Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

From Songwriter to Stage

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0700

From her solo career, Manchester knows about the power of music firsthand. “Over the years, it has been so touching how people reflect back what [my] songs mean to them,” she said.

Manchester’s songs also have a life of their own, with Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield, and even the original Funny Girl herself Barbra Streisand, covering her songs.

Being in Funny Girl is a full circle moment for Manchester. She saw Streisand in the show on Broadway in 1964 before she covered Manchester’s “Just One Lifetime” in 1999. When she first landed the role of Mrs. Brice in the national tour, she emailed Streisand, who congratulated her on carrying the torch of this story for new audiences.

But her connection to the show goes even further—Manchester was approached by composer Jule Styne to recreate Fanny Brice in the 80s. But she turned down the role, focusing on her solo career and her family.

Decades later, playing Mrs. Brice at this moment felt like it was perfect timing.

“I bring so much of my life and experience to [this role] as a mom and, now, grandma,” she said. “When I was learning this role, [Mrs. Brice] sounds like all of the women I grew up with, she sounds like all of my aunts.”

The Los Angeles stop of the tour is particularly exciting since it will be a family affair. “You’ll hear my sister screaming the loudest, no doubt,” she said. But she is also excited that her children, grandchildren, and friends will also see the show since this is where she now calls home.

Manchester thinks this tour—the first National Tour of Funny Girl in 60 years—is also aptly timed.

“It’s such a warm-hearted, funny, thrilling evening at the theatre,” she said. “People will be stirred to have music comfort them, excite them, exhilarate them, and walk away with a spectacular memory of time in a musical theatre.”

The Loop

Jessica Doherty — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0700

‘[A Strange Loop] compresses twenty years of thought into a character who is experiencing these things in a discreet amount of time,” he said. “It reflects both the present moment and a whole lifetime of thoughts at the same time.”

Throughout the show, Usher grapples with his thoughts—portrayed by a Greek chorus that assumes many different characters throughout the show. He struggles with self-hatred, his sexuality, his religion, his race, his career, and his relationship with family—to name a few.

It may sound autobiographical, but Jackson assures it is not—the show is less about the moments that are directly from his life and more about the moments that bring Usher to his ultimate moment of clarity at the end.

Part of Jackson’s entry to theatre was through the church—both as a pianist for services and through the inherent theatricality of Sunday services. There, he learned a lot about music and Black musicality, which heavily influenced the show’s songs and themes.

“I am a Black theatre artist, and that means everything and nothing,” he said. “As a Black artist, I have a complex and sometimes contradictory experience and that is part of being alive and being human.”

In its one-hundred-and-forty-minute runtime, A Strange Loop explores a lot of these contradictions as well as the intersections of different aspects of Usher’s identities with both seriousness and humor.

In the song “Exile in Gayville,” Usher’s forays on dating apps begin with short snippets of “the sexual marketplace” that then sends him into a spiral of self-loathing. In “Tyler Perry Writes Real Life,” his thoughts transform into various Black historical figures like James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, and Zora Neale Hurston call him a race traitor for not writing a gospel play for Tyler Perry. A major pivotal moment for Usher follows in a fervent ballad-turned-gospel chorus, “Precious Little Dream / AIDS is God’s Punishment.” At the end of the holy commotion, Usher tells his mother, “You wanted a gospel play / Well, this is the only way I knew how to do it.”

These vignettes came from a personal place for Jackson, stemming from many points in his yearslong creative process. “As a young 20-something, I got so lonely and angry and sad and scared but also very creative,” he said. “I took all of my demons and made art out of them.”

Jackson never thought his “Big, Black, Queer-Ass American Broadway Show” would make it to Broadway, but it did, earning many accolades like the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020 and the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 along the way.

“I’m really grateful to have had all those years to spend thinking about ‘myself,’” he said. “I’m not the same person that I was when I began writing it, and, in other ways, I’m exactly the same person I was when I began writing it.”

But he said the show’s success wasn’t all “lollipops and roses.” He had made his dream come true— what’s next?

“Particularly after A Strange Loop, I’ve been casting my gaze outward to the world,” he said. “I got a lot of attention, and, getting that attention, was its own strange loop.”

