L.A. County and Philanthropists Invest in the Ford’s Future

The Ford has enjoyed support from people and institutions across California since its founding. For the last thirty years, local government, public foundations, and other arts advocates have been champions for building the theatre into a leading cultural institution in Los Angeles. 

1976: Pilgrimage Theatre Renamed John Anson Ford County Cultural Arts Theatre

In 1976, the LA County Board of Supervisors moved to rename the Pilgrimage Theatre to be the John Anson Ford County Cultural Arts Theatre, serving as a monument in tribute to Third District Supervisor Ford’s support for the arts, ties to the theatre, and for being “a man who has done outstanding and selfless work on behalf of all the people of Los Angeles County.” After becoming a Supervisor in 1936 and holding the post for 22 years, Ford would also be fundamental to creating the LA County Arts Commission and The Music Center.

Ford would be succeeded by Supervisor Ernest E. Debs in 1960, notable for his penchant for shuttering rock music venues during the counterculture era. In 1974, Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman was elected to the Third District and became an advocate for music at the Ford. In 1994, Zev Yaroslavsky, for whom the current picnic terrace is named, was elected to the seat. He once told the LA Times, “Even if you don't like ballet or classical music or opera, it's an economic engine, it puts people to work, and it pays well.” Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, another strong champion of the Ford, and herself an actress, was elected in 2014.

1993: Laura Zucker Gets $2 Million to Revive the Ford

In 1992, LA voters approved the historic Prop A which allocated new funding to area parks and cultural institutions, including $2 million to revive the Ford. Supervisor Ed Edelman and noted arts leader Laura Zucker were instrumental in leading the effort. At the time, Zucker was the producing director of the Back Alley Theatre. She would go on to serve more than two decades as the executive director of the LA County Arts Commission, and was hired to “do something” with the Ford in 1993. 

With a new $2 million in funds from Prop A, the Ford would build a new concessions area, construct an elevator, expand the women’s restrooms and renovate the box office. The theatre was also reinstated as an LA County Arts Commission Program, which included a written agreement with LA Department of Parks and Recreation that designated responsibility for the amphitheatre and campus, respectively.

1995: Ford Theatre Foundation Incorporated to Help Sustain the Mission

In October 1995, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors created the Ford Theatre Foundation in order to solicit donations that could supplement local government funding and ensure the Ford could maintain its mission to contribute to a more vibrant Los Angeles County by supporting artistic expression and innovation and by providing access to exemplary arts and culture experiences. 

Virginia “Ginny” Kruger would serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for its first six years, increasing private contributions from $7,000 in 1995 to $300,000 in 2001. As both Foundation Chairperson and Assistant Chief Deputy for Supervisor Yaroslavsky, Ginny Kruger envisioned the need for a new entryway to anchor the Ford Theatres. She identified key features of the design, including the beloved crenellated waterfall, and secured financing for the new entryway, which was completed in 2000.

1995-2019: Ford Awarded Significant Grants to Focus on Community Engagement

Shortly after the Ford Theatre Foundation was incorporated, it began earning significant grants to support community engagement. In 1995, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation awarded the Ford a three-year $90,000 grant for audience development with the mission of identifying culturally specific populations who might have an interest in attending performances, as well as identifying culturally specific artists and companies interested in being part of the series. 

In 2000, the James Irvine Foundation began funding Saturday morning family program Big World Fun and the following year fully subsidizes all tickets for children. In 2005, the Irvine Foundation awarded Ford a $300,000 grant for the Community Audience Initiative. In 2006, with another three-year grant from the Keck Foundation, the Community Bridges Advisory Council was formed, the Summer Play Reading Series was broadened to include works by Latino and Asian and Pacific Islander playwrights, and Ford continued to grow its community outreach partnership program, working with 16 social service organizations and community centers to connect underserved children and their families with the Ford and its artists. In 2014, the Irvine Foundation would support Ford’s work through their New California Arts Fund, ultimately awarding more than $1,000,000 to the organization.

