Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

'Vicuña' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 23:27:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October – November 2016

EVENT:

“Vicuña”

By Jon Robin Baitz

Directed by Robert Egan

World Premiere.

DESCRIPTION:

Influenced by the evolving political landscape, this brand new satire focuses on a brash presidential candidate on the rise—a blustering real estate tycoon and reality TV star—and the world-renowned tailor he coerces into serving him. “Vicuña” delves beneath the overstitching, through the weave and into the true power of the power suit. A suit may or may not make the man but it can definitely be revealing. A timely take on our rollicking political scene from Pulitzer finalist Jon Robin Baitz.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews Begin October 23, 2016. Opens October 30.

Through November 20.

Previews: Sunday through Saturday at 8 p.m. No Monday performance.

Opens Sunday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Regular Performances (November 1 through 20):

Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No Monday performances.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25-$70 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

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. Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: information and charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ACCESS.

LOCATION:

Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre

9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.

Ample free parking and restaurants adjacent.

'Vicuña' Press Kit

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 20:07:00 -0700

'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 00:05:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

November – December 2016

EVENT:

The Druid production of

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane”

By Martin McDonagh

Directed by Garry Hynes.

DESCRIPTION:

The brilliantly subversive “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” which is set in the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, is the tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early 40s, and Mag, her manipulative, aging mother, whose interference in Maureen's first and potentially last romantic relationship sets in motion a chain of events that are as tragically funny as they are horrific.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin November 9, 2016. Opens November 16.

Through December 18.

Previews (November 9 – November 15): Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No performance on Monday.
Opens Wednesday, November 16 at 8 p.m.

Regular Performances (November 17 – December 18): Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No performance on Mondays.

Exceptions: No performance on Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving Day)

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25 – $85 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

Tickets are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Center Theatre Group Audience Services at (213) 628-2772, or in person at the Center Theatre Group box office. Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information & charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ACCESS.

LOCATION:

Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center

135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

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August 26, 2016

'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' Press Kit

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 21:03:00 -0700

Rehearsals Underway for 'A View From the Bridge'

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 21:04:00 -0700

REHEARSALS ARE UNDERWAY FOR THE YOUNG VIC PRODUCTION OF ARTHUR MILLER’S “A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE” PRODUCED BY CENTER THEATRE GROUP AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE

Director Ivo van Hove’s Tony Award-Winning Revival Comes to Los Angeles

Previews Begin on September 7 and Performances Continue Through October 16

Rehearsals are underway for the Young Vic Production of Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge” produced by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Ivo van Hove, “A View From the Bridge” will begin previews on September 7, with the opening set for September 14, 2016. Performances continue through October 16.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Danny Binstock, Catherine Combs, Alex Esola, Andrus Nichols, Howard W. Overshown, Dave Register, Thomas Jay Ryan and Frederick Weller. The scenic and lighting design is by Jan Versweyveld, costumes are by An D’Huys and sound is by Tom Gibbons. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

In the 2016 Tony Award-winning production of “A View From the Bridge” (Best Revival and Best Direction), Eddie Carbone (Weller) is a Brooklyn longshoreman obsessed with his 17-year-old niece, Catherine (Combs). When Catherine falls in love with a newly arrived immigrant (Register), Eddie’s jealousy erupts in a rage that consumes him, his family and his world.

“A View From the Bridge,” said Ben Brantley of The New York Times, “… must be what Greek tragedy once felt like, when people went to the theater in search of catharsis … You also feel ridiculously blessed to have been a witness. …”

This production of Miller’s classic was first presented at the Young Vic in 2014 then transferred to the West End in 2015 and was awarded three Olivier Awards (Best Actor, Best Revival and Best Director). Lyn Gardner of The Guardian called it “… a menacing, meticulously conceived production … It’s like watching a runaway train hurtle towards you. …” The production opened on Broadway in November 2015 for a limited run and closed this past February.

Following the run at the Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group will tour this production to the Kennedy Center for an engagement in the Eisenhower Theater which will play from November 18 through December 3, 2016.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, programming seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1,600 to 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

Tickets for “A View From the Bridge” are available by calling (213) 972-4400 or online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, or by visiting the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre. The Ahmanson Theatre is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, 90012.

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August 25, 2016

Rehearsals Have Begun For 'Throw Me on the Burnpile...'

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 20:54:00 -0700

REHEARSALS BEGIN FOR LUCY ALIBAR’S “THROW ME ON THE BURNPILE AND LIGHT ME UP” AT THE CTG/KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The Production Will Have Its World Premiere Sept. 10 Through Oct. 2

Rehearsals have begun for the world premiere of “Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up,” written and performed by the Oscar-nominated Lucy Alibar (Best Adapted Screenplay for “Beasts of the Southern Wild”). “Throw Me on the Burnpile…” begins previews September 10, opens September 16 and continues through October 2, 2016, at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Directed by Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Director Neel Keller, “Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up” blends a lecherous goat, Pentecostals on the radio, a clutter of inbred cats, phone calls from death row, Daddy’s burnpile and countless other rich ingredients into a delicious and magical stew of stories about a singular childhood in Grady County, Florida.

