The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a community arts center in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

, named for philanthropist Wallis Annenberg in recognition for

The Annenberg Foundation The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world. Some of the Foundation's core initiatives are the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcast ...

's major gift to fund the campus. It is colloquially known as The Wallis. WallisAnnenbergCenterforPerformingArts

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Location

The Wallis is located on the corner of North Santa Monica Boulevard and Crescent Drive in

.Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts: About Us
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Amenities

The center was designed by architect

Zoltan Pali Zoltan Pali (born 1960) is an architect from Los Angeles, California. Early life Zoltan Pali was born May 28, 1960 at the French Hospital in Chinatown, Los Angeles, California to Emery Pali and Maria zalacsyPali. His parents were immigrants from ...

of SPF:architects.Ellen Olivier
Gala opens Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', October 21, 2013Steve Chagollan
Annenberg Set to Unveil New Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills Tonight
'' Variety'', October 17, 2013Brandon Kirby
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Reveals Line-Up
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', 8/15/2013 It includes the historic 1933 Beverly Hills post office, the newly built 500-seat Goldsmith Theater, the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, a sculpture garden and a promenade terrace designed by Ron Lutsko. The Goldsmith theater is named after Bram Goldsmith, the Chairman Emeritus of City National Bank. The restored landmark Beverly Hills post office is named for

Paula Kent Meehan Paula Jane Meehan (formerly Kent; née Baer; August 9, 1931 – June 23, 2014) was an American businesswoman, executive and philanthropist. She co-founded the Redken hair care products company. She briefly worked as an actress and fashion model. ...

History

Endowed by heiress and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg (born 1939), who donated US$25 million, The Wallis was under construction for ten years.Sandy Cohen
Galaxy of stars help open performing arts center
Associated Press, October 18, 2013.Danielle Berrin
Wallis’s world: The Annenberg heir launches Beverly Hills performing arts center with glamorous gala
''

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. ''The Journal'' w ...

'', October 18, 2013Deborah Vankin
Starry gala opens Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
''The Los Angeles Times'', October 18, 2013 The total cost of creating the center is estimated at $70 million, with an annual operating budget of several million dollars. The opening on October 17, 2013, was celebrated with a black-tie gala, co-chaired by Wallis Annenberg and Jamie Tisch.

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

and Diane Lane inaugurated the 500-seat Goldsmith Theater by reading letters from

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

, Peter Tchaikovsky, Will Rogers and others. The evening was followed by a fashion show by Salvatore Ferragamo and performances by the likes of Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo and Paris Opera Ballet members

Mathias Heymann The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

and Myriam Ould-Braham. As of October 2017, the center's chairman of the board is Michael Nemeroff. The chairman of the executive committee is philanthropist and arts patron

David Bohnett David C. Bohnett (born April 2, 1956) is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization devoted to improving society through social ...

, who was board chairman from 2015 to 2017.Simmons, Steve
"David Bohnett Chairs Wallis Board, Continues Arts Patronage"
'' Beverly Hills Courier''. April 8, 2016. The Wallis's managing director is arts administrator and fundraiser Rachel Fine, and the artistic director is Paul Crewes of Kneehigh Theatre."David C. Bohnett is Named Chairman of the Board for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts"
(news release). ''TheWallis.org''. November 3, 2015.Ocamb, Karen
"David Bohnett and Rand Schrader: The Love Story That Defied AIDS and Homophobia"
''

Frontiers Frontiers may refer to: * Frontier, areas near or beyond a boundary Arts and entertainment Music * ''Frontiers'' (Journey album), 1983 * ''Frontiers'' (Jermaine Jackson album), 1978 * ''Frontiers'' (Jesse Cook album), 2007 * ''Frontiers'' (P ...

''. December 2, 2015. The Wallis and

Deaf West Theatre Deaf West Theatre is a non-profit arts organization based in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is most well known for its Tony Award-nominated productions of '' Big River'' and '' Spring Awakening''. Deaf West Theatre is led by Artistic Director, ...

's acclaimed 2015 co-production of '' Spring Awakening (musical)'', performed simultaneously in

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expre ...

and spoken English by a cast of 27, transferred to Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre in September 2015 and went on to receive 3

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director Michael Arden.

Performances

2013/2014 Inaugural Season Highlights *Parfumerie (EP Dowdall adaptation from Miklos Laszlo play) *

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She ...

Dance Company *

Catherine Wheels Theatre Company Catherine Wheels Theatre Company is a Scotland-based charitable organisation formed in 1999 by Artistic Director Gill Robertson. In 17 years, Catherine Wheels has shown more than 21 productions to an approximate total audience of over 500,000. The ...

's ''White'' * Noël Coward's '' Brief Encounter'' from Kneehigh Theatre *'' Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life'' 2014/2015 Season Highlights *

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

's ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

's ''Coulda Shoulda Woulda... Played that Part'' *

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

and

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

's '' Dunsinane (play)'' *

's '' Spring Awakening (musical)'' 2015/2016 Season Highlights *''An Evening with

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

'' *

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

: ''50th Anniversary Celebration'' *

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

in Conversation with David Steinberg *

's ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'' 2016/2017 Season Highlights * Complicite's ''The Encounter'' by

Simon McBurney Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatrical director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films ''The Manchurian Candidate'', ...

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's '' Merrily We Roll Along (musical)'' from Michael Arden (inaugural artist-in-residence) *

's '' Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo'' * Paul Taylor Dance Company 2017/2018 Season Highlights * Bristol Old Vic's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' with Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville * Kneehigh Theatre's ''The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk'' from

Emma Rice Emma Juliet Rice (born August 1967) is a British actor, director and writer. Hailed as a fearless director, Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of ''Brief Encounter'', '' The Red Shoes'' and '' Wise Children.'' In 2022, Rice was named i ...

* ''The Heart of Robin Hood'' from Iceland's

Vesturport Vesturport is an Icelandic theatre group, founded on 18 August 2001. The group has performed plays in the United States, Europe and Australia. In 2011, it received the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities for its complete work, innovative chara ...

* Benjamin Millepied's L.A. Dance Project (inaugural company-in-residence)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Annenberg Buildings and structures in Beverly Hills, California Theatres in Los Angeles County, California Theatres completed in 2013 2013 establishments in California