Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Montmartre

Sarah Rose Leonard — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 21:17:00 -0700

Montmartre boasts a collision of past and present, of quaint tradition and contemporary chic—embracing both the highbrow and the lowbrow. The geography of the area reflects these juxtapositions: a large cemetery sits down the street from a strip of nightclubs, storied artistic heritage coexists with pivotal moments in political history, and two historic churches reside on the hill above it all. There is no better location for this story that understands human beings in all of their beautiful, crass, effervescent, and uncouth glory.

Montmartre street art.

The neighborhood is filled with narrow, winding streets that curve up steep slopes, adding to its allure as a place to get lost (or as a place to follow people, as Amélie does). At the bottom of the hill is the Boulevard de Clichy, which is lined with bars, kebab shops, and dozens of sex shops (like the one Nino works in). One of the main landmarks is the Moulin Rouge, a dance hall that was constructed in 1889 and is the rumored birthplace of the cancan dance. Nearby is the Élysée Montmartre theatre (1807), a ballroom and concert venue that boasts a metal structure designed by Gustave Eiffel. In between the two famous venues sits Folies Pigalle near the Pigalle Metro, the red-light district of Paris, where a nightclub owner discovered cabaret singer Edith Piaf. Many famous artists lived in Montmartre: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Erik Satie, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Maurice Utrillo among others called the neighborhood home. Now street artists create portraits of tourists in the Place du Tertre, turning artistic space that used to be staunchly anti-establishment into a commercialized zone.

The Moulin Rouge, Paris in color 1914.

In addition to providing a haven for artists, Montmartre was home to a number of seminal political moments in the history of France. During the 1590 Siege of Paris, Henry IV stationed his artillery on the hills at Montmartre so his army could fire down into the city. In 1790, before Montmartre became part of Paris, the new revolutionary government declared it a self-sufficient area known as the Commune of Montmartre. Montmartre joined the city of Paris in 1860, and in 1871 it was the location for the uprising of the Paris Commune, a group of revolutionaries who took arms against the French government from March to May. During the French Revolution (1789–1799) an abandoned gypsum quarry slightly outside the center of town was used as a mass grave. It became an official cemetery in 1825 and is the resting place of many great men and women in the arts and sciences: Hector Berlioz, Stendhal, Vaslav Nijinsky, Émile Zola, Léo Delibes, Edgar Degas, and more.

The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur.

Montmartre’s name—“Mountain of the Martyr”—comes from the martyrdom of Saint Denis, who was the Bishop of Paris and was beheaded around 250 AD on the signature hill where the stunningly white Basilique du Sacré-Coeur now sits. Surrounding the basilica are terraced gardens where gypsum quarries once were, and a brightly colored carousel nestles into the greenery. The neighborhood’s main sources of income used to be quarries and vineyards (now only one vineyard remains), and around 300 windmills once dotted the landscape. Today, two windmills remain, giving the name “Two Windmills” to the café in which Amélie works.

The mélange of history, romance, death, and art in Amélie’s story could have no more perfect backdrop than Montmartre, one of the most vivacious neighborhoods in France.

Reprinted with permission of Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (Bal du moulin de la Galette), 1876 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Seven Key Fashion Moments in American Politics

Center Theatre Group — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 20:00:00 -0700

No Make-up Makes Nixon a Sweaty, Sweaty Man

Democrat Sen. John Kennedy (left) and Republican Richard Nixon (right) stand at lecterns on September 26, 1960 as they debated campaign issues at CBS Studios in Chicago.

The first presidential debate broadcast on television, on September 26, 1960, was a momentous occasion. For the very first time, the American people could watch from the comfort of their own living rooms as their candidates duked it out. Until this moment, the two candidates had been polling relatively evenly—John F. Kennedy was seen as young upstart while Vice President Richard Nixon’s experience ran deep. This would all change, however, because of a little make-up (or lack thereof). Before the debate, Nixon staffers had heard a rumor that Kennedy was planning to opt out of make-up. Not to be outdone, Nixon also opted out. The result? Kennedy’s famous good looks translated beautifully to TV while Nixon (who was suffering from a low-grade degree fever at the time) came off as a sweaty, pallid mess. The rest is history.

The Leisurely Life of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson Portrait, third president of the United States and founding father. Portrait by Rembrandt Peale.

