Photos: Rising from the ashes, Palisades theater troupe revives its holiday tradition
Photo by David Crane; Text by Camelia Heins
Thousands were left homeless by January’s deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County. More than two dozen people died. Businesses became cinders. Churches were leveled. Schools crumbled.
And, not far from Palisades High, “The Pierson Playhouse,” creative home of the Theatre Palisades Actors’ Troupe, went up in flames.
The show, for once, could not go on. A performance scheduled to open three days after the fire, was postponed.
But not for good.
Months later, “Jest a Second!” put the company back in front of the footlights, moved to the Kentwood Players’ theater in Westchester in June.
Displaying its resourcefulness amid the fire’s devastation, the troupe scrambled to assemble its cast, scenery and technical equipment for performances of “Amelia Earhart Declassified,” also in June.
The theater? An auto-repair shop. The Bard would be proud.
Another show, “The Wisdom of Eve,” was held at The Blue Door Theater in Culver City in September.
A few shows have also been staged at Harvard-Westlake School and Paul Revere Middle School as part of the theater’s youth production group.
Pulling together once more, the company has worked for the past few months to make sure that their beloved annual Christmas performance — as much a holiday homecoming as a play — would not be skuttled.
These photos from Los Angeles Daily News Photographer David Crane tell the tale of how that effort all turned out:
Above, members of the Theatre Palisades hang their banner at their temporary performance space, the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica, on Dec. 18. The show: “A Christmas Carol.” The theater’s annual Christmas performance started out 12 years ago as a “holiday gift to the community who supports us in the Palisades,” according to the show’s co-producer, Martha Hunter, also a board member. The seasonal show is always free, offering a raffle, a visit from Mrs. Claus, homemade mulled wine, hot apple cider and holiday goodies.Above, players interact during the performance. The team takes its role in the community seriously. “Community arts theater is very important, because it really brings the older generation and the younger generation into a safe place to express themselves,” said Theatre Palisades’ digital marketing manager Holly Moss-Naim.Above, the cast performs in the ensemble-type show. They will always share their love for their old theater, which was reduced to cinders in mere moments. “I forget which local station was reporting about the fire, which was then affecting Palisades High School. And they kind of swung their camera around, and then ‘Boom, there’s the theater,’” said Philip Bartolf, president of Theatre Palisades. “Everything inside the building was either reduced to rust, ash or shards — literally nothing survived.”Above, eager fans sift into the theater before the performance. The troupe’s previous space was more than just a theater. It served as a community gathering hub where members would join together to paint sets, assemble decorations and work on costumes or props. The troupe hopes to rekindle that aura in a rebuilt theater some day, at the same site where it was lost.Above, a glimpse of the program for the show. A tradition for community theater in the Pacific Palisades, Theatre Palisades has been around for more than 60 years. “Having a community theater kind of gives you this sense of belongingness and vitality and reason to be,” said Moss-Naim.Above, Betsy Handler, left, and Martha Hunter perform. They both lost their homes in the Palisades fire. “I always consider [the theater] my second home…If we had the theater today, I’d be there right now, setting up the stage and decorating the lobby for the Christmas refreshments which I would bring in,” Hunter said. “So me, personally, I lost two homes, and I get very sad about it, and it’s hard to believe. But that’s what happened and we’re carrying on, but in a different way.”Above, Manfred Hofer plays Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.” Performed in the style of a radio show, the production pays homage to the 20th-century style of dramatized, auditory performance. After wrapping the performance, the troupe aims to work toward rebuilding their former home. Two upcoming performances are fundraising for the theater’s rebuild. “79 And A Half,” an encore live performance by board member Mitch Feinstein, will be held at Zephyr Theatre on Jan. 11. Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers will be featured at a live concert at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Jan. 7.Above, the whole company performs onstage. The show was a hit with the audience. And performers were grateful for the chance to perform for them. And, after a year of heartbreak, stress and hardship, holiday spirit won out for one night. But what of their next act? After floating around from theater to theater this year, the organization is looking for its next temporary space for upcoming shows. The theater is accepting donations at the show or on their website https://theatrepalisades.org/. “My idea, and a few others, we wanted to pitch a tent on our parking lot, there’s a big parking lot, and have shows in there,” Hunter said. “It’s small steps we’re taking, but it will remain, it will endure.”
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