Stage Exit Is West to Downtown L.A.

Re “Packing Up and Heading West” (Jan. 29): I wish to express my concern that theater planners who consider such a westward move have continually ignored the theatergoing audiences of the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys. The Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion are practically the only nearby professional theaters.

As a longtime Angeleno and now resident of Claremont, I still subscribe to these theaters--as I must if I want to see challenging works of any import and quality. Thousands of regular and potential theatergoers depend upon the proximity of downtown Los Angeles. The drive to the Westside and Santa Monica is prohibitive.

LAURA JAOUI

Claremont

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Dear Ernest Fleischmann: If I were one of the Pasadena-based Junior Philharmonic members, I would be anxious to point out to you that a large population of Philharmonic supporters live east of the Music Center.

As a subscriber who lives in Los Feliz, I ask, how can you conclude that “most” of the people who attend Philharmonic concerts live on the Westside and in the West Valley?

Do you have statistics that reveal this? I think it might be appropriate for you to release the numbers, comparing East and West, with La Brea Avenue as a center point.

DIANE KANNER

Los Angeles