Beloved South Bay theater possibly shutting down after parking dispute with nearby mall

Once upon a time, Danny Ryan was a 6-year-old boy, who found his passion in theater. 

"It makes me feel more confident and indestructible," Ryan said. 

Four times a week, he takes lessons at the Norris Pavillion, right across the street from the Norris Theatre. But now, Ryan's worried there won't be any more shows after the owners of the neighboring Promenade Mall filed a $1 million lawsuit against Norris Theater regarding their shared parking space. 

"They're classic bully tactics," said Danny Ryan's mother Gabi. 

According to the City of Rolling Hills Estates, in 1981, the Norris Theatre and the mall owners at that time signed an agreement saying that theater patrons would always be able to use the mall parking. When the Norris Pavillion was built across the street in the 1990s there was a verbal agreement to allow users to park in the mall lot as well. 

However, the new mall owners Stolz Management and Promenade LLC claim the people who park at the structure to go to Norris Pavillion are trespassing. They filed the lawsuit to stop the theatergoers from using the lot. 

"We don't think parking is the real reason why they are bringing a lawsuit," said Gabi Ryan. "We think the parking is an excuse to us off the land."

Stolz listed the mall including the parking lot for sale in March. The sale is pending right now but it was listed as a possible space for future housing development. 

On Tuesday, the city council ordered the mall owners to follow the 1981 agreement and take down its "No Theater Parking" signs. Additionally, the owners must stop using security guards and physical barriers to block access to the lot. If the company didn't comply by Oct. 17, the city said it would file a civil action. 

Parents of theater kids said they would be lost without Norris. 

"I think Manhattan Beach is the next closest one, which for most of us is like a 40-minute drive," said mother Jen Clinton. 

They are hoping to come to an agreement that will keep the mall and both Norris buildings open. 

"I would love a happily ever after," said Clinton. 

"This is our only home and we can't lose this," Danny Ryan said.

CBSLA reached out to Stolz Management for comment but did not hear back.