Must also say —– the comment above about people who do business at the jewelry mart not noticing the magnificence —– someone in my tour group made a similar remark. I wouldn’t jump to such a conclusion. Perhaps some people don’t notice, but I think people who work there everyday must be aware of the heritage of the building, as anyone who works in an historic building might. I appreciate the fact that theaters that have been used as warehouse or retail space have been preserved at least, and have not been demolished.
Anyway — this was the last theatre we toured yesterday on our Conservancy tour. It was, of course, the hottest day on record in LA, and B'way was quite the place to be when it’s 102 degrees!!!!
It feels very surreal to walk into the jewelry market, and then see the giant torch over the proscenium and realize you’re standing in a theatre. They’ve added a dreadful 70’s or 80’s-ish tivoli light chandelier right in the center of the ceiling, but the wonderful murals are still visible. The decorative plasterwork is all painted white and gold, which I doubt was the original color scheme, but you can still see the wonderful details. They don’t let you take photos inside, due to the sensitivity of the current use.
I took a Conservancy tour yesterday; we ALMOST got inside the Palace!! When we approached the theatre, we noticed that the roll-up gate was up. Our tour group quickly moved into the outer foyer, which was nice, but I spotted the fact that one of the lobby doors was a little bit ajar!! I actually opened it, and as I did a Security officer was there, smiling. I was ready to let our docent talk our way in, but then a gentleman with a bag over his shoulder came up behind me from the sidewalk —– the security officer let him in (he obviously had an appointment), and when our docent asked if we could tour, he first asked if we had an appointment, and when told No, he turned us away. Then she asked if we could remain in the foyer, and he said No again. We took our own sweet time moving out of the foyer, while our docent described what she knew about the theatre.
She said that the 2nd floor windows that overlook the entry foyer were actually the ladies' room, and that in the day, ladies would peer out to check out who was arriving!
It was a disappointment to get so close but not be allowed to enter. It seems a lot of theatre owners resist the Conservancy’s requests. I wish they would allow more access.
That’s a great view, Bway. Actually, two weeks ago I was on the triangular corner where Spring and Main converge, right behind the Orpheum, and you can clearly see the theatre roof.
I took the LA Conservancy tour yesterday, and we saw this theatre. Because I posted a lengthy description above, I will not repeat myself. Only I have to say that our tour group was lucky enough to have the theatre manager present to open the doors, and he gave us a wonderful talk about the organ. It was certainly nice of him to spend his Saturday waiting to let us in; it was even nicer of him to spend some time answering our questions and talking to us.
Yesterday we took the Conservancy theatre tour. It started at the Million Dollar. The lobby with its 50’s re-do is lack-luster – looks like a high school entry, someone said. But once inside the theatre, you see the magnificent decor. The proscenium arch is very interesting with its angled blockwork; almost reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concrete blocks. Yet the organ screens were classically wonderful baroque tours-de-force; scrolls and carved figures and wonderful things, very dark in color. The ceiling is also very dark, but you can see how it’s coffered. The position of the projection booth is interesting —– its at the front of the balcony. Someone mentions this above. I was curious whether it was retro-fitted or original, but our docent didn’t know. She mentioned that the theatre walls were once painted with murals, but that the church that had been here painted them over. All the walls and the ceiling under the balcony were painted with a kind of dull chocolate-milk color paint; I wonder how much color had originally been there.
The fly rail was still there, and it appeared that many of the linesets were still there —– I want to say “in operation” but of course one couldn’t responsibly operate them without checking them for integrity. The original switchboard was visible; I took a photo I will try to post. The stage right wall was interesting; I asked our docent whether this was original or if it had been remodeled. The area behind the flyrail was open, which was unusual; then about 10 feet beyond that the wall rose up and you could see 3 stories (or more) of dressing room corridors, but unlike most theatres, they were open and if one stood in those hallways one could view down to the stage. The building abuts the Grand Central Market, and I wasn’t sure whether some of this was support space for that.
There were still curtains on the stage – a main drape and a valance and a gold lame drape at the back. Very nice.
We didn’t see the ladies room. I probably should have asked to!
The docent also directed our attention to the wonderful carving work on the exterior of the building! There are artist figures in niches, and buffalo heads, and even two long-horn cow-skulls decorating the office building entry! Worth a look for anyone, and you don’t even have to pay for the tour.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Los Angeles, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
We had tickets to the “Rebel Without a Cause” show, but missed it due to another committment. Yesterday, though, we took the Conservancy walking tour, and were lucky enough to get inside the Los Angeles. We happened to be there when the door was open, and our docent quickly spirited us inside! She says that it is difficult to get access to this theatre, so we felt very very lucky.
Because we were “sneaking” in, we didn’t get to explore it at our leisure like Mike did above, but, boy, what we saw was fantastic. The lobby takes your breath away! It’s like Versaillles! We could see the bare brick stage wall through passageways beneath the grand stairway with the fountain, and it was lit, so we went in there. The cleaning crew was vacuuming, and let us look around undisturbed. The decor was magnificent. I only wish my photos of it came out! The front of the stage has little footlight shades along the front that look like shells. I was so busy looking that I didn’t sit in the seats, but my fellow tourists said they were comfortable – I believe they are the original seats. The ceiling has a beautiful dome painted with murals.
