Los Angeles Theatres: Wiltern Theatre: backstage

The view onto the empty stage from the balcony. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page. The event was the August 2014 Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation "all-about" tour of the theatre. Thanks, Wendell!

The LAHTF is actively involved in the study and preservation of the many vintage theatres in the Los Angeles area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | LAHTF on Facebook

Backstage at the Wiltern. It's a 2014 Hunter Kerhart photo. Keep up with his many explorations on the website HunterKerhart.com and on the Facebook page for Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography. Thanks for all the great photos, Hunter!

Proscenium: 54' 10" wide x 32' 4" high

Stage width: Centerline to stage left 42'. Centerline to stage right is 46' 4".

Stage depth: Smoke pocket to backwall is 44' 2". Smoke pocket to lip of apron is 3' 8". Originally it was a 26' deep vaudeville-style stage, it got a 40' wide x 30' high hole cut in the backwall for an extension in 1985. The extension has a grid the same height as that in the original stagehouse. Further expansion wasn't possible due to a driveway behind the theatre leading down into the basement parking garage.

Stage deck: The height of the stage was raised two feet in 2002 to improve sightlines after the terracing of the main floor.

Grid height: 69' before the stage was raised in 2002.

Orchestra pit: Originally it was a small vaudeville-sized pit for about 12 musicians. During the 1984-85 renovations it was enlarged back underneath the stage (Bayreuth style) to make it large enough for an opera orchestra of 50. The pit got covered over during the 2002 renovations when the main floor was terraced.

Lifts: The pit never had one but the organ did, on the stage right side of the pit.

Counterweight system: 56 linesets operated stage right at stage level. 1,280 lb arbor capacity. 50 sets were installed in 1985, 6 added later. It's an installation done by Hoffend & Sons replacing the rather skimpy initial installation in 1931 by Armstrong-Powers Studios.

House Mix position: During the 1984-85 restoration the initial operator, Bill Graham Presents, insisted on a mix position at the front of the balcony. In 1991 it was relocated to the rear of the main floor and the balcony seating was filled in.

Dimmers: The original Major five scene pre-selective resistance board was downstage right. It got replaced in 1984-84 with new dimmers in the basement. Control is either downstage right or at the house mix position.The stage portion of the system is a Colortran rack with 192 2.4 Kw dimmers.

Sound: It's a JBL VerTec system installed in 2001. It's had several upgrades since then.

Company Switches: 2 600A 3 phase for lights DSL, 1 200A 3 phase for sound on an isolation transformer, 60A at the loading door.

Loading: Upstage left

Downstage right -- the former dimmerboard area. The dimmerboard came out in 1984 to make room for newer tech equipment. The blue rack at left is sound and video gear. Deep in the nook are worklight controls, an intercept panel for front-of-house lighting circuits and, on the right side, company switch lug boxes for connection of portable dimmers.

The doorway at the right gets you to the basement dressing room areas or into the auditorium. At the far right we see a bit of the pinrail and lockrail area. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

The stage right wall of the original stagehouse. The stagehouse extension is out of the frame to the right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2014. Head to Mike's Wiltern page on his Historic Theatre Photography site for many more great photos of the theatre. You can also pay him a visit on the Historic Theatre Photography Facebook page.

Looking upstage along the lockrail. That doorway in the upstage wall we see leads to the lockrail area for the 1984-85 stage extension. Upstage had to jog in a bit as there's an exit passage along the side of the theatre. Note the raised height of the stage -- up 2' from the original level. The deck was installed in 2002 to compensate for the change in sight lines resulting from the terracing of the main floor. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

A view to the loading bridge in the original stagehouse. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

The view across from upstage right. The column in the foreground is the line of the original back wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

Looking off right in the original stagehouse at the left and the extension on the right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

A closer look at the upstage lockrail. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Across from stage left. Note the stub wall sticking out between the two sections of counterweight system T-wall. That's the theatre's original back wall. At the left, we're looking at a liner on the back of the asbestos curtain. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

The view into the house. Over on stage right is the control area, in the alcove formerly occupied by the dimmerboard. Dimmers installed during the 1984-85 renovation are in the former clapper room directly underneath. Stage left we see the edge of an elevator to the basement, installed to meet handicap requirements. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

