Main Stage Curtain Design Contest at Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park

CALL FOR VISUAL ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS

The City of Los Angeles is investing $10.7 million in renovations to DCA’s Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park to establish the venue as a state-of-the-art community hub supporting dance, music, theater, and culture in the West Valley. As part of this transformation, DCA’s Performing Arts Division is proud to announce its Madrid Theatre Main Stage Curtain Design Contest. This call for visual artists and designers seeks submissions for a stage curtain design that embodies the unique history and culture of the Canoga Park community. DCA remains committed to fostering the vision of a growing Canoga Park Arts District community hub.

DCA/PERF is offering one (1) $7,000 award to the artist commissioned to create the stage curtain design for DCA’s Madrid Theatre. Two (2) $2,000 awards will also be provided to the finalists to commission alternate choices. Applicants will be chosen by the peer review panel and the winner amongst the three finalists will be decided through a community vote. Artist applications are due by June 30, 2023.

HISTORY OF THE MADRID THEATRE

Originally built in 1926 by N. Schelenberg and M.P. Horwitz as a silent motion picture house, the Madrid Theatre has had a vast and alluring history. At the time, Canoga Park was known as the town of Owensmouth, and the Madrid Theatre was a 600-seat house with an extravagant organ from the Robert Morton Organ Factory of Van Nuys. It continued as a motion picture house, and in 1939/40 it became known as the Canoga Theatre. By the mid-1960s, however, the theater had settled into a new direction, and a new name, the Park Theatre, focused on showing adult films. It later become part of the Pussycat Theatres chain and was known as the Park Pussycat Theatre until closing in 1994 due to the Northridge Earthquake. The City of Los Angeles acquired the property, demolished the old structure, and built the Madrid Theatre as we know it today. It reopened on December 12, 1998, as a live performance venue designed by FSY Architects and owned and operated by DCA.

ELIGIBILITY

Individual artists are welcome to apply. For youth arts-focused nonprofit organizations interested in applying, please contact Cassandra.reyes@lacity.org. Preference will be given to applicants based in the Canoga Park area or Council District 3. To determine if your organization is within the council district boundaries, please visit https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org/ (link will open a new browser tab), enter your physical street address in the search field, and click on “FIND.” In your search result, you should see your City Council District number and the Los Angeles City Councilmember’s name listed under Elected Officials. Adjacent districts will be considered. Applicants must reside in Los Angeles City.

RENDERING OF RENOVATED THEATRE INTERIOR

The renovation design theme is mid-century modern, however, the colors and fixtures featured in this rendering are not specific to the plans. Rather, the rendering is focused on providing an example of a thematic look for the theatre.

PHOTOS OF THEATRE PRIOR TO RENOVATION

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Color Scheme:

In accordance with the plans for the completed renovation, retro teal is the key color, with subtle blues, grays, greens, and royal blue to compliment it. These colors are accented with brass metallics and geometric patterns.

Curtain Dimensions:

Grand Curtain

• Two (2), bi-parting panels with a 4’ overlap at the center
• 100% fullness with box pleat
• Panel 1: Length: 21’-6” (double for 100% fullness), height: 23’-2”
• Panel 2: Length: 25’-6” (double for 100% fullness), height: 23’-2”

Grand Valance

• 100% fullness with box pleat
• Length: 43’-3” (double for 100% fullness), height: 4’-0”

Overall

• Use Pantone Coated colors – the number of colors is unlimited
• Provide design as vector linework in Adobe Illustrator
• Provide (1) the design as it will look with 100% fullness (i.e., audience view) for design review, and (2) the design as flat (i.e., remove the fullness) for the printer

REQUIREMENTS

The design must support the theater’s newly designed mid-century modern nature and speak to the community and the history of Canoga Park, as well as the West Valley.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

DCA will review and score each complete proposal. Proposals will be determined to be eligible for review and scoring based on the responsiveness and factuality or verifiability of the proposal documentation and information. Proposals shall be evaluated based on the following categories and may include consideration of any or all the listed factors at the City’s sole discretion. These same criteria will be applied to evaluating Proposer’s performance during and after the contract period. Evaluation criteria include:

PROJECTED SCHEDULE

 Once designs are submitted by the deadline listed below, an independent panel of experts will select the top three curtain designs. The final three selected finalists will be notified. The community, however, will vote on the three final designs; the design with the most votes will receive the Madrid Theatre Main Stage Curtain Design award. The DCA will announce the winner, and the curtain will go into production. Upon receiving the award, the designer will then work with DCA, Gensler Architects, and the curtain manufacturer to complete the curtain’s design, understanding that the design may need to be augmented to meet the theater’s technical and safety needs.

