Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Meet the 2018 L.A. Writers’ Workshop Festival Playwrights

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:57:00 -0700

Why is the Center Theatre Group L.A. Writers’ Workshop important to you?

Sylvan Oswald: Labs like the Writers’ Workshop provide an oasis of validation—and not just about one’s writing, but about one’s place in an artistic community. L.A. is filled with artists trying to survive and thrive, but—for obvious financial reasons—most of them are not looking to theatre. So if you have a theatre project that you want to move forward, or that needs feedback from theatre people and playwrights in particular, you will have a hard time finding that kind of consistent community without the support and organization an institution can provide.
Dan O’Brien: Playwriting anywhere consists of long periods of isolation punctuated by thrilling, dreadful weeks of rehearsal and production (and the aftermath). But in L.A., the isolation can sometimes feel extreme. Groups of playwrights are hard to come by here, owing to geography, and to writers being busy with TV and film and other work. I liked how the Writers’ Workshop was composed of writers with a variety of voices and styles and temperaments and values—more invigorating and stimulating than a group of the comfortably likeminded. I liked learning how these other playwrights wrote, and I tried to steal a few things here and there.
Zakiyyah Alexander: Community is probably the word that reminds me most of my experience at the Writers’ Workshop. Los Angeles is a big city, and the theatre community can be disparate. Simply being around other playwrights, dramaturgs, and other theatre producers reminded me of why I write plays—sometimes you need a reminder. In New York City, places like The Lark and New Dramatists (and many more) offer opportunities for playwrights to simply be writers in process. However, Los Angeles has fewer of these opportunities. The Writers’ Workshop is important because it’s rare to find this much playwright support in L.A.

What excites you most about being a playwright in Los Angeles right now?

Sylvan Oswald: Being a playwright in L.A. right now encourages an irreverent approach to the field—simply because people’s attention is focused outward toward other art forms like film, TV, and visual art. So there’s a ton of leeway to define theatre however you want. And audiences are generally open to that. In fact, if your show isn't in an obscure strip mall that makes your audience ask, “Where the hell are we going?”, you might want to consider that!
Dan O’Brien: We live and write adjacent to the industries of TV and film. These popular media speak to and from the culture, for better and often for worse. As a playwright—and a poet, too, in my case—I allow myself the freedom to observe and respond to some of our national dreams and nightmares with remove and, hopefully, insight.
Zakiyyah Alexander: There’s a freedom that Los Angeles affords; it feels like there’s opportunity to create what you want and then see it on its feet. I’m constantly inspired by small theatres and collectives taking producing into their own hands. There are so many great companies and small theatres creating and producing new work. It’s a forward-thinking model but also the way theatre has always sustained itself in L.A.

Where are you right now with the work you’re bringing to the Festival, and what do you hope to accomplish with the workshop and reading?

Sylvan Oswald: I’m thrilled to be able to invite people to see A Kind of Weather. This will be my first major reading in L.A. since I moved here several years ago. When I first arrived, I was focusing on experimental projects because I was feeling alienated from the theatre. So this reading marks a return for me. I hope that being a part of the Festival will help me recommit to advocating for this play and fire me up to launch some new projects this summer! After this workshop, I expect that A Kind of Weather will be quite ready for production.
Dan O’Brien: New Life is the third in a trilogy of true stories along with my plays The Body of an American and The House in Scarsdale. This new play began with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015/16, and a commission from Center Theatre Group that was meant to explore the “economy of California.” So far New Life’s development has taken place behind closed doors for friends and colleagues. This will be its first incarnation as a kind of performance and as such the Festival will no doubt provide new insights—insights that can only be gleaned by experiencing it with a true audience.
Zakiyyah Alexander: How to Raise a Freeman was developed last year with Ammo Theatre, and I’ve been slowly working on it for a few years. At this point the play feels close to complete, although I’m sure there is still room for growth. Each audience serves as a sounding board to what’s working and what could use adjustments. Everything from the way an actor stumbles over a line to an unexpected joke is informative to the development of any new play of mine. I’m looking forward to hearing the play with different ears and eyes.

A Few of The 2018 Tony Nominees We’re Rooting For!

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 15:34:00 -0700

Most of those people probably haven’t had to deal with L.A. traffic, but there’s no denying the draw and power of live performance. But there is one night a year where even the most ardent theatregoers head home, get cozy on the couch, and turn to their screens: the Tony Awards. The 2018 show features tons of amazing artists who have knocked it out of the park this year, but we wanted to take a moment to highlight a few artists who’ve given their time and talent to Center Theatre Group in the past—and a couple who will be returning to our stages soon.

George C. Wolfe, Direction for The Iceman Cometh

George C. Wolfe is an unequivocal powerhouse in the world of theatre (see above), with his current Tony nomination only the most recent of his numerous accolades. He wrote the book and directed the World premiere of Topdog/Underdog. He also directed Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, Caroline, or Change, and Elaine Stritch At Liberty at the Ahmanson, all of which also earned him Tony nominations (he won for Noise/Funk). His most recent nomination for The Iceman Cometh also features another prominent and familiar talent…
Denzel Washington, Lead Actor for The Iceman Cometh

L-R: Robert Hooks and Denzel Washington in Center Theatre Group's West Coast Premiere of of A Soldier's Play
Denzel Washington is a household name and a double threat for his stage and screen work as both actor and director. With three Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and a Tony Award already under his belt for his work in productions like The Hurricane in 2000 and the Broadway revival of Fences in 2010 (Washington also starred in and directed the award-winning film adaptation in 2016), he’s nominated again this year for his role in The Iceman Cometh. It’s impressive to see how far he’s come from his early days as Private First Class Melvin Peterson in They’re Playing Our Song in 1978 and Falsettos (which he music arranged), 2010’s Next to Normal, and Soft Power by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori and the pre-Broadway run of The Humans tour, for which he won a Tony Award in 2016 (see his acceptance speech above).

From Revivals to Reconstruction

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 12:57:00 -0700

The Golden Age of musical theatre in the 1940–50s, which inspired the music of Soft Power, ushered in timeless romances like the Pulitzer Prize-winning Oklahoma! (1943) and Tony Award^®-winning Carousel (1945). These two productions, in particular, instantly dazzled audiences and critics alike, setting the “golden” standard for musicals. And leading this theatrical soundscape—a musical form that would dominate for decades—was the legendary duo of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.

After the spectacular successes of Oklahoma! and Carousel, Rodgers and Hammerstein became interested in weaving their knack for writing swooning love stories with their concerns about larger post-World War II societal issues like racism and xenophobia. The pair began searching for “exotic” settings and characters, and turned their attention to the East—a cluster of cultures absolutely foreign to the two Americans. Rodgers and Hammerstein sought to send a message of cultural tolerance with stories like South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and Flower Drum Song (1958); all three were immediate hits.

And the so-called “East-meets-West” musical was born. And then revived. And revived again.

Flower Drum Song and South Pacific made their Broadway returns in 2002 and 2008, respectively, while The King and I has been remounted on Broadway a total of four times since its debut. Hammerstein’s pupil Stephen Sondheim wrote about the westernization of Japan in Pacific Overtures (1976), which came back to Broadway in 2004. French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyricist Alain Boublil’s Miss Saigon (1991)—which follows the tragedy of a South Vietnamese woman and her American lover—spent a decade on Broadway, returned in 2017, and has toured around the world, from Japan to the UK.

Although these musicals continue to delight with tunes like “Bali Ha’I” and “Getting to Know You,” their portrayal of Eastern culture do not necessarily stand the test of time. Many 21st-century audiences and playwrights have questioned the authenticity of these productions, and the way they see Asia through the lens of white Americans.

In Rodgers’s autobiography, Musical Stages, he wrote that he followed his usual, award-winning style of music for The King and I without slavishly trying to imitate the music of the locale [Siam/Thailand] in which the story was set, adding that western audiences are not attuned to the sounds of tinkling bells, high nasal strings, percussive gongs, and would not find this kind of music attractive.

While the music of these shows hardly reflected the countries which they were based, the storylines often drew from stereotypical tropes that have historically subverted those cultures. In The King and I, a white tutor arrives to Siam to teach an “uncivilized” king how to modernize his own country, while Vietnamese people remain “victims of war” in Miss Saigon. Although Rodgers and Hammerstein intended to convey the poignancy of human connections in their works, the result nevertheless contribute to the Orientalist tradition—which critic Edward W. Said defined in his 1978 book Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient.

In an attempt to achieve authenticity, modern-day writers and directors have often re-worked the source materials for their revivals. For his 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I, director Bartlett Sher stripped away the exoticism that was common in the 1950s from the narrative design and instead focused on themes of education in a developing country. Filipino-American actor Jon Jon Briones—who was in the chorus of the 1989 West End production of Miss Saigon—played The Engineer during last year’s Broadway revival; this role had been originated by Jonathan Pryce (a white actor) amidst backlash and protests.

And Soft Power playwright David Henry Hwang rewrote the book of Flower Drum Song for that show’s 2002 production. In an article for The New York Times, Hwang wrote that while he watched the 1996 Broadway revival of The King and I, he found himself struck by that production's desire to recreate authentically the Siamese setting of Anna and the King, and began remembering Flower Drum Song, prompting him to create a more “authentic” production of it. However, after extensive research and contemplation of Asian cultures, stereotypes, and the journey of his own Chinese-born parents, Hwang became less interested in seeking some holy grail of authenticity and more convinced of the need to create characters who burst from the page or stage with the richness, complexity, and contradictions of real people. He concluded that if [characters] are well written, they will exude humanity, which is ultimately the most effective weapon against stereotypes, and the most visceral measure of authenticity.

In Soft Power, Hwang collaborated with Tony Award^®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) to craft a more nuanced “East-meets-West” tale told through a Chinese lens. While it still features a sweeping love story with big musical numbers, it also addresses cultural confusions from Broadway’s Golden Age. In short, Soft Power is both a love letter to the classics and a reconstruction of their problematic parts.

