Michael Ritchie

Michael Ritchie was the Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group from 2005 – 2021, a nonprofit organization and one of the largest and most active theatre companies in the nation, presenting award-winning theatre at the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center and the Kirk Douglas Theatre located in Culver City.

Dear Community Member, This month we have two terrific productions onstage that—in very different ways—use the art of theatre to illuminate key moments in our American history.

Dear Community Member, If you’ve never been to Center Theatre Group before, I want to welcome you to what I hope will be a wonderful experience. For those of you who are returning…it’s nice to have you back here with us!

A Letter from Michael Ritchie: October 2018

The Center Theatre Group family was saddened to learn of theatre artist Michael Friedman’s passing on September 9, 2017. Friedman had worked with Center Theatre Group on multiple projects, perhaps most notably on the World premiere of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2008, a production that eventually found its way to a...

Remembering Michael Friedman

Fifty years ago this month, on April 9, 1967, the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre were dedicated at a star-studded event. Actor Gregory Peck proclaimed, “Tonight marks the realization of what seemed an impossible dream. Since we didn’t inherit great cultural monuments, we had to create our own.” Speaking before the opening production at...

Our 50th Anniversary, A Sondheim Classic, and a Celebration of L.A. Theatre

When Center Theatre Group opened our doors in Los Angeles in 1967, the regional theatre movement in this country was in its infancy. It was a bold vision and brought with it a cultural renaissance. A fundamental component of this new theatre model was philanthropic funding, including from the government. Regional theatre was never meant to survive...

A Call to Protect Funding for the Arts

This month, we’re proud to have productions at three theatres—plus a bonus live art theatrical experience—that demonstrate our commitment to diversity in every sense of the word.

Civil Rights, Memoirs, and a World Premiere Playwright