Stephanie J. Block with Seth Rudetsky & More Set for The Wallis Fall/Winter 2023/2024 Season

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts will present sweeping array of bold and diverse programming for the fall/winter of its 2023/2024 Season, offering a multi-dimensional collection of theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, comedy, performance arts, and Family Fest fun in The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith and Lovelace Studio theaters and on its lively outdoor gathering spaces. As a regional, national, and international leader in the performing arts, The Wallis continues its mission to create exceptional entertainment that celebrates and reimagines performances, programs, exhibitions and events. Integrated within the season are GRoW @ The Wallis’s robust mix of arts education and outreach programs.

Visiting The Wallis has been lauded as an experience enhanced by the magnificence of its  campus, the entry to which is set in the restored original 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places). There is easy parking underneath, pre- and post-event dining at dozens of nearby restaurants, and the opportunity to linger and connect before and after in the historic lobby and inviting open-air spaces, enjoying a beverage or craft cocktail from one of The Wallis’ bars.

“With this launch we are taking the opportunity to introduce new and expanded art forms which will broaden how The Wallis welcomes our community of arts lovers," says Executive Director and CEO Robert van Leer. "We have brought back beloved artists and productions from seasons past, we have deepened our partnerships with local artists and companies, and we are enhancing on-site experiences that will make patron's visits to The Wallis more entertaining and unexpected. And, with the introduction of accessible pricing and expanded our free community programming, we can offer multiple opportunities for our audiences to remain connected and engaged with The Wallis."

Van Leer’s tenure at The Wallis began in April 2023 following a breadth of experience with renowned arts organizations, among them The Kennedy Center.

Highlights for The Wallis’ fall/winter season, from September 2023 through January 2024, begin with appearances by celebrated artists Sandra Bernhard, pioneer of the one-woman show with a mix of cabaret and stand-up in her brand new Lady of the Canyon evening; Broadway stars Stephanie J. Block with Seth Rudetsky; Grammy Award-winner Michael Feinstein with the World Premiere of his new show highlighting Liza and Vincente Minnelli’s lives, careers, and music; and multi Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter, performer, and producer PJ Morton. 

Theater is headlined by the return of Love Actually Live, the wildly popular multi-media celebration which previously played to sold out houses at The Wallis, and The Jewish Dog, directed by award-winning Israeli artist Yonatan Esterkin and based on the novel by Asher Kravitz, which explores loyalty, identity, and the fine line that separates humanity from animals. Also featured are It’s Okay To Be Different – Stories by Todd Parr and SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure!, both diverse, family-friendly plays.

The Wallis continues its partnership with Film Independent, including screenings, live readings, Bring the Noise musical performances, and conversations with award-winning actors and filmmakers.

Two World Premieres from BODYTRAFFIC and Camille A. Brown & Dancers, both dynamic companies, comprise the fall/winter dance presentations.

The Wallis’ musical performances range from DEAN & BRITTA'S 13 MOST BEAUTIFUL...SONGS FOR Andy Warhol’S SCREEN TESTS featuring live music by songwriters Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips and the inaugural concert season of Pacific Jazz Orchestra conducted by founder Chris Walden and featuring Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ledisi and internationally renowned Grammy-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel to the virtuosic Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Michelle Cann, piano, making her recital debut at The Wallis with a program of works by African American women composers. 

New to The Wallis are dramatic performance arts exhibitions, among them Amal Walks Across America in a visit to The Wallis directed by Debbie Allen, and an installation of Rosemary Mayer: Connections. 

A partnership also continues, and dates to be announced soon, with Writers Bloc, whose events provide insight into the literary processwith distinguished contemporary authors. 

The Wallis’ signature Sorting Room nightclub series expands, transforming the Lovelace Studio Theater into an intimate club with talent from a wide range of genres including contemporary music, jazz, R&B, Latin, comedy, cabaret, and more. The Sorting Room begins in October, with dates and artists for multiple events throughout the season to be announced soon.

The Wallis and GRoW @ The Wallis offer FREE outdoor Family Fest events with a variety of programming and interactive activities for families and young audiences performed in multiple locations throughout The Wallis’ campus, some featuring food trucks and concessions. Guests are welcome to bring picnic blankets to relax under umbrellas and other shady areas.

GRoW @ The Wallis programs continue to use the power of the arts to address important social issues and respond to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, learning, collaboration, and partnership.

