[Inside] the Ford History

Embedded within a 1929 historic structure, [Inside] the Ford is an 87-seat indoor theatre space at the Ford Theatres complex that boasts modern lights and sound, comfortable seats, and a decades-long history of nurturing new theatre. For decades it was rented by numerous groups, most notably the Mark Taper Forum which made it the home of its second stage Taper, Too from 1972 to 1997. In 1998 the space was extensively renovated and renamed [Inside] the Ford, following which a season of three productions was presented under the Los Angeles County Art Commission's subsidized rental program designed to help theatre companies without permanent facilities. From 2000-01 through 2003-04, [Inside] the Ford hosted "Hot Properties," seasons of new plays and musicals produced by County-based theatre companies and supported by A.S.K. Theatre Projects and the James Irvine Foundation. Finally, from 2005-06 to 2007-08, [Inside] the Ford was the home of the Ensemble Theatre Collective, known as ETC@ITF, a collaboration of five L.A.-based theatre companies that was supported in part by the Flintridge Foundation.

On November 7, 2008, the Arts Commission launched the [Inside] the Ford Winter Partnership Program. Recognizing that many Los Angeles County-based theatre companies do not have permanent performance homes and that the cost of producing theatrical works has become prohibitively expensive in the area, the Arts Commission through the Winter Partnership Program provides an opportunity for theatre companies without a permanent performance venue to produce in one of the best under 99-seat theatres in Los Angeles County at a highly subsidized cost and with significant marketing support.

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