Lyric Hyperion is a comedy and performance space in the Silver Lake neighborhood[1] of Los Angeles, California.

History

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In the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, the location (2106 Hyperion Avenue) was a popular restaurant and gay bar known as the Frog Pond. In 1980 a fire bomb was thrown through the front door and the blast injured three people[2]. However, the hate crime led to the formation of the Sunset Junction Street Fair to help ease tensions in the neighborhood[3]. And that festival lasted for 30 years[4].

In 1989, Company of Angels, a theater company founded by actors Leonard Nimoy and Richard Chamberlain, moved into the space and stayed there for seventeen years.

In 2004, the building was purchased and remodeled by founder, Alan Becker. Other notable owners include Phil Burgers, who made the theater a hub for modern clowning.

In December 2022, the theater was turned over to Sean Casey, who helped start M.I.'s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica[5], as well as The Glendale Room in Glendale.

Past performers include Maria Bamford, Dana Gould, Atsuko Okatsuka, Natalie Palamides, Jay Jurden, Kyle Kinane, and Rory Scovel.

References

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  1. ^ "The power of play: Phil Burgers, aka Dr. Brown, isn't just clowning around at his L.A. theater". Los Angeles Times. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  2. ^ Dryden, Sarah (2012-04-18). "Silver Lake celebrates its gay past but what about the future?". The Eastsider LA. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  3. ^ Times, Larry Gordon Larry Gordon was a higher education writer for the Los Angeles; Colleges, Covered Issues Affecting; California, universities in; editor, around the nation He has been an assistant city; Record, an urban affairs writer at The Times He previously worked at the Bergen; University, Hudson Dispatch in his native New Jersey He won a mid-career Fulbright grant to teach journalism in Bulgaria Gordon has a bachelor’s from Georgetown; in 2015, a master’s in journalism from Columbia University He left The Times (1985-08-22). "Sunset Junction Street Fair Finds Wider Audience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-09. {{cite web}}: |last4= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Ford, Rebecca (2011-08-24). "Sunset Junction Festival Cancelation: Organizers Speak Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  5. ^ "About 1". Lyric Hyperion. Retrieved 2024-06-09.