El Centro Theatre

El Centro Theatre is a performing-arts venue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Its history is closely associated with the development of small-scale theatrical production in postwar Los Angeles. The institution began in 1946 when a group of UCLA students, including William Schallert, Jerry Epstein, Kathleen Freeman, Sid Rushak, and Sydney Earle Chaplin, moved beyond productions staged in a private living room and established a permanent venue in a converted corner grocery store at Waring and El Centro Avenue. They named the organization The Circle, or the Circle Theatre. The group's first production in the new space was Ethan Frome. The building was in poor condition and had to be cleaned and adapted for theatrical use, with lighting work coordinated by Bob Burns and assisted by Jack Kelly. The early Circle Theatre became part of an emerging Los Angeles theater culture that differed from the city's earlier reliance on talent showcases and touring productions. Its repertory soon included William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life and Love on the Dole. Saroyan also provided the group with Sam's Ego House, helping give the venue visibility among established writers and performers. The theater's early social and artistic circle included figures such as Charlie Chaplin, Edward G. Robinson, and Mrs. Clifford Odets; Chaplin also made props available for one production. The present building has an earlier history. Constructed in 1915, it was among Hollywood's early silent-film theaters. After later use as an auto shop, it was taken over by the Circle Theatre and converted for use as a second-stage theater. During the 1950s and 1960s, George Boroff ran the venue and sent several productions onward to Broadway. In 1955, Rachel Rosenthal established the experimental Instant Theatre there, adding an avant-garde dimension to the building's identity. The venue changed hands and names repeatedly from the mid-1960s onward. It hosted a succession of small theater companies and was known at different times as The Cast under Ted Schmitt and the Theatre District under Macario Gaxiola. Ted Schmitt took over the space in 1976. It eventually became known as El Centro Theatre, while another part of its history is represented by the name Chaplin Stage. In 2012, actor James Roday and theater and screen director Matt Shakman became co-owners. They acquired the property for $800,000 with the Red Dog Squadron theater company, seeking to preserve it after a proposal emerged to convert the space into a tango parlor. Renovation efforts were subsequently unsuccessful. In an August 2018 newsletter, Red Dog Squadron announced that the theater had been resold earlier that year. The available reference material does not establish the venue's present owner, operating company, programming schedule, or current operating status.

El Centro Theatre's institutional history begins in 1946 with a group of UCLA students who were producing theater outside the established commercial circuit. After a successful presentation of Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine in a friend's living room, William Schallert, Jerry Epstein, Kathleen Freeman, Sid Rushak, Sydney Earle Chaplin, and associates moved into a more permanent location: a disused corner grocery store at Waring and El Centro Avenue in Hollywood. The group named the venue The Circle, also commonly referred to as the Circle Theatre. The first production in the converted space was Ethan Frome. Before performances could begin, the participants had to clean and repair the dilapidated building and turn it into a functional theater. Bob Burns coordinated the lighting conversion with assistance from Jack Kelly. The venue's informal atmosphere was part of its early identity, with practical improvisation and comic behavior accompanying the productions. Its second production was William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life, followed by Love on the Dole. Saroyan later sent the group his script Sam's Ego House, and the theater attracted visits from Saroyan, Mrs. Clifford Odets, and Edward G. Robinson. Charlie Chaplin attended a production and permitted the company to use his props. The building itself predates the Circle Theatre. It was constructed in 1915 and was used as one of Hollywood's early silent-picture theaters. After a subsequent period as an automobile repair shop, it was reclaimed by the Circle Theatre and adapted as a second-stage space. This layered history—cinema, commercial workshop, and live theater—became a defining feature of the venue. During the 1950s and 1960s, George Boroff operated the theater. Productions developed there were significant enough that several moved on to Broadway. In 1955, Rachel Rosenthal founded the experimental Instant Theatre in the space, linking the building to Los Angeles's developing experimental and performance-art scene. The venue changed hands during the mid-1960s and continued to host numerous small theater companies. Ted Schmitt assumed control in 1976, and the theater was known as The Cast during his supervision. Later management brought further changes in identity. Under Macario Gaxiola, the venue became known as the Theatre District. It eventually adopted the name El Centro Theatre, while the building's connection with its earlier history is also reflected in the name Chaplin Stage. The repeated renamings reflect the venue's use by different operators and companies rather than a single uninterrupted corporate brand. In 2012, James Roday and Matt Shakman purchased the theater with the Red Dog Squadron company. The reported purchase price was $800,000. Their intervention followed a proposal to turn the building into a tango parlor, and the acquisition was presented as an effort to retain the property for theatrical use. Renovation work did not succeed as planned. Red Dog Squadron stated in an August 2018 newsletter that the theater had been sold again earlier that year. Available reference material does not identify the subsequent owner, confirm a continuing resident company, or establish whether the venue remains active.

• 2018

  The theater is resold

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Red Dog Squadron reported that the venue had been resold earlier in the year following unsuccessful renovation efforts.

• 2012

  Red Dog Squadron-affiliated ownership acquisition

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  James Roday and Matt Shakman became co-owners and purchased the venue for $800,000 to keep it from being converted into a tango parlor.

• 1976

  Ted Schmitt takes over the space

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Ted Schmitt assumed control of the theater, which operated under the name The Cast during his supervision.

• 1955

  Rachel Rosenthal establishes Instant Theatre

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Rachel Rosenthal created the experimental Instant Theatre in the building, expanding its association with nontraditional performance.

• 1946

  The Circle Theatre is established

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  UCLA students moved from living-room performances into a converted grocery store at Waring and El Centro Avenue and established The Circle, later known as the Circle Theatre.

• 1946

  Ethan Frome opens in the new venue

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Ethan Frome became the first play presented in the group's newly converted theater space.

• 1915

  Original theater building constructed

  [1]El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The building that later became associated with El Centro Theatre was constructed as one of Hollywood's early silent-picture theaters.

A historic, independent Hollywood theater venue associated with intimate, experimental, repertory, and small-company stage production.

• Performing arts · 1946

  Live theater productions

  The venue's primary offering has been live stage performance, particularly intimate dramatic productions presented by resident, independent, and visiting theater companies. Its early repertory included Ethan Frome, The Time of Your Life, and Love on the Dole.

• Performing arts · 1955

  Experimental theater

  The building has also supported experimental and unconventional performance. Rachel Rosenthal's Instant Theatre operated there from 1955, giving the venue a documented connection with Los Angeles's avant-garde theater activity.

• Venue

  Second-stage theater space

  After its earlier use as a silent-film theater and auto shop, the building was converted for use as a second-stage theater. The space has consequently functioned as a flexible home for smaller companies and productions rather than as a large commercial auditorium.

• 2018

  Resale after unsuccessful renovationsM&A

  Background

  Renovation efforts undertaken after the 2012 acquisition did not succeed.

  Action taken

  Red Dog Squadron announced that the theater had been resold earlier in 2018.

  Aftermath

  The subsequent owner and the venue's continuing operating status are not identified in the available reference material.

  Source

• 2012

  Purchase to preserve the theaterM&A

  Background

  The building faced a proposal to be converted into a tango parlor, creating a preservation concern for theater users.

  Action taken

  James Roday and Matt Shakman, together with the Red Dog Squadron theater company, purchased the property for $800,000.

  Aftermath

  The attempted renovation program was unsuccessful, and Red Dog Squadron later reported that the theater had been resold in early 2018.

  Purchase price. $800,000 (2012 acquisition)

  Source

1. 1El Centro Theatreen.wikipedia.org