Performances Magazine | Mark Taper Forum, June 2025
“What happens here is that you find yourself. You’re actually opening. You’re walking through many, many doors inside of you. I take with me a quietness that I’m able to share and instill in people. Because I’m back as Diane. I’m back whole.”
The Iconic Retreat
WELCOME TO CENTER THEATRE GROUP!
I can’t believe it’s already June and we are already into summer. We hope you have some fun plans lined up— including a trip (or two) to some of our theatres, which are keeping as busy as ever this month.
As we wrap up my first season as artistic director, I want to take a moment to thank you. When we launched our 2024/25 Season, we took a bold new approach: one unified subscription across the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. We called it One CTG. One LA.
The idea was simple: to invite Angelenos to subscribe not just to a single venue, but to a vision of theatre that seeks to operate beyond just a venue or a space. A theatre that reflects every corner of Los Angeles and invites you to all our stages. To break down boundaries—between neighborhoods, stories, and stages—and bring us together under one creative roof. And this season has been unforgettable. We re-opened the Taper with American Idiot—my directorial debut at CTG. We premiered Fake It Until You Make It, the first play by a Native American playwright in our history at the Taper. And we welcomed Broadway legends like Sutton Foster, Lea Salonga, and Bernadette Peters to the Ahmanson. It’s been a season of firsts—and none of it would’ve been possible without you.
As we close out the season with Parade at the Ahmanson, Hamlet at the Taper, and 44 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, I hope you’ll also take a moment to explore our just-announced 2025/26 Season. We kick things off this summer with Puppet Up! – Uncensored at the Douglas, and & Juliet at the Ahmanson. I’m especially thrilled to return to the director’s chair this February for the LA premiere of Here Lies Love
There’s so much more ahead—and we’re just getting started. Thank you for being part of this journey. I can’t wait to see you at the theatre.
With gratitude,
Snehal Desai
The Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director
Center Theatre Group (CTG), Los Angeles’ leading theatre company, is the largest producing notfor-profit theatre company outside of New York City, and is one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations. CTG produces and presents programming at the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. CTG is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, CTG has produced more than 700 productions across its three stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical ; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CTG also serves thousands of children and young adults each year through free educational and community-based programs that introduce the joy of theatre to future generations.
SNEHAL DESAI
The Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director
MEGHAN PRESSMAN Managing Director/CEO
A culinary
for your theatre outing encore
A PERFECT DINING EXPERIENCE TO PAIR WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE
Indulge in a seasonal three-course prix fixe menu at Noé Restaurant & Bar, just a short walk from the theatre. Enjoy a stress-free meal with valet parking for $25 and receive 15% off your bill at Noé when you present your theatre program. Scan the QR code & reserve your table now for an unforgettable evening.
CENTER THEATRE GROUP PUBLICATIONS 2025
EDITORS Jessica Doherty, Brett Webster
ART DIRECTOR Deanna McClure
COPY EDITORS Bobby Martinez, Keeley Bell
CONTRIBUTORS Jessica Doherty, Bobby Martinez, Keeley Bell
DESIGNERS Javier Vasquez, Lila Wakili, Cindy Andrade, Cheyne Gallarde
ELEVATE YOUR NEXT CORPORATE EVENT, GALA, CONFERENCE, OR WEDDING BY BOOKING WITH HOPE & GRAND AT THE MUSIC CENTERWHERE WE TRANSFORM MOMENTS INTO UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES.
our mission our core values
To serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles by producing and presenting theatre of the highest caliber, by nurturing new artists, by attracting new audiences, and by developing youth outreach and arts education programs.
This mission is based on a belief that the art of theatre is a cultural force with the capacity to transform the lives of individuals and society at large.
ARTISTIC AMBITION – We create and present a broad range of outstanding live theatrical work that is bold, authentic, provocative, engaging, entertaining, and inspiring. We support artists working at the highest levels of their own experience and craft.
ARTISTIC IDENTITY, RISK-TAKING, AND INNOVATION –
The theatrical creative process is the center of our work. We collaborate with diverse, creative, and innovative artists, risk-takers, and boundary-breakers to bring great stories to life and create theatre magic.
CENTERING LOS ANGELES – We are a civic institution anchored in the cultural vibrancy and rich diversity of Los Angeles, committing to represent the communities that make up our great city, country, and world by bringing theatre to our stages for Los Angeles audiences.
