Wave Wire Services
LEIMERT PARK — A three-day public celebration of the restored Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center begins Nov. 13 in with live entertainment, a family block party, film screenings and a concert planned at the newly renovated cultural venue.
The celebration follows a grand-opening event Nov. 12 attended by Mayor Karen Bass and other dignitaries.
The weekend will include live performances, a family block party, a screening and cast discussion tied to Disney’s “The Proud Family,” an open house and a live music finale, according to organizers.
The Vision Theatre, built in 1931, underwent a 15-year, $40 million city-led restoration. Actress Marla Gibbs bought the building in 1990 and renamed it the Vision Theatre, envisioning it as a home for Black arts, culture and community.
The city Department of Cultural Affairs and WACO Theater Center, founded by Tina Knowles and actor Richard Lawson, will co-manage the 729-seat venue.
“The Vision Theatre represents so much history, but more importantly, it represents possibility,” Knowles said in a statement. “We want young people to walk through these doors and see a future for themselves in the arts.”
The Nov. 13 program, titled “Our Magic: Club 20/20,” runs from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. and feature Club 20/20 and “House Guest with Scott Evans,” an event sponsored by Cecred and curated by Knowles.
The evening also includes a conversation with cast members of Netflix’s “A Different World,” including Maleah Joi Moon, Cornell Young IV, Kennedi Reece, Alijah Kai and Jordan Aaron Hall, organizers said.
An open-air night market follows.
“Our Future: Proud on the Block” is the title for the Nov. 14 program, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 43rd Place and will celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Proud Family.”
The free block party will include art activities, photo opportunities with Penny Proud, local food vendors and music curated by Girls Make Beats.
Theater doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for a 1 p.m. screening of “A Proud Family Wizmas,” followed by a conversation with cast members Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson and Jo Marie Payton, and producer and writer Ralph Farquhar. A second screening is scheduled for 4 p.m., organizers said.
The weekend concludes Nov. 15 with “Our Vision: Crossroads,” an open house and community celebration from noon to 7:30 p.m.
The final event will include a concert launching the WACO at the Vision Music Series, with a band led by Steve Mackey’s Taco Tuesdays, the Sessions LA and the Crockpock.
“The reopening of the Vision Theatre is an investment in the future of South Los Angeles and the artists who make this community extraordinary,” WACO Executive Director Shay Wafer said in a statement.
“We know that the Vision Theater rises again as a platform for Black creativity, for community, for commerce, and it is a landmark that has anchored Leimert Park for nearly a century, and now it is back stronger than ever,” Mayor Karen Bass said in August during a community open house for the theater. “We know that this building sits in the heart of a neighborhood that is celebrated the world over as a mecca for Black culture.”
The theatre was originally built by Howard Hughes and opened in 1932 as the Leimert Theatre. It was in operation until 1968.
It was then purchased by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1968 and renamed the Watchtower. Gibbs purchased the theater in 1990, but it went into foreclosure in 1997 and the city took over the property in 1999.
All opening weekend activities are free and open to the public with an RSVP.
Information is available at wacotheatercenter.com.
