Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

'Come From Away' Calendar

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 16:51:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

November 2018 – January 2019

EVENT:

“Come From Away”

Book, Music and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Musical Staging by Kelly Devine

Directed by Christopher Ashley

DESCRIPTION:

“Come From Away,” which has been playing to standing room only audiences on Broadway, features a book, music and lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein and direction by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley. The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

DATES/TIMES:

Opens Wednesday, November 28 at 8 p.m. Through January 6, 2019. No Previews

Regular Performances (November 29 – January 6): 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 2 p.m. performances on Thursday, November 29 and Thursday, December 27. Added 7 p.m. performance on Monday, December 31. No public performance on Wednesday, December 5. No 8 p.m. performances on Tuesday, December 25 and Tuesday, January 1.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $30 – $135 (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

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

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September 28, 2018

Cast Announced for 'Valley of the Heart' at Taper

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:34:00 -0700

CAST IS SET FOR CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S PRODUCTION OF “VALLEY OF THE HEART” BY LUIS VALDEZ AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM OCTOBER 30 THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2018

Center Theatre Group has announced the cast for “Valley of the Heart,” which is written and directed by Luis Valdez (“Zoot Suit”). Presented in association with El Teatro Campesino, the production will play at the Mark Taper Forum October 30 through December 9, 2018. The opening will be on Wednesday, November 7.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Mariela Arteaga, Moises Castro, Melanie Arii Mah, Derek Mio, Theresa Murray, Randall Nakano, Joy Osmanski, Rose Portillo, Christy Sandoval, Scott Keiji Takeda, Daniel Valdez and Lakin Valdez.

The creative team includes set design by John Iacovelli, costume design by Lupe Valdez, lighting design by Pablo Santiago, projection design by David Murakami and sound design by Philip G. Allen. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

The fight to maintain dignity, identity, family and faith are at the heart of this American story deeply rooted in the once-fertile farmland that is now known as the Silicon Valley. “Valley of the Heart” tells the story of the Yamaguchis and the Montaños, two immigrant families struggling to provide a future for their American-born children after the Great Depression on the farmland the two families share. The families’ oldest children secretly fall in love only to have the emotional stakes further heightened when the attack on Pearl Harbor throws these Mexican and Japanese American families into uncertainty.

When the Yamaguchis are interned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, allegiances are tested, heroes are made, and the two young lovers must find a way to stay loyal both to their families, their country and each other.

Luis Valdez’s screen credits include “Zoot Suit” (featuring Edward James Olmos), “La Bamba” (starring Lou Diamond Phillips), “The Cisco Kid” (featuring Jimmy Smits and Cheech Marin) and “Corridos: Tales of Passion and Revolution” (with Linda Ronstadt). Awards include LA Drama Critic Circle Awards, Bay Area Critics Awards, the George Peabody Award for excellence in television, the Presidential Medal of the Arts, the Governor’s Award from the California Arts Council and Mexico’s prestigious Aguila Azteca Award given to individuals whose work promotes cultural excellence and exchange between the U.S. and Mexico. He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2007, he was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship as one of the 50 U.S. artists so honored across the United States. Valdez was recently inducted into the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as a director.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, programs 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 are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles). Tickets range from $30 – $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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September 19, 2018

Rehearsals Have Begun for World Premiere of "Quack" at Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:34:00 -0700

REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN FOR “QUACK” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

“Quack” Will Run October 21 Through November 18, 2018

Rehearsals have begun for the world premiere of “Quack” by Eliza Clark. Directed by Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Director Neel Keller, the production will begin previews October 21, open October 28 and continue through November 18, 2018, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Dan Bucatinsky (“Second Act,” Emmy winner for “Scandal”), Jackie Chung (“different words for the same thing”), Nicholas D’Agosto (“Trial and Error,” “Gotham”), Jessalyn Gilsig (“Scandal,” “Glee”) and Shoniqua Shandai (“I Am the Night”).

The creative team includes set design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Raquel Barreto, lighting design by Elizabeth Harper, sound design by Robbin Broad and compositions by Michael K. Hooker. The production stage manager is Maggie Swing.

Millions of women across America rely on Dr. Irving Baer (played by Bucatinsky) and his daytime talk show to help them lose weight, manifest their destinies and take their health into their own hands. Then, a take-down piece of journalism goes viral leaving his career hanging in the balance, his marriage on the rocks and his carefully maintained public persona in peril. In the frenzy of crisis management that follows, one thing becomes clear: if Irving Baer is going to fall from grace, he’s bringing everyone else with him. Eliza Clark’s hilarious new comedy exposes the shaky foundations of the wellness industry, the fleeting nature of 21st-century fame, and the relationship between the powerful men who dole out advice and the women who are supposed to receive it with a smile.