We went down to the basement, where there is an incredible oval space, wood-floored, like a ballroom. Then off that was the ladies' room, which is incredible. There is a mirrored ladies' lounge, very opulent, The stalls lead off that; they are completely enclosed, floor-to-ceiling walls, not booths; each with its own detailed door. The room with the sink was tiled – I got a photo I will try to post. The most amazing thing was the downstairs nursery, with painted walls and ceiling designed to evoke a circus tent; the walls were decorated with murals of circus dancers and carousels and animals like monkeys, parrots, and peacocks.
We had to hustle out — there was a general sense of urgency to avoid being locked in by the roll gates. But it felt like a real stroke of luck to get inside.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
We had tickets to the “Rebel Without a Cause” show, but missed it due to another committment. Yesterday, though, we took the Conservancy walking tour, and were lucky enough to get inside the Los Angeles. We happened to be there when the door was open, and our docent quickly spirited us inside! She says that it is difficult to get access to this theatre, so we felt very very lucky.
Because we were “sneaking” in, we didn’t get to explore it at our leisure like Mike did above, but, boy, what we saw was fantastic. The lobby takes your breath away! It’s like Versaillles! We could see the bare brick stage wall through passageways beneath the grand stairway with the fountain, and it was lit, so we went in there. The cleaning crew was vacuuming, and let us look around undisturbed. The decor was magnificent. I only wish my photos of it came out! The front of the stage has little footlight shades along the front that look like shells. I was so busy looking that I didn’t sit in the seats, but my fellow tourists said they were comfortable – I believe they are the original seats. The ceiling has a beautiful dome painted with murals.
We went down to the basement, where there is an incredible oval space, wood-floored, like a ballroom. Then off that was the ladies' room, which is incredible. There is a mirrored ladies' lounge, very opulent, The stalls lead off that; they are completely enclosed, floor-to-ceiling walls, not booths; each with its own detailed door. The room with the sink was tiled – I got a photo I will try to post. The most amazing thing was the downstairs nursery, with painted walls and ceiling designed to evoke a circus tent; the walls were decorated with murals of circus dancers and carousels and animals like monkeys, parrots, and peacocks.
We had to hustle out — there was a general sense of urgency to avoid being locked in by the roll gates. But it felt like a real stroke of luck to get inside.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I took a Conservancy tour of this theatre yesterday. The owner of the electronics store nicely let us go back into the auditorium, which is being used as a storage room.
The space was not in bad shape. The walls were painted a salmon color, much soiled, of course, and very dark. The decorative pilasters were a greenish color. The scones and plaster ornament still held the traces of gold. The theatre features a coffered ceiling, and a skylight our docent called a lunette? Or moonlight something? that had been painted over, probably during WWII, she guessed. The whole ceiling was black, whether from paint or dirt I’m not sure. As someone said above, this theatre has no balcony.
The screen was still up – it appears to have been hung in front of the proscenium, I guess to provide the right proportion for modern films. Our docent had a blow-up of a colored postcard that showed the original proscenium. We couldn’t get on the stage at all.
It was a lovely, understated classical space, not opulent at all, but very charming.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Los Angeles, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I took a walking tour with the LA Conservancy yesterday, and the docent took us inside the Arcade, behind the electronics store. The store owner was very nice to let our group go back there.
The space was filled with merchandise, so it was a little hard to see. We were cautioned to keep to the aisle, which was steeply raked; our docent’s flashlight showed clearly that there were hole and pits in the concrete where the seats had been removed, very dangerous to step in. Some of these holes were probably outlets to a ventilation plenum beneath the seats, others were places where seat hardware had been removed.
The space was quite narrow. There was a ramp up to the stage level, and it was obvious by the way the ramp was contoured that there was a footlight trough along the front of the stage – you could kind of see it beyond the ramp beneath the stuff stored there. The proscenium was a gilded frame. Turning to face the auditorium from the stage you could see painted garlands along the front of the balcony. I think the walls were painted red; they were really peeling a lot, and there seemed to be a lot of water damage. The merchandise stored on the stage was protected by plastic sheeting suspended over it, so apparently the stage roof leaks. There was still a red velour valance hung, and a couple of battens, one that was actually fallen down. There was so much stuff stored in the room, piled up so high that it was really difficult to see much more.
Very few of my photos came out, sadly. It was really amazing to see this theatre.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Cameo, the Los Angeles, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I played the Fox a couple of times with touring shows. One of the interesting things about the house is that – in addition to the usual route of climbing up through the public areas and balcony – access to the projection/spotlight booth can be had by taking the dressing room elevator up and entering the top part of the auditorium in front of the stage left side of the proscenium. There is a walkway around the top of the auditorium —– I guess it provides access to the indirect lighting. Anyway – you can walk all around the top of the auditorium, behind the decorative plaster, and get to the booth via that walkway.