LIFELONG LEARNING, INSPIRATION, AND HUMAN CONNECTION – We nurture a lifelong passion for theatre in our current and future generations. We center human connection through collaboration, inclusion, imagination, united in the power of storytelling.
RESPECT, COMPASSION, SOCIAL CONSCIENCE, AND AREDI (ANTI-RACISM, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION) – Guided by our social responsibility, we lead with respect and compassion. We create opportunities, cultivate relationships, and dismantle barriers using an anti-racist frame that strives to include marginalized, underrepresented, and excluded communities.
As one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit theatres, we are committed to bringing world class theatre, education, and community engagement to Los Angeles—but we can’t do it without your support. For more information, and to find out how you can make a difference, please visit CenterTheatreGroup.org.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2024-2025
honorary chairman
Lew R. Wasserman† (1913-2002)
president
Amy R. Forbes
chairperson
William H. Ahmanson
executive vice president / treasurer
William R. Lindsay
vice presidents
Miles Benickes
Gail Berman-Masters
Jana Bezdek
Matthew Walden
secretary
Cecilia Estolano
assistant treasurer
Noah Francis
†Deceased
board of directors
Harry Abrams
Nnamdi Asomugha
Jonathan Axel
Betsy Borns
Diana Buckhantz
Dannielle
Campos Ramirez
Wendy Chang
Stephen Cheung
Jill Chozen
Sarah Clossey
Christine
Cronin-Hurst
Snehal Desai
Gary Frischling
Ron Gillyard
Patricia Glaser
Manuela Cerri Goren
Robert Greenblatt
Jason Grode
Aliza Karney Guren
Stanley Iezman
Paul James
Justin Mikita
Louise Moriarty
Kari Nakama
Jeanne Newman
Jamie Patricof
Meghan Pressman
David Quigg
Kristine
Louis Reynal
Edward Ring
Laura Rosenwald
Scott Sandler
Elliott Sernel
Glenn A. Sonnenberg
Jay P. Srinivasan
Sandra Stern
Marsha
Tauber Sallai
Bonnie Vitti
Kim McLane Wardlaw
Shana C. Waterman
Richard Weitz
Hattie Winston
emeritus directors
Harold Applebaum
Ronald J. Arnault†
Judith Beckmen
Ava Fries†
Brindell Roberts Gottlieb†
Susan Grode
Phyllis Hennigan
Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr.
Richard Kagan
O. Kit Lokey†
Walter Mirisch†
Diane Morton
Edward B. Nahmias
Bruce L. Ross
past presidents
Lew R. Wasserman†
Marshall Berges†
Armand S. Deutsch†
Walter Mirisch†
Henry C. Rogers†
Richard E. Sherwood† J. David Haft†
Lawrence J. Ramer†
Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr.
Phyllis Hennigan
Richard Kagan
Martin Massman†
William H. Ahmanson
Kiki Ramos Gindler
Center Theatre Group is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors.
Call 213.972.7564 or visit CTGLA.org/Support to learn more.
an evening of theatre by LA, for LA
LA BRINGS TOGETHER COMMUNITY TO RAISE SUPPORT FOR CTG PROGRAMS
In January of this year, Los Angeles County was shaken by the wildfires that broke out across our region, impacting the communities of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, and affecting so many Angelenos, including Center Theatre Group staffers, artists, donors, and patrons. This city has been through so much these past few months—and while there is still a long road of recovery ahead, we were blown away by the outpouring of support and perseverance throughout LA in the wake of this unprecedented tragedy.
So, on April 27th, CTG opened its doors for a one-night-only celebration of Los Angeles called ONE LA. The evening featured a dinner reception, a party on the plaza, a special show at the Mark Taper Forum, incredible performances, surprise appearances, and a fundraising portion of the evening to help support the education and community programs, which were at the forefront of CTG’s wildfire relief efforts.
The evening began with a dinner reception at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, where guests were welcomed by Celebration Chair Jana Bezdek and Co-Chair Jeanne Newman. CTG was excited to partner for the first time ever with the LA-based immersive performance group Non de Gen. They haunted the Chandler lobby and reception area with jazzy renditions of popular songs, close-up sleight-of-hand magic tricks performed by magicians from the Magic Castle, and characters performing selections from Hamlet, as they interacted with arriving guests. CTG was also joined at dinner by two very special guests—Vice President Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff who attended the event as part of their continued advocacy for the arts.