His second musical, White Girl in Danger, satirized melodramatic Lifetime movies and daytime soap stories. The protagonist, Keesha, breaks free from the “Blackground” she is relegated to in the soap opera town “Allwhite.” While it is a different subject than A Strange Loop, he considers the musical to be somewhat of a sequel, as it reflects where his mind went after his journey with his first show. He’s also currently working on a horror film with A24 and Ari Aster and a “coming-of-rage-musical-comedy" closing this month at Playwrights Horizons based on the cult classic film Teeth.

Despite varying topics, the throughline of his work lies in how he challenges preconceived notions. “I’m always trying to push the boundaries of form as much as possible to connect with audiences and to communicate ideas that are maybe a little challenging, but also reflective of the human experience, the things that we maybe don’t like to talk about.”

He knows that this is not an easy task in the current political and artistic climate.

“I feel that we are entering, or re-entering, a more conservative time, artistic and culturally,” he said. “I also believe that it will be harder for me to do some of the things I want to do...but it won’t be impossible.”

As social media silos continue to grow, Jackson finds the act of bringing people together to the theatre in a truly inclusive way even more challenging. “There are all these movements to segregate everything in order to make things more inclusive, but I think that it’s doing the opposite,” he said. “But the art form is supposed to be something that literally everyone can access, but we don’t talk much about form, we talk a lot about content, and the content dictates exclusivity rules.” Some people have come up to Jackson to talk to him about the show and make a point to say that, as a person who does not fully align with Usher’s background that they enjoy the show despite it not being for them. But Jackson argues that it is for them—and it is for everyone.

And so, Jackson finds a new loop beginning. “I see my future being, in many ways, like how it started, with a lot of struggle... but eventually getting to a place where I can share my art with audiences and let them decide what they think about it.”

Paving Pathways for a Future in Theatre Administration

Jessica Doherty — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0800

The inaugural Getting Started: A Career in Theatre Administration Symposium took place at East Los Angeles College, immersing students in workshops and sessions about the many careers available in finance and accounting, marketing, human resources, community programs, communications, and more.

“We wanted students to walk away feeling excited and confident about their future, to be free to explore and be curious to learn more about what they want to do,” Creative Workforce Initiatives Director Aurora Ilog said of the event’s purpose.

Hear from some of the attendees about where the day led them!

Izzy

IZZY is trained as a stage manager. They attended the Box Office and Ticketing session led by Nicki Wilmot and were excited to learn about the software and other customer relations skills involved. “A lot of people don’t have a full understanding of [box office careers], they think we just sell tickets,” Wilmot said. “I never thought I would be a box office manager because it wasn’t really one that I thought about, so the idea that you can get [an idea of] all these...different jobs that are available early on is so incredibly helpful.”

Izzy also attended the General Management workshop, where they realized that the organizations they run could benefit from the organizational and technical know-how from someone in that field. As someone who hopes to merge a legal career with the arts, she was also excited to hear a closing speech from Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture who does the same.

Aviva

AVIVA had never been interested in HR before the symposium. “The idea of getting to work with people and getting to create a space where people feel empowered in their working environment is really appealing to me after today,” they said.

Mika

MIKA attended the Community Programing session with Director of Learning and Community Partnerships Jesus Reyes and Resident Teaching Artist Estela Garcia. They are not studying theatre, but have a passion for it nonetheless. “We learned about appealing to the culture outside the theatre community and around different neighborhoods to get them in touch with their creative sides,” they said.

Lorenzo

LORENZO wants to be a performer and director and felt that the social media session helped sharpen the skills he needs to succeed for a career in the arts. “There’s so many career possibilities in the theatre that’s not always associated with just directing or acting,” he said. “[Social media] is a fun, unique way to hone my skills while trying to get different opportunities for what I want to do.”

Reagan

REAGAN considers herself to be performer-oriented, but enjoyed learning about finances in a not-for-profit theatre company during one session. “I wasn’t really thinking administration was going to be a thing for me, but I loved how much community and communication goes into everything,” she said. “And it might be a really good thing for me to be able to do theatre administration because you can do both.”