The design team for “Throw Me on the Burnpile…” includes Takeshi Kata for scenic design, Laura Bauer for costumes, Elizabeth Harper for lighting, Adam Phalen for sound and Jason H. Thompson for projection design. The production stage manager is Maggie Swing.

Alibar has authored work that has appeared in Zoetrope, the Oxford American, and the Wall Street Journal. Her plays have been seen at Sundance Theatre Lab, National Theatre Studio, Joe’s Pub, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her first movie, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (an adaptation with Benh Zeitlin of her play, “Juicy and Delicious”), received the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Film Festival Caméra d’Or. For her work on “Beasts,” she was nominated for the Scripter, BAFTA and Academy Award. Alibar is the winner of the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award, the Humanitas Prize and the Nantucket Film Festival New Voices in Screenwriting Award. She is a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow. She’s since been privileged to work for Pixar, Escape Artists/Amazon, Julia Roberts/New Line Cinema and Guillermo del Toro/Universal Studios (“The Secret Garden”). “Burnpile” is currently being adapted into a pilot for FX. Alibar is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, associate editor at Oxford American and an advocate for girls in the arts.

“Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up” was developed by Center Theatre Group and was presented as a work in progress at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2015 as part of Center Theatre Group’s DouglasPlus program.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, programming seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

Tickets for “Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up” are available by calling (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets range from $25 – $70 (ticket prices are subject to change). 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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August 17, 2016

Rehearsals Begin for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at the Taper

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 01:00:00 -0700

AUGUST WILSON’S “MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM” BEGINS REHEARSALS DIRECTED BY PHYLICIA RASHAD

SEPTEMBER 1 – OCTOBER 16, 2016, AT CTG/MARK TAPER FORUM

“Extraordinary! Ma Rainey rides on the exultant notes of the blues!”

– Jack Kroll, Newsweek

Rehearsals have begun for August Wilson’s blazing masterpiece “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” which begins previews September 1, opens September 11 and continues through October 16, 2016, at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum.

Phylicia Rashad, who directed Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Taper in 2013, directs this groundbreaking play which depicts the racism and exploitation in the music industry through a 1927 recording session in Chicago with a legendary blues singer. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is inspired by the real-life Gertrude “Ma” Rainey.

The cast features, in alphabetical order, Greg Bryan, Keith David, Jason Dirden, Damon Gupton, Matthew Henerson, Nija Okoro, Lamar Richardson, Ed Swidey, Glynn Turman and Lillias White.

Scenic design is by John Iacovelli, costume design is by Emilio Sosa, lighting design is by Elizabeth Harper, sound design is by Dan Moses Schreier and the production stage manager is David Blackwell.

“This play is a searing inside account of what white racism does to its victims – and it floats on the same authentic artistry as the blues music it celebrates. Harrowing as ‘Ma Rainey's’ can be, it is also funny, salty, carnal and lyrical,” said Frank Rich of The New York Times of the Broadway opening in 1984. Jack Kroll of Newsweek also said of Wilson’s debut Broadway play, “Extraordinary! Ma Rainey rides on the exultant notes of the blues!”

Center Theatre Group has presented eight of August Wilson’s plays: “Jitney” and the Tony Award-nominated plays “King Hedley II,” “Gem of the Ocean,” “Radio Golf” and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Taper, the Tony Award-nominated play “Seven Guitars” at the Ahmanson Theatre, and the Tony Award-nominated plays “Two Trains Running” and “The Piano Lesson” (1990 Pulitzer Prize) at the Doolittle Theatre in Hollywood. Wilson’s “Fences” won both the 1987 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, programming seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

Tickets for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” 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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August 5, 2016

Cast is Set for 'A View From the Bridge' at the Ahmanson

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 20:37:00 -0700

FULL CAST IS SET FOR THE YOUNG VIC PRODUCTION OF ARTHUR MILLER’S “A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE” PRODUCED BY CENTER THEATRE GROUP AT THE AHMANSON THEATRE

Director Ivo van Hove’s Tony Award-Winning Revival Comes to Los Angeles

Previews Begin on September 7 and Performances Continue Through October 16

The cast is set for the Young Vic Production of Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge” produced by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Ivo van Hove, “A View From the Bridge” will begin previews on September 7, with the opening set for September 14, 2016. Performances continue through October 16. The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Danny Binstock, Catherine Combs, Alex Esola, Andrus Nichols, Howard W. Overshown, Dave Register, Thomas Jay Ryan and Frederick Weller. The scenic and lighting design is by Jan Versweyveld, costumes are by An D’Huys and sound is by Tom Gibbons. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

“Breathe, everybody, breathe!” said Marilyn Stasio of Variety. “Audiences really need to be reminded of that at the end of Ivo van Hove’s magnificent production. …” “The tension never dips as the show heads toward the kind of mind-blowing climax that’s the stuff of Broadway legend,” said Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post. This production of Miller’s classic was first presented at the Young Vic in 2014 then transferred to the West End in 2015 and was awarded three Olivier Awards (Best Actor, Best Revival and Best Director). Lyn Gardner of The Guardian called it “… a menacing, meticulously conceived production … It’s like watching a runaway train hurtle towards you. …” The production opened on Broadway in November 2015 for a limited run and closed this past February.

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August 3, 2016