Back by popular demand, KDA is pleased to announce Open Stage 2024, an initiative aimed at bringing artists, specifically dancers, to the famous Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater to do what they do best – work on stage!
With support from the Fox Theater, applicants have the opportunity to rent the stage for 1-2 hours for FREE! This special opportunity affords creatives access to the Fox Theater’s technical staff and theater amenities. Artists are invited to curate an experience that is most appealing to them and use the stage in any way that cultivates their creativity.
The stage is yours. What will you do with it?
- Are you looking to present a brief holiday show?
- Are you looking for space for your upcoming holiday show?
- Are you looking for stage time to work on your newest choreography?
- Have you been itching to create a new collaboration with an artist?
- Would you like to put on a performance for your friends and family?
- Are you interested in filming the latest Tic-Tok craze on the famous Fox stage?
- Do you need to film an audition reel?
What are you dreaming of on stage? The spotlight is yours. Open Stage is willing to make your grandest dreams and wishes come true. Tell us about it and we will gladly help you to make it happen!
– Open Stage: Sunday, December 1
– Application Deadline: Friday, November 1
– Artist Selection Announcement: Wednesday, November 6
– Open Stage Technical Meeting: Thursday, November 21
– Open Stage rental times are available in 1-2 hour time slots between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Up to five Open Stage slots are available for rent.
– An application is required to participate in Open Stage.
– Selected artists must be available for a meeting via Zoom with KDA and Fox Theater technical staff on Thursday, November 21 to discuss the artist’s technical needs and expectations.
KDA cares about supporting and assisting artists in a variety of ways and Open Stage is an example of how we do JUST THAT! Recent years have had decimating effects on our community. To assist in building capacity for local artists, KDA offers opportunities to incite creativity and encouragement while boosting economic prosperity.
Open Stage is meant to limit financial barriers holding artists back from finding their way to the stage. Our community is stronger when artists feel supported and KDA values the cultural contributions of all artists. We believe Open Stage cultivates an opportunity to explore creative expression that leads to the creation of a colorful landscape that promotes a vibrant community while celebrating cultural diversity in California’s Central Valleys.
Opened on Christmas Day 1930, The Fox was one of the last of its kind built in the Gilded Age. The first film on The Fox’s big silver screen was “Just Imagine”, a sci-fi tale set 50 years in the future to 1980. The Fox featured the first “talkie” motion pictures and its stage was graced by live performers who among many were prestigious artists such as Bakersfield native Metropolitan Opera baritone Lawrence Tibbett (1933), world-renowned soprano Kirsten Flagstad (1939), the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1939), and the classic pianist Arthur Rubinstein (1940).
The 1500 seat Fox Theater was designed by famed Los Angeles architect S. Charles Lee. Known for his trademark “The Show Begins on the Sidewalk;” his designs would later gain classic status as paragons of style and beauty. The Fox Theater’s Type I construction consists of poured concrete over steel which would prove itself by withstanding in the 1952 earthquake. In 1953, the original Mediterranean Village interior was replaced with a contemporary Art Deco motif inspired by Fox West Coast Theaters’ Charles P. Skouras. A lavish concession area was added, along with a remodel of the marquee, box office and main entrance — embellished with glitzy 50’s bright metals, terrazzo and neon.
In 1977 the big screen went dark as The Fox closed its doors after 47 years in show business. Except for a brief period from 1983-84, The Fox sat silent until June 28, 1994, when The Fox Theater Foundation, a non-profit organization, officially saved it from the wrecking ball. Funds were donated by over 380 “Save The Fox” donors for the down payment, with restoration beginning July 1st. The people of the community are the true stars, whose contributions and visions continue to restore the Fox to her former glory. The Fox Theater Foundation’s goal is to complete a five star restoration making the Fox Theater the heart of downtown’s cultural district
Today, The Fox Theater in Bakersfield is recognized as a community treasure for its fine acoustics and is the only remaining Fox with its rare Skouras signature interior intact. Beginning at the sidewalk on a rainbow of polished terrazzo and inside amid towering gold leaf, she is the exquisite blend of Spanish Colonial and Art Deco. She beckons you away from reality into romantic enchantment with a galaxy of stars floating in the neon glow of an indigo sky; The Fox is truly a place where dreams come true!