But the learning didn’t end after this event—Education & Community Partnerships has year-round opportunities for folks at different points of life who are looking to find their way into a career in the arts. This past March, high school students and their guardians and educators attended the annual College and Career Fair for the Arts, which provided information, free headshots, and one-on-one college counseling to those interested in career and higher education opportunities in the arts. Looking ahead, the Going Pro event on April 20th and 21st is geared towards college and graduate students and their educators, and early career individuals focusing on the transition from higher education to professional life, with speed mentoring, workshops, panels, and a tech job networking mixer. And for individuals who are ready to gain hands-on experience in the field, Center Theatre Group offers internships, apprenticeships, and observerships for different disciplines and crafts. Internship applications for the summer are open until April 26th for graduates and May 3rd for undergrads.

Whatever path lies ahead of you, Center Theatre Group is there for you along the way. Stay in touch with Education & Community partnerships through our website or @ctgcommunity on Instagram.

The Man Behind the Curtain

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:23:00 -0800

In addition to co-writing the musical’s book, Mando Alvarado is a playwright and writer and producer for TV and film. It is safe to say that El Otro Oz is a departure from some of his previous work that tackles themes of death, war, and infidelity. But it still has the same heart and meaningful message behind it. Oz, in this version, is an amalgamation of various Latin American countries, with the impacts of colonization brewing in the background.

When writing El Otro Oz, Alvarado asked himself, “When your children grow up and they want to know what kind of writer you were...what will it say to them?”

Alvarado found theatre in the seventh grade. He initially had to take drama class as a general arts requirement and only hoped to pass so he could continue playing football after school. But he fell in love with it. He hopes that, through El Otro Oz, students can come to learn to love theatre, too.

Audience reactions might prove that to be true. “Kids are feeling like their journeys are being reflected, their own lives are being reflected through characters they can relate to,” Alvarado said. “It’s one of the reasons...I’m doing something right; this feels like we are doing more than just putting on a play to entertain.”

But entertain it does! The Atlantic Theater production was chosen as a New York Times Critics’ Pick and was extended until March 3^rd. A part of its success may be because Alvarado hopes there is something for everyone to learn from the show.

“I think it will make [audiences] feel okay about where [they] are as a teenager and the difficulties of peer pressure and looking at [their] parents and the sacrifices they made to reach where they’re at,” he said. “And we can all relate to that, generationally, what our parents...did to give you the life they didn’t have.” He added that he hopes parents in particular will leave with a better understanding of their children and awareness of what they are struggling with.

Another important aspect of the musical is that it is bi-lingual, in English and Spanish. He spoke of how there are not many bi-lingual musicals currently being produced in the United States, let alone ones written for younger audiences. He feels it speaks particularly to, “the heart of assimilation and straddling two worlds.”

Regardless of where audiences are from, Alvarado hopes audiences can relate to the characters onstage. “When kids are experiencing it, there are little moments where [they] go, ‘I’ve heard my mom talk about that, or my grandmother talks about that,’” he said.

Alvarado hopes for the future of the young audiences in attendance that theatre will continue to tell stories that reflect many different identities and cultures.

“The battle of traditional theatre and theatre that seeks to put underrepresented voices on stage I think will continue, just like the battle in our own country of identity and communities wanting to see themselves represented,” he said. “If I were to wave a magic wand, we would take a story at face value about what it feels like being a human being and find a way to relate to that as opposed to using identity as a way to define a story. I don’t know if we will ever get there...but I wish that [plays] all have value...not to check a box, but because it has something to say that we can all relate to.”

Bourne to Dance

Jessica Doherty — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:09:00 -0800

Now, he will continue his Los Angeles legacy with Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet this season at the Ahmanson Theatre. Take a look back at his previous work with Center Theatre Group over the years.

Helping You Keep the Magic of the Holidays Alive WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SANITY!

Bobby Martinez — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:08:00 -0800

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

SEWING MACHINE

Pulizter Prize winner Kristina Wong never misses, having performed her hit show, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord to audiences at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. With only her skills and a sewing machine, Wong managed to create a workforce through Facebook that banded together to make masks for those who were in dire need of personal protection equipment during the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The world is your oyster when you have a sewing machine by your side, so we suggest gifting one to the crafty person in your life. Start by sewing patterns or tablecloths and learn as you go! You’ll be ready if you ever need to sew a mask...and who knows, maybe you, too, will win a Pulitzer Prize.