It is probably safe to say that everyone loves a nice pair of pajamas. It’s probably also safe to say that no president loved them more than Thomas Jefferson. According to biographers, he wore them, literally, all the time—even while entertaining the British minister to the United States. The minister (Andrew Merry) was so incensed that he made a public stink about it, writing, “I, in my official costume, found myself at the hour of reception he had himself appointed, introduced to a man as president of the United States, not merely in an undress, but ACTUALLY STANDING IN SLIPPERS DOWN AT THE HEELS.” Merry went on to state that he considered this to be an insult not only to him, but to the country he represented.

The Fatal Obstinance of William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison on his deathbed with Rev. Hawley, a physician, niece, and nephew in attendance, as well as Thomas Ewing, Secretary of Treasury, Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, and Francis Granger (waiting at the door), Postmaster General.

The next time your mother tells you to wear a coat when it’s cold, you would do well to remember the tale of William Henry Harrison. William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States. He was also the shortest serving president. His inauguration took place on a frigid March day that was, by all accounts, absolutely miserable. Harrison, a military man, opted out of cold weather clothing on the grounds that wearing a hat, gloves, and coat would make him seem weak. While he may have seemed strong, he also contracted a case of pneumonia which would kill him just 32 days later, on April 4, 1841.

‘Better a Hole in the Shoe than a Hole in the Head’

Adlai Stevenson (center) and David Dubinsky shake hands on stage at an AFL convention, September 1952.

In 1952, Adlai E. Stevenson was deep into an ill-fated run for president against Dwight D. Eisenhower. While the erudite Stevenson had a long-standing political pedigree (he was the grandson of Abraham Lincoln’s campaign manager, Jesse W. Fell), voters considered him to be distant and elitist. This all changed when Flint Journal photographer Bill Gallagher captured a photo of the candidate with a hole in the sole of his shoe. The photo went the mid-century equivalent of viral, depicting Stevenson as a frugal everyman. It became so well known that, when asked about the photo, Stevenson famously responded, “Better a hole in the shoe than a hole in the head.” Alas, it wasn’t enough to give him a leg up in the polls, and Eisenhower won by a landslide.

Wearing Pink for Women’s Rights

Wendy Davis on the cover of Texas Monthly. Photo by Leann Mueller.

In 2013, The Texas legislature proposed a bill that would make it illegal for a woman to pursue an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy while also making it harder for all abortion clinics to obtain licensing from the state. Enter Wendy Davis, a little known Texas legislator, who performed an 11-hour filibuster in protest of the bill. For comfort, she wore a pair of pink Mizuno running shoes. By the end of the filibuster, Davis had become an icon of women’s rights—and her shoes had, too.

A Most Costly Haircut

2008 United States Presidential candidate John Edwards campaigning in Pittsburgh on Labor day in 2007, accepting the endorsement of the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers of America. Photo by Mike Murphy.

Before the sex scandal that would end his 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination came to light, John Edwards was a handsome senator running on a platform of eliminating poverty. He was also spending $800 for two haircuts. For the sake of transparency, it should be noted that the cuts themselves (the handiwork of Beverly Hills stylist Joseph Torrenueva) were free. The $400 price tag came as a result of travel expenses and lodging for a stylist who was asked to meet the busy senator on the campaign trail. Either way, the expensive snips attracted a slew of unwanted media attention and inspired a delightful YouTube video (via The New York Times) to the tune of “I Feel Pretty.” Bonus fact: In that same election cycle, the Republican National Committee took flak for spending over $150,000 on clothing and accessories for Sarah Palin and her family.

The Unparalleled Wit of an ‘Unparalleled Serpent’

Madeleine Albright, Official Secretary of State portrait. Photo by the U.S. Department of

Madeleine Albright became the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1993, and by 1997, she served her country as its first ever female Secretary of State. She is also famous for routinely making political statements with her pins, a trend that started during her tenure as ambassador. In 1994, Saddam Hussein famously referred to Albright as an “unparalleled serpent.” Later that year, she wore a serpent-shaped brooch to a meeting with Iraqi officials. Well played, Madam Secretary, well played. Bonus fact: during the Democratic national convention earlier this year, Albright tweeted a picture of a new pin to show her support of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which depicted Hillary’s name above a shattered glass ceiling

A Martin McDonagh Primer

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 20:51:00 -0700

Read: "The Irascible Irish Genius of Martin McDonagh"

Martin McDonagh's plays—like The Beauty Queen of Leenane—are produced the world over. But who exactly is the mad Irish genius behind them? In Bruges, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. On making the move from stage to screen, McDonagh told IndieWire:

It was just a process, trial and error. Most important was not to make a playwright’s film, not just something that was a couple of guys walking around a town for two hours chatting. I wanted something much more cinematic. But I also didn’t want to run away from what I like about theater, which is dialogue and interest in different characters. Hopefully I got the balance right.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime or iTunes.

