Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Center Theatre Group Hosts Block Party Kick-Off

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 11:55:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP TO HOLD BLOCK PARTY KICK-OFF EVENT AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE ON JANUARY 30

Event Will Celebrate the Vibrancy of the Los Angeles Theatre Community

Block Party Will Remount Productions from Coeurage Theatre Company, The Echo Theater Company and The Fountain Theatre at Douglas April 14–May 21

Center Theatre Group will host the Block Party Kick-Off Event at the Kirk Douglas Theatre to celebrate the remounting of three local productions from Coeurage Theatre Company, The Echo Theater Company and The Fountain Theatre. This free and public event is open to the entire Los Angeles theatre community and will take place on Monday, January 30 at 7 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made at www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/kirk-douglas-theatre/also-at-the-douglas/block-party-kickoff.

The event will include remarks from Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by complimentary refreshments. There will also be an interactive photo booth, music, games and special ticket offers for Block Party available.

The inaugural Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre will take place April 14 through May 21 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and will feature Coeurage Theatre Company’s production of “Failure: A Love Story” by Philip Dawkins and directed by Michael Matthews; The Echo Theater Company’s production of “Dry Land” by Ruby Rae Spiegel and directed by Alana Dietze; and The Fountain Theatre’s production of “Citizen: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine, adapted for the stage by Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs and directed by Shirley Jo Finney.

Each Block Party production will have a two-week run. “Failure: A Love Story” will take the first slot and will begin previews April 14, open April 16 and close April 23. Next will be “Citizen: An American Lyric,” which will begin previews April 28, open April 30 and close May 7. “Dry Land” will take the final slot and will begin previews May 12, open on May 14 and close on May 21.

The visiting companies will receive the full support of Center Theatre Group and its staff in order to fund, stage and market each production. Full casting for “Failure: A Love Story,” “Dry Land” and “Citizen: An American Lyric” will be announced at a later date.

“As we celebrate Center Theatre Group’s 50 years of creating theatre in Los Angeles, we want to turn the spotlight on some of the remarkable work being done on other stages,” said Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie in discussing Block Party. “Coeurage Theatre, The Echo Theater and The Fountain Theatre, as well as others throughout L.A., regularly produce excellent, boundary-pushing work and we’re so glad they are sharing some of that work with us.”

With Block Party, Center Theatre Group hopes to strengthen relationships within the Los Angeles community, create additional avenues for the organization to become familiar with local playwrights, actors, directors and designers, and foster relationships between Center Theatre Group staff and the staff at theatre companies throughout Los Angeles.

Block Party receives major support from Aliza Karney Guren and Marc Guren with generous funding also provided by Joni and Miles Benickes.

Center Theatre Group has a long history of pairing with local theatre companies including the Deaf West production of “Big River” which was produced at the Mark Taper Forum in 2002 and went on to Broadway before returning to the Ahmanson Theatre in 2005 as part of a national tour. More recently, Center Theatre Group partnered with Ebony Repertory Theatre for the remounting of “A Raisin in the Sun” (which played at the Douglas), 24th Street Theatre’s “Walking the Tightrope” (also at the Douglas) and with other companies around the city for “The Behavior of Broadus” (Burglars of Hamm and Sacred Fools Theater Company) and “Birder” (The Road Theatre Company).

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 Block Party will go on sale to the general public in February.

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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January 24, 2017

'Archduke' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 11:38:00 -0800

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April – June 2017

EVENT:

“Archduke”

By Rajiv Joseph

Directed by Giovanna Sardelli

World Premiere

DESCRIPTION:

Written by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph (“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” “Guards at the Taj”), “Archduke” follows the unlikely path to terrorism as three strangers, already struggling to get by, receive a death sentence in the form of a tuberculosis diagnosis. But being young men with nothing to lose in Belgrade, 1914, makes them the perfect recruits for a secret organization looking to strike a blow in the name of Serbian nationalism. “Archduke” explores the short journey from individual hardship to public harm as personal desperation is cultivated into an act with international significance and a few average men spark World War I.

*DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin April 25. Opens May 7. Through June 4, 2017.

Previews (April 25 – May 6):

Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Exceptions: Added 1 p.m. performance on Sunday, April 30 and 2:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 6; No Monday performances.

Opens Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m.

Regular Performances (May 9 – June 4):

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

Exceptions: No public performances May 9 and 10 (student matinees only); No Monday performances.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25 – $95 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

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

*Please note these dates are different from the schedule originally announced in the Mark Taper Forum Season Release.

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January 23, 2017

Center Theatre Group Names Regional Finalists for 2017 AWMC

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 14:35:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP SELECTS 12 STUDENTS FOR AUGUST WILSON MONOLOGUE COMPETITION REGIONAL FINALS TO BE HELD AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM ON FEB. 27

Top Two Students Will Participate in National Finals on Broadway on May 1, 2017

Center Theatre Group has selected 12 local high school students to participate in the regional finals for the 2017 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) to be held at the Mark Taper Forum on Monday, February 27.

This is the sixth consecutive year Center Theatre Group is hosting the Southern California component of the national monologue competition. The program is designed to inspire and educate Los Angeles youth using monologues from August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle,” a 10-play dramatization of the African American experience in the 20th century.

Those selected to participate in the regional finals are Joey Aquino (Los Angeles), Luke Baxter (Moreno Valley), Kelly Bouslaiby (Fontana), Hollis Dohr (Sherman Oaks), Asa Ferguson (Los Angeles), Hannah Franklin (Long Beach), Elija Hall (Los Angeles), Habin Lee (Los Angeles), Arjang Mahdavi (Granada Hills), Ehvinny Mora (Rowland Heights), Alexander Villaseñor (Los Angeles) and Aryana Williams (Carson). The students represent seven local high schools within Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Aquino and Williams both participated in the 2016 competition where Williams took third place.

The students selected will receive training and rehearsal sessions provided by Center Theatre Group throughout January and February. The sessions will allow the students to refine their performances while gaining valuable acting techniques.

On February 27, the 12 regional finalists will perform their monologues in front of a panel of judges at the Mark Taper Forum. The two top-performing students will move forward to the 10th annual AWMC national finals; the third place student will serve as alternate. The first and second place students will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the finals, which will take place on May 1 at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. As preparation for the national component of the competition, all three students will receive master classes to workshop their monologues, as well as scholarship awards.

The program kicked off this season with a preliminary audition that featured 133 students in 10th, 11th or 12th-grade from 34 different high schools in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Fifty-three of those students advanced to a semi-final round held at the Music Center Annex in December where the aforementioned 12 regional finalists were selected to move forward.

Center Theatre Group also offers an in-school residency as part of the larger August Wilson Program. The August Wilson In-School Residency is a semester-long program that provides Title 1 students with an in-depth study of the work of August Wilson. The four classrooms selected for the in-school residency will attend the AWMC Los Angeles Regional Finals as part of their residency experience, witnessing the power of theatre as their peers bring August Wilson’s characters to life.

“These programs are part of our tradition of nurturing new voices in the American theatre,” said Director of Social Strategy, Innovation and Impact Leslie K. Johnson. “They enable students from all walks of life to discover August Wilson’s profound and deeply relevant works of art, explore their own creative voices and learn more about our shared history and themselves.”

AWMC is a national program presented by Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company and Jujamcyn Theaters and hosted in cities throughout the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas and Greensboro, North Carolina. Each city runs its program differently and each experience is designed to provide intensive learning opportunities for high school students to study and practice the craft of acting through the work of August Wilson.

The Southern California component of the August Wilson Monologue Competition is led by the Center Theatre Group Education and Community Partnerships Department. Currently one of the most active theatre education programs in the country, Education and Community Partnerships has reached more than 18,000 students, teachers and community members throughout Southern California in the 2015-2016 season.

Regional funding for the August Wilson Monologue Competition is provided by the Center Theatre Group Affiliates and the Wells Fargo Foundation. The AWMC also receives generous support from the Center Theatre Group Corporate Circle and The Rosenthal Family Foundation.

Center Theatre Group honors its long-standing relationship with August Wilson through its August Wilson Program, as well as through its continued production of Wilson’s work. Center Theatre Group has presented nine of Wilson’s plays, including two world premiere productions of his work. Most recently, in September/October 2016, Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” had a successful run at the Mark Taper Forum.

More information on Center Theatre Group’s August Wilson Monologue Competition can be found at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/AugustWilson.

