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| Taper Forum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Taper Forum |
| Address | 135 N Grand Ave |
| City | Los Angeles, California |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | The Music Center |
| Capacity | 745 |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Architect | William Pereira |
| Type | Proscenium theatre |
Taper Forum is a proscenium theatre in Los Angeles, California, located within The Music Center complex adjacent to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. The venue has hosted a broad range of dramatic premieres, festival presentations, and artist residencies that have connected notable figures from theatre, film, television, and music such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, August Wilson, David Mamet, Ellen Burstyn, Meryl Streep, and James Earl Jones. Its operations intersect with institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Geffen Playhouse, and the Center Theatre Group.
The theatre opened in 1967 as part of the postwar expansion that included projects by architects like William Pereira and patrons such as Armand Hammer and Dorothy Chandler, linking civic initiatives with philanthropic foundations including the Ahmanson Foundation and the Wells Fargo philanthropic network. Early seasons featured works by dramatists Edward Albee, Lanford Wilson, Harold Pinter, and Sam Shepard, and collaborations with producers associated with Lincoln Center, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre (London), and the Public Theater. The venue survived budgetary debates involving the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, cultural policy disputes reminiscent of those surrounding the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts), and programming shifts like those at the Kennedy Center and Ford's Theatre as municipal arts funding models evolved. Over decades, the space hosted touring companies from the Royal National Theatre, residencies by companies such as Shakespeare Theatre Company, and premieres that later transferred to Broadway houses including the Winter Garden Theatre and Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Designed in the modernist vocabulary of William Pereira, the building reflects mid‑20th‑century civic aesthetics connected to projects like the Transamerica Pyramid and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (original campus). The interior bears comparison to intimate stages such as the Julliard Drama Division black box variants and the proscenium proportions of Studio 54 and earlier houses like The Old Vic. Technical specifications include sightline engineering influenced by practices from the Sovacool Auditorium tradition and acoustical treatments comparable to those used by I.M. Pei in concert halls. Renovations mirrored trends championed by theaters like the Royal Opera House and the Bolshoi Theatre in balancing historic fabric with modern lighting grids, fly systems, and audience amenities—initiatives often coordinated with firms linked to the Getty Foundation and preservation guidelines similar to those administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Programming at the venue has ranged from world premieres to revivals, experimental theatre, and cross-disciplinary presentations involving artists from Bob Dylan and Philip Glass to companies like Cirque du Soleil and ensembles connected with the American Conservatory Theater and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. The calendar has featured festival collaborations with Los Angeles Film Festival, interdisciplinary series like those at The Broad Stage, and community initiatives paralleling outreach by LAUSD arts programs and partnerships with organizations such as Inner-City Arts and Skirball Cultural Center. Notable production transfers have gone on to institutions like Broadway houses, Off-Broadway companies, and touring circuits associated with Nederlander Organization, Shubert Organization, and Jujamcyn Theaters.
The venue has presented performances by celebrated actors and directors including Laurence Olivier (touring engagements), Stella Adler-trained performers, and screen-to-stage artists like Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Helen Mirren, and Viola Davis. Playwrights whose premieres or workshops have appeared include August Wilson, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, David Mamet, Tennessee Williams, and Neil Simon. Musical and interdisciplinary artists presented or associated with the stage include Philip Glass, John Adams (composer), Yo-Yo Ma, Linda Ronstadt, and choreographers with ties to Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. Directors linked to productions here include Peter Brook, Mike Nichols, George C. Wolfe, Julie Taymor, and Sam Mendes.
Critics from publications such as the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Variety (magazine), Los Angeles Weekly, and Time (magazine) have reviewed premieres and revivals at the venue, situating its contributions within debates comparable to those around the NEA controversies and cultural debates involving the Metropolitan Opera. The theatre's role in launching works that reached Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners, and Obie-recognized productions has made it a node connecting Los Angeles to New York theatrical ecosystems like Broadway and Off-Broadway. Its community programs and artist residencies have engaged with civic partners including California Arts Council initiatives and university theatre departments at UCLA, USC School of Dramatic Arts, and CalArts, influencing generations of performers and creators who later worked in film and television at studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Netflix.
Category:Theatres in Los Angeles