Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (or CCPA) is Southland's premier 154,000-square-foot (14,300 m2) entertainment and music venue located in the Cerritos Towne Center of Cerritos, California. It is owned and operated by the City of Cerritos and it opened its doors to the public on January 9, 1993, offering great performances in music, dance, and theater, and unique facilities for meetings, banquets, and special events. The CCPA features a flexible theater capable of six different seating and stage configurations, ranging from a nearly 1,800-seat Arena theater to a 900-seat Recital hall. The Sierra Room is a perfect setting for banquets, parties, or special events. The CCPA Associates Room offers space for club meeting and small receptions. The CCPA and all of its facilities are available for rental. History and architecture The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) is one of North America's most innovative multi-configurational performing arts center. This versatile architectural marvel has built its award-winning reputation on the breadth and depth of its programming, ease of access to the hall and its events, and the quality of experience it provides for artists and audiences alike. The lineup of performers is among the best featuring the highest caliber of entertainers from music, dance, and theater - from the inaugural performances by Frank Sinatra to the presentations by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Plans for the construction of a community theater had been proposed in the Cerritos Towne Center since 1986, however, debate as to the size and influence of the theater vis-à-vis other venues in Southern California persisted. The consultants, David Staples and Wally Russell of Theatre Projects Consultants from London, inspired city leaders with the details of Derngate Theatre in Northampton, England, where blocks of seats on rollers could be rearranged or removed completely, tailored to each performance. At the time, nothing like it existed in the United States. Architects Barton Myers Associates of Los Angeles were hired to design a similar marvel for Cerritos. It was decided that a large venue that could compete with the likes of the Long Beach Terrace Theater, Orange County Performing Arts Center, and the Los Angeles Music Center would be a better direction for the development of the community theater. In 1987, the layout plans included a main auditorium with six distinct seating configurations, a 5,100-square-foot (470 m2) conference center, and a 200-seat theater with its own sound and lighting systems. Construction began shortly on a city landmark that incorporates glass walls, polished red granite, and horizontal bands of French limestone. Patterned ceramic tile roofs accent the exterior and lend the building a Mediterranean character. The tile patterns were created by the artist April Grieman, who also designed the fabric for the seats in the auditorium. As much of the building is seen from the high-rise office buildings and hotel that surround it, great care was given to designing the roof as a fifth facade of the building. A glass elevator tower topped with pyramids, thin spires, and pennants completed the final appearance. The interior includes a lobby featuring a curved grand staircase with etched glass, stylish fireplace, soaring ceiling, and artwork. The final price tag came out to be over $60 million. More than 6,000 visitors attended the open house tours upon the CCPA's completion. With a $4 million spending budget to attract performances in its inaugural season, the CCPA's sold out opening night welcomed crooner Frank Sinatra for three nights, helping establish the Cerritos Center as a premier venue in the Southland. Seating configurations The 154,000-square-foot Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts is recognized as one of the most sophisticated theaters of our time. With moveable seats, floors, ceilings, and stage areas, the theater can be transformed into distinctive seating configurations to provide the ideal setting, audience sight lines, and sound quality for each performance. For Broadway style musicals, the theater can also transform into configurations featuring an orchestra pit. Arena - A 1,716-seat arena setting with 500 floor seats surrounded by box seats and balconies on one side for popular music, comedy, and jazz performances. [1] Cabaret - A 1,324 to 1,504-seat cabaret setting with up to 67 tables and 412 chairs on a flat floor, surrounded by box seats and balconies, for jazz and other music performances. [2] Concert - A 1,493 to 1,629-seat concert hall with in-the-round seating and acoustic concert ceiling panels for orchestras, recitals, and acoustic performances. [3] Drama - A 921-seat proscenium theater for plays, recitals and chamber music performances. [4] In the Round - A 1,934-seat in-the-round theater for popular music, comedy, and jazz performances. [5] Lyric - A 1,419-seat proscenium theater for musical theater, dance, and popular music performances. [6] Facilities The Sierra Room/Sierra Theater at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts features a technologically advanced grid of tracks and moveable partitions, which can divide the 5,100-square-foot (470 m2) space from one large open room to five smaller meeting places. A hidden retractable seating unit can be opened into part of the room creating the Sierra Room Theater, perfect for fashion shows, guest speakers and presentations. Additional amenities available include a state-of-the-art sound system, lighting, and a dance floor for parties and wedding receptions. [7] The Sierra Room as well as the Grand Lobby can be rented out for corporate meetings, banquets, weddings, receptions, and more. Furthermore, the CCPA offers additional indoor meeting spaces and outdoor areas for rent including the Main Theater, Garden Court, and more. [8] Awards and recognition 1993-2001 Amusement Business Magazine Top 10 Venues - 5,000 seats or less in the United States. 1995 Performance Magazine "Theater of the Year" 1994 United States Institute of Theater Technology Honor Award 1993 Concrete Industry Paving Award 1993 Cabrillo Chapter of American Institute of Architects Design Award In 1994, the CCPA received the United States Institute of Theater Technology's (USITT) highest honor, hailing the theater as "The most sophisticated project we've seen in terms of architecture, technology and urban design." Performance Magazine also acknowledged the center's accomplishments, naming it the number one theater in California (under 3,000 seats) for the third consecutive year. [9] See also Cerritos, California Cerritos Auto Square Cerritos Millennium Library Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park Cerritos Towne Center Los Cerritos Center External links Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts City of Cerritos References Eftychiou, A., & Cenovich, M. (2006). Cerritos at 50: celebrating our past and our future. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company Publishers. History and design. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2006, from https://web.archive.org/web/20070917131734/http://www.cerritoscenter.com/history.cfm Mojave Room. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2006, from https://web.archive.org/web/20060615184304/http://cerritoscenter.com/mojave.cfm Sierra Room/Sierra Theater. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2006, from https://web.archive.org/web/20060615184318/http://cerritoscenter.com/sierra.cfm