News And Blogs

On a Thursday afternoon in early June, an anonymous Downtown L.A. conference room was transformed into a 1920s recording studio on Chicago's South Side filled with music executives, musicians, a legendary blueswoman, and her entourage. The room’s walls had been covered in lists of images and ideas about theatre, music, and American history, and i...

L.A. Educators Immerse Themselves in August Wilson

“Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished.” The opening line of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through May 22) signals the play’s exploration of the cyclical nature of existence, with beginnings and endings intertwined. It also could be something of an anthem for students and teacher...

The Art of Teaching Theatre: Summer Theatre Warrior

Introducing theatre to a young audience member can be a magical experience, but it can also be a daunting one. For example: How can you be sure to pick a show with appropriate subject matter? How do you explain different theatrical terms and concepts to someone who has never seen a play before? What is the best way to talk to a young person ab...

A Gentleman's Guide—to Love of Theatre

Spring has arrived, and with it, the season of the spring musical. At this very moment, school auditoriums all over the country are filled with students who are singing, dancing, and acting their hearts out.

Conversations from the Classroom: A Teacher’s Guide to Directing Musicals

Fetching coffee. Filing. Making photocopies. For a lot of us, internships are synonymous with drudge work, useful mostly for how they look on your resume after they’re finished. But the Internship Program at Center Theatre Group is an entirely different beast—one that changes the lives and career paths of undergraduate and graduate students, an...

Supervising Interns, Creating Colleagues

The American Civil War is the backdrop of Suzan-Lori Parks’ new play, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which plays the Mark Taper Forum April 5–May 15, 2016. But this tale of a slave who must decide whether to fight in the war on the side of the Confederacy also offers insight into racial dynamics and identity issues w...

Conversations from the Classroom: Teaching Theatre Students About Access, Equity, and Inclusion