LEIMERT PARK : Gibbs’ Grand Vision Becoming a Reality

With the aplomb of a seasoned traffic cop, actress Marla Gibbs stands in the middle of the stage of her Vision Complex Theatre directing workers who are readying the facility for the opening of the Los Angeles Festival this week.

She calls out instructions to a group of men who are perched on ladders and rigging lights. After quickly consulting one worker about setting stage marks, she heads to the lobby to check on the progress of another group busy installing granite flooring. “It’s crazy like this every morning, but I’ve gotten used to it,” said Gibbs, laughing.

The constant whine of drills and clanging of hammers is joyful noise to Gibbs, who has been working to open the theater as a community venue since buying the building three years ago. When the monthlong festival kicks off Friday, Gibbs said, the theater will debut as a first-class concert hall not only for the community but for those visiting Leimert Park.

“I want people to come in and say, ‘Oooh!’ ” said Gibbs, who moved about the theater wearing her signature flowing African dress and wide-brimmed hat. “The improvements aren’t nearly done--I have a lot of things in mind--but people will get a good sense of it when they start coming next week. When they leave, I want them to know there’s a life here.”

The Vision Complex includes two theaters, but it is the larger one that is getting the bulk of $120,000 worth of improvements, the festival’s largest venue expenditure. Both sites will be used for film screenings, music, dance and poetry and theatrical readings.

Gibbs, who operates Crossroads Performing Arts Academy on the same property, has sought to upgrade the aging facility into a space where top-name jazz, blues and other artists could perform.

The theater, built in 1931 as an Art Deco movie house, boasts a new gold-and-burgundy color scheme, flooring, paint, carpet and a refurbished women’s restroom. Walking through the facility, Gibbs describes her vision of the place as a “museum,” resplendent with Egyptian statues, hieroglyphics and pyramid motifs, and decorations by local artists.

“We’ve got to know our history,” said Gibbs emphatically. “We have to be able to bring our children to a place that they can be proud of.” But Gibbs lacks the money to carry out her ambitious plans. Festival organizers kicked in the money refurbish the theater, but Gibbs estimates it will take millions more to complete the project to her specifications.

Gibbs says she has faith that once people see what she has in the works, donations and offers of help will come.

Many local merchants and artists, several of whom have worked with Gibbs on an entrepreneurial training program for children launched this summer, applauded the increased visibility the festival will bring to Gibbs’ endeavor.

“Marla’s commitment to the community is such that she deserves everything that comes her way,” said Ron Daniels, a playwright and friend of Gibbs.

Jimmy Walton, owner of the Walton Gallery on Degnan Boulevard for 10 years, said having a venue like the Vision Complex operating in the area is “absolutely phenomenal.”

“At least now we know we have a space that’s clean and modern,” Walton said. “Now we don’t have to go outside of the community.”