For the past few years, when we’ve gone to the Pasadena Playhouse, we’ve parked in the parking lot of the former Homestead House, which itself is the former local furniture store J. H. Biggar in Pasadena. The store has been vacant for years (it seems), and recently has been the home of a Phantom Galleries exhibition. We’ve always wondered what was going to happen to the space.
Monday’s Los Angeles Times provided the answer. According to the Times (and the Playhouse press release), the Playhouse plans to construct a new 300- to 400-seat theater to expand the Playhouse campus. This new theatre will also be named in memory of Carrie Hamilton, the daughter of Carol Burnett and late producer Joe Hamilton. Carrie Hamilton, an actress, writer and musician, died of cancer in 2002 at age 38, and currently has the Playhouse’s Balcony Theatre named after her.
The new theatre will be designed by Frank Gehry, who will also be redesigning the interior of the Playhouse’s existing balcony performance space. Gehry will undertake both projects pro bono due to his longtime friendship with Burnett. This work is in addition to refurbishment of the exterior of the existing Pasadena Playhouse (a California State Historic Landmark, built in 1925), under a master plan developed by L.A. architect Ron Frink. The cost of all this? The current $8.5-million capital campaign ($7.5 million already raised/pledged) will cover the balcony theatre and the existing structure. As for the rest? Sheldon Epps, artistic director of the Playhouse, says that no budget has been established for the new theater but that it would most likely be “in the two digits — $10 [million] to $90 million.” He said the Playhouse is working with a developer on plans to acquire the old furniture store, which would be razed to make room for the new venue.
It should be interesting…