April

“Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished.” The opening line of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through May 22) signals the play’s exploration of the cyclical nature of existence, with beginnings and endings intertwined. It also could be something of an anthem for...

The Art of Teaching Theatre: Summer Theatre Warrior

Alan Mandell and Barry McGovern on Playing Beckett, Past and Present

In Endgame, which plays the Kirk Douglas Theatre April 24 – May 22, 2016, one character is blind and unable to stand, one is unable to sit, and two spend the entirety of the play squatting in ash bins. One would expect actors to be less than excited by the prospect of performing any of the four roles in Samuel Beckett’s famous trag...

Famous Actors Who Have Played Beckett's "Endgame"

Since the late 1980s, Suzan-Lori Parks’ plays have graced stages in every major American city. She is a recipient of the coveted MacArthur “Genius” Award, the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the first Master Writer Chair at New York City’s Public Theater. Her newest play, Father Comes...

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Journey from a New York Bar to Household Name

Why would an African-American—and a slave—enter a Civil War battlefield on the side of the Confederacy? Hero, the character at the center of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which plays the Mark Taper Forum through May 15, 2016, wrestles with this very question as the play opens. His mas...

How Slaves Fought—and Found Freedom—in the Civil War

Some great stories not only stand the test of time but go on to inspire great art for generations to come. Homer’s Odyssey, the story of Trojan War hero Odysseus’ journey from the battlefield to his home and family is one such masterpiece. Over 2,500 years after it was written (or spoken), The Odyssey continues to shape a sizable p...

Art That Drinks from the Well of ‘The Odyssey’

Historical and contemporary. Dramatic and vaudevillian. A big show and a personal story. The words Jo Bonney uses to describe Father Comes Home From The Wars by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks are full of contradictions. As is the production itself—and with good reason—said Bonney, who is directing the show’s run...

Jo Bonney Directs an Intimate Epic, a Contemporary History

The five plays that make up the 2016 season at the Mark Taper Forum are set across three centuries and two continents. They tackle race and religion, war and family strife, broken hearts and long friendships. But they do have one thing in common: all five plays have a woman playwright and/or a woman director behind them.And perhaps what’...

In 2016, Women Run the Mark Taper Forum

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

Just days after Christmas, if you happened to stroll past a nondescript, dark-curtained storefront—the one just beyond the costume shop and the tax preparer along West Whittier Boulevard—most likely, you wouldn’t have looked twice. You wouldn’t have known that something magical was at work; that while a play was being m...

Down the Rabbit Hole with "Through the Looking Glass"

Dealing with actors who chew the scenery is an occupational hazard for theatre artists. Occasionally, however, the problem is literal: when a script calls for a canine in a key role. But while it may be challenging to put a dog onstage, it’s more often than not a hit with audiences, including if the dog is played by a human, as in Suzan-...

Dogs of Stage Chew the Scenery