Fritz Coleman’s show, Unassisted Residency, has just completed its second year of playing to capacity houses at the intimate Monroe Forum at the historical landmark El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, itself celebrating its Centennial year in 2026.
Marking 100 years as an entertainment venue, the El Portal started as a vaudeville house, then showed movies, later switching to Spanish-language films. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural landmark in 1993 before being damaged by the Northridge quake the following year. The theatre was restored and re-opened as a multi-stage performing arts complex in 2000. Originally designed by noted architect Lewis Arthur Snith, featuring an Art Deco marquee, the lobby was later enhanced by bas-relief artwork by Anthony Heinsbergen illustrating scenes from California history. The restored venue is a beautiful place to host entertainment, often called the “Jewel in the North Hollywood Crown.”
Unassisted Residency, created and performed by Fritz Coleman, is the longest-running solo show in the history of the El Portal…