This fall is full of excitement at UCLA and in nearby Westwood Village with the opening of the new UCLA Nimoy Theater, a landmark venue that has been renovated and transformed into a 300-seat performing arts space.
Located less than a mile from the Luskin Conference Center and Hotel, the theater will welcome 35 events during the 2023-2024 performance season— including music, dance, theater, literary arts and multidisciplinary collaborations — thanks to the Center for the Art of Performance UCLA (CAP UCLA), which is responsible for curating all programming.
“This is an exciting addition to the neighborhood and it’s a space we know our guests will enjoy,” said Tony Perrone, general manager of the Luskin Conference and Hotel. “We are also excited to welcome the talented performers who will be staying with us as part of our partnership with CAP UCLA. It’s always nice to have them here with us.”
Named for the late artist, actor, director and philanthropist Leonard Nimoy, the theater is a reimagining of the historic Crest Theatre; the structure was built in 1940 and acquired by UCLA in 2018. The venue, operated and managed by CAP UCLA, offers audiences an intimate and engaging experience of live performance while providing artists from Los Angeles and around the world new opportunities to develop and showcase their work. The upcoming season features a broad spectrum of voices, viewpoints, ideas and creative expressions across a variety of performing arts mediums.
Grammy Award winner and poet J. Ivy opened the Nimoy with a performance on Sept. 24. Ethiopian music and dance ensemble Ethiocolor performed Sept. 29 and a unique collaboration by choreographer-dancer Caleb Teicher and pianist-composer Conrad Tao was held Sept. 30.
Up next is renowned Chinese pipa player Wu Man (Oct. 15), rapper Omar Offendum’s show “Little Syria,” an homage to a bygone New York City neighborhood (Nov. 3–4), cabaret performer Meow Meow (Mar. 8), the all-woman Latin alternative band LADAMA (May 5), Emmy Award–winning puppeteer Ronnie Burkett (May 9–12) and a series of original works by acclaimed playwright Daniel Alexander Jones (May 16–19).
Other CAP UCLA 2023–24 performances will be held at Royce Hall on campus and at downtown Los Angeles’ The Theatre at Ace Hotel.