The 2023-2024 schedule is as follows:

• May 29, 2023 – Stage Curtain Design Contest Call is Announced to the Public
• June 30, 2023 – Applications Due
• July 17-27, 2023 – Peer Review Panel Judges Applicants to Determine Top 3 Applicants
• July 28, 2023 – Panelist Wrap-up Meeting
• July 31, 2023 – Top 3 Finalists Submit their Headshot and Edited Written Description of Design
• August 4, 2023 – Top 3 Finalist Designs Announced, and Community Voting Begins
• August 4-19, 2023 – Community Voting Online
• September 1, 2023 – Winning Design Announced
• September 8, 2023 – Curtain Sampling Process Begins
• October 9, 2023 – Artwork Confirmed/Digital Printing Begins
• November 6, 2023 – Curtain Production Begins
• January 5, 2024 – Custom Designed Curtain is Ready
• January 15, 2024 – Curtain Delivery

APPLICATION

A complete application consists of answering the questions below and submitting the required documentation to cassandra.reyes@lacity.org by 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2023. The subject line should read:

Madrid Curtain Design, Your Name

In a separate document please provide the following information:

CONTACT INFO

1. Official IRS Name of Applicant
2. Popular Name if Different
3. Phone Number: Enter phone number in this format: (xxx) xxx-xxxx
4. Email Address
5. Mailing Address Including city, state and zip code
6. If different, the Individual’s Physical Address Including City, State and zip code
7. Council District of Address
8. Optional: Web Address of Individual’s Site

DEMOGRAPHIC INFO 

DCA is committed to equitable access and participation in the process AND distribution of arts resources in service to the diverse cultures of Los Angeles. Any data shared in this section would be used to monitor our progress in achieving this goal. Your responses would remain confidential and be used for internal purposes only.

9. Which gender do you identify:

• • Female
  • Gender non-conforming
  • Non-binary
  • Intersex
  • Male
  • Transgender
  • 2S (Two Spirits)
  • Prefer not to answer

10. What age group is represented:

• • 18 to 27
  • 28 to 37
  • 38 to 47
  • 48 to 57
  • 58+
  • Prefer not to answer

11. Which ethnic heritage(s) do you represent? (select any/all that apply):

• • Arab
  • Arab American
  • Middle Eastern
  • North African
  • Asian
  • Asian American
  • Asian Indian
  • Indian American
  • African
  • African American
  • Black
  • Indigenous
  • Native Alaskan
  • Native American
  • Latin American
  • Latino/Latina/Latinx
  • Native Hawaiian
  • Pacific Islander
  • White
  • Prefer not to answer

12. Do you identify as a person with a disability:

• • Yes
  • No
  • Prefer not to answer

APPLICANT INFORMATION

13. Do you consider yourself an artist or a designer?
14. What is your media of choice?
15. How many years have you been practicing your art/design?
16. In three sentences, how would you describe your artistic work and style?
17. As an artist or designer, what groups/organizations are you affiliated with?
18. What are your artistic/design goals?
19. Please provide an artistic statement of Interest. (Why do you want to be a part of this project?)
20. What is your relationship/history with Canoga Park?
21. What is your relationship/history with the Madrid Theatre?

PROPOSED DESIGN SUBMISSION

22. Please provide a written description—5 to 10 sentences–of your visual design plan for the Madrid Theatre Stage Curtain Design
23. Please provide a one (1) page artistic statement outlining the story, narrative, meaning,
24. symbolism, and influence for your proposed curtain design (maximum 500 words).
25. What color scheme are you proposing for the curtain, and how does it symbolize the theme above?
26. How does the above plan represent the culture and history of the Owensmouth/Canoga Park community?
27. Please provide three (3) drawings/renderings (not three separate designs) in the color of
28. the proposed concept for the curtain design, in a jpg, png, or pdf format, you would like considered for the contest. Photos of drawings will be accepted. All designs must be clear and legible.
29. Submit up to five (5) images for close-up samples of design elements unique to your proposed design.

ATTACHMENTS 

28. Please provide portfolio examples of your past work in digital formats or web links.
29. Please provide a digital CV (resume)
30. Please provide a 150-word biography and a general description of your work as a cover page to your CV (maximum 500 words)

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT 

The undersigned hereby certifies statements and information set forth above and/or attached to this application are true to the best of his/her/their knowledge and materials submitted in support of this application represent the applicant or organization’s own work. It is understood and agreed to by the undersigned that the Department of Cultural Affairs may rely thereon in determining this application for certification, and the making of any knowingly false statement or fraudulent submission in connection with this application will result, in either the denial thereof or in the revocation of any performing arts organization’s certification based on such application. The undersigned further certifies and claims eligibility for this funding opportunity because the organization is headquartered in the City of Los Angeles.

The undersigned acknowledges that submission of a proposal for this event does not constitute a commitment on the part of the City of Los Angeles to include the artist or arts group in the event. All final event selections are subject to panel decision.

_________________________________________             ____________________

Proposer’s Signature                                                                          Date

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Proposer’s Printed Name