Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a community arts center in Beverly Hills, California, named for philanthropist Wallis Annenberg in recognition for The Annenberg Foundation's major gift to fund the campus. It is colloquially known as The Wallis.
Location
The Wallis is located on the corner of North Santa Monica Boulevard and Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills, California.Amenities
The center was designed by architect Zoltan Pali of SPF:architects. It includes the historic 1933 Beverly Hills post office, the newly built 500-seat Goldsmith Theater, the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, a sculpture garden and a promenade terrace designed by Ron Lutsko. The Goldsmith theater is named after Bram Goldsmith, the Chairman Emeritus of City National Bank. The restored landmark Beverly Hills post office is named for Paula Kent Meehan.History
Endowed by heiress and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, who donated US$25 million, The Wallis was under construction for ten years. The total cost of creating the center is estimated at $70 million, with an annual operating budget of several million dollars.The opening on October 17, 2013 was celebrated with a black-tie gala, co-chaired by Wallis Annenberg and Jamie Tisch. Kevin Spacey, John Lithgow and Diane Lane inaugurated the 500-seat Goldsmith Theater by reading letters from Groucho Marx, Tennessee Williams, Peter Tchaikovsky, Will Rogers and others. The evening was followed by a fashion show by Salvatore Ferragamo and performances by the likes of Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo and Paris Opera Ballet members Mathias Heymann and Myriam Ould-Braham.
As of October 2017, the center's chairman of the board is Michael Nemeroff. The chairman of the executive committee is philanthropist and arts patron David Bohnett, who was board chairman from 2015–2017. The Wallis's managing director is arts administrator and fundraiser Rachel Fine, and the artistic director is Paul Crewes of Kneehigh Theatre.
The Wallis and Deaf West Theatre's acclaimed 2015 co-production of Spring Awakening , performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English by a cast of 27, transferred to Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre in September 2015 and went on to receive 3 Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director Michael Arden.
Performances
2013/2014 Inaugural Season Highlights- Martha Graham Dance Company
- Catherine Wheels Theatre Company's White
- Noël Coward's Brief Encounter from Kneehigh Theatre
- Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Into the Woods
- Patti LuPone's Coulda Shoulda Woulda... Played that Part
- National Theatre of Scotland and Royal Shakespeare Company's Dunsinane
- Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening
- An Evening with Denzel Washington
- Twyla Tharp: 50th Anniversary Celebration
- Mel Brooks in Conversation with David Steinberg
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Guys and Dolls
- Complicite's The Encounter by Simon McBurney
- Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along from Michael Arden
- Deaf West Theatre's Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
- Paul Taylor Dance Company
- Bristol Old Vic's Long Day's Journey into Night with Jeremy Irons
- Kneehigh Theatre's The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk from Emma Rice
- The Heart of Robin Hood from Iceland's Vesturport
- Benjamin Millepied's L.A. Dance Project
Awards and nominations
| Awards | Production | Nominations | Wins | Notes | - |
| Maurice Hines is Tappin Through Life | 8 | 2 | Won for Acting Ensemble of a Musical and Music Direction | - | |
| Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening | 12 | 5 | Won for Best Production of a Musical, Acting Ensemble of a Musical, Director of a Musical, Choreography, and Lighting Design | - | |
| 1 | 1 | Won for Best Season | - | ||
| For the Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem | 10 | 2 | Nominated for Best Production of a Musical, Acting Ensemble of a Musical, Music Direction, Director of a Musical, Musical Lead Actor, Musical Lead Actress, Musical Featured Actor, Musical Featured Actress, and Lighting Design | - | |
| The Pride | 4 | Nominated for Best Acting Ensemble of a Play, Play Featured Actor, Sound Design, and Costume Design | - | ||
| Merrily We Roll Along | 3 | Nominated for Best Director of a Musical, Musical Lead Actress, and Musical Featured Actress | - | ||
| Complicite's The Encounter | 1 | 1 | Won for Best Presented Production | - | |
| 1 | Nominated for Best Season |