Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Rehearsals Begin for "Head of Passes" at Mark Taper Forum.

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:18:00 -0700

Rehearsals have begun for Center Theatre Group’s production of “Head of Passes” by Academy Award winner and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. Directed by Tina Landau, “Head of Passes” begins previews Wednesday, September 13, opens Sunday, September 24 and continues through October 22, 2017, at the Mark Taper Forum.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Alana Arenas, Francois Battiste, Kyle Beltran, J. Bernard Calloway, James Carpenter, John Earl Jelks, Phylicia Rashad and Jacqueline Williams.

Family and friends are gathering to celebrate Shelah’s (portrayed by Rashad) birthday under the leaky roof of her home at the mouth of the Mississippi River. But an unwanted birthday party and unrelenting rains are only the first challenges in this contemporary parable inspired by the Book of Job in which unexpected events turn the reunion into the ultimate test of faith and love. As her world seems to collapse around her, Shelah must fight to survive the rising flood of life’s greatest challenges in this poetic and piercing new play.

The creative team for “Head of Passes” includes scenic design by G.W. Mercier, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Jeff Croiter and sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

When “Head of Passes” was presented at The Public Theater, Ben Brantley of The New York Times said, …in her remarkable, pull-out-all-the-stops performance in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s ‘Head of Passes,’ Ms. Rashad gives the impression that she could definitely hold her own on Shakespeare’s blasted heath. Portraying a sorely tested Southern matriarch, she can be found railing against God and the elements with a harrowingly Lear-like rage. Linda Winer of Newsday observed, If Phylicia Rashad had not already taken us on formidable journeys through the world of August Wilson and so many other formidable dramas, it would be tempting to call Shelah, the matriarch in ‘Head of Passes,’ the role of a lifetime.

Tarell Alvin McCraney co-wrote the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight,” which is based on his play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” The film earned him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. McCraney is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and founding member of Teo Castellanos/D-Projects. In addition to the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, he has received the Doris Duke Artist Award, Whiting Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, The New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award, the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award and the Windham Campbell Award. He was International Writer in Residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company (2009 to 2011) where he remains an associate artist. McCraney is the Artistic Director of the Youth Arts Leadership Summer Program. His Public Theater productions include “Head of Passes,” “The Brother/Sister Plays” and an edit of “Antony and Cleopatra.” “The Brothers Size” was a part of the Under the Radar Festival and other credits include “Choir Boy” and “Wig Out.” McCraney is the chair of the Department of Playwriting at the Yale School of Drama. He is developing a new TV series for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

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 to “Head of Passes” are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at CenterTheatreGroup.org or at the Center Theatre Group Box Office located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 – $95 (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 24, 2017

Center Theatre Group Receives $100,000 Grant From Disney to Fund Theatre Education Program

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 10:35:00 -0700

Applications Now Available for Los Angeles Area Public Elementary
Schools to Participate In and Produce a Disney Musical at No Cost

Center Theatre Group has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Disney to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to the Los Angeles area. The program is an outreach initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theatre programs in under-resourced elementary schools. The grant funds two years of programming; Center Theatre Group will select five local public elementary schools to participate in 2017-2018, and another five will be selected for 2018-2019.

The selected schools will participate in a 17-week musical theatre residency, led by a team of teaching artists trained by Center Theatre Group and Disney Theatrical Productions, at no cost. Each school will receive performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from the teaching artists. The program features a professional development focus, through which participating school teachers partner with Center Theatre Group teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph and music direct, culminating in their first 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school. As a capstone to the experience, Center Theatre Group will host a Student Share Celebration in which each school performs one number from their show on the Mark Taper Forum stage for an audience of students, teachers, family and community members.

Using the unique world of musical theatre, Disney Musicals in Schools helps to foster positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, parents and the community. Students and teachers work in teams, developing the wide spectrum of skills needed when producing a piece of musical theatre, including critical thinking, problem solving, ensemble building, communication, self-confidence and interpersonal skills.

Following years of successfully collaborating with Disney to bring shows such as ‘Mary Poppins,’ ‘Aida’ and ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ to Los Angeles, we are thrilled to become the newest partner in the Disney Musicals in Schools program, said Center Theatre Group Director of Social Strategy, Innovation and Impact Leslie K. Johnson. The program's focus on building educators' capacity to teach musical theatre aligns well with our commitment to supporting teachers as artists and instructional leaders in their own communities.

