Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Center Theatre Group Announces 2020 August Wilson Monologue Competition Regional Finalists

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:00:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP SELECTS 12 LOCAL STUDENTS FOR 2020 AUGUST WILSON MONOLOGUE COMPETITION REGIONAL FINALS TO BE HELD AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM ON FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Top Two Students Will Participate in National Finals on Broadway on May 4

Center Theatre Group has selected 12 local high school students to participate in the regional finals for the 2020 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) to be held at the Mark Taper Forum on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.

This is the ninth consecutive year Center Theatre Group is hosting the Los Angeles 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 cycle that details the complexity of the African American experience in the 20th century.

Those selected to participate in the regional finals are Kyle Branch (Los Angeles), Daniel Cuasay (Moreno Valley), Fletcher Jones (Los Angeles), Jayla Jones (Sunland-Tujunga), David Kwon (Fullerton), Milan Lapesarde (Los Angeles), Miko Alicia Mariscal (Los Angeles), Samantha del Rey (Sylmar), Nailah Shorter (Pasadena), Theodore Taylor III (Los Angeles), Tyla Uzo (Gardena) and Onnie Williams IV (Alhambra). The students represent nine local high schools within Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Branch also participated in the 2019 competition.

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 25, the 12 regional finalists will perform their monologues at the Mark Taper Forum in front of an invited audience, including a panel of judges. The two top-performing students will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the chance to perform in the AWMC national finals; the third place student will serve as alternate. The national finals will take place on May 4 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 122 students in 10th, 11th or 12th-grade from 30 different high schools in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Fifty-four of those students advanced to a semi-final audition held at The Music Center Annex in December 2019 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. This year, classes from Animo Leadership Charter High School, Carson High School and Roybal Learning Center will take part in the residency. The students and teachers from the three classrooms selected 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.

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; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Dallas; Greensboro, North Carolina; Los Angeles; New Haven, Connecticut; New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Pittsburgh; Portland, Oregon; San Diego; and Seattle. 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.

Center Theatre Group’s August Wilson Program is presented by the Center Theatre Group Affiliates. The August Wilson Program receives generous support from the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund and the Rosenthal Family Foundation as well as support from The Michael Shaw Jacobs Fund, Lawrence P. Frank Foundation, Sascha Brastoff Foundation and Joseph Drown 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, Wilson’s “Jitney” had a successful run at the Mark Taper Forum in 2019.

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

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, Managing Director Meghan Pressman and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2100-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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January 27, 2020

"Until the Flood" Opens at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:00:00 -0800

DAEL ORLANDERSMITH’S “UNTIL THE FLOOD” OPENS JANUARY 29 AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

“Until the Flood” Will Run Through February 23, 2020

Currently in previews, “Until the Flood” will open at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre on Wednesday, January 29 at 8 p.m. Written and starring Dael Orlandersmith and directed by Neel Keller, “Until the Flood” will continue through February 23.

The creative team features scenic designer Takeshi Kata, costume designer Kaye Voyce, lighting designer Mary Louise Geiger, sound designer and composer Justin Ellington and projection designer Nicholas Hussong. The production stage manager is Brooke Baldwin.

Commissioned by Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, “Until the Flood” explores a community in turmoil following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Orlandersmith drew from her extensive interviews with residents across the greater St. Louis area to create composite characters that reflect a wide range of perspectives and experiences of race to discuss the roots of unrest and the search for healing. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said, “‘Until the Flood’ is so palpably compassionate, it achieves a great beauty by bringing us together rather than driving us apart.”

