Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Center Theatre Group Announces 8 New Board Members

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 13:48:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP NAMES
MICHELLE A. AVAN, WENDY CHANG, NOAH FRANCIS, RON GILLYARD, MAX GOUSSE, MARSHA TAUBER SALLAI, RICHARD WEITZ AND HATTIE WINSTON
TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Center Theatre Group has added eight new members to its Board of Directors over the course of this season, as the organization continues building strong support from across the community throughout the prolonged closures of its theatres as a result of the pandemic, announced Board President Kiki Ramos Gindler. Growing its Board to 50 members, its newest dedicated supporters are Michelle A. Avan, Wendy Chang, Noah Francis, Ron Gillyard, Max Gousse, Marsha Tauber Sallai, Richard Weitz and Hattie Winston.

“As theatres continue to face previously unimaginable financial challenges in the face of this pandemic, it’s heartening to know there are so many advocates ready to commit their support to Center Theatre Group. They are helping ensure we will weather the storm and rebuild in inspiring new directions,” said Gindler. “These new members represent some of the pillars of Los Angeles that have helped keep this organization a vital part of the theatre ecosystem in this country for more than 50 years.

“Our Board has also made an important commitment to becoming a better reflection of our community by expanding its representation to include more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) voices,” added Gindler. “Last year, our Board Leadership voted to adopt a dedicated budget item for equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism for the entire organization. And we created a standing committee on the Board dedicated to this necessary work. This committee’s goals include revising the Board’s workplan to include measurable actionable steps in diversifying its membership and moving towards being an anti-racist organization. We will continue to work at the Board level and with the organization’s leadership to further these goals in the coming months and beyond.”

The newest board members include leaders from the worlds of finance, education, marketing, sales, the arts, the recording industry and the wider entertainment industry.

Michelle A. Avan is the Managing Director, West Division Supervision Executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, with a career in the financial services industry spanning more than 25 years and an ongoing commitment to empowering young people, particularly Black women and girls, by helping them realize their full potential through financial acumen, higher education, determination and drive. Among her accomplishments, Avan was a recipient of Bank of America’s Global Diversity & Inclusion award as well as a member of the company’s Black Executive Leadership Council and co-chair of that’s group’s business initiative.

Wendy Chang is a respected leader in the field of nonprofits and foundations as the director of the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, a foundation that has been a strong supporter of Center Theatre Group since 2002. Previously, Wendy has held positions including Executive Management Academy Director at the Whitecap Foundation; Director of Training and Advancement at Public Corporation for the Arts; Special Projects/Membership Director for the California Association of Nonprofits; and Director of Consulting Services for CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Silicon Valley. She has served on several boards and councils, including Lambda Legal, Liberty Hill Foundation, Play Equity Fund, Arts Education Collective Funders Council, Los Angeles Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, OUT Fund and Circle of Change giving circles, East West Players and Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, among many others.

Noah Francis is a Vice President at JPMorgan Private Bank in Los Angeles, with more than a decade of experience in the financial services industry. Noah works as a Private Banker concentrating on the sports and entertainment industry with a particular focus on building black wealth. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Private Bank, Noah was based in London as the Business Manager supporting the J.P. Morgan Global Corporate Banking franchise in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). In this role, he developed and executed strategic objectives alongside the head of the EMEA Corporate Bank, as well as the senior Country Heads managing emerging market locations in the region, as well as the Multinational Corporates business.

Ron Gillyard is a partner and Chief Growth Officer of Quantasy + Associates, an award-winning full-service marketing and advertising agency in Los Angeles, having previously worked at Motown Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, J Records and Interscope Records. While in these positions he oversaw the A&R, marketing and sales of more than 100 million albums. In 2011, Gillyard was awarded a Grammy award for his work as a producer on Bebe & Cece Winans’ album “Still” in the category of Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. He is also a producer of the musical “Born For This,” featuring music by BeBe Winans and book by Charles Randolph-Wright.