Marking the culmination of its first extraordinary decade serving Beverly Hills and Southern California, The Wallis recently opened a new chapter with THE WALLIS ARRIVES: A Comprehensive Campaign chaired by Sandra Barros Lowy and Peter Lowy and launched with a $10 million challenge grant from Wallis Annenberg. Designed to secure $55 million in total philanthropic funding over five years, this campaign initiative has already raised nearly $27 million for Artistic Excellence, Education and Community Engagement, Historic Preservation, and Fiscal Sustainability, the four pillars that support The Wallis’ mission.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ Tenth Season begins in late September 2023 and continues into the summer of 2024, with additional programming to be announced this fall for the venue’s Bram Goldsmith Theater, Lovelace Studio Theater, and beautiful outdoor performance spaces. 

FALL/WINTER 2023/2024 SEASON PROGRAMMING DESCRIPTIONS

THEATER

The Wallis & Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia Present

IT’S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT – STORIES BY TODD PARR 

(Family-Friendly) 

OCTOBER 7, 2023, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM

Lovelace Studio Theater 

With innovative puppetry and stunning visuals, New York Times bestselling children’s author and illustrator Todd Parr explores timely subjects with playfulness and sensitivity in three of his contemporary stories adapted for the stage. It’s Okay to Be Different cleverly delivers important messages of acceptance, understanding, and self-confidence. Equally whimsical and heartfelt, The Earth Bookinspires audiences of all ages to do their part to keep the earth happy and healthy. This is My Hair is a funny exploration of how silly hair can be to help kids always feel good about themselves. Best enjoyed by grades pre-K – three.

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR Todd Parr 

DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jim Morrow 

COMPOSER Asif Illyas

The Wallis & Rhythm of the Arts Presents

SUGAR SKULL! A DÍA DE MUERTOS MUSICAL ADVENTURE!

(Family-Friendly) 

OCTOBER 29, 2023, 2:00 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure!, a bilingual/bicultural musical for young audiences, uses traditional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores who thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning and tuneful traditions of Día de Muertos. 

CREATED BY Mexico Beyond Mariachi

The Wallis Presents the Yonatan Esterkin Production of

THE JEWISH DOG

A One-Man Theatrical Performance

NOVEMBER 9 - 19, 2023

Lovelace Studio Theater

The Jewish Dog offers a view of the Holocaust, the darkest period of modern Jewish history, through the eyes of a canine unusually fascinated by human affairs. When events separate Caleb from his Jewish owners, he is adopted by a Nazi family and employed by the SS as a military dog, witnessing firsthand the rise of Nazism. Directed by award-winning Israeli artist Yonatan Esterkin, based on the novel by Asher Kravitz, and featuring Roy Abramsohn as the beloved dog, this performance explores loyalty, identity, and the fine line that separates humanity from animals. Recommended for ages 10+.

PERFORMED by Roy Abramsohn

STAGE ADAPTATION by Yonatan Esterkin from the novel written by Asher Kravitz

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED by Yonatan Esterkin

STAGE AND LIGHT DESIGN Yonatan Esterkin

The Wallis & For The Record Production of

LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF THE FILM LOVE ACTUALLY

NOVEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 31, 2023 

Bram Goldsmith Theater 

LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE, the multimedia concert experience, makes a triumphant return to The Wallis to commemorate the cult classic holiday film’s 20th Anniversary. Set within a picturesque London cityscape, iconic scenes from the film are displayed on screens alongside all-star singers from For The Record and a live orchestra. Together, they reimagine the film’s hit soundtrack including “Christmas is All Around,” “Trouble With Love," and “Both Sides Now.” During its previous record-breaking runs, people have flocked to The Wallis to witness this award-winning production and its exceptional staging and state-of-the-art video design. LOVE ACTUALLY LIVE is LA’s quintessential holiday tradition that brings together friends and family in an awe-inspiring winter wonderland, where film and live action seamlessly intertwine. “An immersive crowd-pleasing gift that the audience can't unwrap fast enough” – Forbes

DIRECTED BY Anderson Davis 

Tickets to Love Actually Live are currently only available to multi-buyers with a purchase of three events or more.

