Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

"Disgraced" Casting Announced

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 23:28:00 -0700

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR AYAD AKHTAR’S PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY

“DISGRACED” PLAYS AT CTG/MARK TAPER FORUM JUNE 8 THROUGH JULY 17, 2016

Center Theatre Group has announced casting for Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Disgraced” which begins previews June 8, opens June 19 and continues through July 17, 2016, at the Mark Taper Forum.

Directed by Kimberly Senior, the cast features, in alphabetical order, J Anthony Crane, Behzad Dabu, Hari Dhillon, Karen Pittman and Emily Swallow.

In a riveting, contemporary exploration of identity and religion, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Disgraced” follows a married couple living in Upper East Side Manhattan. Amir is a corporate lawyer and Emily an artist, and though Amir was raised Muslim, he has left that faith behind. The couple hosts a small dinner party and soon, before anyone can stop it, polite protocol is abandoned and the talk turns to religion, politics and sex.

Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design is by Jennifer von Mayrhauser, lighting design is by Christine A. Binder and sound design is by Jill BC Du Boff. Casting is by Meg Fister and the production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called “Disgraced” a “terrific, turbulent drama” and David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it “smart, spiky entertainment.” “Nothing is sacred,” said Linda Winer of Newsday, “the Quran, the Old Testament, terrorism, art history, cultural tourism, ancient prejudices and blazing ambivalence -- as Akhtar rubs unexpected raw spots with enormous intelligence and humor.”

Ayad Akhtar was born in New York City and raised in Milwaukee. His play “Disgraced” premiered at the American Theater Company in January 2012 and was staged at LCT3/Lincoln Center in New York in October 2012. The play received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013. “Disgraced” then premiered in London at the Bush Theatre in 2013, and made its Broadway debut in 2014. Akhtar’s play “The Invisible Hand” was nominated for the ATCA/Steinberg Award, and won Best New Work 2013 from the St. Louis Theater Circle. As a screenwriter, he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for "The War Within." He is the author of "American Dervish," published in 25 languages worldwide and a 2012 Best Book of the Year at Kirkus Reviews, Toronto’s Globe and Mail, Shelf Awareness and O Magazine.

Tickets for “Disgraced” are available by calling (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets range from $25 - $85 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Mark Taper Forum is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

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April 29, 2016

"Endgame" Opens at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 00:06:00 -0700

SAMUEL BECKETT’S CLASSIC “ENDGAME” OPENS SUNDAY, MAY 1 AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

Performances Continue Through May 22, 2016

Samuel Beckett’s classic “Endgame” opens Sunday, May 1, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre. Directed by Alan Mandell, performances for “Endgame” will continue through May 22. (Previews began on April 24.)

Mandell (“Waiting for Godot,” “The Price” and “The Cherry Orchard” all at the Mark Taper Forum) will also perform in this production at the Douglas alongside Barry McGovern (“I’ll Go On” at the Douglas; “Waiting for Godot” at the Taper), Anne Gee Byrd (“The Wood Demon” and “The First Picture Show” at the Taper), James Greene (“The Iceman Cometh” and over 20 other plays on Broadway) and Charlotte Rae (“Happy Days” at the Taper). Rae and Byrd will alternate in the role of Nell.

In the absurdist world of “Endgame,” somewhere between existence and death, four characters, Hamm (played by Mandell), Clov (McGovern), Nagg (Greene) and Nell (Rae and Byrd), cling to sanity while performing daily rituals, sometimes comically, as they wrestle some sort of order from the cyclical, repetitious, seeming nothingness of life.

Richard Watts, Jr. of the New York Post once said of Beckett and “Endgame,” “It is his remarkable ability to mix beauty, imagination, vitality, and wry humor that transforms Beckett from a mere dispenser of meaningless gloom into a dramatic poet.”

Scenic design is by John Iacovelli, costume design is by Maggie Morgan, lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg and sound design is by Cricket S. Myers. The production stage manager is Susie Walsh. Tickets are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling CTG Audience Services at (213) 628-2772, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles) or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office two hours prior to performances.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Ample free parking and restaurants are adjacent.

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April 26, 2016

"Gentleman's Guide" company Performs in Angels' Cabaret

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 20:44:00 -0700

“A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER” COMPANY MEMBERS PERFORMED IN SOLD-OUT “ANGELS’ CABARET” AT LUXE SUNSET BOULEVARD HOTEL APRIL 18, 2016

Performance Benefits Center Theatre Group’s Education and Community Partnerships Programs

Company members from “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” performed a one-night only “Angels’ Cabaret” titled “Miscast: Songs We Shouldn’t Sing From Roles We’ll Never Play” at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel on Monday, April 18. Presented by Center Theatre Group and the CTG Affiliates, proceeds from the performance will go to support CTG’s education and community partnership programs.

The cast of the benefit concert included Adrienne Eller, Sarah Ellis, Rachel Juozapaitis, Matt Leisy, Megan Loomis, Lesley McKinnell, Kristen Mengelkoch, David Scott Purdy, Chuck Ragsdale, Ben Roseberry, Mary VanArsdel and Kristen Beth Williams. The director was Chuck Ragsdale and music director was Eric Kang.