Makes it a lot quicker and easier to get to your position by show-time, but also, it’s awesome to be able to be that close to the chandelier and dome, and survey the entire auditorium from that vantage point!
We attended the “Last Remaining Seats” event last night, which featured Judy Garland an James Mason in “A Star is Born.” The theatre itself is just a gem, so beautiful. The balcony, where we sat for the film, is quite steeply raked. There are 3 “opera boxes” on either side of the house, reminding me very much of the Orpheum in Memphis, TN. The boxes are accessible from the balcony or from a stairway from the orchestra level. For the event, there was a performance at the organ, which was just wonderful. It was great to sit in the opera box right below the organ pipes and watch/hear them operate. The valance over the main drape as well as those over the organ screens appear to be the original fabric, while the main drape appears new. There are two lighting trusses hung in front of the stage, but they are fortunately high enough to not be too instrusive. There is a balcony-rail lighting position installed that obscures the decoration along the balcony front.
The lobby is in beautiful shape, although there are oddly shaped upholstered banquettes that (although fun) must not be original to the theatre. The upper level of the balcony is also very nice. I assume the carpet is a reproduction, but it’s nicely done. The chandeliers in the auditorium and in the lobby are functioning and nicely restored.
As an event space, the Orpheum is very versatile. The auditorium is lovely, the lobby is spacious, and the foyer is quite nice. The enclosed box office was in use for the event. Adjacent to the lobby is a larger room that housed a bar/concession stand, but was also large enough to serve as a reception area. This room is not ornate, but rather plain-vanilla. There is a lounge space on the basement lower level, all dark wood and tile, with a fireplace and furnishings. There is a well-equipped bar off this space. The lower level ladies' room has been recently updated; lots of stalls and well-functioning.
For the film showing, I am curious whether the projectors were original to the theatre, or brought in. One machine had problems with focus and with the audio. In general, the sound was pretty bad, at least for us in the balcony. There is a modern-looking center cluster hung in front of the stage. I don’t know if this is a “house” system or brought in for the event, but it was not adequate. Also, when the program began with introductory remarks, the speaker’s voice came only through two side speakers, and was almost inaudible in the balcony. Again, I don’t know whether these arrangements were made just for this event or whether this is the usual house set-up.
Still, you have to give the Conservancy a lot of credit for doing this. All in all, a wonderful night.
While vacationing in Kauai we saw the premiere of “Fahrenheit 9/11” in this theatre. It’s basically a big wood-frame hall. This is a charming theatre with a real sense of community, very laid-back. I think there are couches (yes, old couches) in some parts of the seating area. There are stores nearby, but the area is very rural-feeling and village-like.
Hi. NBolmer, I might suggest that you concentrate your own efforts on programming (i.e., getting films booked) and do an RFP to get a partner or contractor to deal with the food and concessions stuff. Unless your area of expertise is in food; in that case, hire out a programmer/film person to do the programming.
Your staffing costs should include your technical staff – your projectionist and other technical staff, and your building maintenance staff. You should also think about, in addition to your business staff, your marketing and development staff. I would suggest at some point finding some professionals who can handle your fundraising.
Unless you plan to have your film programming going on year-round and at a sustainable level, you should hire someone to do rental booking. Whenever your programming is dark, you can rent your building to concert promoters, meetings, weddings, etc. You can make money from rental, labor (marked up!) and from percentages on your catering.
Depending on your business plan, there are lots of opportunties for your to get revenue that will help sustain the programming that is your passion. Feel free to email me if you wish – I am in the venue management business, and can refer you to others who might have more advice.
Congratulations! I wish you the best of luck. I’m in the field of entertainment venue management; if you ever have a question, feel free to email me.
I am curious, however, why you are shunning grants and non-profit status. What limitations to your control are you trying to avoid? Having been in the non-profit arts field for years, I am not aware of any such limitations that might hinder you as long as you have a clear mission for your theatre and a supportive board. If you have not already done so, you might want to check out the Center for Non-Profit Management, which is an organization that educates people in how to run a non-profit (classes, seminars, publications, etc.)
I visited the webpage for the theatre linked on the cinematreaures site. This is truly a beautiful theatre – you’re a lucky person!
I look forward to hearing more about your project on the site. This is truly wonderful news.
While this theatre was still known as the Entermedia, it was a house for Off-Broadway theatre performances, particularly those that were Broadway try-out shows. It was the debut house for “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” (1977) and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” (1982)
Here is a link from the Lortel Archives, a database for Off-Broadway:
I don’t want to mislead people into thinking I don’t find some aspect of the idea intriguing, I was just remarking on my naive caller, and my speculation that the article brought him out of the woodwork.
I would imagine that live-streaming concerts could be done relatively easy at any concert venue, and it would likely work where the filming and streaming would take place in whatever venue a band is already booked in. The equipment is relatively compact; all you’d need is the connection.
If this really happens, it will be really interesting to see how it works economically. Certainly the venues would be right there among the parties getting a take of the profits.
