> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# SMC provides inside glimpse of its new $45M concert hall
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/smc-provides-inside-glimpse-of-its-new-45m-concert-hall/
- Published: 2007-10-18T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T03:29:18.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Hall may be music to Westside’s ears*

MADISON CAMPUS There was no stage fright here Wednesday as Santa Monica College officials proudly donned hard hats and led the public on a tour of their new “dream venue” — The Stage, a $45 million, 499-seat performance hall that will serve as a “laboratory of creative spontaneity.”

Inspired by the intimacy of Italy’s horseshoe opera houses, but incorporating the architectural grandeur of venues like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, developers of The Stage and its cousin — The Second Space — aspire to open something more than a traditional performing arts venue, said Dale Franzen, a former opera singer-turned-artistic director.

In addition to presenting renowned and respected artists, SMC’s long-term vision for The Stage includes maintaining a place where performing artists can nurture new works and collaborate in all performance disciplines; a place where audiences of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed into a more intimate arts experience.

“This is not just your parents’ performing arts center,” Franzen said. “The Second Space and The Stage were designed for artists, but belong to everyone.”

While The Stage is still under construction and will not be completed until May 2008, The Second Space will open its doors this fall, free-of-charge, for Under The Radar, a free series of performances featuring the Los Angeles Tango Ensemble this Sunday, a play entitled “Over the Tavern” by Tom Dudzick in November, and a holiday cabaret concert with Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman in December.

Franzen said both venues — The Stage and Second Space — will allow students at the college to gain valuable experience by working closely with some of the most talented artists of their time. The complex, as a whole, is expected to become one of the premier venues for the arts in Los Angeles, especially on the Westside.

“The Westside has always contributed generously to the performing arts of Los Angeles, but this may be our greatest contribution yet,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who attended Wednesday’s tour. “The Stage and its complex speak to the creative heart of our city by teaching our students, developing new talent, inspiring audiences and bringing the best performing artist in the world to out neighborhood.

“It is a vital addition to the cultural landscape and its impact promises to be felt for years to come.”

Yaroslavsky feels The Stage will provide people on the Westside a much-needed venue close to home.

“For those who understand the pain of an hour and a half commute to downtown (Los Angeles), this will be a good alternative,” the supervisor said.

The Stage is being built at a cost of $45 million, financed through a $35 million bond measure passed by the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu in 2004; $5 million from other government agencies and from private donors; and a bond measure for Santa Monica College improvements passed in 2002.

“Embedded in the original Santa Monica College charter is the call for a performing arts center, so The Stage fulfills our mandate and our traditions,” said SMC President Dr. Chui Tsang.“Like KCRW, it is also a community service of Santa Monica College, a world-class global theater befitting of our identity as a world-class leader in education.”

The Stage and Second Space, designed by Santa Monica-based architect Renzo Zecchetto, are located at Santa Monica Boulevard and 11th Street, formerly the site of a public school that SMC had been using as additional class space. The site also houses the new Madison Campus for music.

Zecchetto said the design allows for eye contact from any seat in the main house, with actors and musicians on stage, yet is uniquely equipped to present ambitious work on a grand scale. It was designed from the stage out and includes an environmentally conscious design, including a soaring lobby designed to capture and be cooled by ocean breezes, leaving no need for air conditioning.

“I do not think there is another performance space in the United States with these characteristics,” Zecchetto said.

Franzen added, “As we sweep away the sawdust and prepare to step onto The Stage, I dream it will become the laboratory for artistic spontaneity we envision a global theater and community hub where opera, dance, music, theater and film are created, presented and experienced in absolute freedom.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 18, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)