News And Blogs

When the World premiere of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was produced at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2009, an exciting artistic partnership between Center Theatre Group and Rajiv Joseph was born. Not only was it Joseph’s first large-scale production at a major regional theatre, but the following year, the show was trasnferred to the Mark Taper...

Scenes from the Vault—Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

When Center Theatre Group’s Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson met with Luis Valdez to commission a play that was quintessentially Los Angeles—what came from their meeting redefined theatre history. When Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit first premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in association with Teatro El Campesino in 1978, it made history as...

Scenes from the Vault: Zoot Suit

With America preparing for its annual 4th of July celebration—albeit in a physically distanced way, perhaps unlike any time before—it must be remembered that the meaning of independence has never been equally applied to all Americans. This point is clearly taking center stage in the national dialogue, especially leading into this year’s Indep...

Exposing America's History Onstage

Like many of you, we have been following the news and watching in sadness and anger as another senseless moment of violence toward the Black community has taken place in our country. While we usually take our politics and civic discourse straight to the stage and our community programs, this moment calls for more. This is about human rights. As an...

We Commit to Change

Two of the most vibrant and wonderful spaces at Center Theatre Group rarely come into view for our audience members but are crucial to the art we put onstage: our costume and prop shop and warehouse in Boyle Heights (known as “The Shop”) and the backstage areas at our venues. These spaces are at their busiest and most exciting when they’re fi...

Shows, Interrupted: Block Party 2020

Have you been dreaming of meeting friends at the theatre while you sip a glass of wine at your latest socially distanced virtual happy hour? Would your colleagues take you more seriously if you were sitting onstage at the Ahmanson as opposed to next to a pile of laundry (true, it’s clean, but they don’t know that) for your next important work m...

Have your Next Zoom Meeting at the Theatre

How do you find an agent? What’s the best way to meet fellow theatre makers? Why is it important to brand yourself as an artist? Months ago, when our Education & Community Partnerships team was discussing this year’s Going Pro Career Fair, they knew that they were going to strive to answer these questions and others about the people who hel...

Launching a Theatre Career from the Living Room

Longtime Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Director Diane Rodriguez passed away on April 10, 2020 after a two-year battle with cancer. We’re mourning this tremendous loss, and also celebrating a warm, generous colleague with an unforgettable laugh, a nurturing producer and collaborator who shepherded the work of more than 75 artists to our...

Remembering Diane Rodriguez

“Art is a great way to connect people,” said high school student Cielo Valenzuela. “It can be easy to spend your whole day doing something that isn’t really valuable to you, but making art helps you feel better, and it helps bring people together.” Which is why Saturday, March 21, 2020 found Valenzuela glued to a screen...but still connec...

Making that Virtual College Connection

Center Theatre Group was lucky enough to bring Los Angeles audiences a number of works from the great playwright Terrence McNally at both the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre. Some of the most talented actors in the world spoke his words on our stages, including Nathan Lane and Richard Thomas in The Lisbon Traviata and Audra McDonald and Z...

Remembering Terrence McNally

Dear Center Theatre Group Patrons, We are truly in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 crisis is something we have never seen in our lifetime, in the world at large and in its implications for our theatre community.

Art Goes On. And So Do We.