Los Angeles Theatres: Mayan Theatre: stage

1038 S. Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 | map |

A stage detail from a section drawing in the Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive in the Huntington Library collection. Also see the full plan. On the Huntington site it's their drawing #9286. That shadowy outline above the stagehouse is a fan room. That's an air handling plenum situated below the trap room, pit, musicians' room and other basement areas.

Thanks to Mike Hume for locating plans for the project in the Huntington's collection. What they have for the Mayan starts with drawing #9275 and runs through drawing #9329. Visit the Index to the MW&C Drawings that Mike has compiled for his Historic Theatre Photography site. There's also a 22 page index by Mike Callahan on Internet Archive.

A floorplan of the 100' wide stagehouse. Also see the full plan. This appeared in the April 1928 issue of Pacific Coast Architect. Note the two side stages. The grid wraps around and is full-height even over the side stages. The stairs seen offstage of the side stage areas provide basement access. Off left in the same area also has stairs up to the 2nd floor dressing rooms on that side.

In the lower right corner it's the star dressing room and a duct up from the air handling plenum tunnels below the basement levels. The main acting area indicated with dashed lines was all removable decking. Note the trap doors along the back wall for storage above basement dressing rooms. Details about that can be seen on drawing #9322 on the Huntington Library site.

A detail of the pit and stage left sidestage taken from drawing #9288 on the Huntington Library site. In the pit note the dashed lines indicating one of the trap doors for entrance from the musicians' room below. The full drawing shows more of the stage area including the star dressing room off left. Details of the orchestra pit railing appear on drawing #9323.

The plans called for the sidestages to be provided with removable platforms and stair units so that their height could be raised 4' above stage level. Section views of the pit and the removable platforms can be seen on drawing #9301. More platform details are on drawing #9327. In addition to an asbestos curtain, each sidestage could also be sealed off with a metal shutter.

A stage framing plan. It's a detail from drawing #9276 on the Huntington Library site. Also see a very murky basement framing plan taken from drawing #9275. Some stage framing details are on drawing #9310 along with green room elevations and a plan of that space.

A plan of the stage at flyfloor/balcony level from Pacific Coast Architect. Note the paint gallery off left and the bridge along the back wall. Also see the full plan.

A structural plan at flyfloor level, taken from drawing #9278 on the Huntington Library site. Note the well beyond the flyfloor stage right for counterweight arbors. Yes, they just allowed a 16" space.

A grid plan taken from drawing #9284.

Grid section A-A, also from drawing #9278. Click on it for a larger view. We're looking downstage with the headbeams, off right, on the right side. No shortage of loft wells -- one about every 8 feet.

Grid section B-B from drawing #9278. Here we're looking from the headbeam area toward the stage right wall. That's the back wall of the building on the right.

An auditorium view toward the stage right sidestage. The blue glow is from behind a bar that's along the stage right wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Offstage right looking up at the 1927 vintage dimmerboard. Underneath, we're looking out onto the stage right side stage and through to the auditorium. The green exit sign on the left is at the rear of the auditorium. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Proscenium width: 43'

Sidestage prosceniums: 12' wide

Stage depth: 38'

Stage floor: Originally all wood, trappable from the proscenium nearly to the backwall for a full 43' width. It's still at the original level (even after the "clubbing") but the surface has been covered with masonite painted black.

Loading: Upstage left. The alley is about 3' below stage level.

Stage entrance: Via the exit passages along either side of the auditorium.

Basement access: Wide stairwells both downstage left and downstage right.

Grid height: 61.' The grid wraps around and is over the sidestages as well. The height is shown as 59' 8" on the plans but that's down to the datum line. The stage is 1' 4" lower than that.

Grid Access: A ladder downstage right gets you to the dimmerboard, up a bit more to the flyfloor and on to the grid.

Flyfloors: The main flyfloor is stage right, 24' above stage level. Access is via ladder downstage. On stage left it was dubbed a "paint gallery" with a bridge along the back wall connecting the two sides. Access to the one stage left is up stairs through the two levels of tech storage and dressing rooms on that side with the flyfloor atop the 2nd floor dressing rooms.

Rigging: In 1927 it was both hemp and wire-guide counterweight. Hemp lines could be set up from either flyfloor. Stage right got the main double pinrail. All the counterweight sets were stage right. At present only 8 sets are rigged. Originally it was at least twice that many.

