The Music Center and Center Theatre Group To Dim Lights For Gordon Davidson
THE MUSIC CENTER AND CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE WILL DIM THEIR LIGHTS IN HONOR OF GORDON DAVIDSON ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2016
On Saturday, October 8 at 8 p.m., the four Music Center theatres – Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Walt Disney Concert Hall – along with the Kirk Douglas Theatre, will dim their lights in honor of Gordon Davidson, Founding Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group. Gordon Davidson passed away Sunday, October 2, 2016.
“In keeping with the long-standing Broadway tradition, Center Theatre Group and The Music Center will dim our lights to honor the life and legacy of Gordon Davidson,” said Center Theatre Group Artistic Director, Michael Ritchie. “It is a small recognition of Gordon’s giant contribution to the city and the art form that he loved.”
“Gordon Davidson’s passion for the performing arts made an immeasurable impact on the Los Angeles arts scene and directly contributed to The Music Center’s success,” said Rachel Moore, president and CEO, The Music Center. “We will be forever grateful to him for his talent, dedication and pioneering spirit.”
From 1967 to 2005 Gordon Davidson was the Artistic Director of the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum at The Music Center. Davidson was also the Producing Director of the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre for 15 years, and the Artistic Director of the inaugural season (2004-2005) at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. In addition to redefining theatre in Southern California, he was one of the founders of the regional theatre movement and had a permanent impact on theatre throughout the country and the world.
Gordon guided hundreds of productions to the Taper stage while overseeing numerous special projects sponsored by the Taper. This work and his direction of many of the Taper plays were acclaimed both in Los Angeles and New York, garnering the Taper a Tony Award for theatrical excellence in 1977.
Gordon was born on May 7, 1933, and is survived by his wife, Judi; their children, Adam and Rachel; and five granddaughters.
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.
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October 7, 2016