Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Re-Opens with Summer

@ The Wallis, Celebrating the Return of In-Person Audiences While Maintaining Commitment to Health and Safety of Staff, Artists, And Patrons, Opens with World Premiere Performance of Tevye in New York! Slated for Late June

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts re-opens this June with a pop-up outdoor performance space and summer @ The Wallis featuring theater, dance, music, cinema, and special events. The outdoor space, with tiered seating and infrastructure to house lighting and sound, accommodates 100 socially distanced audience members each night. summer @ The Wallis, celebrating the return of in-person audiences to The Wallis while maintaining a firm commitment to the health and safety of staff, artists, and patrons, launches in late June with the World Premiere performance of Tevye in New York!, a one-man show written, co-directed and performed by Tom Dugan (Jackie Unveiled, Wiesenthal) and co-directed and designed by Michael Vale. Other programming, performance dates and ticket information will be announced shortly.

The Wallis’ Artistic Director Paul Crewes says, “As we approach the long-awaited return of in-person performances on our two indoor stages at The Wallis, it has been exhilarating to design and build an outdoor space on our beautiful Promenade Terrace. Over the coming months, we believe this space will excite our audiences and give them the opportunity to again see theater, music, dance, and film under the evening stars on our amazing campus. It will be an experience not to be missed.”

“On behalf of The Wallis’ Board of Directors, management team, and our staff, we are excited to gradually welcome audiences back to The Wallis after so many months of virtual performances,” says Michael Nemeroff, The Wallis’ Chairman of the Board. “With health and safety protocols our top priority, our commitment is to the best possible experience as guests come back to our campus. It is a testament to the incredible fiscal support of our loyal donors, the City of Beverly Hills, our government funders, and the Annenberg Foundation that The Wallis remained resilient through this challenging period.”

Adds Executive Director & CEO Rachel Fine, “The Wallis thanks profusely its Board of Directors, the City of Beverly Hills, the Annenberg Foundation, and its many loyal supporters and patrons for seeing the organization through this particularly difficult and unfortunate time. Bolstered by our remarkable community, leadership, and staff, we’ve persevered during the extended closure and look forward to helping heal the community through our mission and artistic offerings.”

While the Wallis’ new performance space currently provides room for 100 socially-distanced patrons, it is designed for expandable seating with a first row that is 12 feet from its raked stage. Following L.A. County guidelines, safety features include limited seating capacity to allow physical distancing of at least 6 feet from others not in the same household, with spacing markers and signage to help patrons maintain distance. Pre-entry health screenings via email will be required for guests. Hand sanitizing stations are conveniently located for easy and frequent access. Face coverings are required for all guests and staff. Mobile ticket delivery to phones for advance ticket purchase will be available. Contactless ticket scanning will allow for efficient and seamless entry. Performance program books can be viewed digitally before and during most events. All surfaces are cleaned with EPA-approved disinfectants before and after every performance. Special attention is paid to high-touch surfaces, from door handles to handrails to armrests, in all the spaces where audiences may gather. The Wallis’ cleaning and disinfection vendor is GBAC certified. Performances are shown without intermissions to increase safety. Daily health screenings and temperature checks are required for all staff, artists, crew, and vendors. For further information, please visit TheWallis.org. 310.746.4000 (Tue.-Fri. 9:30 am – 2:30 pm) Tickets@TheWallis.org

About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 300 dance, theater, opera, classical music, cinema and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Its programming has been nominated for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine and Artistic Director Paul Crewes.