By Frank McDonough
‘Theater… is a cure, a nurturer against what’s wrong in society…” says David Cox, co-founder and artistic director of the American Renegade Theater, “…I think people are starting to recognize that.” He also thinks that plays with strong and topical messages can help bring an ailing community like Los Angeles together. This strong belief that community and theater are inexorably linked runs contrary to the popular notion of artists as lone islands of creativity in a sea of ignorance and indifference. It has been his strong belief in community theater mutualism that has lead him to organize the Valley Theatre League, and to become one of the major motivators for the creation of the NoHo Arts District here in North Hollywood.
David co-founded the American Renegade Theater on Magnolia Blvd. in October of 1991. The building was a mortuary in the distant past, and is said to be haunted by the ghost of comedian Lou Costello. Before becoming the American Renegade Theatre, it had been occupied by another acting company (The L.A. Art Theater) that had failed to bring the theater up to code. Three months of work and $45,000 were needed to bring the theater into compliance with the new stricter codes for small theaters. David credits his building nature for his perseverance in opening the Renegade. He is not a total stranger to this type of work, having started a small playhouse in Vermont early on in his career.
The Renegade opened with a presentation of William Ingest “Picnic” in the 86 seat main theater, and a series of one act plays in the experimental 49 seat theater. The reviews, though not glowing, were good, and the theater has been progressing solidly ever since. The company started with some 40 actors and has now grown to include more than 100. Thirty of that number are interns — nonprofessionals who show significant talent in the theater arts. They audition for a spot on the intern roster and then after 6 months with the company have to re-audition in order to become full-fledged members. The current crop of interns is a varied mix of people reflecting the community, including a few high school students and a former gang member. Even though the Renegade is a professional theater, David feels that through it he has experienced a profound sense of community which has led to other projects.
David decided to organize the Valley Theater League because “The Valley had all this wonderful theater but they were all independent — the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.” He sent letters describing his proposal to 27 theaters in the Valley – 24 of which joined to form the League.
The League serves its members through mailing lists, mutual advertising, and an awards ceremony. The latter is being planned as a peoples choice award for best play, best actor, best director, and other categories. Ballots for the awards will be sent to all audience members who fill out mailing cards at League theaters.
Listening, growing, and watching a group of intelligent people work together are cited by David as some of many benefits he has received from his involvement in the Valley Theater League. The NoHo Arts District, which David has recently been championing, is a natural extension of that same spirit.
“NoHo is boundaryless” says David. Although its physical boundaries are roughly Burbank Blvd. to the north, Camarillo Blvd. to the south, Cahuenga to the east and Tujunga Blvd. to the west, it’s not a postal zone — it’s an arts district, a sort of trade zone for artists. Like other more officially recognized trade zones such as the produce district here in L.A. or the garment district in New York, David hopes it will be recognized by Los Angeles as an area unto its own. David sees a future where people, having just come from the NoHo Redline station, will walk down Lankershim and have a choice of going to as many as 30 theaters. Boutiques, art galleries, and coifehouses also crowd his envisioned NoHo of the future.
According to David there are good reasons why the NoHo district will probably be a success. It’s centrally located in the Valley at the intersection of the Hollywood and Ventura freeways. Being a depressed area rents are cheap, allowing non-profit and low-profit enterprises (i.e. small theaters and galleries) to exist here. It’s also close to one of the main centers of the movie industry — Universal City and because of that proximity many actors and other creative people working in the film industry populate the immediate area. This combination of creative people, central location, and low rents creates a situation in David’s words, loaded with potential.”
Support for the NoHo Arts District is growing_ The Universal City-North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recognized the arts district at a meeting held last December. The city of Los Angeles is squarely behind the project. The Community Redevelopment Agency and the Metro Transit Authority back it. Adolfo Nodal. general manager of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Departments, and community arts director Earl F. Sherburn have been very supportive. Also voicing their support are Los Angeles City Council members John Ferraro and Joel Wachs.
Though David has been instrumental in formulating the idea of NoHol he is quick to point out that it’s now building because it was the right move, a lot of people have put time and effort into it, I don’t want to take all the credit.” Indeed momentum is high. June 19th and 20th will see the first annual NoHo Arts Festival. It will be held at the Academy Plaza on the corner of Lankershim and Magnolia. There will be dance, music performances, and art exhibits from six NoHo area schools. Over 100 booths will house artisans and their wares. Another 10-20 booths will have ethnic food as well as cuisine from the local coffeehouses. In addition, seven theaters in the area will be offering free admission to over 33 different plays over the course of the festival. The opening ceremonies boast many stellar and political invitee’s, including the mayor and city council.
Commenting on the future again David remarked. “In ten years… instead of people talking about off Broadway’ I want them to talk about ‘off-Lankershim.'”