New LATC in old neighborhood

The Los Angeles Theatre Center, newly renovated and renamed the New LATC, will reopen on Oct. 25 in downtown L.A.’s historic Old Bank district with an inaugural performance event, “The World Stage Festival.” The Latino Theater Company, the center’s operating entity, is expected to make that announcement today.

The festival, which will run through Dec. 22, will provide a sample of the range of multicultural theater, dance and music performances, poetry events, lectures and art exhibitions the venue will offer, according to Jose Luis Valenzuela, Latino Theater Company’s artistic director.

“The idea is that this will be a place for the diversity in L.A. to congregate and to dialogue about who we are, what we want and what we are doing in this city, specifically through the arts,” he said.

Valenzuela’s company and LATC’s other resident theater companies -- Culture Clash, Robey Theatre Company, Cedar Grove Productions and Playwrights Arena -- will offer a spring subscription series of four to six plays, scheduled to begin in mid-April. Programming will also include an annual fall performing arts festival and a summer conservatory for teens.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs granted the Latino Theater Company a 20-year lease on the four-theater arts and gallery complex on south Spring Street in 2005. In addition to the resident theater companies, it houses the Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture; the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television; and American Indian Dance Theatre.

Today’s announcement follows a protracted battle over control of the city-owned venue that began in 2003 when a proposal by theater group Will & Company and downtown developer Tom Gilmore was accepted by a Cultural Affairs panel over that of the Latino Theater Company. Gilmore’s plan, however, was not approved by the City Council.

Resolution of the dispute came in March 2006 when the Latino Theater Company secured a $4-million grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment Board. The funds were to be used for renovation of the venue, which opened in 1985 but began facing financial woes a few years later. The recent renovation work, which was originally expected to begin in May 2006 and take four months to complete, was delayed until March of this year, although one theater within the center remained open between April and July for an experimental “Cultural Reconstruction” series of plays, Valenzuela said.

The refurbished 80,000-square-foot center, he said, sends a message that diverse communities needn’t be “relegated to small places on the fringe. It’s important that they feel they are participating in the making of the fabric of the culture of the city.”

Safety issues arising from the center’s historically gritty downtown locale -- a concern during the venue’s past lives -- have been addressed through exterior lighting and by security personnel supplied by the center and the city, Valenzuela said. In addition, upgrades have been spurred by neighboring condominium complexes that have recently been built.

“There’s a coffee shop next door. There’s a little wine bar on the next block. Little by little, it’s changing,” Valenzuela said of the neighborhood. “People are walking their dogs. And the neighbors across the street are very nice. They are fixing the facades and putting in more lights. Hopefully, this will all work. It’s a good time.”

The inaugural festival kicks off with a performance by the American Indian Dance troupe on Oct. 25. “We are opening with a Native American company because it feels so appropriate that it be the spark,” Valenzuela said. Other offerings include “Ravish” by Rosanna Gamson/World Wide, “Gumdrops and the Funny Uncle” by Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and “J’arrive,” created and directed by Marta Carasco.

A companion spoken word festival, “L.A. Voz,” will feature citywide open-mike performances and a tribute to poets Sonia Sanchez and Jose Montoya.

“The works that are coming are beautiful, incredibly moving, intelligent work from every community,” Valenzuela said. “And that’s important.”

lynne.heffley@latimes.com