Los Angeles: Greater Metropolitan Area

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Outside of the historic Broadway and Hollywood theatre districts, the Los Angeles metropolitan area and adjoining counties have an abundance of theatres, and more than their fair share of neighborhood single-screen movie theatres.

Theatre Tours

Details of theatre tours in Los Angeles and the L.A. Metro area.

Theatre Timeline

An interactive timeline of all theatres in Los Angeles and the L.A. Metro area.

Upcoming Special Events

Special events happening at theatres in Los Angeles and the L.A. Metro area.

Los Angeles: Greater Metropolitan Area

Academy Museum

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is devoted to the history, science, and cultural impact of the film industry. Opened in September 2021, the museum contains the signature 966-seat Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater.

Alex Theatre, Glendale

The Alex Theatre opened in September 1925 as a movie theatre and vaudeville house called the Alexander Theatre. It was built by theatre magnate Claude L. Langley who named the theatre for his son Claude Alexander. Following various modernizations over its life, in 1993 the Alex was restored back to its 1925 glory.

Fox Theatre, Fullerton

The Fox Fullerton opened in May 1925 as a vaudeville and silent movie house, quickly establishing itself as the destination movie theatre of Orange County. The Italian Renaissance-inspired interior originally featured murals by Anthony Heinsbergen’s decorating company.

Greek Theatre

The Greek Theatre is an outdoor theatre located in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. Modeled after a Greek temple, it was designed by Los Angeles based architect Samuel T. Norton and associated architects. More than 90 years after its opening, the Greek Theatre remains a popular outdoor live entertainment venue in the center of Los Angeles.

Long Beach Scottish Rite

The Scottish Rite Cathedral in the City of Long Beach was dedicated in September 1926, and like similar cathedrals of its time, contains a performance space fitted-out with scenic backdrops and the other accoutrements necessary for degree teachings. The theatre is now used for weddings, theatrical performances, and other events.

Pasadena Civic Auditorium

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium opened in February 1932, designed by the team of George Bergstrom, J. Cyril Bennett and Fitch Haskell. The huge auditorium seats 2,997. During the 1930s and 1940s the Pasadena Civic hosted numerous community events and radio broadcasts, helping to spread Pasadena’s name throughout California and across the U.S.

Pasadena Playhouse

The Pasadena Playhouse building dates from 1925, however the Pasadena Community Playhouse Association was founded by theatre impresario Gilmore Brown in 1918. Originally sharing performance space with a burlesque show at the Savoy Theatre, by 1925 Brown and the citizens of Pasadena had raised enough money to purchase land and build the current theatre.

Pasadena Scottish Rite

The Scottish Rite building in Pasadena dates from 1925 and houses a well-equipped theatre called the Cobb Auditorium. The space underwent major renovations in the 1960s but retained its early 20th Century stage machinery, including a large number of Sosman & Landis scenic backdrops, some of which date back to the 1890s.

Regency’s Village Theatre, Westwood

First opened in August 1931, the Fox Westwood Theatre is one of only a few movie theatres in Los Angeles which can lay claim to having been a first-run movie theatre for its entire life. Today, it is a popular choice for movie premieres and cinephiles alike.

Rialto Theatre, South Pasadena

The Rialto opened in October 1925 and was designed to showcase both movies and vaudeville. It was one of the last theatres designed by noted architect Lewis A. Smith (Smith also designed the ever-popular Vista Theatre on Sunset Blvd), and is executed in a mix of styles including Egyptian and Spanish Baroque, however is mainly Moorish Fantasy.

Royce Hall, UCLA

Royce Hall is one of the four original buildings on UCLA’s campus in Westwood, and its twin-towered façade has come to represent the defining image of UCLA. Designed by local architectural firm Allison and Allison, it was completed in 1929 as the main hall, grand classroom, and principal meeting place for the university. It is now a performing arts venue with capacity of over 1,800.

Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills

The Saban opened as the Fox Wilshire Theater in September 1930, and is one of Los Angeles’ most notable Art Deco buildings. Theatre architect S. Charles Lee designed the Saban to be fully capable as a theatre for vaudeville in addition to its main focus as a major film presentation house.

San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse sits beside the historic San Gabriel Mission in Los Angeles County California. The theatre was constructed between 1923 and 1927 for “The Mission Play”, a 3-hour pageant-style production conceived to illustrate the establishment of the California missions. The theatre currently seats 1,387 on two levels and its architecture reflects Spanish, Native-American and Californian culture. The theatre houses a fully-restored Wurlitzer Organ.

Shrine Auditorium

The Shrine Auditorium opened in 1926 as the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners, and was known locally in Los Angeles as the Shrine Civic Auditorium. At its opening the massive auditorium was reported to seat 6,442. Nearly 100 years later it is still one of the largest indoor theatres in the United States with a seating capacity of 6,300.

Vista Theatre, Los Feliz

The Vista, a single-screen neighborhood movie theatre, opened on 9th October 1923. Originally called Bard’s Hollywood Theatre, opening night consisted of some vaudeville acts and a screening of “Tips” starring Baby Peggy, who made an in-person appearance in for the sell-out crowd of 900.

Warner Grand, San Pedro

The Warner Grand opened in January 1931 as a first-run movie theatre in San Pedro for Warner Brothers. The theatre was planned to cost half a million dollars and to seat 2,000 patrons, leading Jack Warner to proclaim it as “The Castle of Your Dreams!”. The January 1931 opening was a huge event, compared by Frank Fay and featuring an appearance by Jack Warner himself.

Warner Theatre, Huntington Park

The Warner Huntington Park is the sister theatre to the Warner Grand in San Pedro and the Warner Beverly Hills (demolished). Renowned theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca designed the theatres, all of a similar size, under a single contract with Warner Bros. The Warner Huntington Park closed in the mid-1990s however reopened in late 2018, adaptively reused as a Blink Fitness gym.

Wilshire Ebell Theatre

The Wilshire Ebell Theatre is part of a larger complex, completed in 1927, as the clubhouse for The Ebell of Los Angeles, a prominent Los Angeles women’s club formed in 1894. The theatre is relatively intimate in size, seating just under 1,300, and is well known for its excellent acoustics. It has hosted musical performances and lectures by top artists and world leaders.

The Wiltern, Koreatown

The Wiltern opened in 1931 and is a stunning example of Art Deco architecture. The office/retail building was designed by Morgan, Walls & Clements and the theatre was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh. In 1979/80 the theatre came within days of being demolished; its saving was a major turning point for historic preservation in Los Angeles.

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