2013: Extensive Renovations Begin at the Ford Theatres

In 2008, noted architectural firm Levin & Associates was brought on to draft the Ford Theatres Project, a comprehensive multi-phased plan that provided for the rehabilitation of this historic facility. Implementation of the plan began in 2013 with the installation of new seats and the restoration of the iconic neo-Judaic structure to its original unpainted concrete. By 2015, the $80 million renovation project would begin in earnest and close the theatre for nearly two years.

The project addressed hillside stabilization and drainage improvements, reconstruction of the amphitheatre stage, a new theatrical lighting and audio package, replacement of the sound wall and control booth, a new picnic and performance terrace which includes a raised deck above a loading dock, and a two-story structure comprised of a lower level concessions kitchen and upper level office space. The goals of the renovation were to make artists more comfortable, give audiences better amenities, and ensure the theatre could be sustained into its second century of existence. 

With the summer season preempted due to renovations, the LA County Arts Commission and the Ford Theatre Foundation took the Ford on the Road (FOTR). The Ford sponsored nine performing arts groups or producers that typically present during the Ford season as they took their shows to venues across the County.

2016: Ford Re Opens to Wide Acclaim

After a three-year closure, the Ford reopened in 2016 with a shortened summer season including works by Taikoproject & Quetzal, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Urban Bush Women, Pacific Opera Project, and the celebrity-heavy “We Have to Go Back: The Lost Concert.” The final three seasons at the Ford were curated by Executive Director Olga Garay-English, who would bring to the stage Senegalese vocalist Youssou N'Dour; LA-based Latino/Chicano performance trio Culture Clash; legendary singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright; the West Coast premiere of The Hubble Cantata, a space-inspired live experience that incorporates original music; new site-specific work by Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre; award-winning flamenco dancer Olga Pericet; Chano Dominguez' flamenco jazz project; and The Spring Quartet featuring Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spalding and Leo Genovese. The final 2019 season would also launch a new artist residency program, providing local artists the space and resources to experiment and bring new work to fruition.

The Ford as a Celebration of Diverse Los Angeles Communities 

From its very inception, the Ford was envisioned to be a place where all Angelenos would feel at home. For nearly 30 years, the Ford staff would put a particular focus on welcoming diverse communities to the theatre, including families, communities of color, the queer community, and low income communities. As the rise of digital media made it possible, the Ford would also record and stream performances to diverse audiences around the world, through a partnership with local Channel LA36.

Ford Gives Families a Place to Play

Some of the earliest curated programs on the Ford stage were for children and families, such as the Children’s Theatre Carnival that ran throughout the 1960s. When the Ford Theatres was revived in 1993, a series specifically curated for families began again with the Children’s Concert Series, a multicultural program somewhat unusual for Los Angeles arts venues at that time. In 1995, the series would be rebranded Ford Family Fun! and in 2000 Big World Fun. The events in the series each summer featured artists from around the world with kid-friendly programs before and during the performance. It was common to see toddlers and their parents dancing in the aisles of the theatre. 

In 2008, the Ford launched JAM Sessions as a series of free participatory arts events for families to join artists on the Ford stage on Monday nights. Participants learned everything from West African dance, to klezmer, hula, accordion, Afro-Cuban rumba and mariachi. Both Big World Fun and JAM Sessions would continue through 2019, offering free and highly subsidized tickets to families throughout LA. As JAM Sessions grew in popularity, the Ford began taking them into neighborhoods throughout the city.

Communities of Color Strengthened Through Deep Relationships With Arts

Los Angeles has long been one of the most diverse cities in the country and the Ford audience reflected that. The Ford put a significant focus on developing Latino audiences in the early 2000s through their Latino Arts Initiative, doubling Latino attendance at the theatre with the support of community outreach, centering the work of diverse artists on stage, and a media partnerships with Univision. A similar trio of support engaged the Asian American community including a Summer Play Reading series by Asian and Pacific Islander playwrights and a media sponsorship with Radio Korea, harkening back to the early 1990s Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture.

