Hollywood Theatre Row is the official name for the district of Hollywood, California bounded roughly by McCadden Place and El Centro Ave and Lexington and Melrose Avenues, consisting of approximately 22 stages. On June 1, 2015, City Councilmembers Mitch O'Farrell and Tom LaBonge along with actor French Stewart, The Blank Theatre Artistic Director Daniel Henning and several hundred community members unveiled the City of Los Angeles Signage that officially created Hollywood Theatre Row as a "Live Theatre District." It is also the core home of the Hollywood Fringe Festival each June, bringing thousands of audience members to Hollywood Theatre Row to see nearly 400 productions each year.
El Centro Theatre 804 N. El Centro Ave - currently under renovations
Official City of Los Angeles motion to designate Hollywood Theatre Row: Centered on Santa Monica Boulevard between McCadden Place and El Centro Avenue is an area known to many as "Hollywood Theatre Row." This area includes over a dozen live theatres, many of which have been in operation for decades. It is the highest concentration of live theatres in Los Angeles. Live theatre districts such as Hollywood Theatre Row bring vibrancy to their surrounding community and help contribute both to the local culture as well as the economy. Hollywood Theatre Row has for decades provided countless artists and theatre professionals the opportunity to produce and perform exceptional work for all people to enjoy. Many future-famous actors began their careers on Hollywood Theatre Row including George Clooney, Octavia Spencer, Noah Wyle, Chris Pine, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jack Black, Molly Shannon and Sherri Shepherd. Hollywood Theatre Row has also served as an important cultural incubator and is unique in this regard within the City of Los Angeles. The concentration of so many theatres in one area has encouraged a sense of collaboration and community among artists, which further enriches the cultural fabric of the City. Hollywood Theatre Row has produced thousands of theatrical presentations over the years. For example, The Blank Theatre develops over 45 new plays each year including the 12 best plays in the nation by playwrights 9 to 19 in its Young Playwrights Festival, Elephant Theatre focuses on local and world premieres, and Hudson Theatres have been home to many long-running mega hit shows for nearly two decades. The LGBT Center's Renberg Theatre presents outstanding fare on the LGBT experience and the Hollywood Fringe Festival brings hundreds of productions and thousands of audience members to the area every year. In recognition of the fact that Hollywood Theatre Row provides an enormous boon to arts and culture in Hollywood and Los Angeles as a whole it is appropriate that the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue be named as "Hollywood Theatre Row." I THEREFORE MOVE that the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue be named as "Hollywood Theatre Row" in recognition of the fact that Hollywood Theatre Row provides an enormous boon to arts and culture in Hollywood and Los Angeles as a whole, and that the Department of Transportation be directed to fabricate and install permanent ceremonial signs to this effect at this location, in consultation with Council District 13.