(My caller was so clueless I didn’t even get into breaking the news to him that we’d of course take a cut, just like all venues do when an event is filmed, taped, or broadcast).
I work at a multi-purpose public auditorium (not a movie theatre). This is interesting to find this article on the day after I received a call from someone claiming to represent Yahoo, inquiring about renting my hall for a full year in order to stream live performances over the internet.
My initial feeling was that the caller was ill-informed about the venue-management business in general, and the concert business in particular. First, he seemed surprised that we are typically booked a year in advance. And second, his plan was that the live performances in my venue would occur “whenever a band happens to hit town.” No apparent understanding of how a tour is scheduled, the idea of regional exclusivity for an appearance being standard in performers' contracts, the expense and time required to set up a performance, and apparently unconcerned that such a plan would leave a facility empty many days and unable to generate income.
I get a lot of rental inquiries, some of them from knowledgeable professionals and some from naive amateurs, but this one really had me scratching my head.
This fellow must have been motivated by the article into calling around, however lamely he went about it.
When I played Boston with a show in the early 80’s, we played the Wilbur, which isn’t featured here (I guess it never played films), which is just next door to the Wang.
The stagehands I worked with told me a funny story about a guy who was an opera enthusiast, and every season when the Metropolitan Opera played Boston at the (then) Metropolitan, he would show up and mingle with the very large crew of stagehands, and work setting up the show. This must have been the 60’s or 70’s or earlier. He did this for years, and because the crew was so large, no one ever questioned him. Finally one day the guys were all hanging out talking and someone mentioned what they were planning to do with their paycheck. “Paycheck?‘ said the guy. "Paycheck?? You guys get paid for this?”
I don’t know whether this story is true or just a tall tale, but my friends called this guy the “phantom of the opera”, because it turned out he was on nobody’s radar screen. He had been working backstage at the Met tour for years, but no one (employer, etc.) knew he was there.
There is a building on the south side of Wilshire that looks very much like this. It has a verticle sign, and IIRC the sign sais “Bruin.” Next time I’m in that area I’ll double check and post again.
Helene Stapinski’s book “Five Finger Discount” has a great description of her childhood experiences attending shows at the Stanley and the Loew’s. Worth a read.
I worked for the Roundabout Theatre in the 70’s in this building. The theatre originally had a lower seating section in the front, and a more steeply raked seating section that was raised behind it. One entered the theatre from the lobby into the aisle that separated these two seating sections. The theatre had built a stage floor over the entire front seating section, from scaffolding. Theatre patrons sat in the raked seating section, and the stage was huge, covering the entire lower seating section. A grid of pipes was suspended from the ceiling to hang stage lighting and other scenic effects. The large stage, and the flexibility of the production space made it a wonderful venue not only for theatre, but also for dance.
All the controls for the theatre’s lights and sound were located in the projection booth, which at that time no longer held any projection equipment. I do remember once during a show my co-workers and I were talking loudly and laughing in the booth, and a patron knocked on the booth door to tell us to shut up!
The Roundabout Theatre Company at that time was financially shaky, and when I worked there, my co-workers and I were asked to work several weeks without pay, and were promised payment in full once the theatre had sold it’s next year’s subscriptions. That proved to be a broken promise, but by that time, many of us were owed a large sum of money, and felt that we should hang on to recover it. Other workers cut their loses and quit.
At one point, the theatre company rented the theatre to a charity who wanted to stage a benefit performance. Jacqueline Onassis was the benefit chair. The performance night was a Friday, and coincided with a payday where we were —– yet again — not paid.
By that time, so many people had quit that I found myself in the position of Head Electrician. When management yet again failed to come up with our paychecks, I went to the office and told them that I would disconnect the stage lighting power, and since I was the only one who knew how to hook it up, the benefit would not go on.
They paid me in full, and the benefit went on. However, that was my last day working for the Roundabout Theatre Company!
Although I am ever mindful of the need to perserve our historical theatres, I am somewhat amused by the posts here that describe the Bardavon as having an enormous stage and having “catacombs” to get lost in. In the ‘80’s I toured with Broadway bus and truck shows, and played the Bardavon several times. Although these shows are designed to play almost anywhere, and casts and stage scenery were reduced to the barest minimum in order to move in, perform, and move out in a single day, the Bardavon stands out as one of the smallest stages we ever shoe-horned our shows into. The stage was too shallow to permit the actors to crossover inside the building —– we had to re-block several scenes to accommodate this.
I lived in Batavia as a child between 1963 and 1968 — There was no functioning theatre there during those years. I can’t recall a building that might have once been a theatre either. Any ideas?
Must also say —– the comment above about people who do business at the jewelry mart not noticing the magnificence —– someone in my tour group made a similar remark. I wouldn’t jump to such a conclusion. Perhaps some people don’t notice, but I think people who work there everyday must be aware of the heritage of the building, as anyone who works in an historic building might. I appreciate the fact that theaters that have been used as warehouse or retail space have been preserved at least, and have not been demolished.
Can someone fix the width of this?