Listen: The Pogues, The Dubliners & More

1980s/1990s punk rockers The Pogues are among McDonagh's favorite bands. Listen for a lyrical reference to "The Body Of An American" in The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

Eat: Tayto Cheese & Onion Crisps & Kimberley Biscuits

Kimberley Biscuits are the Oreos of Ireland: gingery cookies sandwiched around marshmallow cream. They took their name in the late 19^th century from the Englishman, Lord John Wodehouse, the first Earl of Kimberley, and an arch-colonialist (as well as a relative of novelist P.G. Wodehouse.) While they are described as quintessentially Irish, they are polarizing...at least for the characters in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, who either love them or hate them. Less controversial for the characters (and indeed, most Irish people) are Tayto Crisps. These chips are so beloved that they simply call crisps “Tayto,” thousands of people follow their mascot Mr. Tayto on Twitter, and there's even a theme park dedicated to potatoes called Tayto Park. Read more about these iconic snacks and what they mean to McDonagh’s characters.

Drink: Jameson Irish Whiskey

Try cocktails inspired by The Beauty Queen of Leenane featuring Jameson Irish Whiskey. Please drink responsibly.

A photo posted by Jameson Whiskey (@jameson_us) on Sep 12, 2016 at 10:21am PDT

“The Beauty Queen”
- 2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 1 oz Grenadine
- 6–8 oz lemon-lime soda
- Maraschino cherries, for garnish
A sweet, rosy holiday cocktail for a sweet, bonnie lass.

Add whiskey, grenadine, and lemon-lime soda to suit your taste to a rocks glass. Stir. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry
“Maureen at the Chickens”
- 2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 6 oz prepared eggnog
- Nutmeg, to taste
A hard-hitting holiday eggnog.

Shake whiskey and eggnog in a cocktail shaker until combined. Serve in a rocks glass, sprinkled with nutmeg to taste.
“A Mighty Oul Taste”
- 2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jameson neat.

Pour 2 oz whiskey into a rocks glass—get ready for "a mighty oul taste."

See: The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Mark Taper Forum

L-R: Marty Rea and Aisling O’Sullivan in the Druid production of “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” by Martin McDonagh. Photo by Stephen Cummiskey.

The first in McDonagh's Leenane Trilogy,

Learn More

The Irascible Irish Genius of Martin McDonagh

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 01:33:00 -0700

Regardless, these are two of the facts that created McDonagh’s reputation as an irascible Irish genius playwright. He burst onto the theatre scene in 1996, when the original Druid production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane took Ireland, then London’s West End, then Broadway by storm. He went on to win three Olivier Awards, receive four Tony Award^® nominations, and earn an Academy Award (in 2004 for the short Six Shooter).

How did an Anglo-Irish man in his 20s who had been on welfare, and who had no formal training, manage to become both famous and infamous so quickly? A few interviews over the past 20 years offer a glimpse into McDonagh’s life and mind.

In 1994, according to a 2006 profile in The New Yorker:

McDonagh quit his job at the Department of Trade and Industry and, alone in the house in Camberwell [where he had grown up], began to write every day. In nine months, he produced drafts of seven plays—his entire dramatic corpus. (Only one of the plays has not been staged: The Banshees of Inisheer, which, McDonagh says, ‘isn’t any good.’) Each morning, after eating a bowl of bran flakes, he would sit in his bedroom, at a child’s desk facing a window with a view of a bleak concrete yard, and write with a pencil in a spiral notebook. He would begin by making a mark in the notebook two pages ahead of where he had left off the previous night. Then he would listen to the voices in his head, voices that spoke not in Mamet’s caustic American or in Pinter’s terse London English but in the looping locutions of Connemara. McDonagh felt almost as though he were taking dictation. He would hear Pato Dooley, Maureen’s would-be lover in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, speaking in a voice not unlike his father’s, describing his life as a construction worker in England: ‘And when I’m over there in London and working in rain and it’s more or less cattle I am, and the young fellas cursing over cards and drunk and sick, and the foul digs over there, all pee-stained mattresses and nothing to do but watch the clock.’

