Alex Theatre
The Alex Theatre is a historic performing-arts and entertainment venue in Glendale, California, known for its 1925 movie-palace heritage, distinctive neon tower, and diverse live programming.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Alex Theatre is a historic performing-arts venue and former movie palace in downtown Glendale, California. Opened on September 4, 1925 as the Alexander Theatre, it was created during the expansion of Southern California’s commercial theater circuit and initially presented a mixture of vaudeville, theatrical productions, and silent films. Its early operation was associated with the West Coast–Langley Theatre Circuit, while the building itself has been attributed primarily to architects Arthur G. Lindley and Charles R. Selkirk Associates. Some architectural references have also credited Meyer & Holler, so the authorship attribution is not entirely consistent. The building combines neo-classical Greek and Egyptian motifs, reflecting the influence of Hollywood movie palaces of the period, including the nearby Egyptian Theatre. A large Wurlitzer organ accompanied silent-film screenings and helped establish the venue as a major entertainment destination in the Glendale area. Because the theater was located near Walt Disney’s Hyperion studio, it became a preferred location for previewing Disney cartoons. The Alex also hosted previews of major feature films, including National Velvet and Going My Way in 1944. A backstage fire in 1948 caused substantial damage, but the theater continued to operate and remained an important regional cinema. The venue’s most recognizable visual identity dates from 1940, when theater architect S. Charles Lee redesigned the exterior. The work introduced the approximately 100-foot neon tower, starburst sphere, and marquee that became the building’s defining landmarks and helped shorten the public name from Alexander Theatre to the Alex. Further modernization followed in 1954, when the theater received a CinemaScope screen and surround-sound equipment. The Alex continued to show prominent films, including Ben-Hur in 1959, through the era when large downtown movie palaces remained central to local entertainment. The theater’s role changed as cinema exhibition evolved and historic venues faced financial and operational pressure. It stopped showing first-run films after a screening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, although it later retained a film identity through repertory screenings and special events. A major, city-funded restoration in 1993 repaired and revived the venue and restored its 1940 neon tower. After a brief management arrangement with Theatre Corporation of America ended in 1994, the City of Glendale established the Alex Regional Theatre Board, commonly known as ART, to support operations. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The venue entered a more organized nonprofit-management era in 2008, when the ART Board transitioned into Glendale Arts. During Glendale Arts’ tenure, the Alex expanded beyond conventional theater and film programming to concerts, theatrical productions, comedy, television tapings, screenings, public conversations, benefit performances, and community events. Its programming included nationally visible events such as the season-nine finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the finale of NBC’s Bring the Funny, and episodes of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. The theater has also appeared as a filming location in television and film productions including Criminal Minds, Glee, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veronica Mars, and You. Glendale Arts oversaw significant capital work, including a backstage expansion completed in 2014 and the Illuminate Project in 2015, which renewed the tower and marquee. Fundraising activities such as the Illuminate Dinner supported preservation and upkeep. The theater received recognition from local preservation and community organizations, including a 2017 Theatre of the Year honor from the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, a preservation award from the Glendale Historical Society, and a beautification award from the Montrose–Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce. The Alex has hosted resident and touring organizations across genres. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles presented more than 100 concerts there between 1994 and 2021. The Alex Film Society continues to organize repertory and classic-film events, while the Glendale Youth Orchestra remains a regular user. Since 2015, the venue has also hosted annual Wild Honey Orchestra benefit concerts supporting autism-related nonprofits, with programs devoted to artists and groups such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Band, Buffalo Springfield, the Kinks, and the Lovin’ Spoonful. In 2021, Glendale Arts changed leadership and subsequently relinquished management of the theater. Nina Crowe became chief executive officer and Maria Sahakian chief operating officer in June, while former chief executive Elissa Glickman stayed on as an adviser. In October, the City of Glendale selected SAS Entertainment Partners to manage the venue. The transition marked a new operating chapter while preserving the Alex’s role as a municipally owned cultural venue. The Alex continues to serve as a flexible regional destination for music, theater, film, television production, comedy, community programming, and special events.
History
The Alex Theatre opened as the Alexander Theatre on September 4, 1925, in Glendale, California. Its early program combined vaudeville, stage productions, and silent motion pictures, with a Wurlitzer organ providing live accompaniment. The building’s design is generally associated with Arthur G. Lindley and Charles R. Selkirk Associates, although some accounts attribute it to Meyer & Holler. Its interior drew on Greek and Egyptian decorative traditions associated with the grand movie palaces of the 1920s. The theater became part of Glendale’s cultural and commercial life and benefited from its proximity to Walt Disney’s Hyperion studio. Disney used the venue to preview cartoons, and the theater also hosted previews of films such as National Velvet and Going My Way. A backstage fire in 1948 caused major damage. The Alex later adopted CinemaScope and surround sound in 1954 and continued to screen major films, including Ben-Hur in 1959. In 1940, S. Charles Lee redesigned the exterior and added the 100-foot neon tower, starburst sphere, and marquee that remain central to the venue’s identity. The redesign also encouraged the shorter name “Alex.” As the economics of large movie theaters changed, the building moved away from first-run cinema. Its last first-run film screening was Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991. A city-funded restoration in 1993 renewed the theater and restored its distinctive tower. Theatre Corporation of America briefly managed the venue but withdrew in 1994. The City then created the Alex Regional Theatre Board, which supported the building through a municipal subsidy and helped preserve it as a functioning regional theater. In 1996, the Alex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Management transferred from the ART Board to the nonprofit Glendale Arts in 2008. Glendale Arts developed a broad calendar that included concerts, plays, screenings, comedy, television productions, public conversations, benefit events, and resident-company performances. It also directed substantial capital improvements, including a backstage expansion in 2014 and the Illuminate Project in 2015, which restored the neon tower and marquee. The theater’s preservation and community work received several local honors in 2017. The Alex became a regular venue for nationally recognizable productions and recordings. Examples included the RuPaul’s Drag Race season-nine finale in 2017, the Bring the Funny finale in 2019, and episodes of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman in 2019 and 2020. Its screen and stage history was further extended through appearances in scripted television and film productions. Resident users included the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, the Musical Theatre Guild, the Alex Film Society, and the Glendale Youth Orchestra. Wild Honey Orchestra benefit concerts have been presented annually since 2015. Glendale Arts underwent an executive transition in June 2021, and in October of that year the City of Glendale selected SAS Entertainment Partners as the theater’s manager. The City remains the owner. The Musical Theatre Guild ended its residency after 2023, while the Alex Film Society and Glendale Youth Orchestra continued to use the venue. A 70 mm projection installation was reported for 2026, supporting a screening of The Odyssey and signaling a limited return to first-run film exhibition.
