Alex Theatre

Glendale officials may not be able to block the state from selling the Alex Theatre, but they can prevent a future buyer from turning the historic cultural site into a church or other type of venue they don't want at the prominent downtown location. Last week, officials suggested that Glendale change the zoning of the land beneath the Alex Theatre to restrict its use to civic or cultural purposes. “It adds another layer of protection to that particular facility,” said Gillian van Muyden, general counsel for the city's Community Development Department, at a Planning Commission meeting at City Hall.

Officials are putting off millions of dollars worth of improvements at the Alex Theatre because under a state mandate to dissolve local redevelopment agencies, Glendale may be forced to sell off the historic venue. In their most recent quarterly report, Glendale Arts, which operates the theater, said they're holding off on the major upgrades until they know whether earlier moves to try and transfer ownership of the venue from the now-defunct Redevelopment Agency to the city are deemed legal.

Joyce Rudolph DOWNTOWN -- Historical facts about The Alex Theatre will be revealed along with a look behind the scenes during free group tours scheduled for Jan. 13 and March 10. Guests will be led through the courtyard and auditorium by a docent who will recount events and lore of the theater's early years, as well as the docent's experiences as a member of the team guiding the theater's rehabilitation. The second part of the tour is led by the technical director and includes a visit to the green room, backstage area, the stage and a demonstration of the stagecraft involved running a performance.

Billy Wilder was a lover of words, and a writer above all else. He said many times in interviews that his move into the director's chair was simply to protect his scripts. Wilder cared deeply about the language, rhythm and timing he spent months crafting with his Hollywood writing partners. Actress Marian Collier remembers watching him on the set of 1959's “Some Like It Hot” as he silently mouthed every syllable of dialogue with the actors. “Good writing, good acting, good directing,” Collier says now, more than 50 years later.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Elissa Glickman, the newly appointed chief executive of the nonprofit that runs the Alex Theatre. Even though we are friends via social media, I had not seen Glickman since I left the Alex Regional Theatre (ART) Board in 2004. I served on the committee that interviewed and hired her to be director of marketing and resource development, so news of her promotion was a happy occasion, as it reinforced what we saw in her some eight years ago. It was an interesting meeting for a couple of reasons, our differing perspectives on the recent demise of redevelopment agencies statewide being one such reason . I have been critical of redevelopment agencies for transacting in a number of questionable real estate and financial decisions that by many accounts seem to favor wealthy developers more than the people they are supposed to serve.

GLENDALE -- In its West Coast premiere, "The Immigrants" will be performed by the 35-year-old AMAN Folk Ensemble at The Alex Theatre this weekend. "The Immigrants" is a celebration of the immigrant experience and demonstrates how people from all over the world have brought their traditions here. The piece looks at what happens when those traditions bump up against each other and new traditions are created. A professional actor, playing the role of a philosophical street musician, weaves the context for the highly diverse segments, around the theme of E Pluribus Unum, or Out of Many One. "The Immigrants" is a fast-paced, contemporary collection of music and dance interspersed with the voices of AMAN's own performers articulating the importance of honoring traditional cultures.

Lifetime Glendale resident Doris McKenty cannot remember a time when she wasn’t passionate about history. “History is a story. It’s about people,” McKenty said. “It has excitement and everything in it.” Though McKenty has retired from teaching history, music and art to elementary school students, she continues to share stories about Glendale’s history with visitors at Verdugo Adobe Park, the Alex Theatre and the Doctors’ House.

Tim Willert When they last appeared before the City Council, Alex Theatre officials asked the Redevelopment Agency for $200,000 to keep the struggling facility afloat through the end of June. The council came though, but only after Executive Director Barry McComb and Alex Regional Theatre Board Chairman Max Howard promised to implement a host of cost-cutting measures. When McComb and Howard deliver the theater's quarterly report to the agency today, they will be singing a different show tune.