Those voices struck a chord with audiences around the world. In spring 1998, an interviewer for BOMB Magazine asked if McDonagh’s sudden fame made life difficult:

I wouldn’t say I found it hard, certainly not on the surface. Maybe that tells you something. It’s been a crazy two years. Mad, really. I can see how much I’ve changed, but I can see how much I’ve stayed the same. Maybe it’s a lack of connection that I’ve always had. I hope maybe that helps the writing in some ways, to not be quite connected, to see things from a skewed point of view. It’s been a strange few years. I still hope I can always get back to the place where I was two years ago. Just physically, to not have an answering machine, to not have people phone me. The best way to not have people phone you is to take the phone off the hook, or not have a phone. It’s a mental choice to not do that anymore, everything can be switched off that easily. It’s a question of having the guts to do it, and having the guts to hurt people when you do it. It can happen. It’ll take some effort.

He had his detractors, however. McDonagh was born and raised in London, though his parents are both Irish. He spent summers in Connemara, where his father is from, and chose to set his first plays there. This bothered some people, explained The Theatre and Films of Martin McDonagh author Patrick Lonergan in the Irish Times in 2012:

Yet some critics were uncomfortable with McDonagh’s global prominence. His early plays present the west of Ireland as a horrible place, populated by people who are savagely cruel yet strangely innocent: like ‘monstrous children,’ as Hynes puts it. The fact that he was a London-born son of Irish parents only bolstered the accusation that McDonagh was not an Irish writer laughing with us—but an English writer laughing at us.

Those attacks now seem begrudging, but McDonagh has tended to resist being categorized as Irish or English, saying that he feels somewhere between the two. He has an affinity with second-generation Irish band The Pogues and although his writing owes much to Pinter and Mamet, it draws freely on Irish traditions.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane is part of a trilogy of plays—along with The Lonesome West and A Skull in Connemara—set in the western Ireland town of Leenane, in Connemara. Just before The Lonesome West appeared on Broadway in 1999, McDonagh discussed the plays’ themes and how the stories intersect on Charlie Rose:

Loneliness, sibling rivalry, sibling love and hatred, and the breakdown—maybe—of a society, especially in that kind of religious context, too. But I was just trying to, also, make a kind of a sweep of the town, you know? Just, like, a little sketch of a place, you know? And it was just interesting for me to have, like, off-stage characters from the first play become the main characters for the next…And to have events all twists and turns in the plot of third play already told to the audience in the first and see if they remember them from—you know, have a set-up with two plays beforehand instead a scene beforehand. It was just kinda interesting to play around with that, with a broader kind of canvas, I suppose.

McDonagh elaborated on the themes of his work further in a 2001 interview with The Guardian:

So, I ask McDonagh why he is drawn to extremes—of character, behavior, emotions. ‘Well, we’re all cruel, aren’t we? We’re all extreme in one way or another at times, and that’s what drama, since the Greeks, has dealt with. I hope the overall view isn’t just that, though, or I’ve failed in my writing. There have to be moments when you glimpse something decent, something life-affirming even in the most twisted character. That’s where the real art lies. See, I always suspect characters who are painted as lovely, decent human beings. I would always question where the darkness lies.’

A Snapshot of Red Hook, Brooklyn Circa 1950

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 19:35:00 -0700

Red Hook is surrounded by water on three sides and by the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and the Gowanus Expressway on the other. The residents are isolated from the rest of the city, and largely disliked by its inhabitants. Most of the people who live here live in the Red Hook Houses—27 six-story brown brick buildings containing 2,545 apartments. Built in 1938, it is one of the largest public housing projects in the country. Some have praised these three- and four-room apartments for having modern amenities like electric refrigerators, central heating, and gas ranges and, at $5 per room per month, for being an affordable alternative to private housing. A 1940 New Yorker article, however, called the homes “barracklike” and “hygienically undesirable.”