Anyway — this was the last theatre we toured yesterday on our Conservancy tour. It was, of course, the hottest day on record in LA, and B'way was quite the place to be when it’s 102 degrees!!!!
It feels very surreal to walk into the jewelry market, and then see the giant torch over the proscenium and realize you’re standing in a theatre. They’ve added a dreadful 70’s or 80’s-ish tivoli light chandelier right in the center of the ceiling, but the wonderful murals are still visible. The decorative plasterwork is all painted white and gold, which I doubt was the original color scheme, but you can still see the wonderful details. They don’t let you take photos inside, due to the sensitivity of the current use.
Wonderful place!!
I took a Conservancy tour yesterday; we ALMOST got inside the Palace!! When we approached the theatre, we noticed that the roll-up gate was up. Our tour group quickly moved into the outer foyer, which was nice, but I spotted the fact that one of the lobby doors was a little bit ajar!! I actually opened it, and as I did a Security officer was there, smiling. I was ready to let our docent talk our way in, but then a gentleman with a bag over his shoulder came up behind me from the sidewalk —– the security officer let him in (he obviously had an appointment), and when our docent asked if we could tour, he first asked if we had an appointment, and when told No, he turned us away. Then she asked if we could remain in the foyer, and he said No again. We took our own sweet time moving out of the foyer, while our docent described what she knew about the theatre.
She said that the 2nd floor windows that overlook the entry foyer were actually the ladies' room, and that in the day, ladies would peer out to check out who was arriving!
It was a disappointment to get so close but not be allowed to enter. It seems a lot of theatre owners resist the Conservancy’s requests. I wish they would allow more access.
That’s a great view, Bway. Actually, two weeks ago I was on the triangular corner where Spring and Main converge, right behind the Orpheum, and you can clearly see the theatre roof.
I took the LA Conservancy tour yesterday, and we saw this theatre. Because I posted a lengthy description above, I will not repeat myself. Only I have to say that our tour group was lucky enough to have the theatre manager present to open the doors, and he gave us a wonderful talk about the organ. It was certainly nice of him to spend his Saturday waiting to let us in; it was even nicer of him to spend some time answering our questions and talking to us.
Yesterday we took the Conservancy theatre tour. It started at the Million Dollar. The lobby with its 50’s re-do is lack-luster – looks like a high school entry, someone said. But once inside the theatre, you see the magnificent decor. The proscenium arch is very interesting with its angled blockwork; almost reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concrete blocks. Yet the organ screens were classically wonderful baroque tours-de-force; scrolls and carved figures and wonderful things, very dark in color. The ceiling is also very dark, but you can see how it’s coffered. The position of the projection booth is interesting —– its at the front of the balcony. Someone mentions this above. I was curious whether it was retro-fitted or original, but our docent didn’t know. She mentioned that the theatre walls were once painted with murals, but that the church that had been here painted them over. All the walls and the ceiling under the balcony were painted with a kind of dull chocolate-milk color paint; I wonder how much color had originally been there.
The fly rail was still there, and it appeared that many of the linesets were still there —– I want to say “in operation” but of course one couldn’t responsibly operate them without checking them for integrity. The original switchboard was visible; I took a photo I will try to post. The stage right wall was interesting; I asked our docent whether this was original or if it had been remodeled. The area behind the flyrail was open, which was unusual; then about 10 feet beyond that the wall rose up and you could see 3 stories (or more) of dressing room corridors, but unlike most theatres, they were open and if one stood in those hallways one could view down to the stage. The building abuts the Grand Central Market, and I wasn’t sure whether some of this was support space for that.
There were still curtains on the stage – a main drape and a valance and a gold lame drape at the back. Very nice.
We didn’t see the ladies room. I probably should have asked to!
The docent also directed our attention to the wonderful carving work on the exterior of the building! There are artist figures in niches, and buffalo heads, and even two long-horn cow-skulls decorating the office building entry! Worth a look for anyone, and you don’t even have to pay for the tour.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Los Angeles, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
We had tickets to the “Rebel Without a Cause” show, but missed it due to another committment. Yesterday, though, we took the Conservancy walking tour, and were lucky enough to get inside the Los Angeles. We happened to be there when the door was open, and our docent quickly spirited us inside! She says that it is difficult to get access to this theatre, so we felt very very lucky.
Because we were “sneaking” in, we didn’t get to explore it at our leisure like Mike did above, but, boy, what we saw was fantastic. The lobby takes your breath away! It’s like Versaillles! We could see the bare brick stage wall through passageways beneath the grand stairway with the fountain, and it was lit, so we went in there. The cleaning crew was vacuuming, and let us look around undisturbed. The decor was magnificent. I only wish my photos of it came out! The front of the stage has little footlight shades along the front that look like shells. I was so busy looking that I didn’t sit in the seats, but my fellow tourists said they were comfortable – I believe they are the original seats. The ceiling has a beautiful dome painted with murals.