CTG Board President Amy Forbes opened the evening with the acknowledgement of a gift from the Brindell Roberts Gottlieb Estate to Center Theatre Group, establishing a new name for the artistic head of the organization, which will now be recognized as the Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director position. The sustained dedication of the Gottliebs to the organization over the years served as a moment to celebrate one of our greatest champions and supporters, while helping to issue in a new era of arts leadership at CTG.
Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey P. Horvath presented proclamations honoring Eliot Arts Magnet, William H. Ahmanson and the Ahmanson Foundation, and CTG for their commitment and dedication to fire-related relief efforts.
Eliot Arts was honored for their resiliency in the aftermath of the Eaton fire. When the school lost their beloved auditorium and much of their school, teachers, administrators, parents, and students rallied together and said, “The show must go on!” And on April 18th, that is exactly what happened, as 60 middle school students took to the 2,100-seat Ahmanson stage to present a rousing production of Shrek The Musical JR. It was an evening those students and their families will never forget. Meanwhile, the Ahmanson Foundation was presented its proclamation due to a generous donation to CTG with their fire relief efforts, which included not just Shrek The Musical JR, but also sending Teaching Artists into the emergency day camps immediately after the fires, acting as a donation center for Baby2Baby to collect essential necessities for families, opening up CTG’s rehearsal rooms and spaces to those in need, donating tickets to first responders and individuals directly affected by the fires, and more. It was an incredible moving tribute that illustrated the power that the arts, education, and community can have in moments like these.
“THE IMPACT OF THESE FIRES IS GOING TO REVERBERATE WITHIN LOS ANGELES FOR A VERY LONG TIME. AND CTG IS HERE,”
said Deputy Managing Director Camille Schenkkan. “We're going to keep finding ways that we can help them rebuild these incredible theatre programs that change so many lives and are so critical to young Angelenos.”
Motivated by these proclamations and this incredible work, attendees participated in a post-dinner paddle raise and raised about $650,000 for CTG’s Education & Community Partnerships programming to be able to continue providing these kinds of essential services, education, and arts programming throughout LA County. Over the course of the entire event, $1.3 million was raised in support of CTG.
A performance from the cast of 44 The Musical served as the perfect closer to the first half of the evening’s festivities before attendees crossed the Jerry Moss Plaza where the celebration continued with a special show at the Mark Taper Forum. The iconic venue was filled with Los Angeles artists, patrons, and supporters, in addition to first responders and community members directly impacted by the wildfires who received free tickets to the event.
Many of the performances throughout the evening celebrated the resilience of the Los Angeles community. The show began with a celebration video of why Angelenos love Los Angeles, from its beautiful landscapes to its many vibrant communities. Then, Pasadena’s own MUSE/IQUE returned to the Taper and brought with it an incredible rendition of “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” which got the audience on its feet and set the tone for the rest of the night.
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To Be, or not to These are the questions!
GETTING TO KNOW THE STARS OF HAMLET AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM
Robert O’Hara’s bold adaptation of Hamlet, now playing at the Mark Taper Forum, interrogates and questions the centuries-old story for a new generation. Leading the show are three actors from stage and screen who we interrogated a bit about Hamlet, ghosts, and murder mysteries. Answers have been edited for clarity.
When did you know you loved theatre?
Coral Peña: I saw a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Dominic Dromgoole at The Globe in 2013, with Pearce Quigley as Bottom and Michelle Terry as Titania. I've thought about this production and their performances every day for the last 12 years.
Patrick Ball: I got my first taste of it in high school. Like many of us, I was a sensitive kid and I was a hyperactive kid. My first ever play was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I think I was like 15 at the time. It was the first time that I felt like I could focus on anything. And then I had another moment, I originally went to college for broadcast journalism and I had this friend in the BFA acting program who cast me in a directing practicum and then the head of the BFA program cast me in Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw as the lead. It was a sink or swim moment and this professor, for whatever reason, saw in me something I had not yet seen in myself. For the first time in my life, I was not afraid to try and do the work required to believe in my own life.
Gina Torres: I can’t think of a time when I didn’t love it. The trick was finding my way into it and daring to make a living as an actor.
