Los Angeles Theatre Center

Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, opened as Los Angeles Actors' Theatre in 1975. Its productions, beginning with O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, were noted for their controversial content and presentation, over 200 world, American, and West Coast premières being produced in 10 years. The Theatre Center, a new building opened in 1985, has at its core the Security National Bank building dating from 1916, whose marble walls enclose the Center's Grand Lobby. Occupying eight floors, the complex contains four theatres: the Tom Bradley Theatre, seating 503, an open stage; Theatre Two (296), a proscenium theatre; Theatre Three (323), a thrust stage; and Theatre Four (99), a flexible black box. The Center mounts 14 productions a year, of which over half are world premières, and stages an annual festival of new plays. It also presents new interpretations of classics and numerous co-productions, and is an important training centre.