The Secret Garden

TICKETS TO DESCANSO GARDENS

“Come toooo my gaaaaarden...” Well not our garden, we don’t have one. But fans of The Secret Garden know the power and beauty of the great outdoors! When Mary Lennox is orphaned, she moves to the countryside to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, where she encounters a hidden garden that belonged to her departed aunt, Lily. Lennox finds comfort and healing within the garden, and shares the gift with her cousin and uncle, as they all heal from the losses they faced in life. Nature can be a powerful comfort, so we recommend a day at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge to find peace and joy within the flowers and sunlight.

Fetch Clay, Make Man

BOXING CLASSES

With the new year comes the annual list of resolutions, and for many that means a gym membership. Personally, the hardest part about exercising is finding that motivation to get into my car and drive to the gym, but there are ways to make it fun! Inspired by Fetch Clay, Make Man, we recommend gifting yourself and a friend a boxing class! Get that Muhammad Ali physique through a fun course that will introduce you to the world of boxing!

Our Dear Dead Drug Lord:

OUIJA BOURD (IF YOU’RE INTO THAT)

I’ll be the first to admit, I’d never touch a Ouija Board. But much like the iconic girls of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, some people are just... into the paranormal. I must warn you, if you find yourself haunted/ possessed/in need of The Ghostbusters, that’s on you. But for your occult-loving, dark-sided, nonbeliever friend, this may be the best gift you can ever give them.*

*Center Theatre Group is not responsible for any possessions, hauntings, night terrors, or more that may occur if you mess around with a Ouija Board.

Into the Woods

COW SQUISHMALLOW

You love Into the Woods, we love Into the Woods, who DOESN’T love Into the Woods?! With bop after bop, it’s one of those musicals that stands the test of time and continues to impress audiences all over the country. There are arguably many moments and characters fighting for the spotlight, but the people love one character above all. Milky White. She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment. While you may not be able to gift your own Milky White Puppet, a Cow Squishmallow will sure excite any fan of the musical! Spread some holiday cheer with a plushie as white as milk, but much more tangible!

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

HEADSET/ HEADPHONES

For those who watched the show this past summer, you may remember our friend Dennis, a member of The Cornley Drama Society who needed a little extra help to remember his lines. The solution? A radio headset through which Trevor the Stage Manager can feed his lines to him. Now that may be a very unique situation, but Dennis is on to something! That’s why we recommend a nice headset as a gift for the forgetful person in your life! Communicate with your forgetful friends to remind them about your hangout, or to let them know the answers to that college final!* Or maybe just a pair of headphones to listen to some music...that would work too!

*Center Theatre Group does not condone plagiarism/cheating. Center Theatre Group is not responsible for any institutional discipline, hauntings, or night terrors that may occur if you cheat in school.

Hadestown

FLOWER ORIGAMI BOOK

Orpheus uses his song to move the rocks and nature around him, but you don’t need to venture to Hadestown to make your own magic. With the help of the Flower Origami Book, you too can make nature appear out of thin air, without having to sing! Gift the artist in your life this book to inspire their artistry and have a neat trick they can always pull out at a party. Who knows, maybe they have their own Eurydice to show their love to. Just remind them not to look back! It doesn’t usually end well...

2023/24 SEASON SUBSCRIPTION

Please. Buy. A. Subscription. And if you’re already a subscriber, THANK YOU for supporting the arts. You can also consider a donation, after all the best gift is giving, which you can do at www.centertheatregroup.org/support/

That’s it for this year! Thank you for joining us for a wonderful year of theatre! It has been beautiful to see audiences return to the theatre and enjoy the arts HERE in Los Angeles, and we’re excited to continue to enjoy theatre with you in the coming new year. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a Happy New Year

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Jessica Doherty — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:37:00 -0800

Their trainer, William “Bill” Berloni, has been training animals to perform for over 40 years. His career began in 1977, when he was a young apprentice at the Goodspeed Opera House. To have a chance to perform and gain his Equity card all he had to do was wrangle a dog for a new musical called Annie. And the rest was paw-story. Now, he trains a variety of animals, reptiles, and insects for theatre, television, and film.

From cats to horses to parakeets to cockroaches (yes, cockroaches), Berloni said that training a live creature usually goes back to the simple concept of meeting their basic needs. He specifically trains animals that are partially domesticated, like cattle, sheep, rabbits, and birds, as opposed to “exotic” and wild animals like bears, big cats, or primates, since the latter often invite harsh techniques and loose standards. He also works alongside animal, insect, and reptile experts to ensure that the specific needs of each unique animal are met.