What excites you about this adaptation of Hamlet and to work with Robert O’Hara?
GT: He’s a visionary, who also happens to be smart and funny.
CP: Robert O’Hara is one of our great contemporary American playwrights. A mind capable of creating Bootycandy, for example, is exactly the one that should be tasked with transforming the most-produced play in history. The mere
concept of ‘co-writers O’Hara and Shakespeare’ is radical and unexpected. That’s what theatre should be. Robert’s adaptation and direction is audacious. It's explosive. I believe it'll invite people in and remind people why Hamlet is still a modern work.
PB: I’m a huge fan. I saw Slave Play in New York twice and I saw his A Raisin in the Sun at the Public and both times I was absolutely floored. With both productions, there was a lot of things that were challenging and that me and the person I went with didn’t necessarily agree on. But if the intention of theatre is to provoke and incite discussion and encourage people to unpack their feelings around topics around their own lives, then I can’t think of a director who has been more successful at that than Robert. I think Shakespeare would be proud. I think Shakespeare made these plays to be broken. These plays were written to be performed for the masses at the Globe and for the court at the Queen’s beckoning. These plays were meant to be picked apart. And I think the way Robert’s gone about this is really smart and really fearless.
What does it feel like to take on an iconic role in a new and exciting adaptation?
GT: PRESSURE! As familiar a play as this is, there have been as many iconic Gertrudes as there have been Hamlets. And so, it is with a great deal of humility as well as excitement that I take my turn now in this Hamlet for a new generation.
PB: Playing Hamlet is a dream that I've had since I decided to become an actor, since I was, you know, 16, 17. I think it's a dream that a lot of people have and to get to do it with someone like Robert O’Hara, who is so fearless and sort of re-interrogating this material and bringing it into the here and now is an absolute dream.
Be?
By Jessica Doherty
CP: There's a specific responsibility when doing Shakespeare—not because of the legacy of actors who've portrayed a certain role, or the history of any given play, but because it's our job to show how accessible, how relevant, how personal, how urgent the work remains. When productions don't respect that responsibility, Shakespeare can be unintelligible to an audience—and thus alienating to an audience! And they go home thinking Shakespeare just might not be for them. And, to me, that is a crime.
What is your dream Shakespeare role? (Besides the one you are playing right now, of course).
GT: I don’t really have one. Women often speak of growing into the role of Lady M., but Titania of A Midsummer Night’s Dream could be fun.
PB: I’ve always dreamed of doing a production of Richard II where I play Richard the Second and another actor plays Bolingbroke and we switch off every night.
CP: Kate, The Taming of the Shrew
What is your favorite line of Shakespeare?
CP and PB:
“But whate’er I be, Nor I nor any man that but man is With nothing shall be pleased till he be eased With being nothing.” —Richard II (Act 5, scene 5)
PB: I just think that's an incredible, beautiful, and tragic line that illustrates this sense of scarcity that has animated him throughout his entire life. Even whenever he was at the height of luxury, in the height of power, he could never feel quite satisfied, and he thought he knew what nothing felt like. But now, for the first time in his life, he is truly understanding nothing. And I just think it's so beautiful and profound.
GT: There are so many, but having recently revisited Polonius’ goodbye speech to Laertes has resonated with me deeply, as I am about to send my daughter to college.
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the fay, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
What song reminds you of your character?
CP: “Into the Void” by Nine Inch Nails.
GT: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
PB: I have a playlist going with everything from Kendrick Lamar to Philip Glass to Johnny Cash and I think all of them together create a soundtrack that is going to be this Hamlet. But I think most succinctly today, “All Caps” by Madvillian.
What is your favorite murder mystery media?
CP: Alan Pakula’s Klute, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder
GT: I’m a Dateline girl from waaaay back.
PB: There are the obvious classics like Chinatown and Rear Window and then there’s also David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. I don’t know if Mulholland Drive counts as a murder mystery, but that’s a big thing living in my mind right now.
Have you ever encountered a ghost?
GT: I have definitely been in spaces and have felt the energy shift. Have I actually seen one? Can’t say I have.
PB: I have never encountered a literal ghost, but I am haunted by my mind frequently.
CP: No. I’m scared just thinking about it. I don’t want to think about it. Stop making me think about it. Next question.
