The Fountain Theatre with artist’s rendering by Matthew Hill of the proposed stage and seating area (Photo – fountaintheatre.com)
The Fountain Theatre at 5060 Fountain Avenue in the East Hollywood area (a short 20-minute drive from Pasadena) has obtained approval from the City of L.A. to install an outdoor stage and seating in its parking lot, with live performances hopefully starting by late Spring or early Summer.
By News Desk
The new performance area will seat audiences of 50-84, with seven rows of chairs, each six feet apart, as well as 12 high-top tables positioned six feet apart for use by patrons from the same “bubble” households. Of course, every aspect of the outdoor performance area will meet COVID-19 safety guidelines.
According to the Fountain artistic director, Stephen Sachs, “The most painful aspect of the past ten months has been the separation from our patrons and the disconnection from our art form. Until our indoor theater reopens, the outdoor stage will be a thrilling performance venue and a hub for our educational and community engagement programs.”
Various generous patrons of the theater provided part of the funds enabling hungry theater lovers to anxiously await the performances. The mission of the Fountain Theatre is to create, develop and publicly produce plays that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles, to serve young people through educational outreach programs, and to enhance the lives of the public with community engagement activities, and the theater has earned acclaim and admiration nationwide, has been honored with more than 200 awards for artistic excellence and is a leader in the L.A. theater community.
Tribute to Ed Krieger
Meanwhile, The Fountain Theater is producing virtual events, including “L.A. Theatre Pays Tribute to Ed Krieger,” a virtual memorial for longtime theater photographer Ed Krieger, on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 at 2:00 pm.
Krieger passed away on December 16, 2020. Sachs lamented his loss with this acknowledgment:
The Los Angeles theater community has lost a dear friend. For decades, through the lens of his camera, Ed chronicled the production history of local stages throughout Southern California.
Krieger’s production stills captured the essence of live performance at The Fountain Theatre as well as the Skylight Theatre, Boston Court Pasadena, El Portal, Laguna Playhouse, Rubicon Theatre, Downey Civic Light Opera, Ford Amphitheatre, Hollywood Bowl and many more. His images appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and ColoradoBoulevard.net.
The tribute is scheduled to run 90 minutes and will include a slideshow of Ed’s photos as well as live and pre-recorded testimonials by members of the L.A. theater community. (To register to attend the event and to upload photos and/or testimonials go to this link).
Edited by Carol Edger Germain
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