Center Theatre Group

Sting—yes, that Sting—believes in the power of women. “Women are very important in this play—men have messed it up, we really have,” the Grammy®-winning songwriter, musician, and actor said in an interview last year about the musical he created and stars in, The Last Ship. “This is one of the main tropes of the play: it’s women who s...

'We Need More Women in Power'

Here at Center Theatre Group, we’re no strangers to showcasing spectacular love stories by way of musical theatre. The Ahmanson, in particular, has visited the crossroads of song, dance, and romance continuously since its first season more than 50 years ago through today with The Last Ship....

When Love Takes Center Stage

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…