- 2021
Management transfers to SAS Entertainment Partners
[1]The City of Glendale selects SAS Entertainment Partners to replace Glendale Arts as venue manager.
- 2017
Preservation and community honors
[1]The Alex receives several local recognitions, including Theatre of the Year and preservation and beautification awards.
- 2015
Illuminate Project and benefit series
[1]The Illuminate Project restores the tower and marquee, while Wild Honey Orchestra begins its annual benefit-concert relationship with the venue.
- 2014
Backstage expansion
[1]Glendale Arts leads a major backstage expansion to improve the venue’s production capacity.
- 2008
Glendale Arts begins management
[1]The Alex Regional Theatre Board transitions into Glendale Arts, which manages the venue for more than a decade.
- 1996
Added to the National Register of Historic Places
[1]The Alex receives federal historic-register recognition.
- 1993
Major restoration completed
[1]A city-funded restoration renews the building and restores the 1940 neon tower.
- 1991
Last first-run film before the later revival
[1]Terminator 2: Judgment Day is identified as the last first-run film shown before the venue’s later return to film exhibition.
- 1954
CinemaScope and surround sound added
[1]The theater upgrades its film presentation equipment with a CinemaScope screen and surround sound.
- 1948
Backstage fire
[1]A fire damages the backstage area while the theater remains an active entertainment venue.
Products and positioning
A restored historic movie palace repositioned as a versatile civic and cultural venue for live entertainment, film, broadcast production, and community programming.
Performing arts · 1925
Main-stage live events
The Alex presents concerts, theatrical productions, comedy, spoken-word programs, and other ticketed performances in its historic auditorium. Its flexible programming allows the building to serve both touring artists and resident cultural organizations, making it a regional performance venue rather than a single-genre theater.
Film exhibition
Alex Film Society screenings
The Alex Film Society uses the theater for repertory presentations, classic-film programs, and special events. These screenings maintain the building’s connection to its movie-palace past while complementing its modern concert and live-event schedule.
Benefit events · 2015
Wild Honey Orchestra benefit concerts
Since 2015, the Alex has hosted annual Wild Honey Orchestra benefit concerts supporting autism-related nonprofits. The series uses tribute programs devoted to major popular-music catalogs, including those of the Beatles, Beach Boys, Band, Buffalo Springfield, Kinks, and Lovin’ Spoonful.
Film and television production
Production and broadcast rentals
The theater’s auditorium, stage, architectural details, and marquee make it suitable for television tapings, film productions, filmed conversations, finales, and other broadcast work. Productions associated with the venue include Criminal Minds, Glee, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veronica Mars, You, and several unscripted programs.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Illuminate Project
Glendale · Southern California
A preservation and capital campaign led by Glendale Arts focused on restoring the Alex’s iconic neon tower and marquee and strengthening public support for the historic venue.
Outcome. The tower and marquee were restored, and the project contributed to later preservation and community recognition.
- 2015Illuminate Dinner
Glendale
Glendale Arts established a fundraising dinner connected with the Illuminate effort to support maintenance and preservation of the Alex.
Outcome. The event provided an ongoing fundraising mechanism for upkeep of the historic venue.
- 2015Wild Honey Orchestra benefit series
Southern California
The Alex began hosting annual tribute concerts by the Wild Honey Orchestra to raise funds for autism-related nonprofit organizations.
Outcome. The series became a recurring benefit program and a recognizable part of the theater’s community-facing calendar.
Brand decisions
2026
Return to first-run film presentation with 70 mm projectionProduct launchBackground
The Alex had not shown a first-run film since Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, although it continued film-related programming through repertory screenings.
Action taken
The venue installed a 70 mm projection system for a screening of The Odyssey.
Aftermath
The installation marked a reported return to first-run film exhibition while extending the theater’s historic cinema identity.
2021
City changes venue managerStrategyBackground
After more than a decade of Glendale Arts management, the City of Glendale reviewed the operating arrangement for the municipally owned theater.
Action taken
The City awarded management to SAS Entertainment Partners in October 2021.
Aftermath
Glendale Arts’ management tenure ended, while the City retained ownership and the Alex continued operating as a multipurpose cultural venue.
2008
Transition from ART Board to Glendale ArtsStrategyBackground
The City-supported Alex Regional Theatre Board had overseen the venue after earlier management arrangements ended.
Action taken
The board transitioned into Glendale Arts, a nonprofit organization that assumed management and broadened the theater’s cultural programming.
Aftermath
Glendale Arts managed the Alex through 2021 and expanded its use for concerts, theater, screenings, broadcasts, benefits, and community events.
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