While meeting an animal’s needs sounds simple, it can be complicated during a production or film set. “[The animals are] sort of like Olympic athletes,” he said. “They have to be at the top of their game in order to be happy to do the things we need.”

Dogs, in particular, need about 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day. So Berloni makes sure that they are well rested before rehearsal and keeps them mentally and physically stimulated and socialized during their time awake. “When it’s time to [train], it can be the best part of their day,” he said. “They get all this attention and all these cookies—they go to a place where they’re admired not just by me, but by so many other people.”

Jethro and Reba appeared in the Broadway production of A Christmas Story, The Musical, so they are returning to their roles for this production. But there were two dogs before them, Pete and Lily, who originated the roles. To cast all of these dogs, Berloni said he needed to first assess their temperament—which dogs seemed like they could handle the stressors of traveling and being onstage. From there, they could begin to train. The dogs’ big scene involves them eating a holiday dinner straight off of the kitchen table, which Berloni said is a complicated behavior to teach. Bloodhounds in particular are known for their keen sense of smell—they can be easily distracted by the variety of new smells in a theatre on any given night. But through training, he said he was able to teach them to follow their noses to the dinner table.

^{Reba plays a Bumpus Hound in 'A Christmas Story, The Musical'}

Berloni said it is often easier to train animals for film and television. “[Movie dogs] will be looking at me off camera—and if it doesn’t work, we do another take,” he said. “In the theatre, they have to do it right once and listen to someone else.”

He also encourages artists to advocate for animal safety precautions in theatre, television, and film. “There should be more transparency about how animals are used in entertainment so we can set some standards that will protect them,” he said. “One of the biggest forms of cruelty is ignorance,” he said.

Jethro and Reba are rescue dogs, which Berloni finds to be an important part of his work. Reba was found in Boston as a stray and Jethro was found tied to a tree in Indiana. The dog who played Sandy in the original production of Annie was also a rescue dog, which sparked a lifelong dedication to animal adoption and working with rescue dogs for training. He’s pleased with how attitudes toward animal adoption have changed since he started working with animals, but he hopes that people continue to support shelters and adopt animals. “There are beautiful, wonderful animals that ended up in shelters that need homes,” Berloni said.

Arts in Action

Jessica Doherty — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:20:00 -0800

September 18^th & 19^th

Center Theatre Group hosted the very first Los Angeles Theatre Summit, in which approximately 50 invited theatre funders and leaders gathered at the Center Theatre Group offices in Downtown Los Angeles. During the event, presentations were made by representatives from Californians for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and various other service organizations and theatre leaders from throughout the Los Angeles community. The following night, on September 19th almost 600 people from dozens of L.A. theatres gathered at the Mark Taper Forum for a community happy hour, which included presentations from arts service organizations and community updates from members of the Los Angeles theatre community.

September 28^th

Desai joined a group of American theatre makers—including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phylicia Rashad, and Pasadena Playhouse’s Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman, and more—to advocate for congressional support for regional theatres in Washington. D.C. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) hosted the group to introduce the Supporting Theater and Generating Economic Activity Act, otherwise known as the STAGE Act, which would provide $500 million in annual assistance over the next five years.

October 24^th

At the annual Arts for LA State of the Arts Summit, Desai delivered a keynote address about the economic and social barriers that creatives face and how artists can reimagine and revitalize the creative economy through collaboration. The summit featured a range of speakers, from policymakers to artists to activists, to participate in panels and discussions throughout the day. Arts for LA, the organization behind the event, is the only cross-sector and cross-discipline arts advocacy organization in Los Angeles County that connects arts and culture stakeholders across the region.

November 2^nd

Center Theatre Group welcomed Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a young Syrian refugee, to The Music Center on November 2nd for Amal’s Wish. This performance was a part of Amal Walks Across America, a nationwide journey spanning more than 35 cities and towns, 6,000 miles, and over 300 partners. Organizations dedicated to supporting refugees in Los Angeles, like Miry’s List, Newcomers Access Center, Welcome Blanket, Refugee Children Center, and Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service, joined CTG in Amal’s arrival as well. Throughout the performance, a variety of performers, dancers, and other artists, took to the plaza to share in making wishes with Amal.

