
Fountain Theatre’s outdoor stage
Fountain Theatre
- By Arlene Winnick
At long last some happy theater news! Hollywood’s acclaimed Fountain Theater has been given the green light to erect an outdoor stage in the parking adjacent to the theater. Stephen Sacks, the theatre’s artistic director, said, “Pandemic permitting, we hope to open our first outdoor production by late spring or early summer.” Added Sachs, “the most painful aspect of the past ten month has been the separation from our patrons and the disconnection from our art form.” I couldn’t agree more – though I stream theatrical performances a few times a week, nothing compares to the immediacy and energy of an in-person performance.
The new outdoor performance area will be able to accommodate 50-84 audience members all six feet apart and meeting all Covid-19 and Actor’s Equity rules and safety guidelines. The structure is modular so it can be broken down and stored when it is safe to perform indoors. In the ‘normal’ future Sachs envisions the stage being used again for special performances under the stars.
For three decades the Fountain Theatre has been the creative home for multi-ethnic theater and dance reflecting the rich diversity of Los Angeles. They are also the foremost producer of Flamenco on the West Coast. When asked what the first production would be on the outdoor stage, Sachs would only say that it would be “an exciting LA premiere that dramatizes urgent social issues.”
Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue.