Walt Disney Modular Theater
The School of Theater’s main performance space is the Walt Disney Modular Theater, one of the most unique stages in the world. A vast black box, this facility’s variable architecture supports an unlimited range of stage and seating configurations. It can be used as an arena stage, a proscenium, thrust, or oriented in any number of unconventional configurations.
The School of Theater also features two additional black box spaces, a “cabaret style” performance space, and a multiuse studio/performance space. These venues are used for student productions, guest artist residencies, workshops, curricular studio work, as well as hands-on technical training for all School of Theater metiers.
Students also collaborate on projects in CalArts’ other schools and performance spaces: The Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater, The Wild Beast, the Roy O. Disney Music Hall, the Main Gallery, various other studios and sound stages, and an assortment of nontraditional venues.
Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT)
CalArts’ multidisciplinary center for innovative visual, performing, and media arts is located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles. REDCAT’s comprehensively outfitted performance space can be transformed into several different configurations, from thrust and end stage to in-the-round, while adaptable seating can accommodate an audience of 250. The theater features superb acoustics, with moveable panels that can be adjusted according to the requirements of each performance. The space is also equipped with 35mm, 16mm, and digital projection systems.
Black box theaters
The School of Theater has two large black box theaters, each approximately 2,500 square feet with a pipe grid and dedicated control booth, accommodating a wide range of performance and design approaches. Each space has its own dedicated sound and lighting inventory available for use in addition to the general stock.
Rehearsal studios
The School of Theater maintains seven unique studio spaces. Each is equipped with a dance floor, mirrored wall, piano, lighting/sound options, and a general complement of studio furniture including acting cubes, rehearsal doors, and tables.
Shops and labs
The School of Theater operates a series of shops and labs to support the curricula of our programs, as well as the extensive slate of productions each year.
Scene Shop
The professionally managed and maintained 5,000-square-foot scene shop consists of an expansive wood shop, metal shop, CNC room with router, lathe, and vacuum form, as well as a fully stocked rigging room and tool cage.
The School of Theater maintains a dedicated 24/7 scene shop that consists of a wood shop, a metal shop, a CNC room, an OSHA-approved spray booth and finishing area, material storage areas, and assembly areas. The scene shop is staffed by a full-time scene shop manager, with faculty overseeing student projects/production on a daily basis.
Costume Shop
At approximately 3,500 square feet of workspace, CalArts houses one of the largest educational costume shops in the country. Available equipment includes a dye room, 12 cutting tables with shelving and tool cabinets underneath, 28 draping forms, eight industrial sewing machines, six domestic sewing machines, and six pattern file cabinets. There are two private fitting rooms and a fabric/notions secure supplies cage.
Light Lab
The Light Lab is a specialized room designed to hold a large lighting setup, which is stocked with many different varieties of lighting equipment, and several computerized control systems. Several manufacturers in the lighting entertainment industry sponsor students by providing practice equipment for mockups and exercises. In addition, CalArts has an Electrics Shop adjacent to the Modular Theater, where students are instructed in the practice of assembling and repairing lighting equipment, to better understand the tools for design.