November 18^th & 19^th

REDCAT Los Angeles and KCRW brought a group of experts, activists, cultural organizers, and artists together for two days of performances, conversations, and interventions about the role of art during times of crisis. Desai was once again a featured speaker and continued to give voice to and support for the arts and arts funding in Los Angeles, throughout the state of California, and across the country.

And this is only the beginning of CTG’s next act. Stay tuned for how CTG moves forward in the year to come.

Flying Fish, Cop Dogs, and Evil Skyscrapers, Oh My!

Jessica Doherty — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Dog Man: The Musical is a hilarious and heartwarming new production following the chronicles of Dog Man, who, with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime?

“It’s very swashbuckling,” said Brad Alexander, the composer of Dog Man: The Musical, of the show. “It never stops moving and I think that is a refreshing thing for a musical.”

Alexander and Lyricist Kevin Del Aguila approached Dog Man: The Musical with a variety of styles in mind to create a contemporary pop-rock score. One particular challenge, Del Aguila said, was that the creator of the Dog Man series, Dav Pilkey, insisted that the titular character not speak or sing—he has the head of a dog, after all.

Alexander and Del Aguila have collaborated before, writing the scores for the adaptations of Click, Clack, Moo; the Emmy Award-winning PBS show Peg+Cat; and, most recently, Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club. But the two have their own musical careers as well, with Alexander writing music for See Rock City & Other Destinations and Misty Makes it Better, and Del Aguila writing Altar Boyz and musical adaptations of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Madagascar.

“[Del Aguila] is a masterful architect,” Alexander said of his colleague. “He laid a blueprint that we really followed for Dog Man: The Musical.” The duo was joined by Dog Man: The Musical Director and Choreographer Jen Wineman, who, Alexander said was the “captain of the Dog Man ship.”

Wineman said she often finds herself directing and choreographing work that some people might consider unproducible. “When I learned I would have to stage a scene in which a tiny kitten in a robot suit fights a bunch of skyscrapers...brought to life by an evil fish...that made complete sense to my creative brain.”

Pilkey is known for his zany illustrated children’s books filled with humor and heart. The creators behind the musical adaptation hoped to bring the same spirit when telling the story onstage. Wineman said that she didn’t simply want to recreate the books on stage, but rather, to use her theatrical toolkit to make a production that would truly feel as though George and Harold, the musical’s main characters, had created it.

Wineman also feels Pilkey’s values as a writer are in line with her own creative philosophy. “His whole goal as a writer is to spread both literacy and kindness. I resonated immediately with those values because part of my purpose as a theatre maker is to encourage curiosity, and to spread love and kindness through comedy,” she said.

This energy radiates beyond the theatre’s walls as well. Wineman was surprised to learn just how expansive and dedicated the Dog Man community is after the musical debuted. In almost every city Dog Man: The Musical has played, she has been tagged in many social media posts of fan art celebrating the specific production and casts—from all ages.

All three creatives feel that family-friendly theatre is not that different from any other show. “You can’t curse as much,” Del Aguila said. “I never aim to write a show for children, I just try to write a good show.”

Wineman had a similar approach as a director and choreographer. “I wanted to create something that was an awesome show that kids and adults alike will love,” she said.

TheaterWorksUSA, the producer of the production, is known for approaching onstage storytelling for families in this way. The company hopes to “produce high caliber, engaging theatre that fosters an appreciation for the art form amongst expansive audiences, giving all generations something to enjoy.”

Wineman also echoed this sentiment when speaking of the company’s work. “TheaterWorks doesn’t talk down to kids in their productions, and we needed to reflect that,” she said. “Kids are smart—if you respect them and their imaginations, they will feel it.”

The creatives hope audiences will walk away feeling inspired and joyful. “If [audiences] can walk out [feeling] tickled emotionally and feeling free to be themselves... then mission accomplished,” Alexander said.

Wineman hopes it also inspires young audiences to be creative on their own. “The fact that George and Harold...create the musical as its unfolding, hopefully, [audiences] will go home and feel like they can be creative and make their own imaginary worlds.”