Dael Orlandersmith previously collaborated with Center Theatre Group on 2010’s “Bones” (a Center Theatre Group commission and world premiere), “Stoop Stories” and 2014’s “Forever” (a World premiere production). In 2015, “Forever” was performed at the Long Wharf and New York Theatre Workshop. There was also a production of the play at Oregon’s Portland Center Stage in 2016. In 2017, “Forever” was onstage at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. She first performed “Stoop Stories” in 2008 at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival and Apollo Theater’s Salon Series; Washington, D.C.’s Studio Theatre produced its world premiere in 2009. She developed “Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men” as a co-commission between the Goodman Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it was staged in May 2012. Her play “Horsedreams” was developed at New Dramatists and workshopped at New York Stage and Film Company in 2008, and was performed at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2011. Ms. Orlandersmith premiered “The Blue Album,” in collaboration with David Cale, at Long Wharf Theatre in 2007. “Yellowman” was commissioned by and premiered at McCarter Theatre in a co-production with The Wilma Theater and Long Wharf Theatre. Ms. Orlandersmith was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play for “Yellowman” in 2002. The Gimmick, commissioned by McCarter Theatre, premiered in their Second Stage OnStage series in 1998 and went on to receive great acclaim at Long Wharf Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop; Ms. Orlandersmith won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for “The Gimmick” in 1999. Her play “Monster” premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in November 1996. She has toured extensively with the Nuyorican Poets Café (Real Live Poetry) throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. “Yellowman” and a collection of her earlier works have been published by Vintage Books and Dramatists Play Service. Ms. Orlandersmith attended Sundance Institute Theatre Lab for four summers and is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Guggenheim, and the 2005 PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for a playwright in mid-career. She is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel Foundation Playwriting Fellowship and an Obie Award for “Beauty’s Daughter.” In fall 2016, Ms. Orlandersmith wrote and performed “Until the Flood,” which was commissioned by The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. In 2018, it arrived at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York, Milwaukee Rep, the Goodman, and ACT Seattle. Ms. Orlandersmith is currently working on two commissions. Her play “Lady in Denmark” opened in fall 2018 at the Goodman, and prior to arriving at the Douglas, “Until the Flood” was onstage at Portland Center Stage and the Galway Arts Festival in 2019. This year, she’ll be performing the play not only at the Douglas, but at the Denver Arts Festival and Spoleto Festival in South Carolina. She is working on a new play called “New Age” for Milwaukee Rep and another play for the Goodman. Ms. Orlandersmith is also in the process of writing a book of autofiction.

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-$75 (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 29, 2020

Performances Begin for 'The Last Ship' Starring Sting at Ahmanson

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:41:00 -0800

PERFORMANCES OF “THE LAST SHIP” STARRING STING BEGIN JANUARY 14

THE SHOW MAKES ITS LOS ANGELES DEBUT AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP/AHMANSON THEATRE THROUGH FEBRUARY 16, 2020

Performances for Sting’s acclaimed musical, “The Last Ship,” will begin on January 14, 2020. The limited five-week engagement will play through February 16, 2020 at the Ahmanson Theatre. The opening is set for Wednesday, January 22 at 8 p.m.

Tickets for “The Last Ship” are currently on sale for the premiere Los Angeles engagement at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. To purchase tickets, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org, call Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or visit the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012). Ticket prices start at $35.

Seventeen-time Grammy Award®-winner Sting stars as shipyard foreman, ‘Jackie White,’ and will perform the role at every performance. He is joined by Frances McNamee as ‘Meg,’ Jackie Morrison as ‘Peggy White’ and Oliver Savile as ‘Gideon Fletcher.’

The remainder of the entirely British cast includes Marc Akinfolarin, Joe Caffrey, Matt Corner, Susan Fay, Orla Gormley, Annie Grace, Sean Kearns, Oliver Kearney, David Muscat, Tom Parsons, Joseph Peacock, Sophie Reid, Hannah Richardson and Jade Sophia Vertannes.

The company is appearing with the support of Actor’s Equity Association.

For more information on the production and a video sneak peek, please visit thelastshipmusical.com

Inspired by Sting’s 1991 album, “The Soul Cages,” “The Last Ship” tells the story of Gideon, a prodigal son returning home after 17 years at sea to find that the local shipyard his town was built around is closing and Meg, the love he left behind, has moved on. Tensions flare and picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White (Sting) rallies the workers to take over the shipyard and build one last ship in the face of the gathering storm.

A love story, a tale of family and friendship, and a passionate homage to the shipbuilding community Sting grew up in, this “thrilling and stirring musical" (The Guardian) features a Tony-nominated original score by Sting including some of his best-loved songs “Island of Souls,” “All This Time” and “When We Dance.”

Completely reimagined since its Broadway debut in 2014, “The Last Ship” has thrilled audiences across the UK and in Toronto and has been described as “uplifting, intimate, heart-breaking and universal." (The Stage.)

“The Last Ship” has a new book and direction by incoming artistic director of the National Theatre Wales Lorne Campbell; is based on the original book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey; has set design by 59 Productions, the multi award-winning studio behind the video design of the London 2012 Olympic Games, “Les Misérables” and “War Horse”; musical supervision and orchestrations by Emmy Award-winning, Drama Desk, Tony and Grammy nominated arranger/composer/producer Rob Mathes whose credits include arrangements for “The Greatest Showman” and work with the biggest names in music including Elton John, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Jay-Z, Aretha Franklin and many more; musical direction by Richard John; costume design by Molly Einchcomb; movement direction by Lucy Hind; lighting design by Matt Daw and sound design by Sebastian Frost. “The Last Ship” is produced by Karl Sydow.