“Quack” was developed in Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Writers’ Workshop.

Eliza Clark has developed plays at Manhattan Theatre Club, the Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre, Page 73 Productions, Ensemble Studio Theatre and others. She has received commissions from South Coast Repertory and Yale University’s O’Neill Studio. Clark was a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre’s emerging writers group, Youngblood and was the 2010 Page 73 Playwriting Fellow. Most recently, she was a member of Center Theater Group’s writers group, the L.A. Writers’ Workshop. Her play, “Edgewise,” was co-produced by Page 73 and The Play Company in 2010 and her play, “Recall,” was produced by Colt Coeur at The Wild Project in 2012. Her play, “Future Thinking,” was featured on The Kilroy’s List and commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory in spring 2016. “Edgewise,” “Recall” and “Future Thinking” are published by Samuel French. Clark also has written for television including AMC’s “Rubicon” and “The Killing.” She is a writer and co-executive producer on “Animal Kingdom” for TNT.

Tickets for “Quack” 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 – $72 (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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September 21, 2018

'Valley of the Heart' Calendar

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:55:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October – December 2018

EVENT:

“Valley of the Heart”

Written and Directed by Luis Valdez

DESCRIPTION:

DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin October 30. Opens November 7. Through December 9, 2018.

Previews (October 30 – November 6): Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. No Monday performance.

Opens Wednesday, November 7 at 8 p.m.

Regular Performances (November 8 – December 9): 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 on Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14. Added 8 p.m. performance on Monday, November 19. No 8 p.m. performance on Thanksgiving, November 22.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket Prices: $30 – $99 (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 (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles). 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

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September 13, 2018

'Dear Evan Hansen' Calendar

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 17:16:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October – November 2018

EVENT: “Dear Evan Hansen”

Book by Steven Levenson

Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Choreographed by Danny Mefford

Directed by Michael Greif

DESCRIPTION:

A deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live, “Dear Evan Hansen” features a book by Tony Award winner Steven Levenson, a score by Academy Award and Tony-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews begin October 17. Opens October 19. Through November 25, 2018.

Previews: Wednesday, October 17 at 8 p.m.; Thursday, October 18 at 2p.m. and 8 p.m.

Opens Friday, October 19 at 8 p.m.

Regular Performances (October 20 – November 25): 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 2 p.m. performance on Wednesday, November 21. No 8 p.m. performance on Thanksgiving Day, November 22.

TICKET INFO: Ticket Prices: $99 – $285 (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

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

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September 4, 2018

'Quack' Calendar Release

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 17:16:00 -0700

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October – November 2018

EVENT:

“Quack”

By Eliza Clark

Directed by Neel Keller

World Premiere

DESCRIPTION:

Millions of women across America rely on Dr. Irving Baer and his daytime talk show to help them lose weight, manifest their destinies and take their health into their own hands. Then, a take-down piece of journalism goes viral leaving his career hanging in the balance, his marriage on the rocks and his carefully maintained public persona in peril. In the frenzy of crisis management that follows, one thing becomes clear: if Irving Baer is going to fall from grace, he’s bringing everyone else with him. Eliza Clark’s hilarious new comedy “Quack” exposes the shaky foundations of the wellness industry, the fleeting nature of 21st-century fame, and the relationship between the powerful men who dole out advice and the women who are supposed to receive it with a smile.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews Begin October 21. Opens October 28. Through November 18, 2018.

Previews (October 21 – October 27): Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Opens Sunday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Regular Performances (October 30 – November 18):

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:

$25 – $72 (Ticket prices are subject to change.)

Tickets are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling 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’s Kirk Douglas Theatre 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232

Free three hour covered parking at City Hall, with validation (available in the Kirk Douglas Theatre lobby)

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September 6, 2018

Remembering Nancy Hereford

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:01:00 -0700

CENTER THEATRE GROUP HONORS LONGTIME PRESS DIRECTOR NANCY HEREFORD WITH MEMORIAL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

On Monday, September 24 at 7 p.m., Center Theatre Group will hold a memorial for longtime Press Director Nancy Hereford at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

“Nancy was a powerful advocate for the theatre – she loved the art, the artists and the press that covered them,” said Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. “She was a star in her field, but she directed the spotlight away from herself. There are countless people who have been drawn to the theatre by Nancy’s work but never knew her name – I feel sad that they never got to hear her laugh. I think Nancy is emblematic of the best of what we do here, and she reminds us why we do it.”