DANCE

Two World Premieres, One BODYTRAFFIC Premiere

BODYTRAFFIC

OCTOBER 6 - 7, 2023, 7:30 PM 

Bram Goldsmith Theater

The Wallis, known as a champion of local dance companies, brings LA-based BODYTRAFFIC, led by Tina Finkelman Berkett, back to the Bram Goldsmith Theater in October with a program, including two world premieres and a BODY TRAFFIC premiere, that delivers on the company’s vivid theatricality and sophisticated style. BODYTRAFFIC has earned international acclaim and conquered the contemporary dance world with its stunning performers, technical mastery, and compelling repertoire that embodies the company’s sheer joy of dancing. “…invention, attitude, and urban edge” - The Boston Globe

PROGRAM

FERNANDO MAGADAN Untitled New Work WORLD PREMIERE

JOAN RODRIGUEZ Patria Y Vida WORLD PREMIERE

MICAELA TAYLOR SNAP

Trey McIntyre Blue Until June BODYTRAFFIC PREMIERE

Camille A. Brown & DANCERS

ink

JANUARY 12 - 13, 2024, 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Join Camille A. Brown & Dancers in an exploration of self-empowerment, Black love, brotherhood, and resilience that examines aspects of Black life that are too often appropriated, rewritten, or silenced. Ms. Brown made history this past year as the first Black director in the history of the MET opera and as the first Black female to be nominated for a Tony Award as both director and choreographer for a play on Broadway (For Colored Girls). With traditional African rhythms at its center, ink weaves together African-American social dance, African, tap, jazz, modern and hip-hop movement to lift up and celebrate Black lives, Black resilience and Black superpowers. “Ms. Brown is one of the most expressive, genuine and deeply felt choreographers working today.” - The New York Times

MUSIC

PJ MORTON

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023, 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

The Wallis presents a stellar season-opening performance by PJ Morton, the multi Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter, performer, and producer whose latest project, Gospel According to PJ, earned the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album. Since the breakthrough of his 2017 LP Gumbo he's led a creative and critically-acclaimed streak of six self-released and self-produced albums, ten Grammy nominations and back-to-back-to-back wins, his first-ever NAACP Image Award and Soul Train nominations, BET Award nominations, appearances on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Daily Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “TODAY Show,” MSNBC, CNN, Inside the NBA, “NPR's Tiny Desk,” COLORS, The “Super Bowl Halftime Show,” “Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve,” and more. On top of his remarkable resume, which includes running his own record label, working as Maroon 5's full-time keyboardist, serving as Solange's former music director, and collaborating with the likes of Erykah Badu, JoJo, Kirk Franklin, Lil Wayne, Rapsody, Stevie Wonder, Tyler Perry, Yebba and dozens of others, Morton is a staunch community advocate in New Orleans. He is currently backing initiatives for local Black-owned banks, leading a campaign to restore the home of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden, and serving as Dillard University's first-ever artist-in-residence. In 2020, he launched his own weekly, live-streamed trivia show “The Culture,” celebrating Black art and entertainment with contestants like Angela Rye, Bakari Sellers, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway, Miguel, Omari Hardwick and Questlove. "(PJ Morton) runs the influences of Allen Toussaint and Stevie Wonder through a bevy ideas from R&B's more recent decades." - The New York Times 

The Wallis Presents

DEAN & BRITTA'S 13 MOST BEAUTIFUL...SONGS FOR Andy Warhol’S SCREEN TESTS

Featuring Live Music by Songwriters Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023, 7 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Husband and wife Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, beloved as members of the iconic indie band Luna, perform original scores to Andy Warhol's rarely seen short silent film portraits, which captured Factory superstars, celebrities, and anonymous teenagers—among them Lou Reed, Nico, Edie Sedgwick, and Dennis Hopper—in mesmerizing four-minute shots. Part rock concert, part film screening, part archeological dig unearthing NYC’s 1960s art scene, 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests is an unforgettable night in the theater. “The music unabashedly translates the ominous drone of early Velvet Underground songs like ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ and ‘Venus in Furs’ into a more modern electronic mode reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder’s chic torture-chamber disco.” -  The New York Times

13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests is a project jointly commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts 2008.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: Lineage Coleridge-Taylor + Chausson  

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023, 7:30 PM

PRELUDES @ THE WALLIS, 6:30 PM, a conversation with the artists moderated by Classical KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2023/24 Season launches with the first of two intimate programs at The Wallis in the Orchestra’s Chamber Series curated by Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music Margaret Batjer. Celebrated pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who “plays with both technical virtuosity and evident joy” (The New York Times), joins LACO artists to trace the familial and musical lineage of Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his only daughter, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, a pianist/composer who followed in her father’s musical footsteps. 

