3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Los Angeles, California

The art scene in Los Angeles extends beyond the screen and onto the stage. A place of artistic innovation and history, one can discover new and challenging theatrical works across L.A. stages, while the city still maintains a respect for tradition with its restored theaters and classic plays. See live music at impeccably designed amphitheaters like the Hollywood Bowl; listen in on captivating lectures by authors and directors at various intimate spaces. An homage to its roots as a filmmaking mecca, you can also stumble across retrospectives and rare screenings in movie theaters all over the city, often followed by Q&As with the cast.

L.A.'s art scene is varied, and caters to all budgets and tastes. East West Players at the David Henry Hwang Theatre focuses on Asian-American-themed plays, and if an opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion seems out of your price range, Actors’ Gang in Culver City offers a free Shakespeare play in Media Park in the summer. The Independent Theatre Company hosts a free Shakespeare festival in Griffith Park, also during summer.

Temperate weather allows for an extended season of outdoor events. Enjoy a classic summer picnic listening to the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, or watching a play outdoors at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater.

Cinefamily at the Silent Film Theatre is one of the few places that still shows silent films, but they also have a full calendar of foreign films, retrospectives, rare indie flicks, and campy classics you can't see anywhere else. American Cinematheque, showing classic and independent films, operates out of the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, as well as the historic Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

El Capitan Theatre

Hollywood

Home to Los Angeles's first home of spoken drama, El Capitan Theatre carries on that tradition by way of film showings—specifically Disney films, having been acquired by the company in the 1980s. Watching movies in this classic movie palace, originally built in 1926, is an elevated experience, thanks to its special screenings and its elegant East Indian Revival interior. Having survived several transformations, it has been restored to almost exactly how it looked in 1926. It's also the grand venue for all Disney movie premieres during which movie fans can spot (and perhaps even meet) celebrities as they walk the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard. Guided tours are available Friday through Sunday.

Santa Monica Playhouse

Santa Monica

Housing three theaters and boasting the same artistic direction for 50 years, this unpretentious venue brings a number of original plays, touring companies, poetry readings, spoken-word events, and revival shows to the stage. The Family Theatre Musical Matinee Series features family-friendly reworked classic plays. Educational programs and workshops are available for all ages.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

This open-air theater has put on classics like Shakespeare as well as new and relevant plays for five decades. You'll also find improv, performances of rare works, special events like Elizabethan and holiday fairs, classes, and Family Fundays in this bucolic space. The gardens have sitting areas for picnics before the show. You're encouraged to "Play and Stay" in the Topanga area by pairing your theater experience with a hike in the local hills or a trip to one of the area's unique restaurants beforehand; the company also hosts dinner (and a show) on certain nights. Select weekends are great for families, with special shows performed with children in mind.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

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