasadena
is tlle Pasadena Playhouse, founded in 191
by Gilmor BrOl'll, and tl,e fil'St Anlelican tlleatre
to mount all tlli.I1y-seven ofShakespem'e's plays. It
\vas declal'ed tlle "State Tlleatre of Califomia" by
unanimous vote of tl,e California legislature in
1937, alld reaffirmed in 1978. In 1986, a grand
refurbishing of tlle Pasadena Playhouse gave new
life to tlle seasoned tlleatre and since tllen ninetyeight play and musicals have been produced on
two stages, including twenty-six \'1'est Coast prentieres and twenty-seven world premieres.
The 2,433-seat former \'('aIller Brotl,el'S
Westem, later renalned TIle Wiltem Theatre
(located on tl,e comer of Wilsltire and Westem),
is notable for its "zigzag modem accoutelments.'·
Thanks to a 4.5 million restoration in 1985, tl,e
tlleatre is ~l1l1al1y intact. Opened in 1931 \\itll a
"klieg-lighted spectaculaI'," tlle tlleaU'e was home
to one of tlle laI'gest pipe organs in tlle Uttited
States. Today, tl,e Wiltem is mainly used for music
and ck1l1ce concet1S.
The John Anson Ford Anlphitheatre, a
ItistOlic stl1ICRlre nestled in a paI'k-like setting in
tlle Hollywood Hills, is all intimate outdoor pel'
fOrmallCe site where presentations of music,
dallCe, film alld fanilly prognU11s take place in a
breatlllakingly beautifttl outdoor setting from

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1998