PROGRAM

AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Idylle for Flute and Pianoforte, Op. 21

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp Minor, Op. 10

ERNEST CHAUSSON Concerto for Violin Piano and String Quartet  

Broadway @ The Wallis & Mark Cortale Present

Stephanie J. Block WITH Seth Rudetsky, HOST & PIANIST

OCTOBER 1, 2023, 7:00 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

The season's newest installment of The Wallis' internationally acclaimed Broadway @ The Wallis concert series, hosted and music-directed by SiriusXM Radio star Seth Rudetsky, features legendary Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award-winner Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show, Falsettos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 9 to 5: The Musical, Boy from Oz, Wicked). The evening promises a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories prompted by Rudetsky’s funny, insightful, and revealing questions—and the music from Block’s stellar Broadway career.

World Premiere

Michael Feinstein PRESENTS

Liza & Vincente Minnelli: The Music, The Movies, The Magic

OCTOBER 14, 2023, 7:30 PM 

Bram Goldsmith Theater 

Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. For one night only at The Wallis, Feinstein will present a multimedia tribute to iconic artist Liza Minnelli and her legendary father, film and stage director Vincente. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy Award-nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS-TV specials, Feinstein’s concerts have spanned the globe – in addition to his appearances at iconic venues such as The White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House – his work as an educator and archivist define Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time. Directors Circle ticket holders will be invited to a meet & greet with Michael Feinstein.

Sandra Bernhard

Lady of the Canyon

OCTOBER 19, 2023, 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

A pioneer of the one-woman show, Sandra Bernhard brings a brand-new, completely unique and raucous mix of cabaret, side-splitting stand-up, rock-n-roll, and searing social commentary to The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith stage. Most recently, Sandra released “Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration” on Netflix and co-starred as Nurse Judy in Season 3 of Ryan Murphy’s hit FX TV show “POSE.” “Bernhard has musicality to die for, a voice that swoops from the bluesy basement to a top floor falsetto…” - Los Angeles Times

PACIFIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA

FEATURING LEDISI & BEN WENDEL

OCTOBER 27, 2023, 7:30 PM

OCTOBER 28, 2023 , 2:00 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater 

The grand opening of the inaugural concert season of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, founded and conducted by seven-time Grammy-nominated Chris Walden, features Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ledisi and internationally renowned Grammy nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel. This spectacular program features Ledisi’s interpretations of the iconic songs of Dinah Washington as well as Ben Wendel’s compositions, arranged for the orchestra by Chris Walden. The Pacific Jazz Orchestra is LA’s new resident 40-piece ensemble for jazz and beyond.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR Chris Walden

MICHELLE CANN, PIANO

THE WOMEN OF CHICAGO’S BLACK RENAISSANCE

JANUARY 17, 2024, 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Making her recital debut at The Wallis, Michelle Cann performs a program of works by African American women composers. Sharing her passion for what she calls the “fantastic and beautiful music” of Florence Price, Cann will also play a suite by Margaret Bonds, the first African American to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and works by Irene Britton Smith and Betty Jackson King. It’s an inspirational evening as a world-class pianist introduces nearly forgotten gems of Chicago’s Black Renaissance. “A compelling, sparkling virtuoso” - Boston Music Intelligencer 

PROGRAM: 

Florence Price Fantasie nègre No. 1 

Florence Price Fantasie nègre No. 2 

Florence Price Fantasie nègre No. 4 

Margaret Bonds Spiritual Suite

BETTY JACKSON KING Four Seasonal Sketches

IRENE Britton Smith Variations on a Theme by MacDowell

NORA HOLT Negro Dance Op. 25, No. 1 

Hazel Scott Improvisation on Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor 

Hazel Scott Improvisation on Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 

CONVERSATION

WRITERS BLOC

Writers Bloc events provide insight into the literary process with distinguished contemporary authors. Details to be announced soon.

FILM

FILM INDEPENDENT PRESENTS @ THE WALLIS 

Film Independent Presents @ The Wallis continues with a series of events all season-long, including exclusive screenings, live readings with stellar casts, Bring the Noise musical performances, and conversations with award-winning film actors, directors, and producers. Past events have featured the likes of Guillermo Del Toro, Andrew Garfield, Mary McCartney, Seth Meyers, Molly Shannon, Patrick Stewart, Donald Glover, and many more. Details to be announced soon.