The installation was by J.D. Martin Studios. See a shot from the 1936 film "It Couldn't Have Happened (But it Did)" where we get a view of a "Keep Clear" sign with the company's name on it as several actors walk by the stage left operating lines for the asbestos curtains. Another of the company's jobs was the Whittier Theatre (1929).

Lockrail: There are two sets of rope locks -- along the stage right wall at stage level and up on the flyfloor.

Paint Bridge: There was one along the back wall. Access was from either flyfloor. Go up 5 steps and you're at bridge level. It's gone but you can still see the I-beam supports sticking out of the back wall.

Asbestos: Well, there are three -- the main and one for each of the sidestages. The three lattice track counterweight sets operate downstage left, up against the dressing room wall. The curtains are all operable and very colorfully painted.

Dressing rooms: The theatre originally had a star dressing room on stage level stage left and several rooms on a second level. Those areas are now used as a bar (part of the stage level area) and various tech shops and storage spaces. Everything else was in the basement. The basement dressing room space encompassed the area under the stage, of course, but also forward under the pit and a portion of the auditorium as well.

Orchestra pit: Well, it had one, of course, as the house was intended for musicals. It's covered. Musicians and conductor's room are under the pit with ladders originally up to openings in the pit floor. No pit lift, of course.

Pipe Organ: Nope, this was a legit house. And the first film it ran, in 1929, was a talkie.

Main electrical service: In the basement downstage right.

Original dimmerboard: Still on its elevated platform downstage right. It has an 800A feed and was built by Safety Electric Mfg. Co of Los Angeles. Dimmers, handles and linkages are by Ward Leonard. Type of dimmer? Resistance, of course.

They've added a lot of electrical distribution and equipment for the club operation. New panels are visible at stage level downstage left and downstage right. And several are up on the stage right flyfloor, with some circuits having Socapex outputs on the side of the panel.

Current lighting and sound control: Front of the balcony.

A closer look up toward the board. The location up a level allowed unobstructed movement of props and performers from backstage onto the sidestage. The thing we see hanging down in the sidestage is not the asbestos but a digital display screen with a black drape behind it.

Thanks to Mike Hume for his 2016 photo. Head to his first Mayan view on Flickr and you can page ahead to see all 30 photos he took during the July 2016 LAHTF "all-about" tour. Visit Mike's Historic Theatre Photography site for tech data and hundreds of terrific photos of the theatres he's explored. And don't miss his page on the Mayan.

Another look at the board. Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for his 2014 photo appearing on the LAHTF Facebook page.

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is actively involved in the study and preservation of the vintage theatres in the Los Angeles area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official FB page

The view underneath the board out into the house. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Looking through the stage right sidestage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Counterweight sets hiding behind the drapes that are behind the stage right bar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Looking up at the back of the board from downstage right. The things hanging from the grid are sound absorbent material. Note the grid construction - it takes an angle as it heads out to the stage right sidestage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A view along the board. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Looking up to the stage right flyfloor. The counterweight system is masked by the sound absorbing material. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

The view into the house from the flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A look down to the stage right sidestage. In the lower left that's a lamp sitting on the bar that's up against the stage right wall. The opening below the exit sign leads to the exit passageway along the north side of the building. The stairs at the bottom of the photo go to the basement. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A look down to the dimmerboard from the flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Looking upstage along the stage right flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

The view downstage on the flyfloor. That's the lockrail along the right wall. No, there's not much space between the flyfloor and the side wall. The sets are really squeezed in there. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A look toward the dimmerboard from upstage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A bit of the auditorium as seen from the upstage end of the stage right flyfloor. In the front row it's Escott O. Norton, executive director of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. The event was an "all-about" tour of the theatre organized by the LAHTF. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

The vista across the back wall from the stage right flyfloor. Those I-beams sticking out once supported the paint bridge. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

The permanent set that's up against the back wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

We're stage left looking across the stage and, at the left, looking out through the stage left sidestage. The grid continues around to the two sidestages at full height. Photo: Mike Hume - 2016

Offstage left looking up to the grid. On the left those are the lattice tracks for the asbestos curtains. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A closer look at the lattice tracks for the three asbestos curtains. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A tech storage room on the 2nd floor stage left. Want to go to the flyfloor? Take the ladder. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

The view onto the stage from the stage left flyfloor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Looking upstage along the stage left flyfloor. The steps at the back wall got you up to the level of the now-missing paint bridge. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A look across to stage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Back down at stage level. A view into the house from stage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

Los Angeles Theatres

Mayan Theatre: stage

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