2016 | Center Theatre Group

Center Theatre Group Carpenter Kate Harrow builds, loads in, repairs, and strikes scenery for shows at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Downtown Culver City. Watch her review plans, work with wood, and handle a pretty big saw in our latest Working in Theatre video. She also talks about her education at USC, her big break in summer stock, and what it’s...

The Carpenters who Set the Scene

Disgraced is a play that everyone seems to be talking about across the country, from my family in Chicago to many friends here in L.A. I had heard about how the play dealt with contemporary faith and religion head-on. So when I received an email about Center Theatre Group’s Youth Theatre Forum for Disgraced on June 17, 2016, I got excited. Who do...

Students Discuss Faith, Identity, and ‘Art Activism’

On a Thursday afternoon in early June, an anonymous Downtown L.A. conference room was transformed into a 1920s recording studio on Chicago's South Side filled with music executives, musicians, a legendary blueswoman, and her entourage. The room’s walls had been covered in lists of images and ideas about theatre, music, and American history, and i...

L.A. Educators Immerse Themselves in August Wilson

On May 2, 2016, local high school students Damaris Vizvett and Samuel Christian performed onstage at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre in the August Wilson Monologue Competition National Finals. Vizvett, who earned first place in the Los Angeles Regional Finals, took second place, winning a $1,000 college scholarship and a $750 cash prize....

2016 August Wilson Monologue Competition National Finalists Head to NYC

“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

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

Spring has arrived, and with it, the season of the spring musical. At this very moment, school auditoriums all over the country are filled with students who are singing, dancing, and acting their hearts out.

Conversations from the Classroom: A Teacher’s Guide to Directing Musicals

Monologues are one of the ultimate forms of theatrical expression. When delivered with skill, precision, and passion, they thrill audiences and deeply satisfy artists.

The Art of Teaching Theatre: Mastering the Audition Monologue

Fetching coffee. Filing. Making photocopies. For a lot of us, internships are synonymous with drudge work, useful mostly for how they look on your resume after they’re finished. But the Internship Program at Center Theatre Group is an entirely different beast—one that changes the lives and career paths of undergraduate and graduate students, an...

Supervising Interns, Creating Colleagues

The American Civil War is the backdrop of Suzan-Lori Parks’ new play, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which plays the Mark Taper Forum April 5–May 15, 2016. But this tale of a slave who must decide whether to fight in the war on the side of the Confederacy also offers insight into racial dynamics and identity...

Conversations from the Classroom: Teaching Theatre Students About Access, Equity, and Inclusion

Each time audiences enter the lobby of the Kirk Douglas Theatre, they’re taking part in an experiment that fuses ideas from theatre, the Apple Store, and game design. For The Convert in 2013, which told the story of a young woman trapped between ancient African traditions and Christianity, audiences were invited to “visually vote” for their o...

Is It a Lab or a Theatre Lobby - The Kirk Douglas Theatre Experiences with Engaging Audiences