| Pasadena Playhouse | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | 39 S. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of El Molino Ave Pasadena, California |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1924 |
| Architect: | Elmer Grey A. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Dwight Gibbs Cyril Bennett |
| Architectural style(s): | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | November 11, 1975 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 75000435 |
| Governing body: | Pasadena Playhouse State Theatre of California, Inc. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. |
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Pasadena, California. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Contents |
History
The Playhouse's history began in 1917 when actor/director Gilmor Brown began producing a season of plays at an old burlesque house he called the Savoy. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease) The community theatre organization quickly grew to prominence and in 1925, the citizens of Pasadena raised funds to build an extraordinary theatre in the heart of the city. WikiProject {{{1}}} The definition of Community Theatre differs in the US from the UK Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was known originally and for the first few decades of its existence as the Pasadena Community Playhouse. Its community theatre (ie: non-professional) beginnings and the tremendous amount of local support led George Bernard Shaw to dub Pasadena “the Athens of the West. George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's ”
Designed by Elmer Grey (whose notable credits include most of the California Institute of Technology campus and Polytechnic School) and built by the Winter Construction Co. The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena (also noted for Sid Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre and Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood), the theatre drew the attention of the nation; bringing Southern California world premieres by authors such as Eugene O’Neill, William Saroyan, Noel Coward, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Tennessee Williams. Sidney Patrick Grauman ( March 17, 1879 Indianapolis Indiana &ndash March 5, 1950) Beverly Hills California was an This article is about a genre of US movie theaters For the original 1922 Hollywood movie palace that inspired the genre - see Grauman's Egyptian Theatre Egyptian-style Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theatre located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16 1888–November 27 1953 was a Nobel -prize winning American playwright William Saroyan ( August 31, 1908 - May 18 1981) was an Armenian American Author. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24 1896 – December 21 1940 was an American writer of Novels and Short stories, whose works are evocative of the Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical The Playhouse was declared the State Theatre of California in 1937 after the remarkable achievement of having performed the entire Shakespeare canon for the first time in this country. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. William Shakespeare ( baptised
A school of theatre arts was established in the late 1920s that became an accredited college by 1937 (known informally in Hollywood as the “Star Factory”), eventually training such notable talents as Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Raymond Burr, Sally Struthers, Victor Mature, Jamie Farr, Charles Bronson, and others. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is a two-time Academy Award -winning American actor and author Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist Raymond William Stacey Burr ( May 21, 1917 &ndash September 12, 1993) was a Canadian Emmy -winning Actor and Sally-Ann Struthers (born July 28, 1948) is a two-time Emmy-winning American actress and Spokesperson, known for her roles in Sitcoms Victor Mature ( 29 January 1913 – 4 August 1999) was an American Film actor. Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934) is an American television and Film Actor and popular Game show Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, Lithuanian name Karolis Bučinskis, November 3, 1921 – August 30, During the school years, the Playhouse was constantly abuzz with activity having as many as five independent stages in operation at any given time, making the Pasadena Playhouse the single most prolific theatrical producing organization in the world.
The varied staging capabilities offered by its five venues led the Playhouse to become of the first companies in history to experiment with new theatrical forms such as theatre-in-the-round. Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any Theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area This experimentation took on a new dimension when the Playhouse built and operated one of the first television stations in Southern California. In addition to training the Air Force to use television and radio equipment, the Pasadena Playhouse supplied the majority of Southern California’s early TV stations with the first trained technicians in the business.
Upon the death of founding director Gilmor Brown, changes in Actors Equity Association laws, and the opening of drama departments in many schools and universities across the country the theatre went bankrupt in 1969 and was reopened again in 1985, since then it has grown into prominence again as one of the most respected theatrical organizations in the nation. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The Actors' Equity Association (AEA commonly referred to as Actors' Equity Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)
The Pasadena Playhouse Today
Today, Pasadena Playhouse is under the guidance of Sheldon Epps, whose mission of cultural and theatrical diversity has brought new life to the theatre, as is reflected in the performance seasons and extensive outreach programming. The Playhouse is currently a nonprofit, LORT-B designated regional theatre, and produces six plays annually on its mainstage. The theatre serves its community through partnerships with local schools and social service organizations, providing workshops and performances as a part of their regular curriculum. Development of new theatrical work is encouraged through the Hothouse at the Playhouse reading series, which presents a regular season of works in progress by local writers.
