GLENDALE : Theater’s Seats Run Afoul of City Codes

Opening night for the third season of Glendale’s resident Shakespearean drama company is expected to take place tonight as planned with a performance of “King Lear,” but not without a hitch.

That’s because A Noise Within, which stages classic plays in a 99-seat theater on the third floor of the historic Masonic Temple building at 234 S. Brand Blvd., mistakenly went ahead with city-funded renovation of its quarters without permits, officials said Tuesday.

City officials became aware of the mistake in recent weeks and hurriedly approved most of the work, including a temporary wooden stage and new roofing.

But on Tuesday, officials said that before the theater opens its doors tonight, it must remove a tiered wooden platform on which the seats are arranged because it is considered a fire hazard.

“That will leave the audience situated head-to-head and the only people who will be able to view the performance will be those sitting in the first two rows of the theater,” said Susan Boyd, a member of the theater’s board of directors. “Obviously, that is a major concern to us from a subscriber standpoint.”

The theater company is renovating its space in the building with a $2.5-million loan it received earlier this year from the Glendale Redevelopment Agency. But it has run into trouble of late for proceeding with the job without first seeking approval from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

Two weeks ago, the commission held an emergency meeting to review a fire sprinkler system that had already been installed in the theater. The sprinklers were approved by the commission and then by the City Council, but the commission held another emergency meeting Monday when questions arose as to whether the the roofing work, stage and seating platform met city codes.

City officials said they worked hurriedly to avoid forcing the theater to postpone opening night. A Noise Within, along with the Alex Theater, Glendale Center Theatre and another stage company moving into Glendale, is part of an emerging theater district.

“Sometimes people say city government people don’t do anything out of the ordinary,” said city Planning Director John McKenna, “(but) many staff members spent an inordinate amount of time to get this thing done.”

City Manager David Ramsay said building inspectors will go to the Masonic Temple today to make sure the seating platform has been removed. Meanwhile, Boyd said A Noise Within’s building committee will meet with its contractor to try to find a way to have tiered seating in the hall without violating city codes.

City Council members said they sympathize with the theater group, but said they were bound by law. Councilman Sheldon Baker added that the city should not “be required to hold (the theater’s) hand every step of the way” through the approval process.

“It’s a very unfortunate situation but there are some rules we have to follow for public safety reasons,” Baker said. “I don’t know what else can be done.”