Former Home of LATC Waking Up--but Slowly

Los Angeles’ municipal theater complex, formerly the home of Los Angeles Theatre Center, has been in hibernation through most of the winter. Now, there are a few signs of awakening, but also a few indications of continued slumber.

* The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts will move its subscription audience to LATC for Edit Villarreal’s “My Visits With MGM (My Grandmother Marta),” at the downstairs Theatre 3 in May. It will be the first show in a BFA season to be staged in a space larger than the group’s 99-seat venue in Lincoln Heights--and the first with an Actors’ Equity contract. Theatre LA’s Sampler Series subscribers also are affected; their package includes “MGM.”

* Independent producer Tom Badal plans to stage Thomas Babe’s “A Prayer for My Daughter” in the small Theatre 4 April 17-May 24.

* As previously reported, a Spanish-language musical, “El Cuarto Poder,” will occupy the largest theater within the complex, previewing on April 10, opening on April 24, playing through June 14.

* Several one-night or two-night programs also have been scheduled for the premises, including the annual LA Weekly theater awards ceremony on March 16, six separate programs in the Dance Gallery’s In the Works series, and presentations by some of the LATC offshoots, such as the AsianAmerican Theatre Project, Women Artists Group and the Directors Lab.

Nevertheless, the list of events that won’t be in the LATC building is just as telling.

The LATC-bred Latino Theatre Lab, which still rents office space in the LATC facility, has abandoned plans to present its “Some of My Best Friends Are . . .” there, where it had been tentatively penciled in for June. Jose Luis Valenzuela, artistic director of the Lab, said a production of “Friends” at the Spring Street building would cost $200,000--which is “out of the question.” He added that the Lab is having “long discussions on whether we want to go to 99-seat theaters” for future productions.

Another of the former LATC labs, the Black Theatre Artists Workshop, had planned to present programs at LATC during February, Black History Month. But nothing happened. The Black Workshop is “on hiatus while members pursue other projects,” according to the city’s latest status report on the use of LATC. Shabaka, director of the Lab, could not be reached for comment.

The San Francisco Mime Troupe, which had received a $7,500 grant from the L.A. arts endowment to present its acclaimed “I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle” at LATC, now hopes to stage it at the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood next fall, co-produced by Inner City Cultural Center. In the absence of the former LATC company, the Troupe needed a local presenter. The Inner City--which owns the Ivar--will serve in that capacity.

Finally, LATC’s Young Conservatory canceled its spring session due to budget cutbacks and plans a summer session elsewhere, according to the city report.

THE WILD BUNCH: Plans are under way to bring “The Real Live Brady Bunch,” a staged re-enactment of episodes from the old TV series using the original scripts, to the Westwood Playhouse in mid-April. The show originated in Chicago and has recently been playing in New York, where it drew fire for its non-union status. Actors’ Equity picketed the production there Feb. 14, but the union and the producers were negotiating at press time and may come to terms by the time the Bunch heads West.

GOTANDA GRANT: Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda and East West Players roped in a big grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Literary Arts Program. Gotanda will receive $35,000 a year for three years, and the theater will receive $10,000 a year for three years. The money will bring multicultural artists to East West for a series of public interviews, leading to the development of original performance pieces.

OH, KAYE: Buried in the program for “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” at Long Beach Civic Light Opera is a credit for “additional choreography” to Toni Kaye. She staged three of the biggest dance numbers: “A Song for Dancin,’ ” “The Lindy” and “The Tango.”

Why was it necessary to use her skills in addition to those of Marge Champion, the credited choreographer? “Marge was concentrating on Tyne (Daly) and Charles (Durning),” said a spokesman for the theater. “There was a time problem. Toni is a choreographer who was already there in the cast, so they called on her.”