This is my version of what romantic musicals would sound like, Tesori said. As an outsider to Chinese culture, she incorporated her experiences with world music into the soundscape of Soft Power: I studied so much world music at a really young age, and I traveled all over the world and recorded thousands of hours of world music, she said. I think I have all those hours with all those musicians in my head. I’m learning about these cultures through their beat and through their folk instruments. All those hours have certainly paid off as Soft Power harmonizes the nostalgia of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s music with fresh sounds from the other side of the world.

Jeanine Tesori’s Musical Patchwork (not to Be Confused with Pastiche)

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 11:42:00 -0700

For her collaboration with playwright David Henry Hwang on the World premiere of background in medicine, allowed for a rigorous editing process between the two creatives. You have to be a surgeon and not get emotionally attached to things, Tesori said. If something’s not working at the right time, you have to cut it out. Musicals are a house of cards. You take one card out and the whole thing falls, but if you take the right cards out, it has a beautiful design. It’s endlessly frustrating and wonderful.

An All-American Dance Off

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 12:05:00 -0700

Trying to choreograph a new musical is no small task. Trying to do so in emblematic American style is a whole other beast. As Hwang and Tesori set about crafting a quintessential American musical in prose and song, respectively, it was up to Pinkleton to reverse appropriate a wealth of inspirations into an American pop culture concoction mixed up and distilled from a non-American perspective.

Here is a handful of the ingredients Sam used for inspiration: a bunch of Youtube videos.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in ‘I Won’t Dance’ from Roberta

What better place to start than with a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance number? The duo is best known as the stars of numerous classic musical films made by RKO Pictures during the Golden Age of Hollywood. I Won’t Dance was one of several references used for the number It Just Takes Time in Soft Power, in which a Chinese executive, Xue Xing (Conrad Ricamora), tries to explain the nuances of Mandarin. And don’t let the title of the video fool you: Fred Astaire does eventually get his feet moving in the clip.

Eleanor Powell in ‘Fascinatin Rhythm’ from Lady Be Good

Pinkleton was also inspired by the closing number of Lady Be Good, another Golden Age musical featuring the prolific Eleanor Powell. Pinkleton highlighted the juxtaposition of Powell’s stunning choreography with the unexcited ushering of the back-up performers (~3:20 in the video) as a key inspiration for I’m With Her in Soft Power, a piece featuring a certain well-known political figure vying for voters’ attention. Maybe seeing politicians work it with this kind of talent could invigorate more interesting political debates?

Royal Family Dance Crew at the 2017 Hip Hop International NZ Nationals

While this killer dance crew may not be US-based, American hip-hop moves have become beloved and even iconic throughout the world. Pinkleton says he focused quite a bit on dance crews, with that influence settling into an early dance number, Welcome to America, featuring a dance crew greeting Xue Xing upon his arrival at the fictional Hollywood Airport. Let’s just say the pseudo-welcoming party turns out to be a little less than welcoming.

NSYNC’s ‘I Want You Back’

Anyone who was in and around the pop scene of the early 2000s probably rocked out or was subjected to (sorry, 2000s parents) NSYNC. The prolific group, along with its successful breakaway lead, is well-known for its choreography and classic boy band flair. Surprisingly, Pinkleton names this piece as a primary inspiration for I’m With Him, which features a destructive angry mob. Maybe they were going after Backstreet Boys fans…

Diane Horner’s Country Hip Hop

Any exploration of iconic American dance should touch on the wonderful blends and amalgamations of styles that have led to new dance traditions (see: breakdancing). This video—one Pinkleton shared with the ensemble as a general, if somewhat comedic inspiration—is not one of them. Maybe 100 years from now, some other culture will develop amazing mash-ups of hip-hop and country as testament to US diversity and creativity. For now, we’ll just have to make do with instructional dance VHSes from the 1980s.

BONUS—Hillary Whips, then Nae Naes

Ok, maybe politicians dancing for votes isn’t as fantastical as we might like to believe. Mrs. Clinton put in the requisite effort for this brief segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and who’s to say we would fare any better if put on the spot by Ellen? But if this short clip piques your curiosity as far as what a Clinton rally heavy on the musical numbers would look like, you’ll just have to come see Soft Power.

Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Meet the 2018 L.A. Writers’ Workshop Festival Playwrights

A Few of The 2018 Tony Nominees We’re Rooting For!

George C. Wolfe, Direction for The Iceman Cometh

Denzel Washington, Lead Actor for The Iceman Cometh

From Revivals to Reconstruction

Jeanine Tesori’s Musical Patchwork (not to Be Confused with Pastiche)

An All-American Dance Off

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in ‘I Won’t Dance’ from Roberta

Eleanor Powell in ‘Fascinatin Rhythm’ from Lady Be Good

Royal Family Dance Crew at the 2017 Hip Hop International NZ Nationals

NSYNC’s ‘I Want You Back’

Diane Horner’s Country Hip Hop

BONUS—Hillary Whips, then Nae Naes