Living Out Loud: Queer Communities at the Ford

In 1997, the Ford first began partnering with a queer community organization to celebrate LGBTQ+ artists. The Outfest Film Festival offered screenings annually at the Ford for more than two decades from 1997 through 2019. 1997 also brought Out Loud and Proud: Three Generations of Music by Women to the Ford stage, in partnership with the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. In 2018, the Ford would collaborate with the City of West Hollywood to bring Considering Matthew Shepard to LA.

Ford Finds the Funds to Welcome Low Income Communities

In 2008, the Ford was awarded a significant grant from the Target Foundation, enabling it to reduce the cost of student tickets for all dance events to just $5, which resulted in a 400% increase in student attendance the following season. In addition, Target generously sponsored the creation of a dance specific brochure and full-page ads in the LA Times which gave the Ford dance series an unprecedented amount of advertising exposure. With the support of additional contributions, from 2016-2019, the Ford offered the Community Ticket Share program which provided tickets and transportation to communities who might not otherwise have the ability to attend a performance at the Ford.

Ford Makes Programming Accessible California-Wide Through Digital Programs 

In 2002, LA36 began taping and cablecasting select Ford performances to viewers around Southern California. Live at the Ford broadcasts began in 2006 and by 2019 were one of LA36s most popular programs. Each year, LA36 recorded 12 of the Ford Summer Season shows for the series and showed them on air later in the summer. From 2011-2013, KCETLink and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, in association with CDK Productions, presented Live @ the Ford, a successful television series featuring live Ford Amphitheatre performances interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. The series celebrates the ways in which music and dance can cross boundaries. All of the series can now be found online.

The Ford as an Incubator Supporting Los Angeles Artists

When the Ford Theatre Foundation was incorporated in 1993, the Ford began taking a much more hands-on approach to assisting local LA artists reach their full potential. The Ford developed an artist partnership model based on the idea of “building the middle,” in other words, supporting artists who had proven their artistic merit but hadn’t yet built up an administrative structure around their work. As a presenting organization, the Ford didn’t just offer a venue to artists, they offered financial, marketing and technical support to artists so that the artist could grow interest in their work and stability for their organization.

1993-2019: Ford Develops Deep Partnerships with Artists Through the Summer Nights at the Ford Program

Summer nights were always important at the Ford, but in 1993 the Summer Nights at the Ford program was officially launched to recognize artists and arts events that weren’t typically presented by mainstream LA venues. The inaugural year included Juneteenth Celebration with Bobby Lyle and Straight Ahead, Danza Floricanto, Huayucaltia and Collage Dance Theatre (Heidi Duckler). In 1995, the Fountain Theatre brought flamenco to the Ford for the first time with Gypsy Flamenco. This series would eventually become the Summer Partnership Program in 2003, and a cornerstone of the Ford’s work through 2019. Artists in the series were chosen after a rigorous open application process, and groups selected received significant presentation support.

1993-2002: Dance Kaleidoscope Returns for a Second Decade of Showcasing New Artists

After a brief stint at Cal State University, the Dance Kaleidoscope showcase made its way back to the Ford stages in 1993 under the leadership of Don Hewitt. It was a time of upheaval in the city. After 1992’s LA riots, “One of the cultural outcomes,” says Linda Chiavaroli, “was an effort on the part of Korean cultural organizations to share their art forms with a wider LA audience.” The Ford began featuring Korean arts companies as part of Dance Kaleidoscope in 1994 and as part of 1996 Ford Family Fun program. Notable artists performing in the showcase during this period included Ballet Folkorico del Pacifico, Danza Floricanto, Huayucaltia, Sen Hea Ha, Kayamanan Ng Lahi, Kultura Philippine Dance Co, and Ramaa and Swetha. When Don Hewitt retired in 2002, the series was discontinued.