It is also important to the Pasadena Playhouse to maintain strong ties with the local artistic community, and each Mainstage season features at least one co-production or theatrical collaboration as well as permanently playing host to resident artists, such as the Furious Theatre Company, who perform a regular season of plays in the new Carrie Hamilton Theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse. This text is from the Furious Theatre Company website Reprinted with permission Carrie Hamilton ( December 5, 1963 in New York City – January 20, 2002, in Los Angeles) was an American
Mission
As one of the great institutions of the American theatre since 1917, the Pasadena Playhouse remains committed to the development and presentation of a culturally diverse variety of theatrical productions at the highest level of artistry. By cultivating and utilizing the unique resources inherent in our greater community, the Pasadena Playhouse will preserve and amplify the powerful voice of theatre, assuring its vitality for generations to come.
Educational Programming
In order to engage audiences that are representative of the diversity of this community, Pasadena Playhouse develops and presents ongoing outreach and educational efforts to schools, students of all ages, teachers, artists, community organizations, persons with disabilities, and low-income residents. The goals of these programs are to:
- Ensure that live theatre is available to new audiences and reduce barriers to participation;
- Deepen the experience of attending the Playhouse, for all ages;
- Make theatre arts an integral part of education in the Pasadena Unified School District and other schools in the area
Over the past four years, Pasadena Playhouse has deepened its commitment to engaging underserved audiences through a significant expansion of free and low-cost programs that are easily accessible, address educational needs, and are family-friendly. The Pasadena Unified School District is a Unified school district that is responsible for the schools of Pasadena, California.
- New Generations - This program reaches economically, emotionally, and developmentally challenged teens as well as those recovering from substance abuse, through partnerships with social service organizations. These participants are largely first time theatre attendees and are all students/young adults with real and/or perceived barriers to participation in the arts. The program gives these young men and women an immersive theatre experience that includes workshops, writing assignments and a chance to build a relationship with a mentor from the theatre. It promotes the idea that participants do have access to the arts and that they are valuable members of society with the right to not only experience art in all of its forms, but the right to experience it the same way as adults and those from other strata of society. A generous grant from the James Irvine Foundation in 2006 enabled this program to effectively triple its constituency to 2,500, while deepening the immersive experience the program provides through enabling regular interaction with professional artists every Thursday evening. The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic Nonprofit organization established to benefit the people of California.
- Children's Theatre Season - This program provides an introduction to the theatre arts by presenting interactive and education-based productions of the highest quality for a target audience of 3 to 10 years in the Carrie Hamilton Theatre. Carrie Hamilton ( December 5, 1963 in New York City – January 20, 2002, in Los Angeles) was an American Children’s Theatre plays a major role in the Playhouse’s commitment to providing the highest level of artistic excellence for audiences of every age and in every way possible.
- Allies in Art - This program is a classroom based initiative that provides, in addition to Playhouse field-trips, teaching artists to travel to local classrooms and provide follow-up lessons on theatre visits or lead performing arts workshops. These workshops help local schools with small arts budgets meet state mandated educational content standards.
- Student Matinees - This program brings students from around Los Angeles County to the Playhouse for mainstage productions as well as talkbacks with the artists and provides supplemental educational materials for pre and post performance classroom instruction. Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. In 2008 this program will expand to include more student performances and reach an even larger base of schools and students across the region.
- Internships – Pasadena Playhouse regularly offers up to twelve internships annually for high-school and college-level students interested in pursuing careers in the theatre or nonprofit management. Participants gain valuable real-world experience at one of the nation’s most prominent theatrical venues, working alongside master artists and professional management staff.
