Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) is an interdisciplinary contemporary arts center for innovative visual, performing and media arts in downtown Los Angeles, located inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex. Opened in November 2003 as an extension of CalArts in Los Angeles.

Programs

* Visual Arts * Performing Arts * Film/Video * Music * Conversations

Facility

The art center consists of a gallery space with revolving exhibitions, a 200–270-seat flexible

black box theater A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

, and a lounge cafe/bar and a bookstore.

History

As the Walt Disney Concert Hall came under construction in 1992, Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O. and Edna Disney, saw an opportunity for the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Santa Clarita to have a presence in downtown Los Angeles. With the approval of The Walt Disney Company's Board of Directors and support from the County of Los Angeles, the project's lead architect,

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

, whose children also graduated from CalArts, was tasked to design the new venue. Roy Disney and his wife Patty personally matched the Disney Company gift for REDCAT's construction and, to extend the memory of Roy O. Disney who built

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

with Walt and oversaw the construction of CalArts' campus, dedicated the new art center to his parents' name. CalArts President Steven D. Lavine cites the pairing of high caliber renegade experimentation and a social space for artist-community engagement, especially those in London (e.g. The Cottesloe Theatre as part of the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

), as a pointed consideration for the venue design and its conception as an institutional laboratory. Mark Murphy was recruited as executive director of REDCAT. He observed a dearth of interdisciplinary art spaces in Los Angeles the likes of

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, nati ...

, Wexner Center for the Arts, and the

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, to ...

, or the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the

Hebbel am Ufer The Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) is a theater and international performance center based in Berlin. It was founded by combining three theaters in Kreuzberg, Berlin: Hebbel Theater (now called HAU1), Theater am Halleschen Ufer (theater at Hallesches Ufer) ( ...

in Berlin. This impetus propelled initiatives for commissioned works, artist residencies, collaborations, and public programs. Since 2020, João Ribas is the Steven D. Lavine Executive Director of REDCAT & Vice President for Cultural Partnerships. Harvey Lichtenstein, president and executive producer of the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

, was brought in as a consultant during the development phases of REDCAT during 1999. The performances at REDCAT are funded and presented in part by The REDCAT Council. Current council members include: Diane Levine (Chair), Edgar D. Arceneaux, Joseph M. Cohen, Rita Cohen, Neda Disney, Tim Disney, Fariba Ghaffari, Richard J. Grad, R. Stephen Maguire, Antonio Mejias-Rentas, Seth Polen, Kevin Ratner, Abby Sher, Michael Skloff, Alex Westerman, Adele Yellin and Ravi Rajan, (President, CalArts).

References

External links

The Politics of Culture: The REDCAT Theater

Mark Murphy & David Sefton: Two LA Impresarios
{{coord, 34.055123, -118.250547, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Theatres in Los Angeles Art museums and galleries in Los Angeles Arts centers in California California Institute of the Arts Event venues established in 2003 Art galleries established in 2003 2003 establishments in California Tourist attractions in Los Angeles Bunker Hill, Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles