2017 | Center Theatre Group

In a certain sense, quests for a full belly set much of the action of Into The Woods (onstage at the Ahmanson Theatre through May 14, 2017) into motion. The Baker and his wife have been cursed with childlessness ever since his father stole vegetables from the garden of their neighbor, the Witch. Little Red Ridinghood wishes for a loaf of bread to b...

At Stephen Sondheim's Table

Rajiv Joseph’s World premiere Archduke, onstage at the Mark Taper Forum through June 4, 2017, is based on the event credited for launching World War I—the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. While The Great War has been endlessly studied and written about, the young Serbian men behind the assassination are largely a mystery. Archduke...

Who Killed Franz Ferdinand?

The journey of veteran director Shirley Jo Finney to the Kirk Douglas Theatre’s Block Party with The Fountain Theatre’s Citizen: An American Lyric began two and a half years ago, when Fountain co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs called to ask her if she had read Claudia Rankine’s New York Times bestseller Citizen. Or maybe it began in 1997, wh...

'Citizen: An American Lyric' Brings Healing Power to Block Party

Stephen Sondheim is about as close to a living legend as you can get. The composer/lyricist of nearly 20 musicals has explored everything from the demon barber of Fleet St. to the fairy tale characters of Into The Woods (which plays the Ahmanson Theatre through May 14, 2017). In our 50-year history, Center Theatre Group has produced many of Sondhei...

Sondheim on our Stages

Block Party is our new celebration of Los Angeles Theatre. In January, we announced that we would be collaborating with three local theatre companies to make this inaugural event a reality. Coeurage Theatre Company, The Fountain Theatre, and The Echo Theater Company are each one piece of the ecosystem that is Los Angeles theatre, and their stories...

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Fifty years ago this month, on April 9, 1967, the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre were dedicated at a star-studded event. Actor Gregory Peck proclaimed, “Tonight marks the realization of what seemed an impossible dream. Since we didn’t inherit great cultural monuments, we had to create our own.” Speaking before the opening production at...

Our 50th Anniversary, A Sondheim Classic, and a Celebration of L.A. Theatre