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January 19, 2017

'Adler & Gibb' Opens at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 15:00:00 -0800

TIM CROUCH’S EXPERIMENTAL SATIRE “ADLER & GIBB” OPENS TONIGHT JANUARY 18, AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

The American Premiere Will Play Through January 29

The American premiere of Tim Crouch’s “Adler & Gibb” will open tonight, Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at 8 p.m. at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre. The DouglasPlus production had one preview performance on January 17 and will run through January 29. A co-commission by Center Theatre Group and the Royal Court Theatre in London, “Adler & Gibb” is written and directed by Crouch and co-directed by Andy Smith and Karl James.

The cast features Crouch as Sam, Gina Moxley as Gibb, Jillian Pullara as Student and Cath Whitefield as Louise. Furthermore, Olivia Abedor, Kylie Cox-Toyota and Ayla Moses alternate the role of Child.

The production features design by Charlotte Espiner, original music and sound design by Max and Ben Ringham and video design by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor. The production stage manager is Brooke Baldwin.

“Adler & Gibb” tells the fictional story of Janet Adler and Margaret Gibb, legendary boundary-pushing conceptual artists working in New York late last century. When they abruptly step away from the limelight at the height of their careers, the mysterious move only adds fuel to their fame. From the real to unreal, from fake to true and from theatre to film, the play takes Crouch’s fascination with form and marries it to a compelling story of misappropriation.

When “Adler & Gibb” opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London, Paul Taylor of The Independent said, “… an evening that starts off with the air of a studied prank becomes emotionally piercing …” calling the production “memorable and rewarding. …” Andrzej Lukowski of Time Out London raved, “At its best, this hilarious, harrowing and maddening interrogation of the value of art explodes with fearless intent and piercing intelligence … Tim Crouch has earned his place in the contemporary theatre pantheon.”

Tim Crouch returns to the Kirk Douglas Theatre where his searing and immersive play “The Author” was presented as part of DouglasPlus in 2011. His other plays include the Obie Award-winning “An Oak Tree” (Odyssey Theatre), “My Arm,” “ENGLAND” (a play for galleries), “what happens to the hope at the end of the evening” and “I, Malvolio.” Crouch works with a number of associates and collaborators to produce his writing. Organizations that have been involved more deeply in the work – through commission or co-production – include the Royal Court Theatre, the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, the British Council, Brighton Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, Culturgest in Lisbon, Warwick Arts Centre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

DouglasPlus provides the flexibility to explore new work and push boundaries through fully and minimally staged events, workshops and readings and traditional and non-traditional performance configurations.

Tickets for “Adler & Gibb” 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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January 18, 2017

2017 Sherwood Award Winner

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Pablo Santiago Selected As 2017 Richard E. Sherwood Award Winner

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0800

PABLO SANTIAGO SELECTED AS 2017 RICHARD E. SHERWOOD AWARD WINNER

Center Theatre Group’s $10,000 Award for Emerging L.A. Theatre Artists

Center Theatre Group recognizes and celebrates the recipient of the 2017 Richard E. Sherwood Award, Pablo Santiago, for his exceptional contribution to the Los Angeles theatre landscape and his work as innovative and adventurous artist.

Created in memory of Richard E. Sherwood, the $10,000 award aims to cultivate emerging theatre artists working in Los Angeles who push formal and aesthetic boundaries and demonstrate dedication to improving their respective artistic fields. The winner of the $10,000 award was announced at the 2016 Ovation Awards on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. The two additional finalists, Jenny Foldenauer and Keith Skretch, each received a $2,000 honorarium.

Pablo Santiago is a lighting designer originally from Chiapas, Mexico who designs for theatre, opera, dance and gallery work. Santiago found a home in Los Angeles where he worked in the film industry for 15 years before obtaining an MFA in lighting design from UCLA and transitioned into live stage design. Santiago integrates color theory into his designs and surprises collaborators with innovative plots. Santiago is particularly interested in projects that highlight social justice issues and experiment with time onstage. His design in “Premeditation” was nominated for an Ovation Award in 2014, and he won a Stage Raw Award for “Brother’s Size” in 2015. Upcoming projects include the opera “Breaking the Waves” at the Perelman Theater for OperaPhila and Skirball Center in NYC, and “Zoot Suit” at the Mark Taper Forum.

Originally created in 1996, the Sherwood Award has met a vital need in the theatre landscape to support emerging artists.

