Variety Arts Theatre: the stage + stage basement

940 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 | map |

The Variety Arts pages: history + exterior views | lobby areas + upper floors | auditorium | stage + stage basement | other basement areas |  

A view into the house during the stalled renovation project. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019 

 

Proscenium: 36' wide

 

Stage depth: 24' 

 

Stage wall to wall: 80'. These three measurements appeared in a pre-opening story in the L.A. Times. 

 

Counterweight system: About 30 wire guide sets, operated at stage level stage right. Originally it was a hemp house. There's still a pinrail on the flyfloor stage right. The current rigging gear came out of the Fox Ritz Theatre on the Miracle Mile when that house was demolished in 1977.  

Flyfloor: Stage right. Access is via a ladder on the back wall stage right. Or take the stage left dressing room stairs to the 3rd floor and take the walkway that's up against the back wall across to stage right. The walkway once functioned as a paint bridge. 

 

Grid access: There's a ladder on the backwall going up from the flyfloor.  

Stage floor: Masonite over wood. It's all trappable.

Orchestra pit: Needs some work, including installation of a new railing, to be usable again.  

Power: The company switch and main control area is off right. Whatever dimmer board was in the house in the 20s has been removed. There's also power downstage left. 

Dressing rooms: Stacked in five stories off left as well five rooms in the basement.

 

Basement access: The only stairs from the stage are upstage left. You could get to the basement from stage right by ducking briefly into the exit passageway and then back in to a stairwell intended as an exit from the 4th floor ballroom.  

Loading: It's a rollup door upstage center, opening onto a parking lot behind the theatre. 

 

Looking onto the stage from the end of the house left side 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 

 

 

Along the lockrail. The wireguide sets came out of the Fox Ritz in 1977. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

A look underneath the flyfloor. It was originally a hemp house. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

  

A stage right view to the grid. Note the large well where the hemp headblocks had been. The grid was designed for sets with three lift lines. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

Looking down right with company switches and other electrical where the original dimmerboard had been. The door at the center goes to the auditorium. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014  

Lee Grant running to stage right behind the movie screen in Clive Donner's "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen" (American Cinema Releasing, 1981). It's supposed to be a theatre called the Eltinge in San Francisco's Chinatown. The film features Peter Ustinov, Richard Hatch, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Keith, Roddy McDowall, Rachel Roberts and Angie Dickinson. Paul Lohmann was the cinematographer. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for seven more Variety Arts shots plus five views from scenes at the Galway Theatre on Main St. 

 Across from downstage right in 2014. Note the rollup loading door. Photo: Cap Equity Locations

A view from upstage right. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014

 

 

Across from downstage right in 2026 during the run of the Julia Stoschek Foundation exhibition "What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem." The black blob in the middle is a blackout curtain behind the movie screen. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

The upstage view. Note the windows for dressing room level 2 in the black area of the stage left wall. There's nothing on 3, other than paint bridge and flyfloor access. The windows for levels 4, 5 and 6 can be seen above that in the hollow tile wall. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

Looking across from stage left. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014 

A view from stage left during renovations. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - July 2019  

 

 

  

Upstage in February 2026.  Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

Behind the movie screen. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

Downstage left in 2026 with a peek into the house. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

Heading up to the dressing rooms and flyfloor:  

 

The corridor leading to the stairs from upstage left. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

On the landing, looking down toward the basement. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The 2nd floor landing with dressing rooms to the left, toilet room straight ahead. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

 

In the 2nd floor dressing rooms with the green glow coming from an exit sign. Up the steps and through that door on the left and you're in the auditorium's house right balcony colonnade. The story is that this was used as a control room at one time when radio shows were done at the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The 3rd floor landing. To the left it's just a small room with a slop sink. Straight ahead is the access to the paint bridge. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

On the very narrow paint bridge. Note that post in the middle of the walkway, one of several with angled steel arms sticking out, evidently as a rack to store drops. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

