Tuesday afternoon, Mark Tomaino, cast director and producer of the over 20-year-old Rocky Horror Picture Show cast Midnight Insanity, sent me an email. He wrote that the cast, after finding what appeared to be a more-or-less-for-good home at the Warner Grand in San Pedro, was on the hunt for a new venue. Again. The cast was homeless. Again.

According to Mark, the decision was thanks largely to LA’s 3rd District Councilwoman Janice Hahn and a few of the theater’s donors. Most of the opposition cites concerns about keeping the newly-renovated theater, well, new. Midnight Insanity can be messy, but, like most RHPS casts, they clean up nicely. If you have any doubts, stop by the Royal Theater on the Queen Mary sometime today; those floors were covered in rice last night.

But how did Janice (brother to ex-mayor James Hahn) get involved? What gives the city of Los Angeles the authority to dictate a San Pedro theater’s lineup? First (I hope this isn’t news to you, but just in case…) San Pedro isn’t its own sovereign city, it’s a “beach community located within Los Angeles” according to Wikipedia. More importantly, the theater is owned by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. The Warner Grand is more or less city property, and Janice Hahn is presumably free to allow or disallow whatever culture she likes or doesn’t like.

On Monday night an Arts Council meeting will be held at the Warner Grand, and the future of Midnight Insanity will certainly be discussed. Things aren’t looking terrible, though. One of their biggest detractors reversed her position and is now in MI’s corner. Moreover, Mark’s mentioned the possibility of a month-to-month agreement with the Warner Grand. If anything’s to come of it, we’ll know by Monday night. Stay tuned.

Tags: cultural affairs dept, cultural affairs dept sounds weird, dogs reading books, janice hahn, midnight insnity, Queen Mary, rocky horror, rocky horror picture show, San Pedro, Wikipedia