Another look across from stage left -- with a peek into the house. Photo: Mike Hume - 2014

The view across from stage right. That bump out above is for 2nd and 3rd floor dressing rooms. Photo: Mike Hume - 2014

Another look across from stage right. The loading door is over in the upstage left corner. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

The view backstage from the main floor. The main floor utilized the original slope and had theatre seats re-installed during the 1984-85 restoration. The flat terraces you see are the result of a 2002 renovation project. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

The stage door:

This formerly utilitarian area off left got a glossy makeover in 2019. At the far left it's an entrance into the auditorium. The stairs go to basement dressing rooms or to dressing room levels 2 and 3. At the right are the doors leading to downstage left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Looking onstage. Thanks to Gary Helsinger for the 2024 photo, one of seven he shared in a Facebook post.

A view with the doors onto the stage behind us. At the left it's the most glamorous slop sink in town. Beyond to the left is the door out to the exit passage along the south side of the theatre. On the right beyond the stairs is the door into the auditorium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

The stairs from stage level up to the 2nd and 3rd floor dressing rooms. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017

In the basement:

The basement dressing room corridor off left. In addition to the basement dressing rooms, there are rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

The area at the bottom of the stairs after redecorating. We're off left looking upstage with dressing room #1 at the end of the corridor. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Outside dressing room #1. The doors to the left lead to the elevator located down left at the proscenium. Around to the right and you're in the trap room. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Dressing room #1. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

An earlier look for a basement chorus room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

Another basement dressing room before redecoration. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

A view downstage in the basement dressing room corridor, looking toward the green room. The stairs are over on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017

A view downstage after the redecorating. Dressing room #2 is on the left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

The redone dressing room #2. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Another corridor view, looking away from the stage and toward the green room, situated along the side of the plenum under the auditorium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

The green room as it was in 2014. We're in the basement along the south side of the building. The supply air plenum under the main floor is off to our right. Photo: Hunter Kerhart

The green room after its makeover. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Deeper into the green room. The plenum under the auditorium is beyond the wall on the right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Outside dressing room 1 looking toward the elevator and on around to the trap room. That "Stage" sign is pointing you back down the corridor to the stairs on the house side of the proscenium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

In the trap room looking across to stage right. The steps in the foreground went to the pit -- not in current use. Photo: Bill Counter - 2014

The trap room with a new paint job. The orchestra pit is on the left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Under the stage in the pit looking toward stage left. The pit got a big expansion in 1984-85 to make it usable for opera. The wood cribbing on the right supports the new terraced floor in front of the stage. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

A wider view in the pit, again looking toward stage left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Downstage stage right in the dimmer room. We're underneath the nook offstage right where the dimmerboard used to be. This room, the clapper room, held a bank of relays to switch various stage and house lighting circuits. In the center are two switchboard sections for stage power distribution and, on their left, the rack of house light dimmers installed in 1985. At the far end, hiding behind the cables at left, is a Colortran rack with 192 2.4 Kw dimmers for stage circuits. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

Upstairs dressing rooms:

The corridor on the 2nd floor offstage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017

A recently renovated dressing room suite. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Another upstairs dressing room. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Yet another of the renovated spaces. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019. Thanks, Mike! Head to the Wiltern page on his Historic Theatre Photography site for many more great photos of the theatre.

An earlier look for one of these upstairs dressing rooms. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017

The corridor on the 3rd floor off left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017

Looking down from the third floor dressing room level. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein. Sandi's Avoiding Regret photo essays "Wiltern Theatre, Public Areas" and "Wiltern, Off Limits Areas" have lovely photos of the theatre taken during the 2014 LAHTF tour. Thanks, Sandi!

The 1984-85 renovations:

Cutting a chunk out of the back wall for the stage expansion. Photo: Ray Shepardson - 1984

More of the backwall removed. The bulk of the wall was left intact with a 40' wide opening being the connection to the full height stage extension. In this photo the columns within the opening have yet
to be removed. Photo: Ray Shepardson - 1984