Inspires, Empowers, and Serves

The Shakespeare Center Campaign

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles has launched a multi-year campaign to transform its existing building into a 299-seat multimedia theater and storytelling performance space that will include a workforce training center and an arts education facility dedicated to youth, military veterans and underserved communities in Los Angeles. This capital improvement project and creative placemaking initiative will connect our community to world-class theater productions, meaningful arts employment opportunities, and vital education programs.

The SCLA has occupied its evolving facility since 2000 and has served thousands of poverty threshold youth, under resourced school teachers, chronically underemployed military veterans, and formerly incarcerated people. We have also provided employment opportunities and a home for actors, technical artists, playwrights and other artists while making professional theater accessible to audiences from all backgrounds. While we have been successful, we recognize that the socio-economic challenges and needs facing our surrounding neighbors in Downtown LA, Rampart Village, MacArthur Park, Westlake, and Historic Filipinotown continue to increase. Together, we, our artists, audiences, donors, and community partners are undertaking a comprehensive effort to elevate the impact of our programming and deepen our commitment to our surrounding community and underserved populations throughout Los Angeles.

Our Groundbreaking

Video Credit: Brian Hashimoto

On May 25, 2024, we broke ground on our largest endeavor to date; the transformation of our existing facility into a 22,000 sq. ft multi-use theater and state-of-the-art sound stage, and production rental facility. It will also include an arts education and workforce training center serving youth, veterans, and community members.

The award-winning architect Zoltan Pali and SPF:architects have been charged with helping to make the best use of the existing structure while broadening its community service potential. The structural engineer selected to provide engineering expertise is the highly regarded Nabih Youssef.

When completed, SCLA’s new multimedia storytelling and live performance center will be a permanent home for the company’s celebrated work and a vehicle for community empowerment.

New state of the art 299-seat multimedia performance space fully equipped and convertible to a functioning 7,000 square foot sound stage.
Cultural and educational enrichment facility with capacity to serve thousands of students and teachers, including the several LAUSD schools in adjacent neighborhoods and underserved communities.
Workforce training center that will provide multiple arts education and theater based vocational training facilities for underserved youth, under-resourced educators and teaching artists, and chronically unemployed military veterans and formerly incarcerated community members.
This new multimedia performance center and community arts resource will present a full season of professional theatrical productions and student matinees and will serve as a resource for independent theater companies and other professionals in the entertainment sector.

Urgently Needed Expansion

The Shakespeare Center is uniquely positioned and extremely fortunate to be a debt-free, sole owner of its downtown facility located on First Street, a few blocks northwest of Bunker Hill, home of the Music Center, Grand Park, MOCA, The Broad and Colburn School. Originally constructed as a warehouse and acquired by the company in 2000 for $950,000, the most significant deficiency of the space is a ceiling height of only 16 feet, severely limiting the ability to present high-quality theatrical productions and to schedule other potential commercial uses. It also lacked adequate facilities for arts education classrooms and technical training workshops.

Photo Credit: Brian Hashimoto

Current Stakeholders

To date, SCLA has secured more than $15 million for the project, including generous contributions from The Ahmanson Foundation, the California Arts Council with the support of Senator María Elena Durazo, the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and the net benefits of an award of $12 million in federal New Market Tax Credits

Other major stakeholders include the Los Angeles Unified School District; Los Angeles Development Fund; U.S. Economic Development Administration; Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department; the Perenchio Foundation; the Max H. Gluck Foundation and other long-term community partners like The Veterans Collective and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Phases

Phase 1

Raising the roof and upgrading the studio.
Construction of building and interior renovations/upgrades.

Phase 2

Renovating administrative, programming, and workforce training facilities.
Installing equipment and fixtures.

Construction is completed.

Phase 3

Construction of façade and signage.
Landscaping and hardscaping of Shakespeare Garden.

Anticipated Community Impact

As the SCLA enters its fourth decade, it is clear that we must commit to providing solutions to the challenges facing our neighborhood while building a theater for the future, not a model of the past. This means creating a permanent home for new and innovative multimedia storytelling that embraces and reflects the diverse voices of our community; provides workforce training and employment in the arts to those who need it most; and supports schools that lack professional development resources and educational tools. We will also be the leader of an economic development and neighborhood revitalization initiative that will bring new business and cultural investment to our corridor while keeping our community’s voice at the center of that development.

To support this effort, SCLA received New Market Tax Credit financing in recognition of our deep commitment to providing opportunities for community empowerment through the arts. Obtaining this financing means that, upon completion of the renovation, we must substantially increase the scale and scope of the community benefits we offer while serving as a leading stakeholder in the economic development of our surrounding area.

Construction Jobs: 12 FTEs
Permanent Job Retention (within 24 months of project completion): 20 FTEs