Top American Theatrical Centers

To adequately appreciate the standing that a performing arts center has in any major urban area, it may be useful to look at the social function that the concept of performing arts has served in the U.S. in general. From the acting company formed by William Hallam in 1752 in Williamsburg, Virginia (Hewitt 12-12), to the present day, theatrical performance appears to have held popular appeal with the public at large. On the other hand, there appears to have been a historic pattern of suspicion toward the social integrity of theatrical performers and impresarios, and more generally toward the very notion of theatre as extravagance. This does not mean that as individuals these public and officials were immune to the charms of the performing arts. It does mean that from the earliest period of American history the theatre in its many configurations was apart from the mainstream. The theatre more generally appears to have been considered an extravagance, particularly where other matters were more pressing. Hewitt cites a resolution of the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774, wh

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s that is the home of the Los Angeles Music center opened in 1964 with the largest of the three theatre plants, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The Chandler is the home of the resident Los Angeles Philharmonic, L.A. Opera, and L.A. Master Chorale. The Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre opened in 1966 and 1967, respectively. The Ahmanson's premiere production was Eugene O'Neill's More Stately Mansions, a choice that, as indicated by Hewitt, reflected the tendency of theatre companies outside Broadway to present classic or revival plays rather than commercial plays; the Ahmanson has been the site of a number of touring and preview-company Broadway shows. Since its opening, the Mark Taper Forum, also referred to as the Center Theatre Group, has historically been a venue for more experimental performances ("Music Center"). The performing-arts focus at the Music Center appears to be fairly evenly divided between legitimate and musical theatre at the Taper and the Ahmanson, and a variety of musical and dance programs, anchored by the Philharmonic as the resident company. The record of Broadway offerings, particularly at the Ahmanson, over the years (e.g., Rent, Miss Saigon, Give 'Em Hell Harry) makes it difficult to distinguish the M
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4320
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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