Los Angeles Theatres: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Opened: December 6, 1964 as The Pavilion at L.A. Music Center with Zubin Mehta conducting the L.A. Philharmonic in “Fanfare” by Richard Strauss. It was also called the Memorial Pavilion. The Times reported that opening week shows included the Count Basie Orchestra, Van Cliburn and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra was subbing for Nat King Cole, who was sick. There had been a dedication ceremony on September 27 with Bob Hope as emcee. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Phone: 213- 972-7211 Website: www.musiccenter.org | on Facebook

The Music Center campus is a Los Angeles County operation. The Board of Supervisors later renamed the theatre the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in honor of Dorothy Buffum Chandler, the prime instigator and fundraiser for the project. When the Pavilion first opened it largely replaced the 1906 vintage Philharmonic Auditorium. Broadway shows that once might have played the Philharmonic or the Dorothy Chandler are now booked at the Ahmanson, a venue that opened in 1967.

The L.A. Philharmonic moved over to Disney Hall in 2003. The Oscar telecast, now at the Dolby Theatre, was done for decades at the Dorothy Chandler, alternating years with the Shrine Auditorium. Current programming at the Dorothy Chandler includes the L.A. Opera and Glorya Kaufman Dance seasons as well as other events.

Architect: Welton Becket. Much of the decor was by Tony Duquette and Elsie de Wolf.

Seating: 3,197. It's a three-balcony house. The levels above the main floor are referred to as the Founders Circle, Loge, and Balcony.

Stage data:

Proscenium width: 58'

Stage depth: 64'

Upstage "bustle": 172' wide x 40' deep

Stage wall-to-wall: 169'

Grid height: 90'

Counterweight system: 108 sets operated at stage level stage right. Battens can be used as 45' lengths or are 65' when extensions are added to the ends. Sets have 7 lift lines. Tension blocks are in a well about 10' below stage level. In addition, there are two underhung sets with 8 lift lines each below the beam at the backwall. A few underhung sets are positioned in the upstage bustle beyond the back wall.

Flyfloor: Stage right about 40' up. In addition, there are many other catwalk levels so that arbors can be loaded from any of eight different heights.

Stage left storage area: 40' wide x 60' deep

Dressing rooms: There are 10 rooms either at stage level or on the mezzanine level above. There's dressing room space for 200 performers in the basement in addition to musicians rooms and storage.

Thanks to Mike Hume for locating the stage data. Visit the fine page about the Music Center on his Historic Theatre Photography site.

The December 6, 1964 L.A. Times Magazine was devoted to the Music Center. Thanks to Adsausage Archives for making the 104 page issue available online.

The new building was covered in a December 1964 issue of Life. Thanks to Damon Wolf for locating this for a post for the Lost Angeles Facebook group.

Lobby areas:

The east side of the Plaza Level lobby. Entrances to the house left side of the main floor are off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The north side of the Plaza Level lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The grand stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The lobby at the Founders Circle level in 1968. Thanks to Alison Martino for the photo. It once appeared as a post on her Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page but seems to have vanished from that platform.

The Founders Circle lobby from house right. This performance and reception area is now called Stern Hall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The Founders Room off the house right side of the lobby. Two of the three chandeliers in the room were used in the 1938 MGM film "The Great Waltz." When the decorator, Tony Duquette, decided that they would be used for this room but three were needed, another was built to match. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Another Founders Room view. That's Dorothy on the left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The inner lobby at the Founders Circle level. The auditorium is off to the right. Through the doors at the end is the Oval Lounge. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The Oval Lounge on the house left side of the lobby at Founders Circle level. Restrooms are down at the far end. The auditorium is off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A look east from the Loge Level lobby. That's City Hall through the left window at the far end. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A look down from the lobby at Balcony Level in 1967. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for the photo from his collection. It's on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

The auditorium:

A 1964 auditorium view. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

The rear of the house for the 1964 grand opening. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo

Looking across on the Founders Circle level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A peek down at the main floor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

On the main floor. Thanks to Brian Ingalls for sharing this 2024 photo as well as five others he took in a post on the Theatre Architecture private Facebook group.

Looking onto the stage. Photo: Mike Hume - 2017

The view from the front of the stage. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

Offstage left:

In the wings downstage left looking onstage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Downstage left with an emptier stage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

A look into the house from stage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The view across to stage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The upstage "bustle":

Downstage left looking through the open door into the upstage bustle. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

In the upstage bustle looking toward its back wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

In the bustle looking across to stage right. On the left side note a bit of the rear projection screen used for the L. A. Opera production of "Satyagraha" by Philip Glass. The projectors are on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

In the bustle looking back across to stage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A closer look at the loading doors stage left opening up onto the dock on Hope St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018. Also see a view looking into the doors from Hope St.

Onstage, looking up into the bustle. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

Stage right:

The view to stage right. Note the flyfloor with its pinrail across the top of the image. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

Upstage right. Thanks to Brian Ingalls for sharing this 2024 photo as well as five others he took in a post on the Theatre Architecture private Facebook group.

The panoramic view to the grid. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

A view toward the proscenium wall from upstage stage right. The big bird is a puppet that was used in L.A. Opera's production of "Satyagraha." Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Another view toward downstage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Looking down right with an emptier stage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The upstage portion of the stage right wall. That's the flyfloor halfway up. On the right note the two underhung sets below the "proscenium" separating the main stagehouse from the upstage bustle. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A look at how the lift lines from those two sets within the upstage "proscenium" are terminated. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

Another view of the stage right wall. On the lowest level in the photo, up about 10' from the stage, there's an array of dimmer racks. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A look across the grid from offstage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

The prompt area downstage right. With a minder to make sure the tourists behave themselves. The tour was part of the annual November Grand Ave. Arts "all access" event. Note the doorway behind the minder leading to a nook for lighting control. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Lighting control in a recess downstage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

Down right looking toward the lockrail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The view upstage along the lockrail. Note that the tension blocks are down below stage level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018

A lockrail detail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018. In addition to the synthetic rope purchase lines, one can also see steel compensating cables that are attached to the bottom of the arbors. A cable from the bottom of an arbor comes down, go around a separate sheave in the basement, is routed routed up behind the T-wall to another sheave near the headblock where it goes over it and is attached to a weight to keep the cable taut as the arbor moves.

