Los Angeles’ hottest—and smallest—new theater

A tiny stage has popped up in an even tinier place — and it’s turning an ordinary street fixture into the city’s most unexpected performance venue.

Dubbed the Electrical Box Theatre, the pint-sized performance space is tucked inside a standard utility box, transforming the once-drab metal cabinet into a miniature stage. Located in downtown LA on Hewitt Street and Traction Avenue, it’s the latest work from street artist S.C. Mero.

From the outside, the nondescript metal box is designed to look just like another piece of city infrastructure with a faux-concrete base that blends with the urban grime. But spin a couple of combination locks, and you’ll find red velvet-lined walls “inspired by the early 20th century golden age of downtown Los Angeles, specifically the silent movie palaces on Broadway,” Mero wrote on Instagram. There are two framed paintings of electrical boxes on the walls, a clock, and a gold mirror.

The concept is simple: anyone can step up and stage a sketch, sing a song, recite a poem, perform a dance, host an open mic set or even lead a walking tour — all within the confines of the box, or just in front of it. To book the venue, all one has to do is send Mero a direct message on Instagram, and she will book you and provide the code to the locks.

The space, which debuted in February, is street theater stripped down to its barest bones.

“I’m not much for 2-D, but I imagined a faux 3-D/4-D box people could go inside and perform with,” Mero wrote in a social media post.

The theater celebrated a soft opening on Feb. 20, with musical ensembles, a saxophone performance, and original poetry readings.