El Portal Theatre To Celebrate 100th Anniversary In 2026
Historic North Hollywood venue will mark centennial with yearlong programming and gala weekend.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 10, 2026
El Portal Theatre will celebrate its Centennial Anniversary on October 5, 2026, marking 100 years since the theatre first opened its doors on Lankershim Boulevard on October 5, 1926.
Executive Director Pegge Forrest and Managing Director Ann Potenza have announced a yearlong Centennial Celebration honoring the venue’s history and future. Forrest has led the organization for 26 years, beginning with the theatre’s reopening in 2000 following significant damage sustained during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The restoration reestablished the venue as the El Portal Center for the Arts.
Originally designed in the Spanish Renaissance Revival style by architect Lewis Arthur Smith, the theatre opened as a vaudeville house before transitioning through silent films, early talkies, and golden-age cinema. Over the decades, it has evolved into a performing arts complex in the NoHo Arts District.
As part of the centennial programming, the theatre will reintroduce film screenings, beginning with Moulin Rouge! directed by Baz Luhrmann on Valentine’s Day. The season will also include live productions such as Legally Blonde: The Musical, Carmen by Georges Bizet, Jesus Christ Superstar, ELF: The Musical, Shrek the Musical, Ed Begley’s Jukebox Musical, and the world premiere revue The Music That Makes Me Dance: The Songs of Jule Styne.
The celebration will culminate in the Centennial Black & White Gala Weekend, scheduled for November 27–28, 2026.
El Portal’s Art Deco marquee has appeared in film and television productions including Licorice Pizza, Hacks, RuPaul's Drag Race, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The theatre is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #573.
Today, the complex includes the 360-seat Debbie Reynolds MainStage, the 96-seat Monroe Forum, and the 42-seat Stuart Rogers Theatre. Over the years, its stages have hosted performers including Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Bea Arthur, Jamie Lee Curtis, Neil Patrick Harris, Kate McKinnon, John Waters, and Jean Smart, among others.
Additional anniversary events, performances, and tributes will be announced throughout 2026 as the theatre marks a century of performance in North Hollywood.
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