Today we’d like to introduce you to Escott Norton.
Hi Escott, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up surrounded by theatre and architecture. My mom Sally was a theatre professor and cofounded the Occidental Collage Summer Drama Festival, and my dad Oakley was a progressive education pioneer, starting the first accredited Alternative School in Los Angeles and also designing and hand-building all of the houses I grew up in. This background and my mom’s love of movies meant that I was exposed to historic theatres at a very early age, and I completely fell in love with the experience! My first movie theatre was the Eagle Theatre in Eagle Rock, and my first real movie palace was the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena. As a teen, I spent a lot of time there, befriending the manager and staying late into the night exploring and eventually doing small restoration projects in the Rialto. In 1983, I founded Friends of the Rialto, a non-profit advocacy group. From there, I met up with a group of theatre preservationists that had just founded the LA Historic Theatre Foundation, a group I would eventually lead. I’ve spent decades researching and exploring historic theatres all over the world and continue to consult with people restoring historic theatres, and all of that eventually led to the creation of my coloring books.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started as a preservationist, it was at a time when developers were knocking down historic architecture to replace it with modern structures. It was not “cool” to save old buildings, so we were seen as the “enemy of progress”. On many occasions, my friends and I were in front of bulldozers; on a few occasions, I was inside a building as it was being demolished, trying to save what we could of these historic and irreplaceable structures. If saving historic buildings was uncool, saving historic theatres was even harder; in the 1980s, we saw the move to suburban multiplex theatres, then the growth of large screen home TVs and home theaters, all things that were destroying the market for large, beautiful historic theatres. It was an uphill battle and still is, although I think now there is more of an appreciation for historic theatres and architecture.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a practicing designer working mostly in the residential field, but my passion, and the thing I am trying to spend more time on, is consulting on historic theatre renovations and restorations. I have consulted on many historic theatres in the greater Los Angeles area and hope to do more and more of this work. It is exciting and fulfilling to be a part of bringing a unique and beautiful historic theatre back to life, uncovering hidden historic elements, and sharing the history with more people. That is one of the reasons I started creating my historic theatre coloring books. These books are for all ages and skill levels and started because my wife Jeanne loves to color in her spare time. During the pandemic, when I couldn’t spend time in the theatres I loved, she convinced me to draw some pages for her to color, and that is how I did my first coloring book on the Rialto Theatre. My coloring books have all original illustrations showing the way the theaters looked when they opened, and they reveal details that most people might not notice. I’ve also researched and written my own historical information to accompany the drawings so that, hopefully people will absorb some of the rich history that brings these places to life for me.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is when I see the spark of appreciation for the theatres I love. This can be opening night when there is a crowd of people looking around at the theatre before the show starts or seeing a little kid looking up at a gorgeous ceiling in wonder, the same way I did when I walked into my first movie palace 50 years ago! These theatres are magic, and kids get it! In many cases, a historic movie palace may be the first time a child has been in a palace of any sort; it can be inspirational. Success for my coloring books is a little different. I have had moments when someone flips through one of my books, and it brings back a cherished memory of their first time in a movie palace, and their eyes light up telling the story;
I also like seeing people enjoying coloring! I was recently at an event where I had dozens of adults coloring all at the same time, and another event where I had a whole family sit down and color with me! Of course, having someone come back for my latest book because they enjoyed an earlier book is very gratifying too!
Pricing:
- Each coming book is $14,99
- Packs of 6 different colorable greeting cards are $11.99
- Individual coloring pages are $1.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coloringhistorictheatres.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloringhistorictheatres/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coloringhistorictheatres/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@coloringhistorictheatres
Image Credits
Escott O. Norton – Coloring Historic Theatres
