WACO Theater Center and Vision Theatre Celebrate Grand Reopening
WACO Theater Center launches a three-day grand reopening of the newly renovated Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center in Leimert Park this weekend.
The celebration titled “Our Vision: Three Days of Black Art, Culture & Community” offers free admission requiring reservations. Organizers intend to accommodate overflow crowds with outdoor activations throughout the neighborhood. Shay Wafer, WACO executive director, explained the community strategy behind the programming.
“We wanted to make sure that we had something that families could come to, something that would resonate with the younger generations and that the older community could feel comfortable with.”
Wafer told LA Local.
Los Angeles Invests $40 Million to Restore Vision Theatre
The restoration project received a nearly $40 million investment from the city of Los Angeles. The renovation unfolded across multiple phases while facing funding challenges, supply-chain disruptions, and delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a cultural affairs spokesperson cited by LA Local.
Thursday night kicks off the weekend with an invitation-only ceremony honoring local pioneers. The event recognizes actress Marla Gibbs, who originally purchased the Vision Theatre in 1990 before losing it to foreclosure in 1997. Dale Brockman Davis, founder of the first Black-owned art gallery in Leimert Park in 1967, also receives recognition during the opening ceremony.
Performances feature the Dance Theater of Harlem and the Pan African People’s Orchestra.
Weekend Programming Schedule
Friday features “Our Magic: Club 20/20” with cultural programming and a performance by rapper Rhapsody. Scott Evans conducts an interview with cast members from the rebooted “A Different World” inside the theater starting at 8 p.m., complemented by the Sankofa Sessions night market on Degnan Boulevard.
Saturday transitions to “Our Future: Proud on the Block” for younger audiences and families. Screenings of Disney’s “A Proud Family Wizmas” run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and again at 4 p.m., followed by a cast panel discussion after the first screening.
A street block party on Degnan Boulevard runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring animation and claymation workshops, free food, and a scavenger hunt.
Celebration Concert and Theater Tours Close the Weekend
Sunday closes the weekend with “Our Vision: Crossroads,” featuring a celebration concert from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors can also take 30-minute theater tours between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
WACO partners with an arts cohort to host annual events at the venue. Participating groups include the Pan African Film Festival, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Leimert Park Jazz, Amazing Grace Conservatory, and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
Wafer reflected on working early in her career with Gibbs and her daughter Angela to uplift Black arts. Now she witnesses a full-circle moment as the two cultural institutions unite.
“To see the WACO Theater Center and the Vision Theatre worlds collide in this one singular moment, is heartfelt for me.”
Wafer told LA Local, adding that WACO presents its first season of programming in February.