Max Gousse is co-founder & Chairman of Artistry Collective (www.artistry-collective.com). Max’s work in the A&R arena dates back to the mid-90s, having worked with Adina Howard on the now-classic, “Freak Like Me.” Another milestone was his A&R work with Beyonce on the albums “B’ Day” and “I Am...Sasha Fierce,” as well as the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack. Max has also worked with B2K, Solange, Kelly Rowland and Sunshine Anderson, all while working at a litany of music companies including East West, Epic, Universal Music Publishing, Mathew Knowles’ Music World and Island Def Jam.

Marsha Tauber Sallai is the President of Royal Accessories, LLC., a multi-faceted Luxury Gift Line business specializing in custom designs. Utilizing her management consulting experience, the company went from a start-up to an established account base of national and international presence in over 600 boutiques, luxury hotels, retailers, online stores and special commissions for the Smithsonian, Field and Cummer Museum. An avid volunteer, she is the President of the Center Theatre Group Affiliates, a women’s volunteer organization founded in 1971 by Dorothy Buffum Chandler, and the longest standing volunteer organization supporting CTG.

Richard Weitz is a partner at William Morris Endeavor (WME), with clients including creators, producers, showrunners and directors such as Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Ricky Gervais, LL Cool J, John Legend and Josh Groban. After joining Endeavor in 1997, Weitz was promoted to partner in April 2002 and served as the head of the agency’s television packaging and literary department which he helped start. Richard and his daughter Demi have been hosting RWQuarantunes—celebrity filled fundraiser Zoom events—during the recent pandemic and have raised over $18 million for charities including more than $700,000 for Center Theatre Group through his virtual benefit in January.

Hattie Winston has worked extensively across stage, television and film. Perhaps best known for her television work on “Becker” and “The Electric Company,” she began her career in the theatre, as a founding member of the world-renowned Negro Ensemble Company. Her Broadway credits include “Hair,” “The Me Nobody Knows,” “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” and “The Tap Dance Kid.” She has received two Obie Awards, two Drama-Logue Awards, CEBA Awards and an Audelco Award for her contributions to the world of theatre. Winston served as the national co-chair for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Equal Employment Opportunities Committee and donated a collection of writings entitled the Hattie Winston African American Scripts and Screenplays Collection to the University of Louisville.

They join a group of philanthropic leaders on Center Theatre Group’s Board, including Chairman William H. Ahmanson, President Kiki Ramos Gindler, Executive Vice President Brindell Roberts Gottlieb, Vice President William R. Lindsay, Secretary Amy R. Forbes, Treasurer David Quigg and members Harry Abrams, Jonathan Axel, Pamela Beck, Thom Beers, Miles Benickes, Gail Berman-Masters, Jana Bezdek, Betsy Borns, Diana Buckhantz, Dannielle Campos Ramirez, Jill Chozen, Christine Cronin-Hurst, Bradford W. Edgerton, MD, Gary Frischling, Rebecca George, Patricia Glaser, Manuela Cerri Goren, Robert Greenblatt, Jason Grode, Aliza Karney Guren, Stanley Iezman, Paul James, Jody Lippman, Louise Moriarty, Kari L. Nakama, Philip Pavel, Meghan Pressman, Michael Ritchie, Laura Rosenwald, Bruce L. Ross, Donna Schweers, Elliott Sernel, Glenn A. Sonnenberg, Sandra Stern, Bonnie Vitti and Matthew Walden.

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 / CEO 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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February 25, 2021

'The Gaze ... No Homo' Comes to the Digital Stage

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:10:00 -0800

LARRY POWELL’S “THE GAZE … NO HOMO” COMES TO CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S DIGITAL STAGE FEBRUARY 25 THROUGH MARCH 25, 2021

Adapted for a Digital Stage by Powell, the Digital Production will be Free to the Public for the First Weekend and $20 for the Remainder of the Run

Center Theatre Group is presenting Larry Powell’s “The Gaze … No Homo,” a satiric dramedy about the decolonization of the Black imagination which will be presented on Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage February 25 at 5 pm Pacific through March 25, 2021. Produced by Tell Me A Story Productions, “The Gaze” will be free to the public for the first weekend (February 25 through 28) and cost $20 for the remainder of the run. The streaming video will be available on demand at centertheatregroup.org/digitalstage/videos/the-gaze-no-homo.

