The Golden Performing Arts Center has submitted a proposal to become the operator of the Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park. If chosen by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Golden PAC will also be the resident theater company at the Madrid. The group has staged 39 full-scale theatrical productions at the 450-seat Madrid since 1999. A decision on awarding a contract for operating the theater is expected in April, with the new management taking over in June. “The Madrid has been Golden’s ‘home away from home’ for many years now,” said Executive Director Shelli Miller. “We hope the city will see fit to make our relationship with the Madrid a permanent one.” If awarded the contract, Golden PAC plans to expand their current production schedule to include a full season of musicals, several teen and youth theater workshop productions, a special holiday event and pairings with other theater companies performing elsewhere in the Los Angeles area. The Madrid Theatre, originally an adult movie house, was redeveloped after it was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency oversaw the development with a $3.3 million federal grant raised by the city. The Valley Cultural Center operated the theater from 2003 until January. That group pulled out because it has been working without a contract.
