Why I built Theatre Map

It started with a simple problem: I wanted to keep track of everything happening in LA.

With theatres scattered across the city, it was surprisingly difficult to get a sense of what was happening where. And I hate LA traffic (who doesn't?), so I wanted an easier way to find theatres that were close enough to each other for a two-show day.

I started with a giant document listing theatres and shows. But the list kept growing, and there was simply too much to keep track of. I also don't have the best memory or sense of direction, so every week I'd spend way too much time comparing theatres, shows, dates, and locations just to figure out what I wanted to see.

Then, one day, while stuck in traffic on my way to see MJ the Musical, I had an idea: what if I put all of this on a website?

At the same time, I wanted to experiment with the potential of vibe coding. I started prototyping, and surprisingly quickly, I had something that actually worked. I thought, why not just finish it, publish it, and call it a day?

Well… I didn't.

Several months later, I'm still working on it.

I keep adding features. I keep discovering new theatres. I originally planned to focus only on LA, but the project gradually expanded beyond the city to include places like Orange County and San Diego. Every week, there are broken links to fix, missing photos to replace, and new shows to add. What started as a small tool for myself slowly turned into something much bigger than I expected.

If I had known at the beginning how much work it would become, I might never have started.

But then I found a great show because of the website. And occasionally, someone would thank me for building something that made finding and planning theatre so much more convenient for them.

Every time that happens, I feel a little proud of what I've built.