The Theatre of Living Arts (known commonly as the TLA) is a concert venue located on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The venue, which opened in 1988, dates back to the early 1900s as a nickelodeon. In the 1960s, it was a regional theater led by Andre Gregory named Theatre of the Living Arts.

Over the years, the venue has seen many incarnations ranging from concert hall to movie theater to theater. Known for its acoustics, it was voted as one of the best concert venues in America by Complex.

History

thumb|The TLA during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020]]

The theatre opened in 1908 as the "Crystal Palace," seating nearly 700. In 1927, the venue became a concert hall. In 1941, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corporation took over management of the venue converting it into a movie theatre. Along with the changes came a new name, the "New Palace Theatre." The theatre's popularity declined in the 50s.

Regional theater

Two Philadelphia women, Celia Silverman and Jean Goldman, formed a non-profit, the Philadelphia Council for the Performing Arts (PCPA), to establish a non-profit regional theater company in Philadelphia, the Theatre of the Living Arts. The PCPA acquired the building in 1964, then a derelict cinema. Philadelphia architect Frank Weiss designed a 431-seat auditorium and thrust stage. Andre Gregory was hired as artistic director. The resident acting company was called the Southwark Players, after the historic Southwark Theatre that had stood nearby. The theater opened in January, 1965 with a production of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht. The cast included a young Adam Gopnik.

Gregory presented 15 plays during his three-season tenure, earning the company national recognition with popular, often critically acclaimed, and sometimes controversial productions. A scene in Gregory's staging of Jean Anouilh's Poor Bitos included partial nudity, and the police attended every showing. TLA's production of Samuel Beckett's Endgame was revived at Yale Repertory Theatre.

A dispute arose with the board of directors over Gregory's selection of a new play, Beclch by Rochelle Owens, which opened in December 1966. The play received poor reviews locally, though it eventually earned some praise in regional and national press. Tickets sold poorly, and the theater was experiencing some financial troubles. In January 1967, managing director David Lunney was fired by the board of directors, prompting Gregory to resign, who reneged his resignation and was then dismissed on February 17, 1967. With declining attendance, the theater shut down after its 1969-70 season. The ownership of the building reverted to the PCPA, who sold it.

Repertory cinema

In 1971, entrepreneur Al Malmfelt leased the theater, reopening it as a single screen repertory cinema. it became an instant success with fans and led to weekly showings, encouraging the audience to dress as their favorite characters and return week after week.

In the late 1970s, the American Theater Arts for Youth rented the stage in afternoons for productions for school children, often musicals. The company, run by Laurie Wagman, outgrew the space in about four years. To save costs when the theatre reopened, the new team planned to travel round trip to New York City to exchange reels.

Due to the success of VHS and cable television, the cinema began to experience another decline in attendance. In response, the management team opened a video store, TLA Video, next to the theater. and it was briefly known as "The Fillmore at TLA" (commonly The Fillmore Philadelphia) until June 2008.

Facility

The building underwent significant renovations in 1964 at a cost of $60,000 before opening as The Theatre of the Living Arts. Philadelphia modernist architect Frank Weise supported the project and donated design work for a thrust stage, which required the removal of 169 seats. At that time the theater expanded into a neighboring storefront for lobby space, and into another building in the rear.

Concerts

The TLA has hosted both unknown and up-and-coming bands Some of the most notable concerts held at the TLA include:

  • December 9, 1988: The Dead Milkmen
  • December 16, 1988: Jane's Addiction
  • January 7, 1992: Joan Jett
  • April 23, 1992: Tori Amos
  • May 22, 1993: Anthrax
  • July 22, 1993: The Cranberries
  • April 4, 1995: 10,000 Maniacs
  • June 21 and 22, 1995: Bob Dylan
  • July 11, 1995 Black Sabbath
  • November 25, 1995: Patti Smith
  • April 16, 1997: Fiona Apple
  • January 16, 2009: Adele
  • October 2, 2022: Sabrina Carpenter

TLA film controversy

In February 1986, the TLA found itself in the middle of a controversy when the theatre decided to show Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail Mary. The film was very controversial among Catholics at the time leading it to be denounced by Pope John Paul II in April 1985. In response to the announcement of the film's premiere, the TLA group received a hundred calls a day and 2,000 letters in protest. Due to the huge success of his films at the TLA, other theatres followed making the TLA an important aspect of Pink Flamingos and John Waters' success.