2004: Ford Begins Audience Development Training Workshops for Artists

In 2004, Ford began providing a day-long workshop for producers participating in the Summer Partnership Program on how to better market their event using cost effective, grassroots techniques. A segment of each training day is devoted to providing opportunities for different producers to network and consider ways to collaborate on event promotion and audience development efforts. The Ford would go on to offer technical resources and learning opportunities for the next 15 years for all of the artists participating in the Summer Partnership Program, effectively training hundreds of LA artists in that time.

2011-2012: Youth Residencies Offers Students 10-Weeks of Hands-On Experience Making Art

In 2011, the Ford expanded its program of arts education classes for youth to 10-week residencies that culminated in a “showing” by the students at four community centers and after-school programs in Los Angeles County. Close to 100 students participated in these youth residencies. Ford teaching artists led sequential classes in collaborative arts and spoken word performance. The following year over 200 students studied storytelling theatre, Samoan fire knife dance, Tahitian dance, hip-hop music and dance, Afro-Cuban drumming and dance, Bollywood music and dance, or acoustic blues guitar at one of eight community centers or after-school programs. The residencies included gifts of musical items such as African drums, guitars, and music CDs to encourage the students to continue practicing the art form after the class ended.

2013-2019: Signature Series/IGNITE @ the Ford! Presents World-Renowned Artists on the Ford Stage

The inaugural season of the Signature Series kicked off in 2013 with a two-concert program: Mandy Patinkin in Concert with the Pasadena POPS and An Evening of Dance with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Lula Washington Dance Theatre. This series was intended to pair world-renowned performers with a local treasure. In 2017, the series became IGNITE @ the Ford! which grew to 14 events that year. By 2018, the IGNITE series expanded to partner with local institutions such as the City of West Hollywood (where they presented Conspirare’s oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, honoring the 20th anniversary of his tragic murder), LA Opera (for the West Coast premiere of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs), UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (for a week-long series of events surrounding the performance of Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music and Media featuring Jason Moran and The Bandwagon and local skateboarders), the Fountain Theatre and Los Angeles Performance Practice. The final season of IGNITE ended in 2019 with GRAMMY® Award-winning Mexican-American singer/songwriter Lila Downs.

2005-2019: The Ford Listens, and Responds, to the Community

In order to become “a place for everybody,” the Ford used a wide variety of tools to intentionally bring voices from underrepresented and historically marginalized communities into the conversation about what a season that truly represented Los Angeles should look like. The Ford analyzed past programming history to better understand which communities were underrepresented, built long term relationships with artists and producers from LA’s multifaceted communities, went out into the artist communities to ask about and address barriers, developed new advisory councils and gave those community leaders real power within the institution, and went to see many many shows in communities across the county. 

The conversations evolved over the many years of this investment, as communities began to trust the Ford and the Ford learned more about the nuances within a culture or artistic practice. Simply featuring Mexican folklorico dance obviously wasn’t enough to represent the full breadth of Mexican artistic culture. So the Ford hosted focus groups with community leaders, invited community members to offer guidance on what they thought Ford’s role should be in the community, and ultimately adapted the Ford mission statement to reflect what was learned. The Ford staff was frequently fine-tuning their approach, listening to the community about how the organization could better serve them, and trying to meet the needs of one of the largest and most diverse communities in the country. There were successes, and setbacks, and countless lessons learned.

2019: The Ford Theatres Join the LA Phil Family

On November 12, LA County Board of Supervisors voted to transfer the operations of the Ford Theatres to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, whose district includes the Ford and the Bowl, said, “This partnership brings together two of LA’s cultural gems, and we are confident that the sum will be even greater than the parts." Chad Smith, CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association added, “The Ford holds such an important place in LA’s cultural history and is a beloved neighbor of the Hollywood Bowl. The LA Phil is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across our organization and we look forward to merging that vision with the Ford's and are humbled to take on the responsibility in service to expanding access to affordable and diverse arts and cultural experiences for Los Angeles.”