Theatre Raymond Kabbaz opened in June 2000. It is a tribute to the passion and ambition of Mr. Raymond Kabbaz, President Founder of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, who dedicated the last three years of his life to the creation of the Theatre.

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, as part of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the Los Angeles area. It features international artists’ performances year round, and is also a place of expression and fulfillment for Le Lycée’s students and professors who often perform on stage. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is the only theater in Los Angeles to dedicate a significant part of its programming to French language and culture.

The Theatre’s ambition is to be an open window on French and international cultures, to have a role of creation and innovation within an educational framework, and to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

With 215 seats, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz is remarkable for its acoustic specifications, in particular its sound reflectors allowing a perfect and very precise sound projection. The slope and the position of the seats offer excellent visibility of the stage from all locations in the room.

The theater is equipped with a lighting system of more than 150 projectors installed on five ramps and entirely programmable. A mobile control console is anchored behind the scene.

Sound equipment is composed of a 40 track Midas mixing table, two digital recorders, two cassette players, one effect module, two graphic equalizers, an amplification of about 4000 watts distributed on four frontal loud speakers, two boomers in the back of the room and six stage returns. Monitoring from the foyer, the main dressing room, the console behind the scene and the technical room is made possible through an audio / video circuit. Another independent double circuit is reserved for communication between the backstage area and the technical room.

The theater is also equipped with a projection system: a high definition Panasonic projector compatible with VHS video format, DVD as well as any IBM or Mac computer presentation. A retractable electrical screen (28 by 12 feet) is installed in the middle of the stage as well as a frontal beam for the projection of subtitles.

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz offers complete access for the handicapped, with two reserved spaces in the room and two elevators to reach the stage, the dressing rooms and the technical area. A specially designed system for hearing impaired spectators, with wireless audio headphones activated by an infrared signal makes the sound amplification of any activity on stage possible.

With an eclectic programming since it was created, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz welcomes multidisciplinary shows: theater, operettas, musicals, varieties, documentaries, movies, music and dance.

The programming evolves around a dual orientation of educational shows and shows linked to French and international culture.

Since the inaugural performance of "La Belle Hélène" by Offenbach, in June 2000, which was the last play Raymond Kabbaz directed, the programming has imposed its diversity.

This artistic vocation became clear at a very early age. Raymond Kabbaz enjoyed telling memories of the Jesuit boarding school he attended as a child. Theater was his only hobby and he became famous for his role in several plays.

With a spark of mischief in his eyes, he would say: "At the age of twelve, I declaimed with strength, gestures and vocal effects, the fable by La Fontaine "The animals sick with plague" in front a very enthusiastic audience". He still knew this fable by heart and would recite it to his grand children until the end of his life.

Eager to communicate his passion for theater, his activities did not prevent him from attending classes at the drama academy where he studied drama, learnt the basics of directing and sharpened his inclination for adaptations. As a teacher at Le Lycée Français de New York for ten years, he participated in the creation of its Drama Club and directed plays which enjoyed great success. At the Lycée Français de Los Angeles, which he founded with his wife, he created the Drama Club of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles and directed several plays each year, with students and teachers participating as actors.

La Cantatrice Chauve by Ionesco, performed at the Stage Theater in Hollywood in 1993, will be the keystone of the beginning of the theatrical adventure in the city of angels. This play was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the French speaking audiences in Los Angeles. It was soon followed by An aspirin for two adapted from Woody Allen at the Odyssey Theater in West Los Angeles, then Boulevard du Mélodrame in 1995, Quisaitout et Grobêta by Coline Serreau in 1996 at the Morgan Wixson theater in Santa Monica, in 1998 Le Passe Muraille adapted from a novel by Marcel Aymé, in 1999 La Vie Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach, and in 2000, he completed his last production with La Belle Hélène by Offenbach, the inaugural show of his new theater.

He spent the last three years of his life building the marvelous theater of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, located on the Century City campus. Before leaving us, Mr. Kabbaz designated Mr. Pierre Leloup, with whom he shared his passion for theater, as the director of his new theater. The theater was named Raymond Kabbaz after his passing away. The programming and the price of tickets, between 7 and 25 dollars, attract a very wide and new audience and succeed in imposing Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz as one of the most lively French speaking and international cultural links in Los Angeles. Some shows are entirely sponsored by Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles and offered to the students, free of charge.toring from the foyer, the main dressing room, the console behind the scene and the technical room is made possible through an audio / video circuit. Another independent double circuit is reserved for communication between the backstage area and the technical room.

The theater is also equipped with a projection system: a high definition Panasonic projector compatible with VHS video format, DVD as well as any IBM or Mac computer presentation. A retractable electrical screen (28 by 12 feet) is installed in the middle of the stage as well as a frontal beam for the projection of subtitles.

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz offers complete access for the handicapped, with two reserved spaces in the room and two elevators to reach the stage, the dressing rooms and the technical area. A specially designed system for hearing impaired spectators, with wireless audio headphones activated by an infrared signal makes the sound amplification of any activity on stage possible.