East L.A. College Plans to Renovate Old Theater
East Los Angeles College is launching a renovation of its 47-year-old theater that officials hope will reestablish the campus as a center for performing arts.
A $200,000 grant from Edison International will help refurbish the 2,000-seat Ingalls Auditorium and pay for a lighting, sound and computerized ticketing system.
Through the newly established Edison Center for the Performing Arts on campus, Edison has also committed to providing additional funding.
“The facility is so large that it can accommodate a Broadway show,” said Rick Crawford, assistant professor of dance, who is leading the project. “That is the type of programming we could possibly be opening our doors to in the future.”
The auditorium, which was last upgraded to host cultural events during the 1984 Olympics, has declined in recent years without money for upkeep, officials said.
College officials are hoping to get an additional $1 million in funding to eventually create a performing arts complex that would include the renovated auditorium, a student art gallery and additional classrooms and facilities.
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