The Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre
Opened in 1967, The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre (Ahmanson) features a state-of-the-art configuration with variable seating capacity that can accommodate a diverse selection of performances. The theatre was underwritten by philanthropist Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., a Los Angeles-based insurance and savings and loan company, and named for his second wife, Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson. The Ahmanson is home to a wide-ranging selection of theatrical and dance performances and is the site for Center Theatre Group presentations, including Pre-Broadway runs as well as the best of Broadway and the West End.
Originally faced on all four sides with off-white stone, the façade was altered in 1995 by Ellerbe Becket, the successor firm to Welton Becket & Associates, which designed the original Music Center campus. The theatre is joined with The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum (Taper) by a 47-foot high colonnade that surrounds both structures and creates a visual balance with The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Pavilion) across Jerry Moss Plaza. The main façade has a glass skin that extends the full 73 feet of the five-level structure, giving patrons the opportunity to view the Taper’s massive mural.
The 2,109-seat theater was designed for musical comedy and theatrical productions, ranging from the intimate to the spectacular. To create a warm, welcoming feeling for patrons, the Ahmanson’s auditorium is wider than it is deep. There are three levels of seating: Orchestra (988 seats), Mezzanine (606 seats including the boxes) and Balcony (515 seats including the boxes). Like the Pavilion, the first 13 rows of the Ahmanson are arranged in continental style with no front-to-rear aisles. Audience members reach the Mezzanine and Balcony from large promenades that overlook Jerry Moss Plaza.
Renovations in the early 1990s enhanced the theatre’s acoustics, improved sightlines and allowed for more flexible seating arrangements. In fact, the Ahmanson can be quickly transformed from a 2,109-seat theatre to a 1,200-seat venue. Updates included changes to the circulation of the auditorium and the addition of six boxes on each of the side walls. At the same time, the architects lowered the ceiling and covered it with new acoustical paneling. They moved the Balcony and Mezzanine closer to the stage, expanded backstage areas and installed mobile dividers in the Balcony to decrease the number of seats for shows that require a more intimate setting. In addition, the Ahmanson now has a three-story lobby. Patrons can view the sculpture, “Acrobat Freeway,” created by local artist Peter Shire, as they enter the building.
The Ahmanson’s original décor featured rich reds and pewter gray tones. Purples and golds were later introduced as part of the Ellerbe Becket renovations. The proscenium was widened in 2010, and its appearance and functionality enhanced with metal mesh curtains and a removable/storable proscenium header.
Featured at the Ahmanson Theatre
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Wed Jun 05 8:00 PM
Sun Jun 30 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group A Strange Loop
Ahmanson Theatre
The ground-breaking and critically acclaimed winner of every ‘Best Musical’ award on Broadway, and the Pulitzer Prize, bursts onto the stage for a limited engagement, direct from Broadway.
Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-percepti...Show More
The ground-breaking and critically acclaimed winner of every ‘Best Musical’ award on Broadway, and the Pulitzer Prize, bursts onto the stage for a limited engagement, direct from Broadway.
Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher, a young, gay, Black writer who hates his day job, writes a musical about a young, gay, Black writer who’s writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer...a strange loop. Usher grapples with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes, all brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-talking ensemble.
Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, Michael R. Jackson’s blisteringly funny, “audacious and uproarious” (The Guardian) show is a heartfelt and thought-provoking masterwork that uses humor and honesty to explore themes around race and sexuality.
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Tue Jul 30 8:00 PM
Sun Aug 25 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Clue
Ahmanson Theatre
Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the cult ...Show More
Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the cult 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.
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Sat May 04 4:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program The Music Center's On the Record: Vinyl Fair
Jerry Moss Plaza
The 2nd Annual The Music Center’s On the Record: Vinyl Fair returns with a vinyl marketplace, art-making, interactive activities, dance performances, live DJs and an open dance floor on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center.
...Show MoreThe 2nd Annual The Music Center’s On the Record: Vinyl Fair returns with a vinyl marketplace, art-making, interactive activities, dance performances, live DJs and an open dance floor on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center.
The Music Center's On the Record: Vinyl Fair is co-created with: Arts for LA, Dance Resource Center, dublab, LA Commons, LAUSD Arts Education Branch and Dexter Story.
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Let us know you're coming!Free
Learn MoreFree
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Thu May 02 8:00 PM
Sun May 05 2:00 PM
LA Phil Dudamel Leads Beethoven and Strauss
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil lead Strauss’ Don Quixote, an epic tone poem that pits the infamous “Man of La Mancha” against a flurry of windmills and wizards, featuring LA Phil Principal Cello and Principal Viola Robert deMaine and Ten...Show More
Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil lead Strauss’ Don Quixote, an epic tone poem that pits the infamous “Man of La Mancha” against a flurry of windmills and wizards, featuring LA Phil Principal Cello and Principal Viola Robert deMaine and Teng Li as soloists. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 is the composer at the top of his game, a piece that flipped conventional baroque traditions on its head by shining a clear spotlight on the soloist, highlighted here by leading Mozart interpreter Maria João Pires.
This performance is generously supported by the Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Great Artists Fund and the Valerie Franklin Baroque Music Fund.
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Tue Mar 05 12:00 PM
Sat May 04 12:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents Music off the Wall
Jerry Moss Plaza & Plaza Gallery
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free ...Show More
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free AR exhibit in the heart of DTLA showcases local and global artists and their captivating creations.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Thu May 02 8:00 PM
Sun May 05 2:00 PM
LA Phil Dudamel Leads Beethoven and Strauss
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil lead Strauss’ Don Quixote, an epic tone poem that pits the infamous “Man of La Mancha” against a flurry of windmills and wizards, featuring LA Phil Principal Cello and Principal Viola Robert deMaine and Ten...Show More
Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil lead Strauss’ Don Quixote, an epic tone poem that pits the infamous “Man of La Mancha” against a flurry of windmills and wizards, featuring LA Phil Principal Cello and Principal Viola Robert deMaine and Teng Li as soloists. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 is the composer at the top of his game, a piece that flipped conventional baroque traditions on its head by shining a clear spotlight on the soloist, highlighted here by leading Mozart interpreter Maria João Pires.
This performance is generously supported by the Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Great Artists Fund and the Valerie Franklin Baroque Music Fund.
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Free tours are available of all The Music Center's theaters.