We went down to the basement, where there is an incredible oval space, wood-floored, like a ballroom. Then off that was the ladies' room, which is incredible. There is a mirrored ladies' lounge, very opulent, The stalls lead off that; they are completely enclosed, floor-to-ceiling walls, not booths; each with its own detailed door. The room with the sink was tiled – I got a photo I will try to post. The most amazing thing was the downstairs nursery, with painted walls and ceiling designed to evoke a circus tent; the walls were decorated with murals of circus dancers and carousels and animals like monkeys, parrots, and peacocks.
We had to hustle out — there was a general sense of urgency to avoid being locked in by the roll gates. But it felt like a real stroke of luck to get inside.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
We had tickets to the “Rebel Without a Cause” show, but missed it due to another committment. Yesterday, though, we took the Conservancy walking tour, and were lucky enough to get inside the Los Angeles. We happened to be there when the door was open, and our docent quickly spirited us inside! She says that it is difficult to get access to this theatre, so we felt very very lucky.
Because we were “sneaking” in, we didn’t get to explore it at our leisure like Mike did above, but, boy, what we saw was fantastic. The lobby takes your breath away! It’s like Versaillles! We could see the bare brick stage wall through passageways beneath the grand stairway with the fountain, and it was lit, so we went in there. The cleaning crew was vacuuming, and let us look around undisturbed. The decor was magnificent. I only wish my photos of it came out! The front of the stage has little footlight shades along the front that look like shells. I was so busy looking that I didn’t sit in the seats, but my fellow tourists said they were comfortable – I believe they are the original seats. The ceiling has a beautiful dome painted with murals.
We went down to the basement, where there is an incredible oval space, wood-floored, like a ballroom. Then off that was the ladies' room, which is incredible. There is a mirrored ladies' lounge, very opulent, The stalls lead off that; they are completely enclosed, floor-to-ceiling walls, not booths; each with its own detailed door. The room with the sink was tiled – I got a photo I will try to post. The most amazing thing was the downstairs nursery, with painted walls and ceiling designed to evoke a circus tent; the walls were decorated with murals of circus dancers and carousels and animals like monkeys, parrots, and peacocks.
We had to hustle out — there was a general sense of urgency to avoid being locked in by the roll gates. But it felt like a real stroke of luck to get inside.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Cameo, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I took a Conservancy tour of this theatre yesterday. The owner of the electronics store nicely let us go back into the auditorium, which is being used as a storage room.
The space was not in bad shape. The walls were painted a salmon color, much soiled, of course, and very dark. The decorative pilasters were a greenish color. The scones and plaster ornament still held the traces of gold. The theatre features a coffered ceiling, and a skylight our docent called a lunette? Or moonlight something? that had been painted over, probably during WWII, she guessed. The whole ceiling was black, whether from paint or dirt I’m not sure. As someone said above, this theatre has no balcony.
The screen was still up – it appears to have been hung in front of the proscenium, I guess to provide the right proportion for modern films. Our docent had a blow-up of a colored postcard that showed the original proscenium. We couldn’t get on the stage at all.
It was a lovely, understated classical space, not opulent at all, but very charming.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Arcade, the Los Angeles, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I took a walking tour with the LA Conservancy yesterday, and the docent took us inside the Arcade, behind the electronics store. The store owner was very nice to let our group go back there.
The space was filled with merchandise, so it was a little hard to see. We were cautioned to keep to the aisle, which was steeply raked; our docent’s flashlight showed clearly that there were hole and pits in the concrete where the seats had been removed, very dangerous to step in. Some of these holes were probably outlets to a ventilation plenum beneath the seats, others were places where seat hardware had been removed.
The space was quite narrow. There was a ramp up to the stage level, and it was obvious by the way the ramp was contoured that there was a footlight trough along the front of the stage – you could kind of see it beyond the ramp beneath the stuff stored there. The proscenium was a gilded frame. Turning to face the auditorium from the stage you could see painted garlands along the front of the balcony. I think the walls were painted red; they were really peeling a lot, and there seemed to be a lot of water damage. The merchandise stored on the stage was protected by plastic sheeting suspended over it, so apparently the stage roof leaks. There was still a red velour valance hung, and a couple of battens, one that was actually fallen down. There was so much stuff stored in the room, piled up so high that it was really difficult to see much more.
Very few of my photos came out, sadly. It was really amazing to see this theatre.
The tour was definately worth taking; I want to take it again. I advise anyone taking the tour to bring a good flashlight with new batteries, and if you can figure out how to take photos in low light, please do so. We also saw the Cameo, the Los Angeles, the Million Dollar, the Warner and the Orpheum. We came tantalizingly close to sneaking into the Palace, too! Will update those theatre pages.
I played the Fox a couple of times with touring shows. One of the interesting things about the house is that – in addition to the usual route of climbing up through the public areas and balcony – access to the projection/spotlight booth can be had by taking the dressing room elevator up and entering the top part of the auditorium in front of the stage left side of the proscenium. There is a walkway around the top of the auditorium —– I guess it provides access to the indirect lighting. Anyway – you can walk all around the top of the auditorium, behind the decorative plaster, and get to the booth via that walkway.