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January 14, 2020

Mat Diafos Sweeney Receives the 2020 Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:41:00 -0800

MAT DIAFOS SWEENEY RECEIVES THE 2020 DOROTHY AND RICHARD E. SHERWOOD AWARD

Center Theatre Group’s $10,000 Award Supporting Innovative L.A. Theatre Artists

Mat Diafos Sweeney is the recipient of the 2020 Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award announced at the 2020 Ovation Awards on Monday January 13, 2020. Given in memory of Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood, the $10,000 award aims to cultivate innovative theatre artists working in Los Angeles who push formal and aesthetic boundaries and demonstrate dedication to improving their respective artistic fields. The two additional finalists, Sigrid Gilmer and Alexandra Meda, will each receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Mat Diafos Sweeney is an Ovation Award-winning performance maker from Los Angeles. His practice includes directing, choreographing, designing, composing music and writing/collaging texts to make new theatre. He creates through-composed performance work for multi-disciplinary ensembles, often devised and staged in non-theatrical venues. He has been independently producing work as four larks since 2008, with an evolving coterie of collaborators across the US and Australia. His most recent projects include “undine,” a New Music USA-supported ecofeminist songspiel in a converted flower shop downtown, and “katabasis,” a processional opera staged around the grounds and gardens of the Getty Villa, styled after ancient mystery rites. In the coming year, he will continue his ongoing series of site-specific performance activations for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, present his participatory installation song cycle “hymns” and premiere his new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” at the Wallis.

Since 1996, Center Theatre Group has recognized and celebrated local theatre artists with the Richard E. Sherwood Award. In 2018 Dorothy Sherwood, Richard’s wife and fellow champion of innovative and adventurous theatre artists, passed away. To honor the passion and dedication of both patrons of the arts, the award was renamed the Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award.

Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood were patrons of the arts with a special appreciation for artists who are in the vanguard of theatre. Richard 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 their family, friends, colleagues and fellow board members, to honor the family’s passionate commitment to theatre. Dorothy Sherwood was deeply involved in the curation and selection process, hosting salons at her home for many of the artists, traveling to theatres around Los Angeles to support new work, and ensuring that the award would truly help recipients.

Past recipients of the Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award include set and projection designer Hana S. Kim (who designed the August Wilson Monologue Competition at the Taper), lighting designer Pablo Santiago (“Zoot Suit” and “Valley of the Heart”), lighting designer Christopher Kuhl (“The Nether” and “Appropriate”), costume designer Ann Closs-Farley (“Women Laughing Alone With Salad,” “Zoot Suit”), director Lars Jan (“The White Album”), director/performer/choreographer Ameenah Kaplan (“The Royale,” “Facing Our Truth”), playwright John Belusso (“The Body of Bourne”) and director Robert O’Hara (“In the Continuum,” “Eclipsed”) among others.

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January 14, 2020

Center Theatre Group Announces Second and Final Extension of "What the Constitution Means to Me" at the Taper

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:41:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP ANNOUNCES SECOND AND FINAL EXTENSION OF “WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME” AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM

THE TONY-NOMINATED PLAY OPENS FRIDAY, JANUARY 17AND MUST CLOSE FEBRUARY 28, 2020

A SPECIAL EVENT CO-HOSTED BY LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE

WILL BE HELD FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE ON FEBRUARY 27

ADDITIONAL STUDENT MATINEES ANNOUNCED

NEW BLOCK OF TICKETS RELEASED FOR ALL PERFORMANCES

Currently in previews, “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum is extended a second and final time. Written by Heidi Schreck, directed by Oliver Butler and starring Maria Dizzia, the Tony-nominated play, originally scheduled to run through February 16 and later extended until February 23, will now continue through February 28, 2020. “What the Constitution Means to Me” will open on Friday, January 17. A new block of tickets has been made available for all performances throughout the run.

It was also announced that tickets are now on sale for “A Constitutional Conversation,” an event co-hosted by Los Angeles magazine after the performance on Thursday, February 27. The panel discussion led by Editor-in-Chief Maer Roshan will feature special guests in conversation to discuss what the Constitution means to us all. Tickets for this performance and panel discussion are $150 and can be purchased by visiting CTGLA.org/LAMag. Panel guests will be announced at a later date.

Additional dates for student matinee performances of “What the Constitution Means to Me” have also been announced. Those performances will be on Thursday, February 27 and Friday, February 28. For more information, please visit CTGLA.org/StudentMatinee.