A look over the edge. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

Part way to the flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

  

A look along the double pinrail toward the proscenium wall. At this upstage end there's a big hole in the deck where one could get on a ladder to go down to stage level. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The well between the flyfloor and the side wall. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

A look up. Toward the right note the ladder to the grid on the back wall -- loops of steel embedded in the concrete. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

A closer look at the hemp headbeams. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

 

The view to stage left from the flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

On the way back a closer look at dressing room levels 4, 5 and 6. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

 

Duck way down to go through the hole to get back out to the stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

  

Level 4 with three dressing rooms. A restroom is out of the frame off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

 

Looking upstage in in the first room on 4. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

A mid-stage view through wired glass. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The downstage room with a view behind the flown movie screen. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

  

The landing on 5, about the same level as the 3rd floor in the front of the building. Dressing rooms to the left, a toilet room straight ahead. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

What's left of two of the 5th floor dressing rooms. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The 6th floor landing with dressing rooms again off to the left and a toilet room straight ahead. The signage indicated that this approximates the mezzanine level between 3rd and 4th floors at the lobby end of the building. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026  

 

 

  

Dressing rooms on 6. The exit doors on these three upper levels go to a fire escape. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

A look down from 6. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The stage basement:

 

Heading to the stage right end of the stage basement from the space under the auditorium. See the other basement areas page for many views of the basement rooms downstage of the proscenium. The door to the left goes to a stairwell leading up to the exit passage along the north side of the building and also serves as an exit stair from the 4th floor ballroom. On the other side of the railing to the right is dressing room #5, obviously added later. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

At the bottom of the exit stair coming down from the ballroom with that door on the left getting you into the stage basement. Of course anyone coming from the ballroom level would exit at street level, a floor above. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026. See what's behind the firedoor in the storage vault.  

 

Looking toward the back of the building at the bottom of this stairwell. There are no stairs up to stage level from the stage right end of the basement unless you use these stairs to go up a level, exit into the passageway along the north side of the building, and then duck right back into the building at the stairs going up to stage right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Stage right, looking toward the trap room. On the left it's two shower rooms and two toilet rooms. The door to the right goes to dressing room #5. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014 

 

 

Looking to the trap room during the run of the Julia Stoschek Foundation exhibition "What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem." Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Dressing room #5, a chorus room stage right. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014 

 

 

  

Spectators in the room in 2026 watching Wu Tsang's 2012 piece "Wildness." Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

Another look at dressing room #5. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

In the trap room in 2014. The stairs go to the orchestra pit. On the right it's the corridor leading to dressing room #5 and the showers and toilets. Photo: Cap Equity Locations

 

 

During the Julia Shoschek Foundation exhibition. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

Looking toward stage left and stairs up to stage level. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014  

 

 

 

On the screen for the exhibition it was a 2021 piece by P. Staff called "Pure Means." Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

Dressing room #4, a chorus room on the stage left side of the trap room. Photo: Cap Equity Locations - 2014 

 

 

During the 2026 exhibition room #4 was showing "Felix Gets Broadcasted," a 2007 video by Mark Leckey. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

Dressing room #3 was running "The Eternal Frame," a 1975 video from Art Farm and T. R. Uthco. Through the doorway it was a private restroom. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026  

 

 

A look toward the stage left stairs. The entrance to #2 is just around the corner beyond that adjustable wall mirror. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

Video in dressing room #2 stage left, near the stairs. It was Chris Burden's "The TV Commercials" from 1973 to 1977. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026  

 

 

The door to dressing room #1, not used for the exhibition, is under the stairs, to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

Dressing room #1. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026

 

 

Looking back toward the trap room. This spot in the corridor was used at one time as a makeup area with a row of sinks against the wall to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

 

 

The stage right corridor, leading back out to the rest of the basement. That's dressing room #5 on the far left. Photo: Bill Counter - February 2026 

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