Nancy Hereford joined Center Theatre Group in 1976 as a Mark Taper Forum Press Associate and quick rose to Press Director. Responsible at various times for publicity, advertising, public relations, promotions and marketing, she was the voice of the theatre for three quarters of its 51-year history. Nancy led the publicity campaign for the opening of the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2004 and became press director of the Ahmanson Theatre in 2005 and would oversee publicity for all three theatres until she left Center Theatre Group in 2016.

Hereford worked on hundreds of productions including new works by artists such as Tony Kushner, Luis Valdez, Michael Cristofer, Christopher Hampton, Lanford Wilson, George C. Wolfe, Robert Schenkkan, Sybille Pearson, Anna Deveare Smith, Neil Simon, Lisa Loomer, August Wilson, Rajiv Joseph, Alex Timbers, Dael Orlandersmith, Lisa Kron, Luis Alfaro, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Charles Strouse, Susan Birkenhead, Bob Martin, Alan Menken and Jason Robert Brown among others.

Hereford oversaw the campaigns for the first two plays to win a Pulitzer before being produced in New York -- “The Kentucky Cycle” and “Angels in America” (Part One – “Millennium Approaches”). Both were produced at the Taper.

For 39 years she handled publicity for Center Theatre Group’s new play development programs, education efforts and other institutional programs. Before joining Center Theatre Group, Nancy Hereford was an Account Executive in Entertainment Public Relations for Universal Studios Tour, Universal Amphitheater and Magic Castle; served as an Independent Press Associate on “A Chorus Line” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Nancy was a member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers and served as publicity consultant for the Olympic Arts Festival.

Born in Los Angeles on August 15, 1947, to Jack and Peggy G. Hereford, Nancy Hereford graduated from El Segundo High School (where she was named to the high school’s Hall of Fame) and maintained close ties to the El Segundo community. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science at the University of Colorado and Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Denver. Nancy was a quintessential Angeleno but she loved the outdoors of the Southwest, especially the San Juan Mountains that she first visited as a child with her family.

Nancy Hereford passed away on August 14, 2018. She is survived by her brother Richard Hereford, sister-in-law Sue Beard and nephew Jack Hereford, residing in Arizona.

Those interested in attending the memorial should RSVP to RememberingNancy@ctgla.org no later than September 20. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Free three hour covered parking at City Hall with validation (available in the Kirk Douglas Theatre lobby).

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September 11, 2018

Performances Have Begun for "School Girls" at Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 11:57:00 -0700

PERFORMANCES HAVE BEGUN FOR “SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

Jocelyn Bioh’s Acclaimed New Play Will Run Through September 30, 2018

Performances have begun for the hit MCC Theater production of Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” directed by Rebecca Taichman. Currently in previews, the production will open September 8 at 8 p.m. and continues through September 30, 2018, at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Following the Los Angeles run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the MCC production of “School Girls” will have an encore run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York from October 16 through November 25, 2018.

The cast for “School Girls” includes, in alphabetical order, MaameYaa Boafo, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole and Myra Lucretia Taylor and Zenzi Williams.

The creative team includes set design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht and casting by Telsey + Company/Adam Caldwell, CSA, William Cantler, CSA, Karyn Casl, CSA. Laura Wilson is the production stage manager and Ayisha Hunt is the stage manager.

Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. Jocelyn Bioh’s buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.

Jesse Green of The New York Times said, “The nasty-teen comedy genre emerges wonderfully refreshed and even deepened by its immersion in a world it never considered.” The New Yorker’s Hilton Als called Jocelyn Bioh “a latter-day Restoration comedian,” adding “‘School Girls’ comments on the times—in this case, on our fascinating era, in which so much debate centers on the body, especially the female body.” And, in his review in The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck concluded, “‘School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play’ is a ferociously entertaining morality tale that proves as heartwarming as it is hilarious.” “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” had its world-premiere at MCC on November 2, 2017. The 2017-2018 award season garnered four Lucille Lortel Award nominations including wins for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Mirirai Sithole, and Outstanding Costume Design for Dede Ayite. It also received a 2018 Drama Desk Special Award for Ensemble, the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for Playwright, the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award and nominations for Best Play by The Drama League and from the Off Broadway Alliance.