Makes it a lot quicker and easier to get to your position by show-time, but also, it’s awesome to be able to be that close to the chandelier and dome, and survey the entire auditorium from that vantage point!
We attended the “Last Remaining Seats” event last night, which featured Judy Garland an James Mason in “A Star is Born.” The theatre itself is just a gem, so beautiful. The balcony, where we sat for the film, is quite steeply raked. There are 3 “opera boxes” on either side of the house, reminding me very much of the Orpheum in Memphis, TN. The boxes are accessible from the balcony or from a stairway from the orchestra level. For the event, there was a performance at the organ, which was just wonderful. It was great to sit in the opera box right below the organ pipes and watch/hear them operate. The valance over the main drape as well as those over the organ screens appear to be the original fabric, while the main drape appears new. There are two lighting trusses hung in front of the stage, but they are fortunately high enough to not be too instrusive. There is a balcony-rail lighting position installed that obscures the decoration along the balcony front.
The lobby is in beautiful shape, although there are oddly shaped upholstered banquettes that (although fun) must not be original to the theatre. The upper level of the balcony is also very nice. I assume the carpet is a reproduction, but it’s nicely done. The chandeliers in the auditorium and in the lobby are functioning and nicely restored.
As an event space, the Orpheum is very versatile. The auditorium is lovely, the lobby is spacious, and the foyer is quite nice. The enclosed box office was in use for the event. Adjacent to the lobby is a larger room that housed a bar/concession stand, but was also large enough to serve as a reception area. This room is not ornate, but rather plain-vanilla. There is a lounge space on the basement lower level, all dark wood and tile, with a fireplace and furnishings. There is a well-equipped bar off this space. The lower level ladies' room has been recently updated; lots of stalls and well-functioning.
For the film showing, I am curious whether the projectors were original to the theatre, or brought in. One machine had problems with focus and with the audio. In general, the sound was pretty bad, at least for us in the balcony. There is a modern-looking center cluster hung in front of the stage. I don’t know if this is a “house” system or brought in for the event, but it was not adequate. Also, when the program began with introductory remarks, the speaker’s voice came only through two side speakers, and was almost inaudible in the balcony. Again, I don’t know whether these arrangements were made just for this event or whether this is the usual house set-up.
Still, you have to give the Conservancy a lot of credit for doing this. All in all, a wonderful night.
There is another theatre called the Kilauea Theatre on Kauai.
There is a photo at this site, if you scroll all the way down to “Kilauea.” (NOTE: you will pass the entry for the Kilauea Theatre listed here)
http://www.cinematour.com/theatres/us/HI/1.html
While vacationing in Kauai we saw the premiere of “Fahrenheit 9/11” in this theatre. It’s basically a big wood-frame hall. This is a charming theatre with a real sense of community, very laid-back. I think there are couches (yes, old couches) in some parts of the seating area. There are stores nearby, but the area is very rural-feeling and village-like.
Hi. NBolmer, I might suggest that you concentrate your own efforts on programming (i.e., getting films booked) and do an RFP to get a partner or contractor to deal with the food and concessions stuff. Unless your area of expertise is in food; in that case, hire out a programmer/film person to do the programming.
Your staffing costs should include your technical staff – your projectionist and other technical staff, and your building maintenance staff. You should also think about, in addition to your business staff, your marketing and development staff. I would suggest at some point finding some professionals who can handle your fundraising.
Unless you plan to have your film programming going on year-round and at a sustainable level, you should hire someone to do rental booking. Whenever your programming is dark, you can rent your building to concert promoters, meetings, weddings, etc. You can make money from rental, labor (marked up!) and from percentages on your catering.
Depending on your business plan, there are lots of opportunties for your to get revenue that will help sustain the programming that is your passion. Feel free to email me if you wish – I am in the venue management business, and can refer you to others who might have more advice.
Congratulations! I wish you the best of luck. I’m in the field of entertainment venue management; if you ever have a question, feel free to email me.
I am curious, however, why you are shunning grants and non-profit status. What limitations to your control are you trying to avoid? Having been in the non-profit arts field for years, I am not aware of any such limitations that might hinder you as long as you have a clear mission for your theatre and a supportive board. If you have not already done so, you might want to check out the Center for Non-Profit Management, which is an organization that educates people in how to run a non-profit (classes, seminars, publications, etc.)
I visited the webpage for the theatre linked on the cinematreaures site. This is truly a beautiful theatre – you’re a lucky person!
I look forward to hearing more about your project on the site. This is truly wonderful news.
While this theatre was still known as the Entermedia, it was a house for Off-Broadway theatre performances, particularly those that were Broadway try-out shows. It was the debut house for “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” (1977) and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” (1982)
Here is a link from the Lortel Archives, a database for Off-Broadway:
View link
It has a note saying the theatre was also known as the Stuyvesant, the Phoenix, and the Eden.
I don’t want to mislead people into thinking I don’t find some aspect of the idea intriguing, I was just remarking on my naive caller, and my speculation that the article brought him out of the woodwork.
