News And Blogs

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

For many audience members, Lucas Hnath’s The Christians, which plays the Mark Taper Forum through January 10, 2016, doesn’t end when the curtain falls. In fact, the moment the actors take their bows marks the beginning of an even deeper engagement with this play about the mystery of faith: it’s when the post-show discussion begins. Instead of...

The Art of Teaching Theatre: Creating Vibrant Post-Performance Dialogues

What does a recent rash of TV shows focusing on religious subjects such as Breaking Amish, Big Love, and Reza Aslan’s upcoming Believer reveal about our fascination with the collision of deeply held beliefs, doubt, and different perspectives on religion?...

Reality TV, 'The Christians' and Exploring Belief

Here at Center Theatre Group, we love giving people internships. However, three times a year, I have to tell most applicants they haven’t been selected for the program. The truth is, the majority of applications don’t receive serious consideration because of small, easily fixable errors. If you’re thinking about applying, ple...

Tips for Applying to Our Internship Program

Auditions are always a roller coaster of emotions, and the preliminary auditions for this year’s August Wilson Monologue Competition were no exception. One hundred forty-six students from 45 high schools in 52 cities convened at Center Theatre Group’s Downtown L.A. headquarters on Saturday, November 14 to ride this particular coaster. T...

Riding an Emotional Roller Coaster at the August Wilson Monologue Competition Preliminary Auditions

Over 50 percent of Los Angeles County citizens live in a home where a language other than English is spoken. I teach theatre at Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel, about 10 miles east of Downtown L.A.; approximately a quarter of our students are English learners, and they speak 25 different languages. In previous years, I have taught language l...

Conversations from the Classroom: English Learners Speak the Language of Theatre