Ahmanson Theatre
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Location | 135 North Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California |
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Coordinates | 34°3′29″N 118°14′50″W / 34.05806°N 118.24722°W |
Public transit | Civic Center/ Grand Park |
Owner | Los Angeles Music Center |
Type | Indoor Theatre |
Seating type | Reserved |
Capacity | 2,084 |
Construction | |
Broke ground | March 9, 1962 |
Built | 1962–1967 |
Opened | April 12, 1967 |
Renovated | January 25, 1995 |
Website | |
Official Website |
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.
The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and loans company. It was named for his second wife, businesswoman and philanthropist Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson.
Construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967, with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman, Arthur Hill, and Colleen Dewhurst. Since then, it has presented a wide variety of dramas, musicals, comedies and revivals of the classics, including six world premieres of Neil Simon plays and works by Wendy Wasserstein, August Wilson, A.R. Gurney, Terrence McNally, John Guare and Edward Albee. The Ahmanson also has served in the capacity of co-producer for a number of Broadway productions, including Amadeus, Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Most Happy Fella, and The Drowsy Chaperone.