Uranium Madhouse Blog

The die is cast! There is no turning back now for us intrepid Uranium Madhouse cabalistas, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers etc….

Yesterday I tendered the deposit for the rental of the El Centro Theater in Hollywood for our June production, an evening of two plays, Conversation Storm by Rick Burkhardt, and a second to be announced shortly.

We are very excited! The theater is gorgeous, intimate, and well cared-for. We think it will be the perfect place to fire up our centrifuges and present some extremely enriched theatrical uranium.

Here’s some fascinating history of the venue:

The New Theatre (now the Chaplin Stage) was once one of the first silent picture movie theaters in Hollywood, (Link)
then a mechanics garage with a dirt floor. It was then converted it into a small “experimental” theater. In June 1961 Theatre Arts Magazine’s Patterson Greene, a Los Angeles theatre critic, wrote: “The entire theatre movement in Los Angeles started in a Hollywood living-room. Before that, there were only talent showcases and tired road shows. But it was The Circle Theatre that was the beginning of making Los Angeles a theatre town.” In the early 50’s and 60’s, George Boroff ran the theatre, sending several plays to Broadway. The famous and infamous played Hollywood’s first intimate professional theatre. The theatre changed hands and names in the mid 60’s and 70’s, housing many theatre companies. In 1974, Kathleen Johnson took over the Chaplin stage and renamed it “The Cast”. Ted Schmitt took over both theatres in late 1979.

We think we have made a great choice, and are so glad the theater will be hosting us. Perhaps you could consider helping us celebrate this major step forward with a donation.

In any case, onward!