This is likely where Eddie Carbone of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge (onstage at the Ahmanson Theatre through October 16, 2016) lives with his family. Longshoremen like Eddie comprise the majority of Red Hook’s workforce, and most of them live in the Houses. The Carbones, like the rest of the Italian immigrants living here, fled the mass poverty of southern Italy. There, government institutions were thought to be exploitative and hostile; everyone relied upon and trusted family instead. They brought this ethos to America.

While much of the country gobbles up modern food trends like microwave dinners, Red Hook’s residents eat the Mediterranean diet that they brought with them from home. Myriad Italian dialects are spoken here, and children who grow up in Red Hook speak most of them, as well as English. Like Catherine, Eddie’s niece, girls are fiercely protected. They are rarely seen in public, unless they are in school, or in the company of a chaperone. Boys, on the other hand, are allowed to spend their time on the street corners. Children do not go to each other’s homes—it simply isn’t done. Like Red Hook itself, the home is an isolated entity, and the eyes of those outside the family are unwelcome.

The longshoremen walk around with baling hooks in their belts, which they use on the docks to help move flats of cargo. The life of a longshoreman is one of uncertainty, hard labor, and often, fear. Work isn’t guaranteed even though the port here is the busiest in the world. Sixteen criminal gangs run the piers, their strong arms and gunmen injecting fear in the surrounding workers. Their control of the docks, and seeming impunity from law enforcement, has made them the stuff of legends, and their control will last for decades to come.

These gangs help create a perception of Red Hook as violent, a place of lowlifes. For those who live here, however, it is a place of hard-working families, of fierce loyalty and independence, an isolated enclave, hanging on the edge of the world.

Follow the links below for additional reading:

Let’s Do the Black Bottom

Emily Moneymaker — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:20:00 -0700

While more conservative dances lingered in older segments of society, throughout the 1920s hundreds of dance crazes—including the Black Bottom—swept the nation’s youth into a dancing fervor. To set the scene for August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (onstage at the Mark Taper Forum through October 16, 2016), here are dances you would have found at the time.

Black Bottom: Named for Detroit’s predominantly African-American Black Bottom neighborhood, this dance became so popular it even overtook the Charleston to become the main social dance of the era. Ann Pennington, star of The Ziegfeld Follies, lays claim to the most iconic performance of the Black Bottom in a Broadway revue staged not by Ziegfeld but by his rival, George White. Perry Bradford, who composed “The Original Black Bottom Dance,” laid out explicit instructions: "Hop down front and then you Doodle back / Mooch to your left and then you Mooch to the right / Hands on your hips and do the Mess Around / Break a Leg until you’re near the ground / Now that’s the Old Black Bottom Dance.”; NOTE: The above video is an interpretation of the original dance by a white performer and not representative of the people who actually created the Black Bottom.
Charleston: Although the origins of the Charleston are hazy, it is commonly believed to have originated in the early 1900s in an African-American community based off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. To dance the Charleston, simply kick your feet both forward and backward while swinging your arms back and forth; if you’re feeling ambitious, you can even add a little tap into the mix. The dance became popular thanks to the 1923 tune “The Charleston” by James P. Johnson and an appearance on Broadway in Runnin’ Wild. Though not nearly as fashionable as in its peak years, it is still oft-danced at jazz clubs.
Breakaway: Pairs dancing the breakaway would split apart or “breakaway” from each other while still holding hands to perform a one-person version of this swing dance, before coming back together again. George Snowden, a popular Harlem dancer in the ’20s and ’30s, regularly appeared at New York City’s Savoy Ballroom and is credited with debuting the dance at the Lenox Avenue venue. Not familiar with the Breakaway? You’ve probably heard of its descendant, the Lindy Hop, which was also popularized at the Savoy.
Foxtrot
: In 1914, vaudeville star Harry Fox made his solo act debut on the rooftop of the New York Theatre. Onlookers described his dance, set to ragtime tunes, as “Fox’s Trot,” and the name stuck. At first glance, Fox’s dance appears similar to the waltz, but upon closer inspection it becomes clear that each has a distinct style. While the waltz has a 3/4 time signature, the foxtrot retains the 4/4 time musicians and dancers tend to prefer.
Shimmy: The name “shimmy” is sometimes credited to dancer Gilda Gray, who, when asked about her dancing style, supposedly responded that she was “shaking my chemise.” (Gray later denied having said any such thing.) To dance the shimmy, you simply hold your body still and move your shoulders back and forth in a shimmying fashion. Due to its sensual nature, the dance was sometimes viewed as indecent, with many dance halls banning it.

