The Fountain Theatre hopes to reopen production on its outdoor stage
in late spring or early summer. (rendering courtesy of the Fountain Theatre)

The Fountain Theatre has received approval from the city of Los Angeles to install a temporary outdoor stage for live performances and other events during the pandemic.

“Pandemic permitting, we hope to open our first outdoor production by late spring or early summer,” Fountain Theater artistic director Stephen Sachs said. “We’re planning an exciting Los Angeles premiere that dramatizes urgent social issues using the Fountain’s signature bold and theatrical approach.”

Installed in the theater parking lot, the new performance area will be able to accommodate 50-84 audience members. It will feature seven rows of chairs, each six feet apart, as well as 12 high-top tables positioned six feet apart for use by patrons from the same households. Every aspect of the outdoor performance area will meet COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“The most painful aspect of the past 10 months has been the separation from our patrons and the disconnection from our art form,” Sachs said. “Until our indoor theater reopens, the outdoor stage will be a thrilling performance venue and a hub for our educational and community engagement programs. The outdoor stage will be the centerpiece as we reemerge in 2021. It galvanizes our vision moving forward.”

The Fountain Theatre outdoor stage was made possible by the support of Karen Kondazian, the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation, Rabbi Anne Brener, Carrie Chassin and Jochen Haber, Miles and Joni Benickes, and the Phillips-Gerla Family.

For information, visit fountaintheatre. com.