Applications are now being accepted for 2017-2018. Public elementary schools in Los Angeles County holding a Title 1 status are eligible to apply. For more information or to apply, visit

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 15:21:00 -0700

CENTER THEATRE GROUP TO HOST TWO COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS FOR “THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME” NOW AT THE AHMANSON

Community Conversations on August 25 and September 6 Will Discuss Neurodiversity and the Intersection of Art and Math

“The Curious Incident…” Plays Through September 10, 2017

Center Theatre Group will host two Community Conversations inspired by “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” on Friday, August 25 and Wednesday, September 6. Community Conversations are a series of panel discussions that are free and open to the public and feature local thought leaders in dialogue about the context, issues and ideas finding voice on our stages.

The National Theatre production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens is adapted from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel and directed by Tony winner Marianne Elliott (“War Horse”). Performances will continue at the Ahmanson Theatre through September 10, 2017.

The first “Curious Incident…” Community Conversation will kick off Friday, August 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with Neurodiversity: Exploring the Differences in Our Brains. Mark Haddon describes his novel as being “about difference, about being an outsider, about seeing the world in a surprising and revealing way.” In this pre-show conversation, panelists will discuss these factors and will unpack the term neurodiversity, highlighting our differences, strengths and what we contribute to society. This event will take place at The Music Center Annex building, 601 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, in Rehearsal Room C.

The panelists for this event will be Coby Bird, Elaine Hall and Dr. Dan Siegel. Bird is an actor and singer with autism who performs regularly with The Miracle Project, an organization that gives individuals with autism and other disabilities social and communication skills through performance, and has most recently appeared on ABC’s “Speechless.” Hall is the founder of The Miracle Project and has pioneered the use of theatre to connect with individuals with autism. She’s been featured in The New York Times and was recently profiled in the HBO documentary “Autism: The Musical.” Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is a bestselling author and has been published extensively on the topic of neuroscience.

The second “Curious Incident…” Community Conversation will be Wednesday, September 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with Translating Math Into Art. In this pre-show conversation, panelists will discuss how artists have been combining math and art for decades. This conversation will allow community members to see how artists are currently translating math into art and will allow them the unique opportunity to experience the beauty of math and art up close. This event will take place at The Music Center Annex building, 601 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, in Rehearsal Room C. Panelists to be announced at a later date.

In “… this highly original, deeply engaging play” (Elysa Gardner, USA Today), 15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” transferred to London’s West End, following a sold-out run at The National’s Cottesloe Theatre in 2012. The production received seven 2013 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play and continues to play to sold-out houses at the Gielgud Theatre in London. A UK and Ireland Tour launched in 2014 and a second tour of the UK and Ireland launched in January of this year. “Curious Incident…,” the longest running play on Broadway in the past 10 years, opened on October 5, 2014, at the Barrymore Theatre, winning five Tony Awards including Best Play, six Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Play, five Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Production of a Broadway Play and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play. The North American tour is produced by Stuart Thompson, Tim Levy for NT America, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures Inc., Lisa Burger for NT Productions, Bob Boyett, Roger and William Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Roy Furman, Glass Half Full Productions, Ruth Hendel, JFLT TLP Partnership, Jon B. Platt, Scott Rudin, Triple Play Broadway and The Shubert Organization.

Bank of America is the season sponsor for the Ahmanson Theatre and Delta Airlines is the official airline sponsor.

Tickets for “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” are available by calling (213) 972-4400, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org or by visiting the Center Theatre Group Box Office located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 – $140 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Ahmanson Theatre is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, 90012.

For more information about the “Curious Incident…” Community Conversations, please visit CTGLA.org/Community.

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August 18, 2017

Rehearsals Begin for 'Big Night' at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 10:57:00 -0700

REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN FOR PAUL RUDNICK’S NEW PLAY “BIG NIGHT” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The World Premiere Will Run September 10 Through October 8, 2017

Rehearsals have begun for the world premiere of Paul Rudnick’s new play “Big Night.” Directed by Tony winner Walter Bobbie (“Chicago” and “Bright Star”), “Big Night” begins previews September 10, opens September 16 and continues through October 8, 2017, at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The full cast includes, in alphabetical order, Brian Hutchison (“Smokefall” Off-Broadway), Max Jenkins (NBC’s “The Mysteries of Laura”), Kecia Lewis (“The Drowsy Chaperone,” Ahmanson and Broadway), Luke Macfarlane (ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters”), Wendie Malick (NBC’s “Just Shoot Me!”) and Tom Phelan (ABC Family’s “The Fosters”).