Coral Peña Patrick Ball Gina Torres
alfred uhry HOLDING COURT WITH
THE MAKING—AND CONTINUAL REMAKING—OF PARADE DECADES AFTER ITS PREMIERE.
By Jessica Doherty
Over the course of playwright Alfred Uhry’s long and storied career, he has learned it is best to write what he knows. As a Jewish man growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, this inspired him to pen a trio of his most prolific works about the city—Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Parade, now playing at the Ahmanson Theatre as a part of the 2023 production’s national tour.
“I had what is apparently an unusual childhood,” Uhry said. “Growing up in Atlanta and being Jewish but celebrating Christmas and Easter, never going to a seder or knowing any Jewish traditions but, of course, I had my Jewish face, and I was subject to all of the antisemitism that every other Jew faces.”
Parade is about the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was convicted of murder and lynched in Georgia in 1915. Despite the fact that Uhry was born about 20 years after the case, the ordeal was highly publicized and widely known, but something Uhry said was seldom discussed in his family.
“People got up and walked out of the room when the subject came up, so as soon as I got old enough to go on the bus downtown to the library, I looked it up,” he said. “I became haunted by it until I wrote this show.”
That haunting lasted until the 1990s. Uhry first wrote Parade as a play, until director Harold “Hal” Prince convinced him it was a musical. The two first pitched the idea to composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, but after writing 1994’s Passion with James Lapine, he wasn’t interested in another “heavy” musical. Prince then recommended Jason Robert Brown—a then 23-year-old up-and-coming composer and lyricist who was working with his daughter, Daisy, on the 1995 revue Songs For A New World.
“I thought to myself, oh boy, I’m going from Stephen Sondheim to Daisy Prince’s young friend, who was younger than my children,” he said. “It turned out to be Jason Robert Brown, who was a gift from God or somebody because he really got what I was talking about.”
Uhry spent much of the beginning of the creative process talking to Brown about his childhood, his conflicted feelings about the American South, and his perspective on the case. “I was convinced everybody was a victim, except the prosecutor and the rabid newspaper publisher who played on it,” Uhry said. “The South was a victim of losing the war, it was a difficult time which stirs up prejudices
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going PRO
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTISTS
By Keeley Bell
By 9am on April 5th, dozens of college students and emerging theatre professionals lined up on Temple Street, dressed to impress to attend CTG’s annual Going Pro Career Fair.
A free event organized by CTG’s Education & Community Partnerships department, Going Pro connected students with career development resources and industry experts across Los Angeles County. For those seeking a career in theatre and live entertainment, it was the perfect place to spend a Saturday. There were free workshops, professional headshot sessions, a resource fair of unions, masters’ programs, and service organizations, networking mixers, a raffle, and even lawn games! Community members came to CTG in search of first-hand access to the secrets behind industry success— and Going Pro delivered.
“GOING PRO IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATREMAKERS AND ARTS LEADERS. It’s about giving them direct access to the conversations happening today in the field and the tools needed to navigate a career in this industry. More than just a resource, it’s a space for vision: to imagine the future of theatre, define your place within it, and explore how you can contribute to the sustainability and evolution of the art form,” said Aurora Ilog, CTG’s Creative Workforce Initiatives Director. As the program lead, Ilog engaged local artists, practitioners, and administrators to lead workshops and facilitate conversations, many of whom we had the pleasure of speaking to about their experience.
This year, CTG partnered with Arts for LA, a nonprofit cross-sector and cross-discipline arts advocacy organization, to uplift the importance of advocacy in the arts. While Arts for LA hosted a table in the resource fair sharing more information about their programs and ways to be an arts advocate, Arts for LA Programs Associate Yamily Pardio also took center stage to conduct one of the day’s early workshops, Developing Your Personal Narrative. There, attendees learned how to let the industry know who they are by bringing the concept of their personal history to the forefront of the conversation when applying for grants or jobs. “I [realized] a lot of people sound really great, but they're also not telling much about themselves because they're not action-oriented. Tell us who you are [and] how who you are influences what you do,” said Pardio.
The day wasn’t just about how to get your foot in the door. There was also a focus to develop skills essential to sustain a career as an artist—including financial literacy for theatremakers.