Richard E. Sherwood was a patron of the arts with a special appreciation for emerging artists who are in the vanguard of theatre. He was president and then chairman of the Center Theatre Group Board of Directors from 1980 until his passing in 1993. The award is established as an endowed fund at Center Theatre Group by his family, friends, colleagues and fellow board members to honor Sherwood’s passionate commitment to theatre.

Past recipients of the Richard E. Sherwood Award include Los Angeles artists Miwa Matreyek of Cloud Eye Control, Sean Cawelti of Rogue Artists Ensemble, Miranda Wright of Los Angeles Performance Practice, Lars Jan of Early Morning Opera, lighting designer Christopher Kuhl and costume designer Ann Closs-Farley, among others.

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January 18, 2017

'Zoot Suit' Extends One Week, Thru March 19; 'Archduke' Now Begins April 25, 2017

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0800

BEFORE PERFORMANCES HAVE BEGUN, CENTER THEATRE GROUP ANNOUNCES “ZOOT SUIT” WILL EXTEND FOR ONE WEEK THROUGH MARCH 19 DUE TO STRONG TICKET SALES AND POPULAR DEMAND

“Archduke” Will Be Re-Scheduled to Accommodate the Extension, Performances Will Now Begin on April 25, 2017, at the Taper

Rehearsals have barely begun and Center Theatre Group is already announcing a one-week extension for “Zoot Suit,” due to strong ticket sales. The production will now continue through March 19, 2017, at the Mark Taper Forum. Previews for “Zoot Suit” begin January 31, with opening set for February 12. Written and directed by Luis Valdez, “Zoot Suit” is presented in association with El Teatro Campesino. In order to accommodate this scheduling change, “Archduke” will now begin previews on April 25, 2017, open on May 7 and continue through June 4.

“Zoot Suit” was originally commissioned and developed by Center Theatre Group, playing for nearly a year in Los Angeles first at the Taper from August 6 to October 1, 1978, then from October 10, 1978, through July 1, 1979, at the Aquarius in Hollywood. It went on to become Broadway’s first Chicano play, was made into a major motion picture and became a cultural phenomenon.

Nearly 40 years after its world premiere, original creator Luis Valdez will once again fill the Taper’s stage with a company of 25 actors, singers and dancers weaving fact and fiction together as they portray the events surrounding the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder in Los Angeles. Filled with heart, sly wit and the infectious songs of Lalo Guerrero, “Zoot Suit” remains an urgent portrayal of the clash between generations in a Chicano family, the rifts between cultures in America and how racism and injustice can haunt a city and a society.

The cast includes (in alphabetical order), Brian Abraham, Mariela Arteaga, Demian Bichir, Melinna Bobadilla, Oscar Camacho, Stephani Candelaria, Raul Cardona, Fiona Cheung, Tiffany Dupont, Caleb Foote, Holly Hyman, Kimberlee Kidd, Rocío López, Jeanine Mason, Tom G. McMahon, Andres Ortiz, Michael Naydoe Pinedo, Matias Ponce, Rose Portillo, Gilbert Saldivar, Richard Steinmetz, Evan Strand, Bradford Tatum, Raphael Thomas, Daniel Valdez and Jeremy Ray Valdez.

Choreography for “Zoot Suit” is by Maria Torres, the production includes songs composed by Lalo Guerrero, the music director is Daniel Valdez, casting is by Rosalinda Morales, Pauline O’con, CSA, and Candido Cornejo, Jr., CSA. Scenic design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design is by Ann Closs-Farley, lighting design is by Pablo Santiago, sound design is by Philip G. Allen and projection design is by David Murakami. The associate director is Kinan Valdez and the production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

“Theatre has always created an extraordinary connection between artists and audiences,” said CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. “Nowhere is that more clear than in the uniquely intimate space of the Mark Taper Forum. And that connection continues well beyond the curtain call in plays like Luis Valdez’s ‘Zoot Suit,’ which changed the cultural landscape when it premiered at the Taper almost four decades ago and will continue to offer a vital insight when it opens our 50th season at the Taper in 2017.”

