Vision Theatre Reopens In Los Angeles

After years of renovation, a former theater gem in Los Angeles is ready to shine once more.

The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) held an invite-only ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at the historic, rebranded Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center (VISPAC) in Leimert Park. It marked the theater’s official reopening after a roughly $40 million, 15-year renovation/restoration effort.

The Vision Theatre restoration was more than a cosmetic refresh. It was a conversion of a historic 1930s movie palace into a modern, flexible 729-seat performing-arts center while preserving its Art Deco/Spanish Colonial Revival architectural character.

The work included restoration of the auditorium’s historic ceiling mural, the front portico and lobbies, as well as a restored Art Deco marquee and neon parking-lot sign. The auditorium was reconfigured with new mezzanine and balcony seating, while the theater gained a new stage, stage wings and crossover, fly loft, orchestra pit, stage door and loading dock.

Behind the scenes, the project added new dressing rooms, a green room, sewing room, production offices and other artist-support spaces. The theater also received modern audio, video and theatrical lighting systems, along with broadcast capabilities.

The improvements were designed to make the Vision Theatre suitable for a broad range of theater, dance, concerts, film, educational programs and community events.

On July 1, 2025, DCA began a partnership with WACO (Where Art Can Occur Theater Center), for the co-management and co-operation of Vision Theatre. In addition to co-managing and co-operating the venue with the DCA, WACO handles programming while DCA will oversee the venue and run back-of-house. 

The reopening is expected to bring thousands of new patrons to Leimert Park, giving surrounding small businesses an economic boost. The theater is also positioned to amplify the neighborhood’s identity as a Black Cultural Arts District through community events and providing a platform for local African American performers.

WACO Theater Center was founded by actor Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother and former clothing designer, to expand artistic and educational programming at the venue. 

Shay Wafer, WACO’s executive director, told The LA Local that the organization’s mission includes creating opportunities for emerging artists of African descent, as well as local, national and international artists whose work reflects the African diaspora.  

Wafer said WACO will hold its own grand opening at the theater in November and soft launch performances, community events and a membership program. The first full season, about 15 to 20 shows and events, will launch in February 2027.

The venue originally opened as the Leimert Theatre on April 21,1932, and was operated by Fox West Coast Theaters. Designed in a classic southern California streamlined Spanish Colonial style, the tall steel frame on top of the lower stucco tower originally had the theater’s name on it serving as a cultural landmark for the area. The theater was originally designed to seat 1,100 spectators but was reduced to 729 to allow more room between rows.

Leimert Theatre remained a first-run movie theater until 1968. In 1977, it was purchased by Jehovah’s Witness and renamed the Watchtower.

Actress Marla Gibbs purchased the venue in 1990 and converted it to a live theater and renamed it the Vision Theatre. The theater fell on hard times in 1992 during the economic recession. The bank foreclosed on the property in 1997 and the City of Los Angeles took it over in 1999. The theater was later converted into a performing arts center and offered programming in its upper and lower lobbies.

In 2015, the building was deemed eligible by the city for inclusion in local, state and national historic registries. The city described the building as an “excellent example of a neighborhood theatre from the early 1930s” and an “excellent example of Art Deco architecture, conveying high-quality craftmanship and design.”