Jessica Champagne Hansen, a costume designer and professor at CTG’s formal higher education partner, East Los Angeles College, led a workshop on financial empowerment for artists. When asked why she developed a workshop on this topic, Hansen recalled the surprise
she felt when starting her own career. “As somebody who went through an undergraduate program, then did three more years of study for an MFA, I felt like I was wildly unprepared for the workforce,” Hansen stated. “[I] really wanted to flip the script of the industry having everything so secretive. Instead, let's leverage everyone.” Specifically, Hansen wanted to demystify how to financially thrive in a career in the arts.
“The very first thing that we talk about [in the workshop] is the concept of a ‘starving artist,’ and how we can rewrite that narrative. It’s healthy to talk about money. We all need money.” Hansen was even open with attendees of her workshop about her own salary, normalizing and promoting transparency around the topic. She was excited to find out that, after attendees were surveyed on their Going Pro experience, many were grateful that the event tackled this topic.
While Hansen walked students through how to approach personal budgeting, taxes, and more as an artist, CTG Resident Teaching Artist Christine Breihan facilitated the Funding Your Projects workshop just down the hall.
“We do a lot of assessment with all of our programming, [asking] ‘What’s missing?’ And financial literacy comes up again and again,” Breihan mused.
In the workshop, Breihan guided folks through budgeting for their independent projects, opening by asking the crowd what they were working on creatively. She received a variety of responses, from people producing plays to short films to one-person shows.
cannot put your ability to make work in the hands of everyone else but you.”
The topic was more universal than she thought. She was surprised to not only see emerging arts professionals in her workshop, but also people who had been in and around the industry for years. “What is cool when you get early career and mid-career artists together in a room to talk about what's worked for them [and] the questions that they still have [is] then you get that peer learning, that colleague-to-colleague learning,” she said. “They’re networking in real time and also sharing what they know.”
But the surprises didn’t end there. Since so many people get technical jobs because of who they know, Going Pro creates a space for emerging professionals to connect with these experts through the Technical Jobs Networking Mixer. At this mixer, costumers, makeup artists, stage managers, designers, and more originally planned to speak in small groups with attendees. But so many people showed up to mingle with them, they didn’t fit in their original room!
The Technical Jobs Networking Mixer has proven to be a consistent success. “We’ve heard so many stories from the people who’ve participated in past years that [they are now] working with the employers they met at the tech mixer,” Ilog shared.
Over 200 people attended the in-person Going Pro Career Fair on the 5th and a portion of them joined virtually the next day for one-on-one Speed Mentorship sessions with professionals in their desired career pathway. This event opens up a space for folks with a passion for the arts to uncover some of the best-kept secrets of the creative industry and empowers emerging professionals to reach for their goals with confidence. The career fair has been a staple of CTG’s Education & Community Partnerships efforts for over ten years and continues to provide free resources to those looking for guidance, opportunities, or community.
As a larger initiative in CTG’s workforce development work, Breihan has been developing curriculum for financial literacy-based workshops targeted specifically to artists. While financial literacy is a broad topic, there are artistspecific niches within the subject, like taking the steps to fund your own projects. She was eager to pilot this workshop for the first time at Going Pro, in hopes of empowering attendees to take ownership of their own careers, “You continues on page 18
Jessica Champagne Hansen
Christine Breihan
Yamily Pardio
Hansen touched on the importance of community in the entertainment field, stating, “If you ask most people, ‘What do you love most about your job?,’ they’ll say ‘The people.’ So find the people [who] really support you, because [they are] going to be there when you’re having an awesome time in your career, and when it’s really not going well and you need support. It’s just such a cool gift to give down to the next generation.”
Going Pro is part of CTG’s Career Fair lineup, along with the College & Career Fair for the Arts, which is geared toward high school students, and Getting Started, which delves deeper into the business side of the arts. Follow @ctgcommunity on Instagram to keep up with other opportunities.
Plug into Your Creative Side. Experience Art!
JULY 5 - AUG. 29, 2025
800-487-3378
PageantTickets.com
WHERE ART COMES TO LIFE No CGI, no deepfakes—just real people stepping into iconic works of art at the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. Watch masterpieces transform into living pictures, with narration and an original score performed by a live orchestra under the stars. It’s not just a show—it’s an unforgettable experience!
