News: Onstage

Immerse yourself in the words and music of rock critic Lester Bangs

Want to enter the world of Gonzo rock critic Lester Bangs without guzzling Romilar cough syrup, his substance of choice? The best way is through the music. And the writing. Both take center stage in Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s How to be a Rock Critic, which is based on the thousands of pages of writing Bangs left behind in 1982, when he...

The Beautiful, Strange, Brilliant, Sloppy Genius of Lester Bangs

Mad respect. This is the only phrase that comes to mind when I think about the sloppy genius Lester Bangs. Like all of us, I’m sure he didn’t plan to end up that way. But years of disappointment, spontaneous joy, alcoholism and an industry that constantly dragged him back for a fix all contributed to the signature lack of panache (and that...

LA Times' Mike Boehm sees how 'Rock Critic' hits an honest chord

It was just a year and a half ago that Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen staged their work-in-progress How to be a Rock Critic as a reading at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Los Angeles Times arts reporter and pop music critic Mike Boehm delves into the story behind the story:...

Bringing ‘Used to Was (Maybe Did)’ from page to stage

One of the incredible joys of my job as Center Theatre Group’s artistic development program manager is to see a project grow and change from the beginning. I remember the day when Associate Artistic Director Diane Rodriguez passed along the script of Used To Was (Maybe Did) by playwright Brian Dykstra to me. I could feel the excitement and e...

The Rock Critic’s Journey

“The first Mistake of Art is to assume that it’s serious” – Lester Bangs

Interview with playwright Mike Kenny & CTG's Student Ambassadors

Participants of our Student Ambassador Program recently sat down with Mike Kenny, the playwright behind the 24th STreet Theatre production of Walking the Tightrope. Student Ambassador Interviewers: Genesis Arana, Alen Anuran, Alexis Raygoza, Jake Contreras, Tyaira Daniels and Mollie Grubman