Editor’s Note: Nohoartsdistrict.com recently gave a tour to 42 international media delegates (sponsored by LA, Inc.). Izzy may be right – NoHo is becoming a “Culture Capital.”
Ask anyone and they will tell you that the North Hollywood region of Los Angeles is an area steeped with a rich, vibrant history and culture that is completely its own. With a population nearing eighty thousand citizens, the aptly named NoHo district is never short of things to do, nor is it short of people willing to do them – the area is rife with establishments dedicated to some of the finer pursuits in life: music and theatre.
Such is the pervasive nature and sheer quantity of the number of places related to music and the theatre, the district-within-a-district – the Noho Arts District – was able to come to fruition, forming the centre or hub for any number of artistic productions and proving to be a draw too difficult to shake for persons too numerous to count.
Music in NoHo
Often referred to as being the “West Coast Capital of Recording and Rehearsal Studios” and upon seeing the large number of both recording studios and theatres that the Arts District has, it is abundantly clear why the district has been awarded this moniker. The NoHo Arts District alone has over fifty recording studios, which just so happens to also be more than any other place in the entirety of LA. Couple that with the fact that it is also the highest concentration of recording studios west of the Mississippi, then the NoHo Arts District is already well on its way to some impressive statistics, particularly considering its population. One would expect the ratio of people to recording studios to be somewhere around 1556 people for every recording studio, which makes for a rather interesting statistic indeed.
A rather beneficial side effect of having such a high density of recording studios is that not only is the musical side of things also highly concentrated – leading to a rich musical culture that is constantly on the go, producing great works – but it attracts recording artists from all over the place, making the NoHo area an ideal location to try and spot your favourite artists, with the area acting as a veritable Who’s Who of the music industry.
Filling out an area which is roughly one mile in length, the NoHo Arts District is also a verdant paradise for the avid appreciator of the fine art of theatre, with the District itself being furnished with over twenty fully professional theatres. The theatres themselves are restricted by no man, supplying the surrounding area with a lavish variation in diverse styles, ranging from classic works to more recent theatrical concoctions.
Nor are the theatres limited to what one might think of being as traditional theatrics – if such a thing were possible – for the theatres themselves also play host to any number of art galleries (public or otherwise) and professional dance studios, providing the populace (and those willing to travel) with a rich tapestry of theatre-based culture from which to delight the senses.
Another interesting piece of information that is sure to intrigue, is that due to the sheer abundance of theatres in the NoHo Arts District, the District itself actually holds the record for most theatres in one mile than any other place in the entire US. This would be no mean feat and is something that contributes greatly to the overall unique culture that the NoHo Arts District exudes in great quantities; a culture that would be impossible to find elsewhere and so draws those with artistic inclinations from all over the globe.
In conclusion, not only does the NoHo area have an exceedingly large number of recording studios, it also specialises in a densely-populated theatre base, firmly cementing NoHo’s reputation as an area with almost a plethora of artistic talent and a culture based around the Arts, both Fine and otherwise. What this also means is that the area and the District in particular are never short of things to do or places to see, or indeed people to see.
They say that “variety is the spice of life”; in which case there is both plenty of variety and subsequently plenty of “life” to be found in the NoHo Arts District. In all of your years of living/visiting NoHo, you might well never experience the same thing twice.
—- Izzy Woods is a freelance writer from England who writes a finance column for amateur actors and actresses in the UK. She helps them with everything from payday loan lenders to finding the best bank accounts.