Center Theatre Group

The Last Ship—onstage at the Ahmanson January 14 – Febuary 16, 2020, is set in Sting’s hometown of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear: a town in North East England with a rich history of not only shipbuilding, but community action. The show is set in 1986; strikes and unrest have roiled British industry for some time, and, under the leadership of Prime...

A Community of Strength: the Compelling History Behind Sting's Hometown

It’s the fall of 1977 in the Hill District. The urban area just west of downtown Pittsburgh is predominantly African American, and in a time of de facto segregation, untraveled by run-of-the-mill taxis. Transportation options are limited, and unlicensed “jitney” cabs are as common there as legal yellow cabs are in white neighborhoods.

Community, Empowerment & Being Human in August Wilson’s 'Jitney'

From 2012–2016, three of Southern California’s leading regional theatres programmed ambitious initiatives to engage local communities—primarily Latinx—they felt were underrepresented as patrons at their theatres. With funding from the James Irvine Foundation’s Exploring Engagement fund, all three companies experimented with partnerships...

Working in Community

Seventy-five playwrights have participated in the Center Theatre Group L.A. Writers’ Workshop since 2004. From the established wordsmith to the promising wunderkind, playwrights at all stages in their careers have spent a year with us getting support in the critical early stages of a new work’s development. There are only four requirements for...

Seven Writers Walk into a Room…

Introducing theatre to a young audience member can be a magical experience, but it can also be a daunting one. For example: How can you be sure to pick a show with appropriate subject matter? How do you explain different theatrical terms and concepts to someone who has never seen a play before? What is the best way to talk to a young person ab...

A Gentleman's Guide—to Love of Theatre

“My whole day is about fitting people’s bodies,” said costume designer and 2010 Richard E. Sherwood Award winner Ann Closs-Farley—which is one reason why Women Laughing Alone With Salad, which plays the Kirk Douglas Theatre through April 3, 2016, was a dream job for her. On a daily basis, the actors Closs-Farley works with deal with the sam...

Costume Designer Ann Closs-Farley's Dream Job