“Gentleman’s Guide” tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession, by any means necessary. All the while, he’s got to juggle his mistress (she’s after more than just love), his fiancée (she’s his cousin but who’s keeping track?) and the constant threat of landing behind bars! Of course, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance... and be done in time for tea.

The most celebrated musical of the 2013-14 Broadway season, “Gentleman’s Guide” received ten 2014 Tony Award nominations, eventually winning four awards: Best Musical, Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Costume Design. In addition, it won the Best Musical prizes from the Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle, and received a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Show Album.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” continues at the Ahmanson Theatre through May 1, 2016. Tickets are available by calling (213) 972-4400 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or by visiting the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre. Ticket prices start at $25. The Ahmanson Theatre is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, 90012.

Center Theatre Group, a non-profit organization, is one of the largest and most active theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and the 1,600 to 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to providing theatre of the highest caliber to the diverse communities of Southern California and beyond, CTG supports a significant number of play development and arts education initiatives.

Center Theatre Group Affiliates has been a strong support arm of CTG since 1971. Their mission is to nourish children and young people through the magic of live theatre. CTG-A accomplishes this through their active volunteerism and fundraising efforts. Additionally, members volunteer support for the CTG’s Young Audience Programs.

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April 20, 2016

"Father Comes Home From The Wars" Begins Performances

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 01:44:00 -0700

SUZAN-LORI PARKS’ “FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3)” OPENS THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 17 AT CTG/MARK TAPER FORUM

The West Coast Premiere Plays Through May 15

Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ poignant new drama, “Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” opens Sunday, April 17, 2016, at 7 p.m. at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. Directed by Jo Bonney, the West Coast premiere of “Father Comes Home…” plays through May 15.

The production features, in alphabetical order, Steven Bargonetti (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Hair,” Broadway), Sterling K. Brown (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” FX), Russell G. Jones (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Ruined,” Manhattan Theatre Company, Obie Award), Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris (“The Emperor Jones,” Irish Repertory Theatre; “Advantageous,” Sundance Special Jury Award), Michael McKean (“Better Call Saul,” AMC; “This is Spinal Tap;” “Harps and Angels,” Mark Taper Forum), Patrena Murray (“Father Comes Home…,” ART; “Julius Caesar,” Irondale Center), Tonye Patano (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Weeds,” Showtime), Larry Powell (“The Christians,” Mark Taper Forum; “The Mountaintop,” Actors Theatre of Louisville), Roger Robinson (“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Tony Award; “Seven Guitars,” Tony nomination), Julian Rozzell Jr. (“Father Comes Home…,” Public Theater; “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO) and Josh Wingate (“Justified,” FX; “General Hospital”).

Scenic design is by Neil Patel, costume design is by ESosa, lighting design is by Lap Chi Chu, sound design is by Dan Moses Schreier and Bargonetti is the music director. Casting is by Meg Fister and the production stage manager is Evangeline Rose Whitlock.

In this devastatingly beautiful new play set during the Civil War, a slave named Hero (played by Sterling K. Brown) is offered his freedom if he joins his master (Michael McKean) in the ranks of the Confederacy. The choice is to leave the woman and people he loves for what may be an empty promise. His decision brings him face to face not only with a nation at war with itself, but with what freedom truly means.

A MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, Suzan-Lori Parks was the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize (in 2002) for “Topdog/Underdog.” She was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist with “Father Comes Home From The Wars,” for which she won the 2015 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama and the 2014 Horton Foote Prize. She received a Tony Award in 2012 for her work on “The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.” Her plays include “The Book of Grace,” “In the Blood” (2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist), “Venus” (1996 Obie Award), “365 Days/365 Plays” and “The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World,” among others. She’s written a novel, “Getting Mother’s Body” (Random House). Her first film was “Girl 6,” written for Spike Lee, and she has written screenplays for Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. Her adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” premiered on ABC’s Oprah Winfrey Presents.

A prolific director for more than two decades, Jo Bonney has directed “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll,” “Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead” and “Slanguage” for Center Theatre Group. She has directed the premieres of plays by Eric Bogosian, Culture Clash, Eve Ensler, Danny Hoch, Neil LaBute, Warren Leight, Lynn Nottage, Dael Orlandersmith, Suzan-Lori Parks, Diana Son and many others. Bonney has worked with some of the country’s most renowned theatre companies including American Repertory Theatre, The Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse and Playwrights Horizons. In 1998 she won an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Direction. She is also the recipient of a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical and Best Revival and an Audelco Award for “Father Comes Home From The Wars.” Bonney is the editor of “Extreme Exposure: An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century.”

Tickets for “Father Comes Home From The Wars” are available by calling (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets range from $25 - $85 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Mark Taper Forum is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

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April 13, 2016

'Father Comes Home From The Wars' Press Kit

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 06:20:00 -0700