Compensating cables are used in theatres with high grids to keep the load balanced as the set moves from high trim to low trim. When the batten is at low trim the set would be "batten heavy" due to the weight of the lift lines that has shifted in that direction. The extra weight of the heavy cable connected to the bottom of the arbor (at this point near the top of its travel) helps equalize that. In the opposite situation with the batten near the grid (and the arbor down near the stage), the set is "arbor heavy" as the weight of the lift lines has moved toward the arbor and the load on the batten appears lighter to the flyman. The compensating cable weight helps to balance that as there's less cable length between the bottom of the arbor and the sheave in the basement.

Looking into the pit for the tension blocks, about 10' below stage level. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The view back across to stage left. Yes, the place is huge! Photo: Mike Hume - 2019

A closer view to stage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

Into the house from up right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The auditorium from up center. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019. Thanks, Mike!

Checking out the nearly empty pit, here up at auditorium level. The pit is on three separate lifts. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019

The rehearsal hall:

The rehearsal room above the upstage bustle. It's one of four photos appearing in a 2022 post on the L.A. Opera Facebook page taken as they were preparing for performances of "Tosca."

Some of the rehearsal room's electrical gear, including a mic patch bay, is seen in this shot from the L.A. Opera's January 24, 2023 post about rehearsals for "Marriage of Figaro." Also see four photos in a January 9 post. Thanks to Mike Hume for spotting the three Facebook posts.

More exterior views:

A February 1964 construction view. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for sharing the photo from his collection. It was a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. Richard notes that the DWP Building to the left opened in 1965.

A 1964 postcard. Thanks to Alison Martino for sharing the card from her collection. It once appeared on her Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

A c.1965 postcard view. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality for locating the card. The DWP building, a design by the A.C. Martin Company, opened in 1965.

A postcard from the Eric Lynxwiler collection. It's in his terrific Paper Ephemera album on Flickr. Thanks, Eric!

Looking across from the Mark Taper in 1967. Thanks to Alison Martino for locating the photo.

A look south on Grand in September 1976. It's a photo from the Richard Wojcik collection appearing on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from Disney Hall. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for his 2014 photo. Keep up with his latest explorations: hunterkerhart.com | on Flickr

A 2018 view across from Disney Hall. Photo: Bill Counter

A December 2020 look across the revamped plaza. Photo: Bill Counter

On Hope St. looking in the loading doors. Straight ahead it's the upstage "bustle." Note the limited ceiling height and underhung rigging. The main stage is off to the left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2024

The November 9, 2024 premiere of the film "Wicked." Thanks to Dean McVay for sharing this shot as one of nine in a Facebook post.

Christmas time 2024. Photo: Bill Counter - December 1

The Dorothy Chandler in the Movies:

Elvis is a photographer late for a shoot at the Music Center in Norman Taurog's "Live a Little, Love a Little" (MGM, 1968). The film features Michele Carey, Don Porter, Rudy Vallee, Dick Sargent, Sterling Holloway and Celeste Yarnall. The cinematography was by Fred J. Koenekamp. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for two more Music Center views plus an earlier shot on Wilcox St. in Hollywood looking toward the Warner/Hollywood Pacific.

Bo Svenson drives by the Dorothy Chandler on his way into downtown to rob a bank in "Special Delivery" (American International, 1976). We also see the Bonaventure under construction. Paul Wendkos directed this story about a bank robber who puts the loot into a mailbox and, unknown to him, has several witnesses. The film also features Cybill Shepard, Michael C. Gwynne, Mel Scott, Phillip R. Allen, Alex Colon, Vic Tayback and Jeff Goldblum. The cinematography was by Harry Stradling, Jr. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of action around the Regent Theatre on the 400 Block of S. Main.

Near the end of Mark Lester's "Armed and Dangerous" (Columbia, 1986) we go on an armored car chase that, before this shot, gives a nice tour of the Arts District. The film stars John Candy, Eugene Levy and Meg Ryan. The cinematography was by Fred Schuler. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatre in the film. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for views of the Paramount, the Egyptian, the Cave Theatre and the Westlake.

On the left it's the vacant lot that would later be the location of Frank Gehry's Disney Hall. In the foreground on the right it's the "temporary" parking garage that much later would be the location of The Grand, also designed by Gehry.

The Dorothy Chandler lobby is used as a Cincinnati venue in "The Great Buck Howard" (Magnolia Pictures, 2008). Hundreds of people will fall asleep on the carpet when they're hypnotized by John Malkovich. The film, directed by Sean McGinley, also features Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Debra Monk and Jonathan Ames. The cinematography was by Tak Fujimoto.

See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for 40 images of the theatres used in "Buck Howard" including three more Dorothy Chandler shots plus views of the Wadsworth, the Brentwood, the Crenshaw, the Leimert/Vision Theatre and the Orpheum.

More information: Visit Mike Hume's fine page about the Music Center on his Historic Theatre Photography site for more photos, including many backstage views.

On his site, Mike has a pdf of "A Contemporary Expression of Classic Architecture," a four page article by Welton Becket discussing the design of the theatre that appeared in the December 6, 1964 issue of the L.A. Times. Also on the site are a floorplan and section.

Los Angeles Theatres

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

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