Del Aguila agrees, “Just as the Dog Man books help get kids excited about reading, I hope the musical inspires them to become life-long theatergoers. Maybe they’ll even go home and perform the show for their cats.”

Miry’s List—New Beginnings

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 18:26:00 -0800

Little Amal’s message of peace and hope for refugees resonated with various organizations, which inspired them to participate in the event. Among them was Miry Whitehill, the Founder and Executive Director of Miry’s List.

For the last seven years, the organization has famously worked on supporting families in the United States who are in need of practical and emotional support through an online platform. Their website allows people to directly support new families all across the country with requested items that ease their move and major life events.

Whitehill hadn’t always worked in the nonprofit industry. Before founding Miry’s List, she was a marketing executive who specialized in digital advertising. She had every intention of returning to work after her maternity leave, but she met a resettling family in her community that needed support and shifted her focus to community outreach and aid.

The family Whitehill had met were unable to purchase a mattress for their baby’s crib, which resulted in the family being unable to rest peacefully. Whitehill had a spare mattress in her garage and was able to help the family overcome this challenge. “That began this process of talking with them and listening to them and understanding more about the challenges that they faced and more about the opportunity that me and my friends and my neighbors had in jumping into help,” she reflected.

As a parent to two kids of her own, Whitehill was in awe of the strength these parents had despite the challenges they faced every day while resettling in a new country. “These families who have overcome the odds have faced so much danger,” she said. “The way that they prioritize the needs of their children...[I was] witnessing heroic parenting. Every single time.”

After getting to know that initial family, Whitehill began to uncover the reality resettling families face when arriving in the United States. “The system for resettling refugees, that's a 90-day system. That's the timeline under which these families get support.” she shared. “Anybody who has ever moved to a new place understands that it takes longer than 90 days even under ‘perfect circumstances.’ For folks who are fleeing violence and persecution, there is nothing perfect about this circumstance.”

For Whitehill, connecting with families on a personal level showed her how their needs are not met by the government agencies that are responsible for supporting them during their resettlement. This was the inspiration for Miry’s List, which became a tool that anyone could support to help fill in those gaps. “We are a platform that's online, where you can help out directly,” said Whitehill. “You can send a pair of sneakers to a six-year-old who's starting second grade...[or] you can volunteer and be a tutor and work with someone on developing their conversational English skills.”

The programs that Miry’s List offers were created as a direct response to conversations the organization has had with new arrival families in their homes. “When families first arrived, we noticed they were [experiencing] severe exhaustion, both physical and mental,” Whitehill reflected. “So, we gave it a name...’survive’. This is the first chapter. What can we do during ‘survive’, to help a family? We need to find a way that they can rest.”

The next step in the process is to “hive,” which is meant to support the new arrivals families by embracing them as members of the community. For Whitehill, this is the bulk of the program, which consists of meeting new individuals and creating space for community. “We’re surrounding the family, we’re listening to them and offering them support,” she commented.

The program aims to lead all participants to the “thriving” phase, where new arrival families have a support system that they can lean into while feeling like they are members of the community. But to get to that point, the organization relies on all steps of the program to build that reality. “Every single one of those touch points, that human connection, it helps to build that sense of belonging,” Whitehill notes.

Looking towards the future, Whitehill hopes that more artistic opportunities like Amal’s Wish will inspire people to learn more about the realities that new arrival families face and create change. Whitehill feels that are is incredibly valuable to these communities, as it is a way to process difficult conversations. “When art is expressed in a way to serve a specific purpose, like [Amal’s Wish] [shining a] light on the courageous kids and families that have made these worldwide journeys towards safety, we can take that curiosity and generate impact.” she shared. Throughout the evening, Miry’s List spread the word about their work and collected a variety of donations to help support current requests.

The organization is also always looking for volunteers, in addition to donations. “I want to encourage anybody that is reading this or interested in the organization and the work that we do with the families [to] please get involved,” she said.

Whitehill finds that Miry’s List is also a great channel to further education within our own homes and communities about new arrivals and refugees. Whitehill argues that newly arriving families are the future of our communities. [New arrivals] have come through some of the most difficult situations that someone can face...They are new American families,” she shared. “Within five years, those people who are over the age of 18 will be voting in our elections. Our attitude should be the exact same attitude that we would have if anybody [else] moved in next door. We should be showing up with a basket of muffins.”