In addition to Maria Dizzia, the cast of “What the Constitution Means to Me” includes original Broadway cast members Rosdely Ciprian and Mike Iveson as well as local debater Jocelyn Shek (who alternates in the role with Ciprian). Gabriel Marin and Jessica Savage are understudies. The creative team features scenic design by Rachel Hauck (“Hadestown”), costume design by Michael Krass (“Hadestown”), lighting design by Jen Schriever (“Eclipsed”) and sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar (“Hamlet”). The production stage manager is Nicole Olson and the casting director is Taylor Williams.

Direct from Broadway, playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

Schreck’s timely and galvanizing play, directed by Oliver Butler, became a sensation off-Broadway last fall before transferring to Broadway where it received two Tony Award nominations among countless other accolades. The New York Times hailed “What the Constitution Means to Me” as “not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important.”

Initially announced for a 12-week engagement on Broadway, “What the Constitution Means to Me” was extended twice and fully recouped in its Broadway engagement, shattering box office records at the Helen Hayes Theater, for a total run of 24 weeks. “What the Constitution Means to Me” officially opened March 31, 2019 after beginning preview performances March 14, and played its final Broadway performance on August 24, 2019.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” had a record-breaking limited engagement run at the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where it played 15 performances immediately following the conclusion of the Broadway run, from September 11 through September 22, 2019.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” was commissioned by True Love Productions. This production originated as part of Summerworks 2017, produced by Clubbed Thumb in partnership with True Love Productions.

The national tour of “What the Constitution Means to Me” is produced by Diana DiMenna, Aaron Glick, Matt Ross and Level Forward & Eva Price.

Heidi Schreck is a playwright, screenwriter and performer living in Brooklyn. Her most recent play “What the Constitution Means to Me” was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play. Schreck also received two Tony Award nominations for “What the Constitution Means to Me” for Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, the 2019 Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award, the Horton Foote Playwriting Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and an OBIE. Heidi’s other plays include “Grand Concourse,” “Creature,” “Mr. Universe” and “There Are No More Big Secrets.” Her screenwriting credits include “I Love Dick,” “Billions” and “Nurse Jackie.” Schreck has taught playwriting and screenwriting at NYU, Columbia, Kenyon College and Primary Stages.

These student matinees are also made possible by the Theatre Access for L.A. Initiative which supports Center Theatre Group’s efforts to reach an audience that reflects the diverse makeup of Southern California and the communities we serve. A gift to this fund helps us provide access to underrepresented community members and to create a more inclusive theatre through subsidized ticket offers, innovative audience engagement and education projects, and more. Lead funding for Theatre Access for L.A. is provided in part by Glaser, Weil LLP; Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman et al.; and Jeffer Mangels Butler and Mitchell LLP. Under the Theatre Access for L.A. Initiative, Center Theatre Group has added $15 student rush tickets (a limited number available for students 25 and under with a valid student ID) and 232 $25 tickets in the extension week (in honor of the United States’ 232-year-old Constitution) to the existing FreePlay program (free tickets at a preview performance for people 25 years of age and under) and $15 TodayTix lottery (made available for all evening performances) in an effort to make theatre available to every audience. For more information, visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Constitution.

The student matinee program would not be possible without the generous support of the Rosenthal Family Foundation; City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; US Bank; Wells Fargo; Diana Buckhantz and Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation; Renee and Meyer Luskin; Laura and James Rosenwald and Orinoco Foundation; Union Bank, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, Paramount Pictures and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

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 $25-$175 (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 16, 2020

"What the Constitution Means to Me" Opens at the Taper

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:41:00 -0800

“WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME” OPENS JANUARY 17 AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM

The Tony-Nominated Play Continues Through February 28, 2020

Presented by Center Theatre Group, “What the Constitution Means to Me” opens Friday, January 17, 2020, at the Mark Taper Forum. Starring Maria Dizzia, written by Heidi Schreck and directed by Oliver Butler, performances will continue through February 28.

In addition to Maria Dizzia, the cast of “What the Constitution Means to Me” includes original Broadway cast members Rosdely Ciprian and Mike Iveson as well as local debater Jocelyn Shek (who alternates in the role with Ciprian). Gabriel Marin and Jessica Savage are understudies. The creative team features scenic design by Rachel Hauck (“Hadestown”), costume design by Michael Krass (“Hadestown”), lighting design by Jen Schriever (“Eclipsed”) and sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar (“Hamlet”). The casting director is Taylor Williams and the production stage manager is Nicole Olson.

Schreck’s timely and galvanizing play, directed by Oliver Butler, became a sensation off-Broadway before transferring to Broadway in 2019 where it received two Tony Award nominations among countless other accolades. The New York Times hailed “What the Constitution Means to Me” as “not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important.”