I would imagine that live-streaming concerts could be done relatively easy at any concert venue, and it would likely work where the filming and streaming would take place in whatever venue a band is already booked in. The equipment is relatively compact; all you’d need is the connection.
If this really happens, it will be really interesting to see how it works economically. Certainly the venues would be right there among the parties getting a take of the profits.
(My caller was so clueless I didn’t even get into breaking the news to him that we’d of course take a cut, just like all venues do when an event is filmed, taped, or broadcast).
I work at a multi-purpose public auditorium (not a movie theatre). This is interesting to find this article on the day after I received a call from someone claiming to represent Yahoo, inquiring about renting my hall for a full year in order to stream live performances over the internet.
My initial feeling was that the caller was ill-informed about the venue-management business in general, and the concert business in particular. First, he seemed surprised that we are typically booked a year in advance. And second, his plan was that the live performances in my venue would occur “whenever a band happens to hit town.” No apparent understanding of how a tour is scheduled, the idea of regional exclusivity for an appearance being standard in performers' contracts, the expense and time required to set up a performance, and apparently unconcerned that such a plan would leave a facility empty many days and unable to generate income.
I get a lot of rental inquiries, some of them from knowledgeable professionals and some from naive amateurs, but this one really had me scratching my head.
This fellow must have been motivated by the article into calling around, however lamely he went about it.
When I played Boston with a show in the early 80’s, we played the Wilbur, which isn’t featured here (I guess it never played films), which is just next door to the Wang.
The stagehands I worked with told me a funny story about a guy who was an opera enthusiast, and every season when the Metropolitan Opera played Boston at the (then) Metropolitan, he would show up and mingle with the very large crew of stagehands, and work setting up the show. This must have been the 60’s or 70’s or earlier. He did this for years, and because the crew was so large, no one ever questioned him. Finally one day the guys were all hanging out talking and someone mentioned what they were planning to do with their paycheck. “Paycheck?‘ said the guy. "Paycheck?? You guys get paid for this?”
I don’t know whether this story is true or just a tall tale, but my friends called this guy the “phantom of the opera”, because it turned out he was on nobody’s radar screen. He had been working backstage at the Met tour for years, but no one (employer, etc.) knew he was there.
There is a building on the south side of Wilshire that looks very much like this. It has a verticle sign, and IIRC the sign sais “Bruin.” Next time I’m in that area I’ll double check and post again.
Helene Stapinski’s book “Five Finger Discount” has a great description of her childhood experiences attending shows at the Stanley and the Loew’s. Worth a read.
The Fillmore East was a couple of blocks south of this theatre.
I worked for the Roundabout Theatre in the 70’s in this building. The theatre originally had a lower seating section in the front, and a more steeply raked seating section that was raised behind it. One entered the theatre from the lobby into the aisle that separated these two seating sections. The theatre had built a stage floor over the entire front seating section, from scaffolding. Theatre patrons sat in the raked seating section, and the stage was huge, covering the entire lower seating section. A grid of pipes was suspended from the ceiling to hang stage lighting and other scenic effects. The large stage, and the flexibility of the production space made it a wonderful venue not only for theatre, but also for dance.
All the controls for the theatre’s lights and sound were located in the projection booth, which at that time no longer held any projection equipment. I do remember once during a show my co-workers and I were talking loudly and laughing in the booth, and a patron knocked on the booth door to tell us to shut up!
The Roundabout Theatre Company at that time was financially shaky, and when I worked there, my co-workers and I were asked to work several weeks without pay, and were promised payment in full once the theatre had sold it’s next year’s subscriptions. That proved to be a broken promise, but by that time, many of us were owed a large sum of money, and felt that we should hang on to recover it. Other workers cut their loses and quit.
At one point, the theatre company rented the theatre to a charity who wanted to stage a benefit performance. Jacqueline Onassis was the benefit chair. The performance night was a Friday, and coincided with a payday where we were —– yet again — not paid.
By that time, so many people had quit that I found myself in the position of Head Electrician. When management yet again failed to come up with our paychecks, I went to the office and told them that I would disconnect the stage lighting power, and since I was the only one who knew how to hook it up, the benefit would not go on.
They paid me in full, and the benefit went on. However, that was my last day working for the Roundabout Theatre Company!
Thanks for those great photos, Christian!
Although I am ever mindful of the need to perserve our historical theatres, I am somewhat amused by the posts here that describe the Bardavon as having an enormous stage and having “catacombs” to get lost in. In the ‘80’s I toured with Broadway bus and truck shows, and played the Bardavon several times. Although these shows are designed to play almost anywhere, and casts and stage scenery were reduced to the barest minimum in order to move in, perform, and move out in a single day, the Bardavon stands out as one of the smallest stages we ever shoe-horned our shows into. The stage was too shallow to permit the actors to crossover inside the building —– we had to re-block several scenes to accommodate this.
I lived in Batavia as a child between 1963 and 1968 — There was no functioning theatre there during those years. I can’t recall a building that might have once been a theatre either. Any ideas?