By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer
Los Angeles, CA – The skies over South L.A. shone brightly on a recent evening. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Heather Hutt (District 10), and Daniel Tarica, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs General Manager, were joined by a full house of community stakeholders for the ribbon-cutting for the reopening of the Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center (VISPAC). This monumental occasion was held on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
Originally opened in 1931, this cultural gem has served as a cultural and community gathering place. Today’s event helped usher in a surge of artistic, cultural, and creative energy to the iconic theatre with a storybook history of arts in Leimert Park Village.
Reopening of the landmark theatre has been a long time coming—the city of Los Angeles began renovations in 2011. It’s expected to pump new life and money into Leimert Park Village, an area known as the black cultural arts center of Los Angeles and home to dozens of small businesses.
A diverse group of artists, performers, cultural organizations, Leimert Park merchants, and community members were in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
I have always stated that events in South L.A. aren’t complete without a performance by S.H.I.N.E Mawusi. They performed an African Procession and Call to Gather in the lobby as guests arrived for the program.
Welcome remarks were presented by Daniel Tarica, Department of Cultural Affairs General Manager, Mayor Karen Bass, and Councilmember Heather Hutt (District 10). This was followed by the official Cutting of the Ribbon.
The celebration marked the reopening of the 729-seat Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center following a nearly $40 million restoration and renovation that combines the preservation of the theatre’s historic Art Deco architecture with state-of-the-art upgrades. The event will also feature performances by prominent local artists and arts organizations and a screening of the Oscar®-winning animated short film Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry.
Additional remarks were delivered by Director Nicki Genovese and Yvonne Farrow, Co-Director, VISPAC. Next up was the Reading of the Land Acknowledgement and Immigrant Labor Contribution.
Dr. Maulana Karenga performed the Pouring of Libation to Ancestors, followed by Invocation and Blessing by Pastor, Reverend Lisa Meggs, Los Angeles Third Church of Spiritual Living.
This event highlights the Vision Theatre’s new partnership between the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Where Art Can Occur (WACO), Theater Center, co-founded by Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles. Shay Wafer, Executive Director of WACO Theatre Center, spoke of the group’s plans to offer a soft opening of programming in a couple of months. WACO Theater Center will support community activations, community productions, theater rentals, arts education, and a wide variety of cultural programming!!!
The crowd and I were thoroughly entertained by the captivating performances by Spirit Chorale Singing, Lula Washington Dance Theater, Karen A. Clark, Robey Theater Company, and closed out the program on a rousing musical note consisting of the talented Fernando Pullum Community Orchestra. This is a small sample of the highly anticipated programming at the Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center.
The Vision Theatre is a large neighborhood movie palace, a 1931 Spanish-style Art Deco wonder that has retained its importance to the community for ninety-five years. It opened as the Leimert Theatre on April 21, 1932, and was operated by Fox West Coast Theaters. Designed in the classic Southern California streamlined Spanish Colonial style, the tall steel frame on top of the lower stucco-clad tower originally had the theater’s name on it, serving as a cultural landmark for the area.
The theater was purchased by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1977 and renamed the Watchtower. Actress Marla Gibbs purchased the theater in 1990 and renamed it the Vision Theatre. The theater fell on hard times in 1992 during the economic recession, which hit this area of Los Angeles especially. The bank foreclosed on the property in 1997, and the City took it over in 1999. The theater was later converted into a performing arts center offering programming in its upper and lower lobbies.
Re-branded the Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center (VISPAC), DCA’s goals are to provide a performing arts venue for local and professional performing arts presentations and productions; youth arts education and training center for young talent reflective of the surrounding Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills community; to produce and present diverse world class theater, music, film, and dance concert productions, in addition to providing a homeplace for cultural forums and community convenings.