A 1950s Immigration Story in 21st-Century Los Angeles

Emily Moneymaker — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 18:09:00 -0700

It was tough being Italian—particularly Sicilian—in the 1950s. Under the fascist rule of Mussolini, Italy had sided with Nazi Germany during World War II, and we all know how that ended. 1946 saw the formation of the democratic Italian Republic, but it was not until the mid-1950s and the 1960s that Italy’s economy would truly recover, in what became known as the “Italian Economic Miracle.” In the years during which Marco and Rodolpho would have come of age, Italy still had a long way to go before it could be considered anything close to a recovered, thriving nation.

Just as Italy was working through inner turmoil, so too was Sicily in an interesting transitional period. Although considered part of Italy, Sicily had traded ruling parties for centuries—the Greeks, Romans, Spanish, and Phoenicians all controlled the area at one time or another—to the point that its culture had become a distinct amalgamation of its rulers. To account for cultural differences between Sicily and traditional Italian culture, Sicily became an autonomous region of Italy on May 15, 1946. The region now had its own parliament and president and, as a result, a larger voice in administrative and legislative affairs.

But while the economics and politics of the time were complicated, to Rodolpho and Marco it would have all boiled down to one simple problem: there just wasn’t enough work to be had for laborers like themselves. “It’s terrible!” proclaims Rodolpho about life at home. “We stand around all day in the piazza listening to the fountain like birds.”

Rodolpho and Marco are prime examples of the American dream—which wasn’t necessarily the American reality at the time. In the 1950s, the United States cracked down on immigration from around the world. President Dwight D. Eisenhower spearheaded a mass deportation of illegal immigrants from Mexico in 1954. With tensions between the United States and Soviet Union quickly cooling to an icy impasse, the U.S. passed the Internal Security Act in 1950 to ban communists from entering the country. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 maintained the legality of an immigration quota system based upon national origins and limited immigration from the Eastern Hemisphere (which included Italy). Together, these new laws made the already difficult prospect of legally immigrating to America near impossible for people like Marco and Rodolpho.

Their story is “a story about immigration, about the difficulties of immigration—is it possible?” said director Ivo van Hove. “I think the issue of immigration is as important for L.A. as it is for Europe in this moment, as it is for other places in the world.” Indeed, he added, “I consider this not so much a play about Brooklyn…but a modern Greek tragedy about universal themes—themes that matter to humanity.”

Emilio Sosa Puts his own Spin on the 1920s

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:31:00 -0700

Sosa, a former Project Runway runner-up, has designed costumes for a number of pieces set in the past, including, at Center Theatre Group, 2016’s The Shop, Center Theatre Group’s costume and prop shop. “They have their own ideas about how to make things. And sometimes they have better ideas than I do, because they are literally making the costumes. And 90% of good design is making it and fabric choice,” said Sosa. “It is a collaborative effort to all get to the same point. We want to make the best possible show.”

Life on the road #MaRaineysBlackBottom @ctgla #MarkTaperForum #DussieMae @nijaonarun Performances start Sept 1

A photo posted by Emilio Sosa (@esosafashion) on Aug 16, 2016 at 1:55pm PDT

The collaboration begins even earlier, when Sosa shows his designs to the director—in this case, Phylicia Rashad. “I like to let people do their jobs. And collaboration supports that,” said Rashad of her work with Sosa. “Emilio is a designer who designs a show so that it doesn’t look like characters are wearing costumes. They’re wearing clothes that people wear. They look like people who are dressed for the day, whatever that day is.” She generally agreed with Sosa’s choices for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, including for what might be the most important piece of the costumes: Levee’s shoes. “The only one little thing we had to go over and over and over again was Dussie Mae’s dress,” said Rashad. “Because Emilio has such respect for women, he makes women look lovely. And I said, ‘It’s good to be lovely, but—no, I want more skin, I want that skirt tighter, I want it shorter.’”