THE SORTING ROOM

The Wallis’ signature Sorting Room club series returns, transforming the Lovelace Studio Theater into an intimate nightclub with talent from a wide range of genres including contemporary music, jazz, R&B, Latin, comedy, cabaret, and more. Details to be announced soon.

FREE OUTDOOR PROGRAMMING

FAMILY FEST

OCTOBER 14, 2023, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

DECEMBER 10, 2023, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Promenade Terrace and other locations throughout The Wallis’ campus

With FAMILY FEST, inspired by popular Sunday Funday events, The Wallis continues to offer FREE interactive activities and performances for families and young audiences throughout The Wallis’ campus, some featuring food trucks and concessions. Guests are welcome to bring picnic blankets to relax under umbrellas and other shady areas. Artists will include Parker Bent, Mariachi Tierra Mia, Kymberly Stewart, Spring Groove, and much more.

PERFORMANCE ART

AMAL WALKS ACROSS AMERICA

ONE LITTLE GIRL. ONE BIG HOPE.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023, time to be announced

Ava & Marc Stern Motor Court

Little Amal’s Visit to The Wallis Directed by Debbie Allen

The Wallis is proud to be among the venues and 1,000+ artists welcoming Little Amal, a towering 12-foot puppet representing a refugee Syrian child, who will attend 100+ events in 35 towns and cities on a 6000-mile journey from Boston to San Diego. Little Amal - whose name means 'hope' in Arabic - has traveled to 13 countries, beginning her journey from the Syrian border. She carries a message of hope for displaced people everywhere, especially children who have been separated from their families, with a simple but urgent message: “Don’t forget us.” More details about The Wallis’ Little Amal visit, a free, joyous outdoor celebration on November 3, 2023, directed by Debbie Allen, will be announced soon.

Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with the Handspring Puppet Company. Amal Walks Across America was made possible with an inaugural investment from the Doris Duke Foundation, as well as leadership support from the Bezos Family Foundation. Additional generous support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Choose Love, The Conrad Presbys Foundation, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the McMillan Stewart Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, The Shapiro Foundation, and Students Rebuild.

ROSEMARY MAYER: CONNECTIONS

NOV 11, 2023, time to be announced

Promenade Terrace

Connections (Los Angeles) 1978/2023, conceived by the late artist Rosemary Mayer and reenacted in Beverly Hills by the artist's estate, will celebrate the community of artists in Southern California and their connections to time, place, and nature. Several oversized latex balloon "monuments" designed by local artists will float over The Wallis' Promenade Terrace during a one-day event. Rosemary Mayer (1943-2014) was an American visual artist closely associated with the feminist art movement of the 1970's. She was a founding member of A.I.R. Gallery, the first all-female artists' cooperative space in the United States and is known for her public happenings. This one-day presentation will be concurrent with a two-part exhibition of the artist's work at Hannah Hoffman Gallery, Los Angeles and Marc Selwyn Fine Art in Beverly Hills.

TICKETS AND OTHER INFORMATION

Tickets for events and performances, with benefits and savings for multi-buyers of three or more performances, from September 2023 through January 2024 are on sale now. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 6 pm) or visit TheWallis.org.

Current Health & Safety Protocols and updates may also be accessed at TheWallis.org/Safety. Policies are subject to change.

ABOUT WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS  

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and International Artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 400 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, comedy, performance arts, and family entertainment programs, boasting nominations for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards as well as six architectural awards. Since its doors opened in October 2013, The Wallis has been committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaimed, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who was The Wallis’ 2015/2016 Season Artistic Advisor, described the venue as “one of the best in the country, allowing for an unparalleled intimacy between [the artist] and the audience.” A recent patron survey produced audience comments about The Wallis ranging from "amazing, engaging, inspiring!" to "fun. entertaining. educational." The breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, was named after philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, whose original $25-million dollar donation was instrumental in transforming the former Beverly Hills post office building into an arts complex. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), whose eight towering fresco murals are one of two sets of WPA frescos remaining in the entire California Federal Building system. The Wallis’ lobby, now known as Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall, serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming entryway to the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. Michael Nemeroff is Chairman of The Wallis’ Board of Directors and Robert van Leer, Executive Director and CEO.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org. 

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