BACK IN THE BLACK HISTORIC MOVIE PALACE FINDS ITS CULTURAL NICHE.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE - The historic Alex Theater, celebrating 10 years since reopening its doors after its restoration, is busy reinventing itself as a more community-focused, financially stable cultural resource in Glendale. Operators of the imposing downtown landmark with the distinct neon- lighted spire spiking 100 feet in the air and faux Greek-Egyptian facade have been exploring ways to expand its audience and generate new revenues - making it less reliant on city coffers. ``After 10 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Alex Theater has finally found "Finally Found" was the debut single from the Honeyz. This was their most successful single in the UK and worldwide, securing a number 4 position in the UK singles chart and achieved platinum status in Australia [1] Tracklisting # Title Length its place in the community,'' said Barry McComb, executive director of Alex Theater. ``The Alex is much more immersed im·merse tr.v. im·mersed, im·mers·ing, im·mers·es 1. To cover completely in a liquid; submerge. 2. To baptize by submerging in water. 3. in the daily lives of the community than it was when it first opened its doors.'' Although the Alex is home to several resident companies, including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is a 40-member American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, praised by the music critic Jim Svejda as "America's finest chamber orchestra."[1]. and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) has been a notable part of the Southern California performing arts community for over twenty-six years. Formed July 12, 1979 as a volunteer effort of 99 gay men from all over the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, GMCLA has , reaching out to local community groups has allowed the theater to expand its audience. The theater has been the venue for class reunions “School reunion” redirects here. For the Doctor Who episode, see School Reunion (Doctor Who). A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. , graduations, weddings, dance recitals for local dance academies, and last year hosted the final round of competition for the city's talent show - events that years ago would not have taken place at the Alex. ``What we discovered is this huge need and desire by the community to be able to utilize the Alex in ways we hadn't thought of previously,'' McComb said. McComb is largely credited for the 180-degree turnaround of Alex's shaky finances, with his emphasis on more aggressive marketing, search for alternative forms of rental income Noun 1. rental income - income received from rental properties income - the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time , and focus on renting over producing. One new area of business for the Alex is its availability as a location shoot for commercials, television and film. The wildly popular ``American Idol'' television show filmed several episodes at the theater, for example. Money earned from the ventures is used to underwrite the Alex's extensive educational outreach and its own programming. ``The biggest change in the last two to three years is the theater is being run as a business, and part of that philosophy is always looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. new revenue streams,'' McComb said. The strategy has paid off. More than 120,000 patrons walked through the Alex's doors last season - an increase of 90,000 from the year before - and the numbers are expected to keep growing. The theater has also gone from 160 days of activity nearly three years ago to 250 days of activity this year - an increase that also generated more business for nearby restaurants and retailers. While the company is no longer in the red, the theater needs to ``proceed cautiously'' - especially as state funding cuts have a trickle-down effect This article discusses a marketing phenomenon. For the political term see trickle-down economics. The trickle-down effect is a marketing phenomenon that affects many consumer goods, including new technology and fashion. on the Alex, McComb said. ``They don't call us nonprofits for nothing,'' McComb said. ``We need to build a stronger internal financial structure, so if we hit a period of difficult cash flow we can deal with it internally rather than run back to the city for additional funding to get us through.'' Throughout its nearly 80-year history, the Glendale institution where John Wayne once worked as a popcorn boy has been financially beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. . Built in 1925 as a vaudeville vaudeville (vôd`vĭl), originally a light song, derived from the drinking and love songs formerly attributed to Olivier Basselin and called Vau, or Vaux, de Vire. and movie house, the Alex became a movie theater exclusively until the birth of multiplexes made it no longer economical to run a single-screen movie house. The theater closed in September 1991. It reopened to the public at the end of 1993, reincarnated as a 1,462-seat regional performing arts center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. , largely because of the efforts of local preservationists and a total investment of $10 million by the city's redevelopment agency to purchase and renovate the building. Since 1993, the city has invested more than $12 million in the historic theater to renovate, maintain and finance its operations. The city pays $415,000 yearly to support the theater's operation as well as about $200,000 - depending on the projects - to upgrade and maintain the facility. Former Mayor Eileen Givens voted to save the ``heart and soul'' of the downtown area in the hope it would also revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. the once blighted downtown area. ``To me it expressed a value - and said that in Glendale we value arts, culture and educational resources and we're willing to back that value with our dollars,'' said Givens, who now chairs the Alex Regional Theater Board. ``It's more than just a building on Brand Boulevard or another movie theater. For me it was an investment in the future of the community.'' Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Andrea Humberger leads a tour Saturday of Glendale's historic Alex Theater on Brand Boulevard, a downtown landmark since 1925. (2) Originally built as a vaudeville and movie house, the Alex Theater closed in 1991 and reopened in 1993 as a performing arts center. (3) Visitors tour the Alex Theater on Saturday. The Brand Boulevard building has been attracting more patrons. Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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