Los Angeles Theatres: Variety Arts Theatre: the auditorium

A main floor view. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

Another look toward the proscenium. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

The house left wall from the main floor. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

A house right vista in the balcony. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

A ceiling detail. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

The house left wall from the balcony. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - 1924

A look down the house left aisle. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

The view from the rear of the main floor house right. Photo: The Location Portal - c.2014

An evocative look to the rear. Photo: Elizabeth Daniels - Curbed LA - 2012

Another look to the rear. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

A classy view from Martin that had appeared on his now-vanished site You-Are-Here.

A view along the house left wall from the stage. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

An impressionistic view across the house. Things were smoky for the haunted house event. Photo: Elizabeth Daniels - Curbed LA - 2012

Across the front from house left. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

A look back up the side aisle. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

In the corridor leading to the house left side of the balcony. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

A peek into the balcony. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

The view across from house left. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

Up toward the booth. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

A look across the house from the sidewall arcade. Photo: The Location Portal - c.2014

A balcony view toward the stage. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

From the top of the balcony. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

Toward the rear of the auditorium along the house left balcony arcade. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

A ceiling detail. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

Across the balcony from house right. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

The auditorium during renovations:

A look toward the empty stage. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019

Toward house right. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019

The rear of the 1,200 seat house. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019

Let's go to the booth! Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019

A look across from the side colonnade. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019

The auditorium during the 2026 Julia Stoschek Foundation exhibition:

Looking in from the lobby on opening night for "What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem," a six-week exhibition of "time-based" art from the Julia Stoschek Foundation. On the screen it was Jon Rafman's "Oh, the humanity!" from 2015. Photo: Bill Counter - February 6, 2026

Across the back. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Along the house left side aisle. On the screen it was Arthur Jafa's "Apex," an eight minute piece from 2013 that played before "Oh, the humanity." Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Art glass in a side wall window. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Looking onto the stage at the end of the aisle. There's similar access house right. The door at the left goes out to the exit passageway running along the north side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Back toward the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

In the orchestra pit. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The rear of the house. The screen alternated between playing Marina Abramović's "The Hero" from 2001 and Winsor McCay's 1911 cartoon "Little Nemo." Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A look up the house right side aisle. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Across the back, with a tech position in the foreground. The couple was watching "Little Nemo." Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Arthur Jafa's "Apex" on the screen. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Entering the house left balcony colonnade from the mezzanine level lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

At the crossaisle. On the monitors it was Ana Mendieta's "Anima, Siluieta de Cohetes" ("Fireworks Piece") from 1976. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The electrical room at the end of the house left colonnade. Dimmer modules on the wall at the left. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The view from the end of the colonnade. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Looking back toward the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

At the house left end of the crossaisle. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Art on the balcony risers. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The monitors were playing Ulysses Jenkins' piece "Mass of Images" from 1978. There were headphones to listen to the audio. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

"Oh, the humanity" on the big screen opening night. Photo: Bill Counter - February 6, 2026

Between shows. The countdown was on the screen for "Apex" and "Oh, the humanity." They'd begin after Marina Abramović's "The Hero" finished playing on the screen at the rear of the main floor. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A ceiling detail. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A wall detail at the house left end of the crossaisle. The art glass windows, now with light boxes behind them, were originally real windows with drapes in front. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A look across to house right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The monitors on this side were running Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" from 1965. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Looking toward the stage. That light through the doorway is an exit sign on the backstage stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A peek into the room at the end. Down a few steps and you're on dressing room level two. Go up a floor and there's access to the paint bridge along the backstage wall and across to the flyfloor stage right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Looking out from this end of the colonnade. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The exit doors on this side lead to either the mezzanine, just south of the bar, or down and out via a separate stairwell behind the elevators. That stairwell doesn't serve the top of the balcony. That exit on this side just goes out to a fire escape. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A look to the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A peek into the booth by flashlight. Note the film gates on the table. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A closer look at machine #2. The Century heads are on Simplex SH-1000 soundheads. The xenon lamps are the 2Kw Rank Cine-Lite. This one has been branded as a Megaron Mega-Lite. That company was based in Glendale. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A stripped-out amp rack in the right corner. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

In the rear right corner: rectifiers and the obligatory toilet. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Switchboard for both AC circuits as well as switches and metering for arclamp DC. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The rewind bench in the back on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

On the left end of the booth, out what had originally been a second exit, it's an added spot booth. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

From the spot booth doorway looking back across the two machines. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A closer look at the back of machine #1. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

The operating side of #1: Century head and Simplex SH-1000 soundhead, with a solar cell conversion. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

A port view. Some of the ports have been redone in a strange configuration. Others still have their original fire shutters. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026