Tickets to “Zoot Suit” are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or at the Center Theatre Group box office located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 – $99 (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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January 10, 2017

'Fun Home' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0800

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February – April 2017

EVENT:

“Fun Home”

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron

Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel

Choreography by Danny Mefford

Directed by Sam Gold

DESCRIPTION:

Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, “Fun Home” introduces Alison at three different ages in her life, as she explores and unravels the mysteries of her childhood. A refreshingly honest musical, Alison eventually sees her parents through the eyes of a grown-up. Winner of five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book, Score and Director of a Musical, “‘Fun Home’ is extraordinary, a rare beauty that pumps fresh air into Broadway” (The New York Times).

DATES/TIMES:

Previews February 21 at 8 p.m. Opens February 22 at 8 p.m.

Through April 1, 2017.

Regular Performances (February 23 – April 1):

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.

Exceptions: Added 8 p.m. performance on Monday, March 27 and 2 p.m. performance on Thursday, March 30.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $25 – $125 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

Tickets are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office. Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information and charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ACCESS.

LOCATION:

Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

At the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012

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January 9, 2017

'Zoot Suit' Casting Is Complete And Rehearsal Have Begun

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0800

“ZOOT SUIT” CASTING IS COMPLETE AND REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN

Center Theatre Group’s “Zoot Suit” Plays at the Taper January 31 – March 12, 2017

Casting for Center Theatre Group’s production of “Zoot Suit” is now complete and rehearsals have begun for this legendary play with music. “Zoot Suit” begins previews January 31, opens February 12 and continues through March 12, 2017, at the Mark Taper Forum. Written and directed by Luis Valdez, “Zoot Suit” is presented in association with El Teatro Campesino.

In addition to the previously announced Demian Bichir, Jeanine Mason, Rose Portillo, Daniel Valdez and Jeremy Ray Valdez, the cast now also includes (in alphabetical order), Brian Abraham, Mariela Arteaga, Melinna Bobadilla, Oscar Camacho, Stephani Candelaria, Raul Cardona, Fiona Cheung, Tiffany Dupont, Caleb Foote, Holly Hyman, Kimberlee Kidd, Rocío López, Tom G. McMahon, Andres Ortiz, Michael Naydoe Pinedo, Matias Ponce, Gilbert Saldivar, Richard Steinmetz, Evan Strand, Bradford Tatum and Raphael Thomas.

Choreography for “Zoot Suit” is by Maria Torres, the production includes songs composed by Lalo Guerrero, the music director is Daniel Valdez, casting is by Rosalinda Morales, Pauline O’con, CSA, and Candido Cornejo, Jr., CSA. Scenic design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design is by Ann Closs-Farley, lighting design is by Pablo Santiago, sound design is by Philip G. Allen and projection design is by David Murakami. The associate director is Kinan Valdez and the production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

Nearly 40 years after its world premiere, the original creator Luis Valdez will once again fill the Taper stage with a company of 25 actors, singers and dancers weaving fact and fiction together as they portray the events surrounding the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder in Los Angeles. Filled with heart, sly wit and the infectious songs of Lalo Guerrero, “Zoot Suit” remains an urgent portrayal of the clash between generations in a Chicano family, the rifts between cultures in America and how racism and injustice can haunt a city and a society.

International stage and screen star Demian Bichir (Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” FX’s “The Bridge,” Showtime’s “Weeds,” Soderbergh’s “Che” and “A Better Life,” Academy Award nomination) will play the indelible role of El Pachuco.

Actors Daniel Valdez and Rose Portillo are returning to “Zoot Suit” after appearing in the world premiere production at the Taper in 1978, as well as at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood, on Broadway and in the film. Valdez played the leading role of Henry Reyna, while Portillo played Della, his barrio girlfriend. The two will be reunited for this new production, with Valdez now playing Enrique Reyna (Henry’s father) and Portillo playing Dolores Reyna (Henry’s mother). Daniel Valdez will also music direct once again.

Jeremy Ray Valdez, who will play Henry in the new production, is an Imagen Award-winner for “La Mission,” was featured in the Sundance film “All She Can” and has guest-starred in such series as “The Mentalist” and “Castle,” among many others.

Jeanine Mason, who will play Della, won season five of “So You Think You Can Dance” and recently appeared in ABC’s “Of Kings and Prophets.” She also played a recurring role on ABC Family’s “Bunheads.”

Tickets to “Zoot Suit” are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org or at the Center Theatre Group box office, located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 – $99 (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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January 6, 2017