All about the new Los Angeles Theater Center

posted by Michael Zoldessy on July 24, 2009 at 7:57 am

LOS ANGELES, CA —

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation presents
ALL ABOUT THE NEW LOS ANGELES THEATRE CENTER
plus
CAMEO (1910) & ARCADE (1910) HISTORY PRESENTATION
THIS SATURDAY, July 25
514 S Spring Street (between 5th & 6th)
Doors open: 10:00 am – Program begins: 10:30 am

Why is the LAHTF doing an All About… tour of a multi-theatre facility that is only 25 years-old?
– The New LATC is an adaptive re-use of an historic bank building
– It is a vital component of the Broadway theatre and entertainment district
– It is a non-profit presenter and producer of a wide range of events
– It has much to teach us about presenting great entertainment in the Historic Core

Our hosts are Jose Luis Valenzuela and the Latino Theatre Company. A representative of the New LATC will tell its story. Guided tours of the public and behind-the-scenes spaces will give you a keen appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of operating a not-for-profit entertainment complex in Downtown L.A. Check out: www.thenewlatc.com to learn more about this resource.

CAMEO and ARCADE (PANTAGES) REDUX
Much as we’d like to take you inside, tours of these theatres are simply not feasible at present.
However, Ed Kelsey recently shot some compelling photos of the buildings' historic interior components and will add those to his knock-your-sox-off PowerPoint histories. An exterior walking tour will familiarize you with critical preservation and renovation issues to be addressed in revitalizing these almost 100 year-old gems.

Tony, Tony, Tony = Magic, Magic, Magic
Still glowing from last month’s The Magic of Tony Curtis and the great success y'all brought us and our partners, the Jules Verne Festival. The LAHTF crack AV team posted a couple of pieces on the event to YouTube. The link below is to Haeyong Moon’s piece. Stay with the screen after the piece is over and you can view Don Solosan’s piece as well as the Hidden Layers of the Million Dollar trifecta.
The Show Starts on Broadway [Prelude]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP4ULaePw6M
NEWSFLASH
FAIRFAX in Danger of Demolition!
http://www.parklabreanewsbeverlypress.com/pdf/7.16%20issue.pdf

Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern California’s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.

JUST ADDED:
Alexandria Hotel (1906) Lobby & Ballrooms Tour
With all respect to our friends in Hollywood, in many ways our West Coast movie industry was born at the Alexandria. Cecil B. DeMille, The Warner Brothers, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Lilian Gish and many, many other titans of talent and show business were residents or frequent visitors to this lush hotel. If you’ve never been inside the Alexandria, get ready for a wonderful surprise. We’ll walk through the Lobby of the Alexandria to the Palm Court (and its genuine Tiffany Skylight), upstairs to the 2nd level to see the Music Room and the wildly ornate original Lobby ceiling. Prepare to be amazed.
http://www.thealexandria.net/

The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern California’s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org

Comments (3)

RayKaufman
RayKaufman on July 24, 2009 at 9:35 am

Since this site is about MOVIE theatres either past or present, why is LATC of any relevance. As stated, it was a conversion of a former bank building, into three awkward, steeply raked performance spaces. LAHT is a wonderful organization, but this post is just stretching a bit.

DonSolosan
DonSolosan on July 24, 2009 at 12:08 pm

Did you miss the bit about the presentation on the Cameo and Arcade? We tried to tour them last month, but were unable.

Plus, if you’ve been to the All Abouts at the Mayan or Globe, you know people had to stand during Ed Kelsey’s presentations, which is less than comfortable. The LATC has comfortable seats and is air conditioned. And hey, the future viability of downtown (including the movie theaters) depends on the successes of a broad range of activities. Why take the small view?

MPol
MPol on July 25, 2009 at 10:57 am

WTCRay: What’s so wrong about discussing Anniversary re-releases of great, famous movies? To me, that’s been some of the most entertaining stuff here on CinemaTreasures, as a couple of other posters on here have pointed out.

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