By Jim Berg
The opening and dedication of the El Portal Theater at Lankershim Thursday night is another evidence of the progressive spirit of the San Fernando Valley. The show house, which is one of the finest to be found outside of the metropolitan area, was erected at a cost of approximately $250,000. Blarney, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, and a select company of Chinese actors and actresses assisted by a Chinese jazz orchestra were featured.
Van Nuys News, October 5, 1926
Nearly 68 years after the initial opening, another opening was scheduled for the El Portal Theater. The movie palace that was a source of civic pride for the entire San Fernando Valley in 1926 was once again on the verge of becoming a cultural centerpiece. After nearly a year of work, the gala opening of two shows in the newly renovated El Portal theatre was planned for February 5. The Northridge earthquake on January 17 succeeded in postponing the opening, but hasn’t stopped it.
The El Portal was built in 1926 in the style of the grand movie palaces of the time. It was at the very beginning of the motion picture era, when silent movies shared space with traveling vaudeville shows. The El Portal not only has a projection room and an organ loft that served the silent pictures, but it also has a stage (including a trap door), an orchestra pit, dressing rooms, a lighting grid, backdrops, and a fire curtain –everything required to put on a large, live-theatre production.
Actors Alley, a small theatre company that has been producing live theatre in the Valley for over twenty years, acquired the lease to the El Portal Theatre in March of 1993. The goal of Actors Alley is to create the Valley’s only regional theatre producing professional theatre at prevailing union wages.
Two accomplishments paved the way for Actors Alley to achieve its goal: obtaining funding from the Community Redevelopment Agency and negotiating an unprecedented contract with Actors’ Equity, the theatre union. The funding obtained from the CRA was a particularly noteworthy accomplishment in light of the very negative experience the CRA had in funding the Los Angeles Theatre Center downtown, which lost millions of dollars. Bob Caine, Managing Director of Actors Alley and the business genius behind the company, obtained a $200,000 loan and a matching grant of $50,000. The contract with Actors’ Equity enables the theatre to grow gradually, over a period of five years, into a professional, paid, Equity venue. This contract is unique because it allows Actors Alley to alternate between 99 and 199 seats in its main-stage theatre. Since compensation to actors is determined by the number of seats in a theatre, mixing small and large productions in a season reduces costs.
Once the funding was obtained and the contracts signed, construction inside the El Portal began. In the vast expanse of the El Portal’s auditorium (1,250 seats prior to renovation), two stages were constructed: a 199-seat main stage and a 99-seat theatre-in-the-round. The construction came under the direction of Terry Evans, who pulled off a minor miracle in his own right, constructing not only two stages, but also a third, workshop stage in one of the storefronts facing Lankershim (Actors Alley’s Christmas show was performed in this space), thus creating a mini theatre complex under extreme budget constraints. The architect for the project is Dick McCann, noted theatre architect who oversaw the renovation of the Pasadena Playhouse and, more recently, the renovation of the Alex Theatre in Glendale.
After nearly a year of work, the theatre was almost ready for its gala opening when the earthquake struck. In a matter of minutes, all the work that had been accomplished threatened to be for nought.
“The theatre was damaged by the earthquake when the ceiling inside the auditorium fell,” says Dick McCann, project architect. “Damage to the theatre itself was restricted to the falling of the ceiling and related injury to walls, electrical piping, and duct work attached to the ceiling.” The auditorium itself sustained no structural damage. Overbuilt even by 1920s standards, the El Portal’s auditorium is described by Terry Evans as “a reinforced concrete bunker. Los Angeles will be in Marin county before the El Portal falls down.”
The ceiling above the auditorium was a suspended ceiling and, as was the custom in the 1920s, insulated with asbestos. During the earthquake, approximately two thirds of the ceiling collapsed into the auditorium, kicking up a toxic cloud of asbestos dust. The new construction inside the auditorium remains intact, but until the asbestos is cleaned up, no work can be done in the theatre.
Additional damage was sustained by the structure fronting the theatre on Lankershim boulevard. This is a separate, though attached, structure that received significant damage to unreinforced masonry walls. The owners of the El Portal are responsible for the repair of this part of the building, which had recently under-gone “earthquaking” (structural reinforcing in order to bring the building up to code). Shortly after the quake, the owners expressed optimism about their ability to repair the damage.
“Our original, long term plan for renovation included extensive repairs and upgrades to the El Portal structure,” says Bob Caine. “The damage caused by the earthquake has not changed our plans, but it has accelerated them.” Originally, the plan was to completely renovate the theatre over five to six years, including the removal of asbestos. Now that work is moved up to one year and the asbestos must he removed immediately. Current estimates are running at about $275,000 just to clean up the asbestos, and Actors Alley is looking at a cost of over a million dollars to complete the renovation that has been hastened by the earthquake. The greater challenge lies not in the physical work that must be done in a year, but in the fundraising. Money that was to be raised over five years for an operating theatre must now be raised in one year for a theatre that still isn’t operating. Despite this daunting task, Bob Caine says, “Everybody involved is still very enthusiastic about this project and we intend to explore every opportunity and seek as much financial assistance as possible to complete this theater.”
Meanwhile, Actors Alley has two shows that must go on. “Acting is about performing and we absolutely intend to perform these works,” says Jeremiah Morris, Artistic Director. “All the actors have worked hard in helping with the theater renovation and with the production of these plays. All we need is a new venue.”
In the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake there was great concern about the impact that this would have on the budding NoHo Arts District. Despite this concern, the prevailing reaction of the creative community is to build. Truly committed artists have no other choice. They are, by definition, creators, and they will create regardless of the circumstances. It is the creative community that puts NoHo in a particularly strong position for recovery after the earthquake. Actors Alley is demonstrating this by going on with the renovation and going on with the show.
Other Theatres Affected
Actors Alley in the El Portal was not the only theatre company to be seriously affected by the earthquake. The American Renegade Theatre received serious damage to stage one, the theatre’s main stage. Knockin ’em Dead, the Renegade’s mainstage show, has been moved to the West End Playhouse in Van Nuys. The Renegade’s second stage, however, received very little damage, delaying the opening of The Pen to February 5. My Secret Place, which appeared on the Renegade’s second stage every Tuesday night, has moved to Eagles Coffee Pub and Newsstand. It is not known when the Renegade’s stage one will be open again. Call the Ameri-can Renegade Theatre at (818) 763-4430 for more information.
NoHo Studios also received some damage to its building and was closed temporarily. After a thorough inspection, the building has been deemed to be safe and is now open. Due to the closure, Artists Confronting AIDS’ critically acclaimed Theatre at Three series has moved temporarily to the Limelight Playhouse. For further information, call (818) 990-2324.
While small theatres often operate under less than ideal circumstances, the earthquake certainly made things much more difficult. FEMA does not offer any aid to theatres harmed by the earthquake. Now is an important time to support your local theatre. The simplest way is by attending. Beyond that, any help is greatly appreciated.