Adapted from his own 2020-2021 Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference Finalist play, writer / creator Larry Powell refers to this production of “The Gaze” as a “#Digiplay Experience.” Set in the prestigious Evergreen Theatre Festival tucked in a bucolic small town, which prides itself on developing the brightest and boldest new American voices, a young actor is cast in the virtual production of an emerging Black queer playwright. As the established director dreams of Broadway and tensions rise in heated Zoom-based rehearsals, “The Gaze” examines the process of building culturally specific and queer works of color in historically white spaces.

Larry Powell is a writer, actor, director and producer born and raised in South Central LA. As an actor he’s played roles in some of the most exciting new plays in America including “The Legend of Georgia McBride” by Matthew Lopez, “Broke-ology” by Nathan Louis Jackson and “While I Yet Live” by Billy Porter. At the Mark Taper Forum, Powell appeared in “The Christians” by Lucas Hnath (also the world premiere at Actors Theatre of Louisville) and “Father Comes Home From The Wars” by Suzan Lori Parks. He also stars as Lawrence in the movie “The Browsing Effect” (Prime Video). He is a two-time Ovation Award nominee, three-time NAACP Theatre Award nominee, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Award nominee, two-time LA Drama Critics Circle Award winner, as well as an Audelco and Audie award nominee. Writer/creator of “The Gaze” New Media Series and #Digiplay Experience, Powell is also a dynamic playwright and screenwriter. As a director, he has worked with brilliant artists on exciting new works for stage and screen. Including work on his own feature film project “Mother’s Milk” (Pan African Film Festival 2021 Official Selection) and working with Phylicia Rashad on her Center Theatre Group production of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the Taper (assistant director). Powell is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts MFA Acting program (Directing stellar productions of “The Brothers Size” by Tarell Alvin McCraney and “Pipeline” by Dominique Morisseau). Powell is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama and the Founder of Free The Arts a holistic experience for diverse, intergenerational Black artists to put each other on game through quality training, community, opportunity, and new, bold works for a new audience.

Tell Me A Story Productions, founded by Executive Producer Angelica Robinson, acquires, develops and produces premium content for film, television and new media. Committed to highlighting edutainment programming, as well as character-driven stories that embrace diverse images of the multi-cultural human experience, our team is a go-to source for on-screen and behind-the-scenes diverse talent in media.

Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage is presented by American Express. As presenting sponsor of The Digital Stage, American Express Card Members enjoy special opportunities on the Digital Stage, including: presales and early access for limited-release premium events, invitations to private pre- or post-show meet and greets and access to exclusive content curated especially for Card Members.

Bank of America is Center Theatre Group’s Season Sponsor, including Digital Stage programming. For more than 20 years, Bank of America has partnered with Center Theatre Group to provide innovative Education and Community Partnerships programs as well as present world-class productions at the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum. Their generous support now extends online to the Digital Stage.

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 / CEO 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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February 19, 2021

2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition Regional Finalists

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 15:38:00 -0800

CENTER THEATRE GROUP SELECTS 11 LOCAL STUDENTS FOR 2021 AUGUST WILSON MONOLOGUE COMPETITION REGIONAL FINALS TO BE CAPTURED AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE AND STREAMED ON CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S DIGITAL STAGE MARCH 23 AT 5 PM

Top Two Students Will Be Joined by 2020 Finalist Tyla Uzo to Participate in National Finals

Center Theatre Group has selected 11 local high school students to participate in the regional finals for the 2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) to be held virtually with participants performing on the stage of the Kirk Douglas Theatre in early March. Viewed remotely but in real time by the competition’s judges, the performances will be recorded and streamed during the live event on March 23 at 5 pm Pacific. The livestream of the event will be free to the public and available at CTGLA.org/AugustWilson2021.

This is the tenth 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. All previous competitions have culminated in an evening of monologues performed on the stage of the Mark Taper Forum.