The national tour of “What the Constitution Means to Me” is produced by Diana DiMenna, Aaron Glick, Matt Ross and Level Forward & Eva Price.

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 $59-$175 (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 17, 2020

Performances Begin for "Until the Flood" at the Douglas

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:41:00 -0800

PERFORMANCES BEGIN FOR “UNTIL THE FLOOD” AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

JANUARY 24 THROUGH FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Performances begin on January 24 for “Until the Flood” at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre. Written and starring Dael Orlandersmith and directed by Neel Keller, “Until the Flood” will continue through February 23. The opening is set for January 29.

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January 24, 2020

Center Theatre Group Continues Free Play Reading Series at Libraries

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 16:25:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP TO CONTINUE ITS FREE PLAY READING SERIES AT LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Readings Will Be Presented January through June 2020 at Benjamin Franklin Library, Malabar Library and Robert Louis Stevenson Library

Center Theatre Group will continue its free library play reading series with the readings of six plays on select dates from January to June 2020. The plays will be presented at Benjamin Franklin Library on Tuesdays, Malabar Library on Wednesdays and Robert Louis Stevenson Library on Thursdays. All readings will begin at 6 p.m.

“Tortilla Flat” is written by John Steinbeck and adapted by Forrest Hartl. It will be performed in English on Tuesday, January 14, Wednesday, January 15 and Thursday, January 16.

Presented by Off The Tracks Theatre Company, “Las Arañas Cumplen Años” is written by Camila Villegas and directed by Juan Parada. It will be performed in Spanish on Tuesday, February 11, Wednesday, February 12 and Thursday, February 13.

Presented by East Los Angeles College (ELAC) Storytellers Ensemble, “East Side Story” is written by the ELAC ensemble and directed by James Buglewicz. It will be performed in English on Tuesday, March 17, Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19. This reading marks Center Theatre Group’s second collaboration with the ELAC Theatre Arts Department.

Presented by Will & Company, “Valor” is written and directed by Fran de Leon. It will be performed in English and Tagalog on Tuesday, April 14, Wednesday, April 15 and Thursday, April 16. “Awake” is written and performed by Joe Hernandez-Kolski. It will be performed in English on Tuesday, May 12, Wednesday, May 13 and Thursday, May 14.

“Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” is written by Teatro Liberado. It will be presented in English and Spanish on Tuesday, June 16, Wednesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 18.

The Benjamin Franklin Library is located at 2200 East 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033; the Malabar Library is at 2801 Wabash Ave., Los Angeles, 90033; and the Robert Louis Stevenson Library is at 803 Spence St., Los Angeles, 90023. New this year, all readings at Benjamin Franklin Library will include ASL interpretation from Interpret THAT.

“It’s incredible to continue into the sixth year of our partnership with the libraries in Boyle Heights and with local theatre companies in order to offer community members free play readings that represent the diversity of this city with plays in English, Spanish, Tagalog and trilingual ASL interpretation,” said Center Theatre Group Community Partnerships Director Jesus A. Reyes. “Additionally, this season of readings includes a second new play from our partnership with East Los Angeles College Theatre Arts Department, which was derived from interviews with Boyle Heights residents. There are so many stories to share and each library a stage for community members to enjoy.”

For reservations to the reading, contact Jesus A. Reyes at jreyes@ctgla.org or call 213-972-8028. More information on Center Theatre Group’s community programs can be found at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Community.

Now in its sixth year, the 2020 library play readings are presented by Center Theatre Group’s Education, Engagement and Community Partnerships department and are supported in part by funding from the California Arts Council’s Creative California Communities grant and the Friar’s Charitable Foundation. Through free workshops, events, productions, discussions and other activities that take place at traditional and nontraditional venues, Center Theatre Group is working to connect with community members and artists throughout L.A. and to facilitate inclusive and thoughtful cultural conversations.

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January 3, 2020

'The Book of Mormon' Calendar

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 14:23:00 -0800

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February – March 2020

EVENT:

“The Book of Mormon”

Book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw

Directed by Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker

DESCRIPTION:

This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. Now with standing room only productions in London, on Broadway and across North America, “The Book of Mormon” has truly become an international sensation.

DATES/TIMES:

Previews February 18 at 8 p.m.

Press Performance on Wednesday, February 19 at 8 p.m.

Through March 29, 2020.

Regular Performances (February 20 – March 29): 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 Thursday, March 26. No 6:30 p.m. performance on Sunday, March 29.

TICKET INFO:

Ticket prices start at $45 (subject to change) and 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. 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 2, 2020