2017 | Center Theatre Group

At age 30, Quiara Alegría Hudes had written the book for a Broadway hit, In the Heights. At 35, she had won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, for Water by the Spoonful. Now, at 40, she is one of America’s most widely produced playwrights, and Center Theatre Group is proud to be bringing two of the works in her acclaimed Elliot Trilogy to our s...

From 'Zoot Suit' to 'Water By The Spoonful'

A recent survey by statewide arts education coalition createCA found that only 26 percent of middle and high school students in California have access to music, theatre, dance, and visual art—access that is required by state law. The numbers for theatre in particular are bleak: just 4 percent of students across the state are enrolled in theat...

Building a Brighter Future For California Educators

Some of the greatest and most innovative playwrights in American theatre have written major new works commissioned by Center Theatre Group, from Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit and Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 to Rajiv Joseph’s Archduke. As we celebrate our 50TH Anniversary, we are committing ourselves to doing more to support the...

Center Theatre Group Joins Forces with Top Playwrights and Theatres

When Center Theatre Group began at The Music Center in 1967, and Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson oversaw our works at the Mark Taper Forum, Tony Award®-winning producer Elliot Martin, another early leader of the organization, led the Ahmanson Theatre’s programming. Martin, who passed away on May 21, 2017, began Center Theatre Group’...

Our Theatre: Faces of the Future

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

Fifty years to the week of Center Theatre Group’s beginning, and the opening of the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum, the Los Angeles Times marked our anniversary with three stories that look to our past, present, and future.

The ‘Los Angeles Times’ Marks our Golden Anniversary

"Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom lived a family, a sad young lad, and a childless baker with his wife," starts the fairy tale-rich musical masterpiece Into The Woods, which plays the Ahmanson Theatre through May 14, 2017. Cast member Darick Pead describes the show as "a story about all the fairy tales that you know and love and what happens a...

Once Upon a Time…on Center Theatre Group’s Stages

In honor of our 50th Anniversary, we are mining our archives for gems that highlight important and interesting moments from throughout Center Theatre Group’s history. This “Note on the Play” by Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson appeared in the program for our very first production, The Devils, which opened on April 14, 1967. The Devi...

Do Devils Exist

This theatre building represents a path by which a journey can begin: it is a tool, not the creative end in itself. By stimulating new work, by heightening the sense of participation of the audience, by evolving a style of acting and producing that can cope with the varied repertoire today’s audiences demand, we have set our sights on important g...

Our Controversial Beginnings

In Classroom Connections, Center Theatre Group invites groups of educators to enjoy a night out at the theatre—followed by a discussion of the show and where they found inspiration over food and drinks. The goal is to talk about the bridges we can build between the craft of theatre and the craft of classroom teaching.

How ‘Zoot Suit’ Can Help Students Find a Voice

In honor of our revival of Zoot Suit, Richard Montoya of Culture Clash shared with us his reflections on the pachuco and what this play means to him. His father, the pachuco poet and artist José Montoya, was a close friend of Luis Valdez and designed the art that was used in the first Center Theatre Group New Theatre for Now production....

Pachuco: A Conversation of The Americas