Sosa also brings the actors into the process. “It’s not just me picking clothing, Ms. Rashad selecting, and then putting them on an actor,” he said. “An actor for me is an active participant in their costumes. Because I want them to live in this clothing, not just put it on. I don’t want it to feel like a costume. I want it to feel like it’s clothing that they had in their closets.”

Lillias White, who plays Ma Rainey, certainly feels that way—or aspires to. “I absolutely love my costume. It makes me wish that we dressed like that, so elegantly, nowadays,” she said. “I love working with Emilio Sosa.”

Center Theatre Group Mourns Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson

Michael Ritchie — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:13:00 -0700

“Gordon was a giant in the American theatre and a visionary leader. His words, his work, and his wisdom will continue to reverberate and will impact us for years to come,” said Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. “At Center Theatre Group he established a footprint for Los Angeles theatre, for diverse theatre, and for new voices and new audiences. His influence was felt across the country.”

Davidson was in his early 30s when Dorothy Buffum Chandler tapped him to lead Center Theatre Group in its inaugural 1967/1968 Season at The Music Center. “I walked into the theatre with a hard hat. The seats were in. Later, I had nightmares about little and some big mistakes or omissions,” recalled Davidson of his first official meeting with Chandler. “But none of it mattered when I stood on the stage and felt the power of an audience sitting there.”

Davidson chose to open the Taper by directing John Whiting’s The Devils, with Frank Langella in a starring role. The play’s scandalous depiction of 17^th century Catholic clergy ignited instant controversy; The Devils also set the thought-provoking tone for which Center Theatre Group would become known around the world. Over the next four decades, Davidson produced landmark Taper works like Zoot Suit, a sensation in Los Angeles that broke new ground and became the first Latino play on Broadway; Children of a Lesser God and The Shadow Box, both of which he directed at the Taper then moved on to Tony Award-winning Broadway runs; and The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America, which Center Theatre Group played a key role in developing. In 1992 and 1993, Center Theatre Group was distinguished by having The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One—Millennium Approaches) receive consecutive Pulitzer Prizes in Drama, the first time for plays produced outside of New York.

In 1989, Davidson took over the programming of the Ahmanson Theatre. Under Davidson’s watch, The Phantom of the Opera broke box office records during a four-year run, becoming the West Coast’s most commercially successful theatrical production of all time. Stars appearing in Ahmanson productions under Davidson included John Lithgow, Laurence Fishburne, Alan Alda, Chita Rivera, Neil Patrick Harris, Ian McKellen, Christopher Plummer, Vanessa Williams, Savion Glover, John Leguizamo, and Lily Tomlin.

In his final season at Center Theatre Group, 2004/2005, Davidson fulfilled a long-held dream with the opening of the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, a home for new and innovative work. In that first season, six plays had their World premieres at the Douglas, including the Davidson-directed inaugural production A Perfect Wedding.

Davidson also oversaw the creation of Center Theatre Group’s award-winning education programming and a robust artistic development program. Generations of young people in Los Angeles were introduced to theatre, and countless artists around the country got their start thanks in large part to his work and support.

Davidson’s impact could also be felt in his numerous national appointments, awards, and nominations including Tony Awards, Margo Jones Awards for his work in encouraging new plays and playwrights, the Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway, the National Council on the Arts, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and his time as president of Theatre Communications Group and the League of Resident Theatres.

Indeed, Artistic Director Michael Ritchie was well aware of Davidson long before they first met in New York City 35 years ago, when Ritchie was stage manager at Circle in the Square Theatre. “I was walking down the hall one day and I heard a voice yelling, ‘Michael! Michael! Are you Michael?’” said Ritchie. “I was so impressed that Gordon, who I knew of really well, had heard of me—but more importantly had gone out of his way to chase me down and introduce himself to me. Since I’ve arrived here he’s been one of my key supporters and one of my key sounding boards.”

Ritchie and the rest of our staff—those who worked with Davidson directly, many of whom are still here as well as those who know him by reputation alone—feel the loss deeply. Our condolences go out to Davidson’s surviving family: his wife, Judi; their children, Adam and Rachel; and five granddaughters. They have asked that any donations in his memory be made to the Gordon Davidson Emerging Artists Fund (LibertyHill.org/EmergingArtists) and the Gordon Davidson Archive Fund (LibertyHill.org/DavidsonArchive).

A memorial event will take place on January 9, 2017 at the Ahmanson Theatre.