The Hollywood elite turned out in droves for the opening of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The black-tie Grand Inaugural Gala took place on October 17th at this vibrant new cultural destination, where two distinct buildings shape a new cultural landmark for Beverly Hills- and the city of Los Angeles. SPF architect Zoltan Pali- known for restoring and transforming historic buildings- designed the $70 million dollar space and managed to take the existing iconic 1934 Post Office- where the 150-seat Lovelace Theater, a theater school for young people, a cafe and a gift shop will open in 2014- and team it with the new contemporary 500-seat state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater, which will kick off its season with Martha Graham performances next month.
The glittery crowd of 1,000 included Charlize Theron, Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, and Demi Moore, while Kevin Spacey, John Lithgow and Diane Lane read classic letters from Will Rodgers, Tennessee Williams and Groucho Marx as an homage to its Post Office past. Wallis Annenberg and Jamie Tisch co-chaired the Gala which was presented by Salvatore Ferragamo, who dazzled guests with a fashion show of the designer’s latest collection after cocktails in the sculpture garden and elevated promenade, as well as dinner and the first-ever performance in the Goldsmith Theater. Although the honorary co-chairs were a no-show, I’m sure Brad Pitt and Robert Redford will be huge supporters of the Annenberg’s theater, music and dance productions and their vision to become a town square full of life and creativity. www.thewallis.org
awesome…!#
It’s a beautiful space!