Artistic Director
Sheldon Epps conceived and directed the Duke Ellington musical Play On!, which received three Tony Award nominations and was produced at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, where it received four Jefferson Awards including Best Musical. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented The Goodman Theatre is a Theater in Chicago 's Loop, and part of Chicago theatre. The Pasadena Playhouse production was taped by PBS for broadcast as part of the Great Performances series. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the He also conceived and directed the highly acclaimed musical revue, Blues in the Night. " Blues in the Night " is a popular song which has become a Pop standard and can certainly be considered part of the Great American Songbook The Broadway production was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards, and ran for over a year on the West End before being broadcast in Europe by Thames Television. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The Laurence Olivier Award is regarded as the most prestigious award in British theatre and is presented in recognition of artistic achievement in London theatre West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" Thames Television was a licencee of the British ITV television network covering London and parts of the surrounding counties Mr. Epps was a co-founder of the off-Broadway theater, The Production Company, where he staged the world premier of Scenes and Revelations, which he also directed on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 50th Street in midtown Manhattan. Mr. Epps had directed plays and musicals for many of the country's major theatres including the Guthrie, the Old Globe Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Crossroads Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Arizona Theatre Company and Coconut Grove Playhouse. The Old Globe Theatre, located in San Diego, California, produces about 15 plays and Musicals annually including Shakespeare, in summer and The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC is a theater club in Manhattan, New York. Seattle Repertory Theatre is a Tony Award winning regional theatre located in the heart of Seattle, Washington, USA at the Seattle Center. Playwrights Horizons is a Not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American The Cleveland Play House is a regional theater company and also the name of a theater complex in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio. The Arizona Theatre Company is a professional regional theatre company operating in both Tucson and Phoenix Arizona. The Coconut Grove Playhouse is a legitimate theater in Miami Florida, United States He directed the world premier of Blue at the Arena Stage Theatre, which was also produced off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre. The Roundabout Theatre Company is the largest Non-profit theatre company based in New York City. Following a record-breaking production at Pasadena Playhouse, Blue was produced across the country on a six month national tour.
For television he has directed episodes of Frasier, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Out of Practice, Joey, Less than Perfect, In Laws, Veronica's Closet, What I Like About You, Evening Shade, Sister, Sister and many others, as well as several pilots. Frasier is an American sitcom, a Spin-off of Cheers starring Kelsey Grammer as Friends was an Everybody Loves Raymond is an Emmy Award -winning American Television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13 Out of Practice is a short-lived American Situation comedy Television series that originally aired on CBS from September 19, Veronica's Closet is a Sitcom which aired on NBC from September 25 1997 to June 27 2000. Evening Shade is an American Comedy Television series which aired on CBS from 1990 to 1994 For five seasons he was also producer/director for the hit series Girlfriends. Girlfriends is a popular American sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000 on He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC is an independent national labor union established in 1959 representing theatrical directors and Mr. Epps is a two-time recipient of the Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust Naitonal Theatre Artists Residency Grant, which supported his four-year tenure at the Old Globe Theatre as Associate Artistic Director. Theatre Communications Group (TCG is an organization dedicated to the promotion of non-profit professional theatre in the United States The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent nonprofit and Nongovernmental organization, founded in 1948 Mr. Epps was pleased to join Pasadena Playhouse as Artistic Director in 1997. His directing credits at the Playhouse include As Bees in Honey Drown, Blue, Play On!, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Old Settler, The Real Thing, On Borrowed Time, Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting, Blues in the Night, Purlie (a co-production with the Goodman Theatre), Fences, and RAY CHARLES LIVE! - A New Musical. Under his leadership, Pasadena Playhouse has once again become one of the premiere theatres in the country and has established a reputation for outstanding productions distinguishing themselves in their artistic excellence and theatrical diversity.
Notable Alumni
- Dana Andrews
- Eve Arden
- Charles Bronson
- Raymond Burr
- Victor Jory
- Gene Hackman
- Dustin Hoffman
- William Holden
- Mako
- Victor Mature
- Eleanor Parker
- Robert Preston
- George Reeves
- Barbara Rush
- Sally Struthers
- Randolph Scott
- Gloria Stuart
- Gig Young
- Robert Young
External links
- Pasadena Playhouse official website
- Pasadena Playhouse blog
- Pasadena Playhouse MySpace page
- Pasadena Playhouse Alumni & Associates
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