Earlier this year, the creative duo of Calla Henkel and Max Pitagoff embarked on a new artistic adventure in the heart of Hollywood. Previously, they spent their time managing their theater and dive bar in Berlin. They first arrived in California with intentions to shoot a film, and rented a stage not anticipating that it would usurp their hearts. Located along Santa Monica Boulevard, this black box theater, introduced in the 90s, and fallen dormant during Covid, harbored an evocative mystique according to Pitagoff.
The charm of the location captivated Henkel as though it was positively bewitched – an irresistible allure. With their attachment growing strong, they took the decision to sign the lease, relocating to Los Angeles. With their combined efforts, the birth of the New Theater Hollywood was set into motion.
This unconventional little hub that enfolds within it the New Theater Hollywood swiftly emerged as a focal point for non-traditional, experimental performances in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles. It attracted an eclectic mix of names from diverse realms: Mykki Blanco, a musician; Ruby McCollister, an actress and author; model Lily McMenamy, and comedic talent, Casey Jane Ellison.
Despite the theater’s humble dimensions, it vibrates with the energy of eager spectators. Henkel reveals their venture started post the writer’s strike, which stemmed a desire within them to create – promptly and authentically – sans the red tape. This is how they decided to go about things.
Their most recent collaboration for the New Theater Hollywood witnessed Henkel and Pitagoff joining forces with writer Stephanie LaCava. Feathering the creative hat, LaCava chose to reinterpret select scenes from a movie she admired: Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew – an Italian neo-realist magnum opus of 1964 which narrates the existence and contributions of Jesus Christ.
LaCava’s creative interpretation manifested in a bouquet of short sketches titled Two American Scenes, referencing the ongoing political and spiritual discord in America. The reimagined pieces were performed twice for a single night.
In an echo of Pasolini’s casting principle, LaCava selected cultural icons who were not primarily established actors – with one departure, the supermodel Kaia Gerber. The collaborating ensemble welcomed the Danish musician Elias Rønnenfelt, who presented an original composition live; Tess Sahara and Jimmy Lux Fox in central roles; and photographers Collier Schorr and Bella Newman paired as Thomas and Salome, who added a dance to the spectacle.
LaCava admits being more comfortable working behind the scenes and cherishes solitude, an apt sensibility for a novelist. However, she never disassociated from the art of performance, considering it a vital facet of her artistic expression.
Pasolini, the mastermind behind the seminal Biblical film, was a homosexual, atheist Marxist dissident. His film, crafted with the detachment and longing of a non-believer hankering for faith, is revered as one of the most aesthetically pleasing interpretations of the Bible. The intricate juxtaposition and contradiction of Pasolini’s persona and beliefs deeply influenced LaCava.
LaCava shares a profound interest in the concept of hierophany, or sacredness, which Pasolini often explored in interviews and his work. What captivated her was not an idea sacred to a single group, but rather the broader, encompassing interpretation.
The New Theater Hollywood has its own form of symbolic devotion: actors intermittently entering and exiting an area adorned by a prominent image of Marilyn Monroe. This is more than just a venue for performances; it holds a certain kind of reverence.
The theater sits tucked away among the bustling city of Hollywood, merely a stone’s throw distance from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, an eternal dwelling place for many legendary figures. An environment that powerfully integrates past and present, ordinary and extraordinary, in a way that is quintessentially Hollywood.