News And Blogs

There are some theatregoers who argue that despite added hassle, the act of going to a theatre and watching a play in-person is virtuous and the very cornerstone of the art.

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

Costume designer Raquel Barreto had a unique opportunity to dive headfirst into the work of a playwright she loves when Center Theatre Group tapped her to design both Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (onstage January 27 – February 25, 2018) and Water by the Spoonful at the Mark Taper Forum (onstage January 31 – March 11,...

Costume Designer Raquel Barreto Talks All Things Elliot Trilogy

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

“For me every story starts with the script—the words. And Mr. August Wilson was very specific. It’s 1927, Chicago. So that’s your inspiration,” said Tony Award®-nominated costume designer Emilio Sosa on how he got started working on Center Theatre Group’s production of Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (onstage at the Mark Taper Fo...

Emilio Sosa Puts his own Spin on the 1920s

Marc Jacobs named a bag after her. Todd Oldham called her a total original,” and Isaac Mizrahi said Edie Beale's look goes beyond fashion. It’s the true meaning of the word style. Like her cousin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Little Edie Bouvier Beale was an American woman of particular tastes who became a fashion icon....

Little Edie—‘Grey Gardens’ Fashion Icon

Every time I meet a parent, without fail, I’m asked about programs for their children. It’s wonderful that parents and caretakers want their children to have access to more resources, but I remind them that many of our programs are for adults. Parents and caretakers work hard and deserve their own time to be creative, to socialize, to learn a n...

Designing an Experience for Parents

“My whole day is about fitting people’s bodies,” said costume designer and 2010 Richard E. Sherwood Award winner Ann Closs-Farley—which is one reason why Women Laughing Alone With Salad, which plays the Kirk Douglas Theatre through April 3, 2016, was a dream job for her. On a daily basis, the actors Closs-Farley works with deal with the sam...

Costume Designer Ann Closs-Farley's Dream Job

In this age of bagged lettuce and pre-washed kale, meals don’t get much easier than salad. But it’s a little different when leafy greens take center stage, as they do in Women Laughing Alone With Salad, which plays the Kirk Douglas Theatre through April 3, 2016. Center Theatre Group’s prop team had to draw on their artistry, creativity, ingen...

Making Salad for the Stage

Learning how to sew a button, hem a pair of pants, and choose the right fabric for a shirt are hugely useful life skills. But in the theatre, they’re storytelling tools. And for people with a visual arts background or basic sewing skills, they can also serve as a gateway to a career in costume design and creation. This past fall, Center Theatre G...

Sewing Buttons, Telling Stories, Finding Careers

Mounting Popol Vuh: Heart of Heaven this past fall was a highlight of 2015 for Center Theatre Group, and like nothing we’d ever done before—from the giant puppets to the staging in Grand Park to the unprecedented collaboration with Boyle Heights community members and El Teatro Campesino (ETC). Which is why we called on staff members acros...

'Popol Vuh' Transformed Staff (and Community) into Puppet and Mask Makers

The new national tour of The Sound of Music, which launches at the Ahmanson Theatre (and plays through October 31, 2015), breaks new ground on a number of levels—not least of which is in the costuming.

How Do You Dress a Woman Like Maria?