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In October, 2017 it was announced that Jamie Flam, formerly the booker and artistic director at the Hollywood Improv for six years, would reopen the Hayworth as a comedy venue called Dynasty Typewriter, with a grand reopening set for March 2018. Programming “will go beyond stand-up, incorporating live podcasts, musicals, movie screenings, and even vaudeville-style variety acts”. 

For more information on the new operators, visit their Kickstarter Campaign:Join the Dynasty.

HISTORY

The Hayworth theatre in Westlake, one block west of MacArthur Park, opened as the Masque theatre in 1926, designed by noted theatre architect Stiles O. Clements (El Capitan, Mayan, Wiltern, Belasco; Chapman Market & Jefferson High School) in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The Masque was a legitimate theatre staging dramatic productions of the day.

In 1950 the theatre was renovated by architect Dwight Gibbs (Carthay Circle Theatre) and reopened as the Vagabond movie theatre, specializing in screening British movies and other “artsy” releases. The theatre’s sidewalls were decorated with murals depicting scenes from the silent film era. In the 1970s the theatre developed a reputation as a revival house under the management of Tom Cooper. Programming of rare nitrate prints was made possible by upgrading the projection booth to meet stringent fire codes for handling nitrate film.

The theatre struggled in the 1980s as it tried to compete with home video, however continued to operate until 1985 when Cooper pulled-out. Several operators then tried their hands at running the place, screening classic such as “Kiss Me Kate” (1953 – MGM) and “Dial M for Murder” (1954 – Warner Bros) and 3D movies until 1993 when the theatre was turned over to church use.

In 2006 the theatre reopened, playing host once again to legitimate theatre, under the new name of the Hayworth theatre in honor of actress Rita Hayworth. Some sources claim the building’s 1,500sqft ballroom was at one time a dance studio belonging to the actress’s father. The theatre was home to the Hayworth Theatre Company who produced new plays and offbeat musicals. Notable productions included “Lovelace: The Rock Opera”, a 2008 musical biography about porn star Linda Lovelace; and “Silence!”, a 2012 musical parody of “The Silence of the Lambs”.

In November 2013 TV writer Jenji Kohan (creator of Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” and Showtime’s “Weeds”) purchased the theatre for $4 million. Kohan converted the second floor, formerly two small performance spaces, into production offices for writers and editors on her TV shows, and started actively seeking a tenant for the main floor theatre space.

Although most of the movie theatre elements are now gone, the projection booth is still intact and areas such as the theatre’s green room have been recently refurbished. Seating capacity is 198.

The Hayworth shared its building with La Fonda Supper Club, a restaurant established in 1968 that featured a popular mariachi dinner show. The restaurant closed in 2014 however new tenants are anticipated as part of Dynasty Typewriter’s plans.

The Hayworth was recently seen on the big screen as the interior of the Del Rio Theater in “La La Land” (2016 – Summit Entertainment), the theatre where Emma Stone’s character presents her one-woman show.

The Hayworth was designated by the city of Los Angeles as a historic cultural landmark in 1983.

The Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/

Sources

• Cinema Treasures http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1170
• IMDb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3783958/
• Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-hayworth-theatre-20140313-story.html
• Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayworth_Theatre
• Dynasty Typewriter https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/
• LA Weekly http://www.laweekly.com/arts/the-hayworth-theatre-in-westlake-is-reopening-as-a-new-comedy-venue-thanks-to-the-hollywood-improvs-former-artistic-director-8783413
• Los Angeles Theatres https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/03/vagabond-theatre.html