“The August Wilson Monologue Competition is always one of my favorite evenings in the theatre each year,” said Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. “For many of these young performers, this is their first introduction to the unparalleled cycle of plays by of one of America’s greatest playwrights, and the opportunity to witness the transformational power of August’s work on these students and the chance to see the energy and the insights that they bring his words never fails to leave me awestruck. While the pandemic forced changes to the program this year, I am happy that the participants will still be performing on one of our stages and hope that this virtual format will make it easier for the wider community to experience the work of these amazing young performers who promise to be the future of theatre. I absolutely expect this year’s event to be one of my favorite nights in front of a computer screen.”

The students selected to participate in the regional finals are Simone Baker (Sherman Oaks), Hazel Eko (Los Angeles), Willa Jackson (Los Angeles), Chazaiah Johnson (Los Angeles), Hailey Soomin Lee (Redondo Beach), Giselle Lopez (Los Angeles), Veronica McFarlane (Whittier), Stephen Moran (Los Angeles), Reva Pau (South Pasadena), Dillion Jerome Sowell (Moreno Valley) and Landon Wouters (Fullerton).

Two finalists will be announced during the livestream on March 23. Those two finalists will be joined by one of last year’s finalists, Tyla Uzo, in advancing to the national competition. The students selected will receive master classes provided by Center Theatre Group. The sessions will allow the students to refine their performances while gaining valuable acting techniques.

The program kicked off this season with a preliminary audition that featured 113 students in 10th, 11th or 12th-grade from 33 different high schools in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Of those students, 45 advanced to a semi-final audition held live on Zoom in December 2020 where the aforementioned 11 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 Carson Senior High School, Edward R. Roybal Learning Center and Animo Leadership Charter High School are taking part in the residency. The students and teachers from the three classrooms selected will have the opportunity to view 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; East Lansing; Greensboro, North Carolina; Hampton Roads, Virginia; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Maryland; Milwaukee; New Haven, Connecticut; New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Pittsburgh; Portland, Oregon; San Diego; Seattle; and Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Each city runs its program differently and each experience is designed to provide 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 made possible by the Michael Shaw Jacobs Fund and The Dwight Stuart Youth Fund. Additional support is provided by Cindy and Gary Frischling, the Lawrence P. Frank Foundation, the Sascha Brastoff Foundation, the Find Your Light Foundation and City National Bank. The August Wilson Monologue Competition Los Angeles Regional Finals is presented by the Center Theatre Group Affiliates.

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 “American Century Cylce,” including two world premiere productions. 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 CTGLA.org/AugustWilson.

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February 18, 2021

Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Center Theatre Group Announces 8 New Board Members

CENTER THEATRE GROUP NAMES MICHELLE A. AVAN, WENDY CHANG, NOAH FRANCIS, RON GILLYARD, MAX GOUSSE, MARSHA TAUBER SALLAI, RICHARD WEITZ AND HATTIE WINSTON TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

'The Gaze ... No Homo' Comes to the Digital Stage

LARRY POWELL’S “THE GAZE … NO HOMO” COMES TO CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S DIGITAL STAGE FEBRUARY 25 THROUGH MARCH 25, 2021

Adapted for a Digital Stage by Powell, the Digital Production will be Free to the Public for the First Weekend and $20 for the Remainder of the Run

2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition Regional Finalists

CENTER THEATRE GROUP SELECTS 11 LOCAL STUDENTS FOR 2021 AUGUST WILSON MONOLOGUE COMPETITION REGIONAL FINALS TO BE CAPTURED AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE AND STREAMED ON CENTER THEATRE GROUP’S DIGITAL STAGE MARCH 23 AT 5 PM

Top Two Students Will Be Joined by 2020 Finalist Tyla Uzo to Participate in National Finals

CENTER THEATRE GROUP NAMES
MICHELLE A. AVAN, WENDY CHANG, NOAH FRANCIS, RON GILLYARD, MAX GOUSSE, MARSHA TAUBER SALLAI, RICHARD WEITZ AND HATTIE WINSTON
TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS