El Portal Theatre Welcomes ComedySportz Los Angeles

The El Portal Theatre leadership, Jay Irwin and Pegge Forrest announce the newest addition to the historic arts center by signing a long-term lease with Artistic Director, James Bailey of ComedySportz Los Angeles to occupy the 99 Seat Monroe Forum Theatre.

With the economic climate facing the closing of two prominent Los Angeles theatrical facilities this month, El Portal Theatre continues its successful 16-year run by including comedy improv to their already diverse programming fitting the demands of all audiences in the NOHO and San Fernando Valley spectrum.

The 360-seat El Portal Mainstage productions will continue to attract audiences for plays, musicals, dance concerts, tribute concerts and film projects along with the permanent Judith Kaufman Art Gallery and the 42-Seat Stuart Rogers Theatre TRIBE, which continues to produce well-received, award winning productions.

ComedySportz Los Angeles lost their current home in Hollywood this Spring and after a successful 28 year run, pursued the El Portal.

Bailey says: "This move to North Hollywood and the El Portal is a perfect fit. The theatre and the neighborhood are an ideal new venue for our family-friendly audiences to come and enjoy a ComedySportz match. We love this vibrant stretch of Lankershim, anchored by the El Portal. The foot traffic, restaurants, and a chance to bring our good, clean interactive funny to North Hollywood is a wonderful opportunity for ComedySportz. L.A's longest running show looks forward to making the Monroe Forum Theatre its new home, sharing our fun, fast-paced, high-energy comedy with all our new North Hollywood neighbors."

ComedySportz is the world-recognized sport of competitive, interactive improvisation and is appropriate for everyone. The flavor is somewhat like the television show "Whose Line is It Anyway?" ComedySportz was started in 1984 in Milwaukee and is now located in 25 US and European cities. Each is locally owned, but work together under CSZ World Wide.

Irwin and Forrest, who have operated El Portal since 2000, conclude that by converting the Monroe Forum space from 99 seat theatre to comedy showcase, "we will introduce new, younger audience members who have not been theatregoers in the past, to the joy and excitement of live entertainment. They will be exposed to a variety of MainStage theatre offerings and, hopefully, other shows throughout NoHo at the multitude of live venues."

Built in 1926, El Portal Theatre is often called the Jewel in the North Hollywood Crown, El Portal Theatre will proudly celebrate its 90th birthday on October 6, 2016.

El Portal Theatre is a historic landmark in the San Fernando Valley located in the heart of North Hollywood just minutes from Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Disney, ABC, CBS-Radford and NBC. The theatre, originally built as a vaudeville house in 1926, sits across from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Art Institute of California - Hollywood, and the new Laemmle 7 Screen Theaters. The art deco marquee is visible to thousands of cars that travel on Lankershim Boulevard daily. In the mid 2000's the long awaited redevelopment of North Hollywood came to fruition with the grand openings of restaurants, upscale shops and a charming, urbanesque environment.

Since its first opening in 1926 -- first for Vaudeville, then Silent Movies, and then Academy Award winning films, as the primo movie house in the valley -- the theatre has weathered the Jazz Age, the Depression, 4 wars, and finally the great earthquake of 1994.

After the earthquake the El Portal was meticulously rebuilt in the late 1990s and opened in January of 2000 by the Actors Alley Acting company in partnership with the building owners Bernard and Judy Kaufman and Gary and Shari Goodgame. The once 1400-seat movie palace now houses three theatres -- the 42-seat Studio Theatre (the permanent home of Stuart Roger's Theatre Tribe); the 99-seat Monroe Forum Theatre (new home of ComedySportz): and the 360-seat Main Stage -- along with the Judith Kaufman Art Gallery, featuring many of Los Angeles' top visual artists.

For more information, visit www.elportaltheatre.com.