Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

From ‘Freed-Man’ to Free, and other Theatre News

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Three easy ways to become an advocate for the arts, and other Theatre in the News

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Three easy ways to become an advocate for the arts, and other Theatre in the News

The stories theatre lovers have been talking about this week.

1. 'Tribes' star Russell Harvard talks deaf community culture by Irene Lacher [LATimes.com]
April 7, 2013

Russell Harvard plays the deaf brother in a dysfunctional family in "Tribes" at the Mark Taper Forum through April 14. The Austin, Texas-based actor, who won a Drama League Award for the role off-Broadway, will move with the production to the La Jolla Playhouse from June 25 through July 21. He spoke in his Taper dressing room.

Do you feel sympathetic to your character, who feels marginalized because he's deaf? ...

Read more. »

2. Tom Hanks in 'Lucky Guy' on Broadway: What did the critics think? by Jamie Wetherbe [LATimes.com]
April 2, 2013

A much-anticipated first and last happened Monday night when Tom Hanks made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's final play, "Lucky Guy," at the Broadhurst Theatre.

The Oscar-winning actor stars as fabled New York tabloid journalist Mike ...

Read more. »

3. Cast is set for 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone' at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum by CTG [TheGrid.CenterTheatreGroup.com]
March 30, 2013

Casting has been announced for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," which begins previews April 24 at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center. Opening Night is May 8 and performances run through June 9, 2013. ...

Read more. »

4. Time lapse installation of 'The Nether' set, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre by CTG [YouTube.com/CTGLA]
April 3, 2013

"The Nether," a gripping new play by Jennifer Haley, explores the moral complexity of our increasingly virtual existence. The world-premiere production features a turntable set that moves between a cold interrogation room and a fantastical Victorian mansion. See how the set was constructed in this time lapse video!

Read more. »

NATIONAL ARTS ADVOCACY DAY

5. Three easy ways to become an advocate for the arts on social media by CTG
April 8, 2013

Today, April 8, is National Arts Advocacy Day, a chance for cultural and civic organizations, as well as grassroots advocates, to push for public and private support of the arts. Sponsored by Americans for the Arts, the two-day event encourages everyone to tell their communities and legislators why they believe the arts are important.

Here's how you can participate:

Change your Facebook and Twitter avatar to this image, and tell your followers about National Arts Advocacy Day.
Visit CTG's Facebook page or the Emerging Artists Green Room for arts advocacy messages to share with your friends. Check back for updates throughout the week.
Visit the Arts Action Center at ArtsUSA.org, and learn how you can improve the arts in two minutes or less.

As a theatre-lover, you already believe in the transformative power of the arts. National Arts Advocacy Day is your chance to convert your belief into action. We hope you'll join CTG in standing up for art!

Don't forget to tell us the theatre headlines you're buzzing about in the comments section!

Fans remember Richard Griffiths, and other Theatre in the News

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Fans remember Richard Griffiths, and other Theatre in the News

The stories theatre lovers have been talking about this week.

1. Tributes to Withnail & I actor Richard Griffiths who died after heart surgery by Sadie Gray [TheTimes.co.uk]
March 29, 2013

Richard Griffiths, the character actor whose career spanned Shakespeare, Withnail & I and the Harry Potter series, has died at 65.

Even as film roles poured in he remained a stalwart of the stage, earning critical acclaim and awards for his portrayal of Hector, the teacher in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, and appearing alongside his Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe in a stage revival of Peter Shaffer’s Equus at the Gielgud Theatre in London. ...

Read more. »

2. Showmen Blazing a Trail by Patrick Healy [Theater.NYTimes.com]
March 28, 2013

WHILE Douglas Carter Beane didn’t base “The Nance,” starring Nathan Lane, on any real-life figure from burlesque, he did draw on several performers for inspiration, from the Roaring Twenties to today. ...

Read more. »

3. Olivier Awards Overhaul Judging Process; Producers and Theatre Owners to Vote in Addition to Panel by Mark Shenton [Playbill.com]
March 28, 2013

The U.K.'s Laurence Olivier Awards, previously voted for only by a panel of nine members comprising industry professionals and specially appointed members of the public, have confirmed that the judging process is being overhauled. ...

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4. Shia LaBeouf has a front-row seat to the Broadway show he left by Jamie Wetherbe [LATimes.com]
March 28, 2013

Actor Shia LaBeouf, who exited the Broadway play “Orphans” under unusual (and tweetable) circumstances, turned up in the front row Tuesday night for the show’s first preview performance. ...

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MIXED REVIEWS

5. From 'toothless' to "Mormonumental' **– the much-hyped musical by South Park's creators meets a mixed response among UK Critics** by Anna Isaac [Guardian.co.uk]
March 22, 2013

There's been a whole heap of hype surrounding The Book of Mormon, the Broadway smash-hit musical from the creators of South Park that has just landed in London, trailing nine Tony awards behind it. But for the most part the British critics have gone out of their way to be unimpressed. ...

Read more. »

Don't forget to tell us the theatre headlines you're buzzing about in the comments section!

Photo: From left, actors James Corden, Clive Merrison, Richard Griffiths and Stephen Campbell Moore in The History Boys. Photo by Dima Gavrysh / AP. Retrieved from LATimes.com.