John Anson Ford Amphitheatre facts for kids
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The Ford
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The Ford as photographed by the Los Angeles Times in 1956
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| Former names | The Pilgrimage Theatre |
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| Address | 2580 Cahuenga Blvd E |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°6′49.76″N 118°20′7.9″W / 34.1138222°N 118.335528°W |
| Public transit |  Los Angeles Metro Rail B Lineat Hollywood/Vine Los Angeles Metro BusLine 222 (northbound only) |
| Owner | County of Los Angeles |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Capacity | Amphitheatre: 1,200 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1920 |
| Renovated | 1931 July 8, 2016 |
The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, often called The Ford, is a cool outdoor place for music and shows. It's in the Hollywood Hills part of Los Angeles, California. This outdoor theatre has 1,200 seats.
The Ford is located in the Cahuenga Pass, which is part of the Santa Monica Mountains. It's right across the U.S. 101 freeway from its "sister" venue, the famous Hollywood Bowl. The County of Los Angeles owns The Ford. It works with the Ford Theatre Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation to run the venue.
The Ford was built in 1920. It was named in 1976 after John Anson Ford, who was a supervisor for LA County. Since 2020, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has helped manage The Ford.
Contents
The Ford's Story
Early Days: The Pilgrimage Play
An outdoor theatre was first built here in 1920. It was made for a special show called The Pilgrimage Play. The writer, Christine Wetherill Stevenson, thought the beautiful Cahuenga Pass would be a perfect outdoor stage. She named it the Pilgrimage Theatre.
Christine Stevenson and Mrs. Chauncey D. Clark bought the land for the theatre. They also bought the land where the Hollywood Bowl is today. The first theatre was made of wood. Famous actors performed the play there every summer from 1920 to 1929. Sadly, a brush fire destroyed the wooden theatre in October 1929.
Rebuilding and New Name
A new theatre was built on the same spot. It was made of concrete and looked like ancient gates of Jerusalem. This new theatre opened in 1931. The Pilgrimage Play was performed there again. It only stopped during World War II.
In 1941, the land became property of the County of Los Angeles. The Pilgrimage Play continued until 1964. At that time, a legal issue about its religious content caused it to close. Even so, the bridge connecting The Ford to Cahuenga Boulevard over U.S. 101 is still called the Pilgrimage Bridge. This name honors the play.
In 1976, the Pilgrimage Theatre got a new name: the John Anson Ford Theatre. This honored John Anson Ford (1883–1983). He was an LA County Supervisor who strongly supported the arts. John Anson Ford helped create the LA County Arts Commission. He also encouraged the county to build The Music Center. He even helped the county get Descanso Gardens.
The theatre has 1,200 seats. An 87-seat indoor theatre was also built under the main stage in 1971. These spaces were used for different shows like Shakespeare plays, jazz concerts, and dance. Later, County Supervisor Ed Edelman helped bring the theatre back to life. He started the Ford Amphitheatre Summer Season in 1993. This program helped get money to improve the theatre.
Modern Upgrades
Starting in 2014, The Ford began big renovations. These changes aimed to fix up the historic theatre. They also added new buildings and features. After two years of work, The Ford reopened in 2016. This finished the first part of the Ford Theatres Project.
Summer Shows and Partnerships
The Ford's summer season has a special partnership program. This program helps music, dance, and theatre groups in Los Angeles County. It allows them to put on shows at a major venue.
Groups apply to be part of this program. If chosen, they get help with tickets, production, and advertising. They also get to keep most of the money from ticket sales. Since 1993, this program has supported many local arts groups.
The Ford Theatres offers a wide variety of shows each summer. These include music, dance, theatre, movies, and family events. They show off the many different communities in Los Angeles County. Besides the partnership program, the summer season also has a 10-part series with artists from all over the world. There's also a six-part series just for families. Plus, there are fun, interactive art events at the amphitheatre and other places in the county.