The creative team includes set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Karl Fredrik Lundeberg. Casting is by James Calleri, CSA and Paul Davis, CSA and Brooke Baldwin is the production stage manager.

It is the night of the Oscars and a working actor turned Oscar nominee knows that his life is about to change—he just doesn’t know how profoundly. His transgender nephew has plans for his speech, his young agent has plans for his future, his unstoppable mother has plans for the catering and his partner is nowhere to be found. Master satirist Paul Rudnick blends a deep humanity with a honed sense of hilarity in this powerful and funny play about family and fame, the personal and the political, and the drive to stand up and speak out.

Paul Rudnick is a playwright, novelist, essayist and screenwriter, whom The New York Times has called “one of our pre-eminent humorists.” His plays have been produced both on and Off-Broadway and include “I Hate Hamlet,” “Jeffrey,” “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” “Regrets Only” and “The New Century.” He’s won an Obie Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and the John Gassner Playwriting Award. Rudnick’s novels include “Social Disease” and “I’ll Take It,” both from Knopf. He’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker and his articles and essays have appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Vogue and The New York Times. HarperCollins published his “Collected Plays” and a book of essays entitled “I Shudder.” He’s rumored to be quite close to Premiere magazine’s film critic, Libby Gelman-Waxner, whose collected columns were published under the title “If You Ask Me.” His screenplays include “Addams Family Values,” the screen adaptation of “Jeffrey” and “In & Out.”

Tickets for “Big Night” are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, at the Center Theatre Group Box Office at the Ahmanson

Theatre or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre Box Office two hours prior to performance. 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. Three hours free parking with validation.

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August 16, 2017

Cast Announced for 'Big Night' at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 10:55:00 -0700

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR PAUL RUDNICK’S NEW PLAY “BIG NIGHT” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The World Premiere Will Run September 10 Through October 8, 2017

Center Theatre Group has announced the casting for the world premiere of Paul Rudnick’s new play “Big Night.” Directed by Tony winner Walter Bobbie (“Chicago” and “Bright Star”), “Big Night” begins previews September 10, opens September 16 and continues through October 8, 2017, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Brian Hutchison (“Smokefall” Off-Broadway), Max Jenkins (NBC’s “The Mysteries of Laura”), Luke Macfarlane (ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters”), Wendie Malick (NBC’s “Just Shoot Me!”) and Tom Phelan (ABC Family’s “The Fosters”). One more cast member will be announced at a later date.

The creative team includes set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long and lighting design by Ken Billington. Casting is by James Calleri, CSA and Paul Davis, CSA and Brooke Baldwin is the production stage manager. The sound designer will be announced at a later date.

It is the night of the Oscars and a working actor turned Oscar nominee knows that his life is about to change – he just doesn’t know how profoundly. His transgender nephew has plans for his speech, his young agent has plans for his future, his unstoppable mother has plans for the catering and his partner is nowhere to be found. Master satirist Paul Rudnick blends a deep humanity with a honed sense of hilarity in this powerful and funny play about family and fame, the personal and the political, and the drive to stand up and speak out.

Tickets for “Big Night” are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, at the Center Theatre Group Box Office at the Ahmanson Theatre or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre Box Office two hours prior to performance. 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 2, 2017

Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Rehearsals Begin for "Head of Passes" at Mark Taper Forum.

Center Theatre Group Receives $100,000 Grant From Disney to Fund Theatre Education Program

Applications Now Available for Los Angeles Area Public ElementarySchools to Participate In and Produce a Disney Musical at No Cost

CENTER THEATRE GROUP TO HOST TWO COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS FOR “THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME” NOW AT THE AHMANSON

Community Conversations on August 25 and September 6 Will Discuss Neurodiversity and the Intersection of Art and Math

“The Curious Incident…” Plays Through September 10, 2017

Rehearsals Begin for 'Big Night' at the Douglas

REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN FOR PAUL RUDNICK’S NEW PLAY “BIG NIGHT” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The World Premiere Will Run September 10 Through October 8, 2017

Cast Announced for 'Big Night' at the Douglas

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR PAUL RUDNICK’S NEW PLAY “BIG NIGHT” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The World Premiere Will Run September 10 Through October 8, 2017

Applications Now Available for Los Angeles Area Public Elementary
Schools to Participate In and Produce a Disney Musical at No Cost