Jocelyn Bioh is a Ghanaian-American writer and performer. NYC acting credits include “In the Blood” (Signature Theatre, Drama Desk Nomination), “Everybody” (Signature Theatre, Lortel nomination), “Men On Boats” (Playwrights Horizons), “An Octoroon” (Soho Rep), “Neighbors” (The Public) and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (2015 Tony Award for Best Play). Her plays include 2015 Kilroys’ List selection “Nollywood Dreams” (part of 2017 The Cherry Lane Mentor Project), “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” (2017/18 MCC Theater, Lortel Award, OCC John Gassner Award, Hull-Warriner Award, Drama Desk Nomination, Drama League Nomination, Off-Broadway Alliance Nomination, Kilroys’ List 2016), “African Americans” (2011 Ruby Prize Finalist), “Goddess” (book writer) and “The Ladykiller’s Love Story” of which she conceived the story and wrote the libretto with music/lyrics by CeeLo Green. She is a commissioned playwright with Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival and Second Stage Theater. She is a resident playwright at Lincoln Center and is a 2017-18 Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence with MCC Theater. She has a BA in English and Theatre from Ohio State University and an MFA in Playwriting.

Tickets for “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” 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 – $72 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Free three hour covered parking at City Hall with validation (available in the Kirk Douglas Theatre lobby).

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September 5, 2018

Cast Announced for World Premiere of "Quack" at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 11:57:00 -0700

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF “QUACK” AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

“Quack” Will Run October 21 Through November 18, 2018

Center Theatre Group has announced the cast for the world premiere of “Quack” by Eliza Clark. Directed by Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Director Neel Keller, the production will begin previews October 21, open October 28 and continue through November 18, 2018, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

“Quack” was developed in Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Writers’ Workshop.

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September 13, 2018

Applications Open for DMIS Hosted by Center Theatre Group

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 13:55:00 -0700

CENTER THEATRE GROUP APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DISNEY MUSICALS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM

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

In 2017, Center Theatre Group was awarded a grant from Disney to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to the Los Angeles area. The program is an initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theatre programs in under-resourced elementary schools. Center Theatre Group will select five area public elementary schools to participate in this year’s program.

Applications are now being accepted for 2018-2019. Public elementary schools in Los Angeles County holding a Title 1 status are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 21, 2018. For more information or to apply, visit www.CTGLA.org/DisneyMusicalsInSchools or email Traci Kwon at tkwon@ctgla.org.

Previous recipients have included Harrison Elementary (LAUSD), Hope Street Elementary (LAUSD), Humphreys Avenue Elementary (LAUSD), La Ballona Elementary (Culver City Unified School District) and Ritter Elementary (LAUSD).

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, education 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 Ahmanson Theatre 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.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Production’s concern that under-resourced public elementary schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Productions began partnering with organizations in other communities across the United States.

Disney KIDS musicals, created in partnership with Music Theater International (MTI), are 30-minute musicals designed for elementary school performers and have been adapted from the classic Disney films “101 Dalmatians,” “Aladdin,” “The Aristocats,” “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Lion King” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

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.

Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world’s most successful commercial theatre enterprises, bringing live entertainment events to a global annual audience of more than 20 million people in more than 50 countries. Under the Disney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway productions around the world, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” Elton John & Tim Rice’s “Aida,” “TARZAN®,” “Mary Poppins,” a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, “The Little Mermaid,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Newsies,” “Aladdin” and “Frozen.” Other successful stage musical ventures have included the Olivier-nominated London hit “Shakespeare in Love,” stage productions of Disney’s “High School Musical,” “Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame” in Berlin and “King David” in concert. DTP has collaborated with the country’s leading regional theatres to develop new stage titles including “The Jungle Book,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Freaky Friday.”

Disney Theatrical Productions also delivers live shows globally through its license to Feld Entertainment, producer of “Disney on Ice” and “Disney Live!” For over 30 years, “Disney on Ice” and “Disney Live!” have brought beloved Disney stories and characters annually to over 12 million guests in nearly 50 countries worldwide, through productions such as “Marvel Universe Live!” and “Frozen,” the most well attended and highest grossing “Disney on Ice” production to date. In addition, DTP licenses musical titles for local, school and community theatre productions through Music Theatre International, including “The Lion King Experience,” a unique holistic arts education program wherein accredited elementary and middle schools produce condensed, age-appropriate JR. and KIDS adaptations of “The Lion King.”

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials, and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

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September 4, 2018