WHERE ART HAPPENS. No screens, no shortcuts—just real artists showcasing original works at the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show in Laguna Beach. Stroll through an outdoor gallery, join free art tours, enjoy live music, and create your own masterpiece in hands-on workshops. It’s art you can explore, experience, and take home. JULY 2 - AUG. 29, 2025 (closed July 4)
FORUM 2024/25 SEASON MARK
GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT
Produced in Collaboration with Deaf West Theatre
Music by Green Day
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong & Michael Mayer
Choreography by Jennifer Weber
Directed by Snehal Desai
OCTOBER 2 – NOVEMBER 16, 2024
FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT
By Larissa FastHorse
Directed by Michael John Garcés
World Premiere
A co-production with Arena Stage JANUARY 29 – MARCH 9, 2025
HAMLET
By William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Robert O’Hara
MAY 28 – JULY 6, 2025
We would like to take the opportunity to thank the following donors for their extraordinary investments in Center Theatre Group's future.
As a not-for-profit organization, Center Theatre Group relies on the support of generous theatre-lovers like you, ensuring that we can continue our legacy of producing and presenting innovative and daring productions on our stages.
With Hamlet, Center Theatre Group is launching a new group of “Production Angels.” Each Angel provides philanthropic support for essential elements of the production— such as wigs, physical therapy for the cast, and fake blood—becoming a part of the creative journey alongside the director, cast, and crew! Interested in becoming a Production Angel for an upcoming CTG show? Please reach out to Ricky Carter, Director of Development, at rcarter@ctgla.org.
For their contributions and support of Hamlet, Center Theatre Group would like to thank the following Production Angels:
ROBYN FIELD & ANTHONY O’CARROLL
DR. STEPHEN D. HENRY & RUDY OCLARAY
PATRICK MORAN & JORDAN BUDDE
TERENCE TCHEN & EMILY BRECKENRIDGE
THE DAVID LEE FOUNDATION
THE LOUIS AND HAROLD PRICE FOUNDATION
We would also like to extend a special thanks to the Perenchio Foundation and Anonymous for their support of this season’s productions.
Mark Taper Forum season programming support provided by
Learn more at CTGLA.org/ MEMBERSHIP
SNEHAL DESAI Artistic Director | MEGHAN PRESSMAN Managing Director/CEO | DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director
GORDON DAVIDSON Founding Artistic Director
Center Theatre Group Presents
By William Shakespeare With
James T. Alfred Patrick Ball Joe Chrest Fidel Gomez Ty Molbak Ramiz Monsef Coral Peña Jakeem Powell Ariel Shafir Jaime Lincoln Smith Gina Torres Danny Zuhlke
Scenic Design Clint Ramos
Projection Design Yee Eun Nam
Movement The Company of Hamlet
Costume Design Dede Ayite
Fight Direction/Intimacy Coordinator Teniece Divya Johnson
Casting Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA
Lighting Design Lap Chi Chu
Wig, Hair and Make-up Design J. Jared Janas
Associate Artistic Director Lindsay Allbaugh
Adapted and Directed by Robert O'Hara
Original Music and Sound Design Lindsay Jones
Dramaturg and Associate Director Nicholas Polonio
Production Stage Manager David S. Franklin
This adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet was Originally Commissioned, Developed and Produced by Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, CA in 2025.
CAST
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones and watch alarms. The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, with or without flash, is strictly prohibited.
Fidel Gomez
Joe Chrest
Patrick Ball
James T. Alfred
Ty Molbak
Ramiz MonsefCoral Peña
Ariel Shafir
Gina TorresDanny Zuhlke
Jakeem Powell
Jaime Lincoln Smith
(In order of appearance)
Hamlet ......................................................................................................................... Patrick Ball
Ophelia Coral Peña
Head Attendant James T. Alfred
Claudius ........................................................................................................................ Ariel Shafir
Gertrude Gina Torres
Polonius ................................................................................................................... Ramiz Monsef
Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. Patrons with disabilities: wheelchair seating is available in a variety of theatre locations. When ordering tickets, please indicate any special needs. For our hearing-impaired guests, the theatre is equipped with listening devices; please contact an usher for assistance.
COVER ART OF PATRICK BALL. PHOTO BY DAVID GODDARD.
WHO’S WHO
JAMES T. ALFRED (Head Attendant). James T. Alfred returns to the Mark Taper Forum with Hamlet. He was last seen at the Taper in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s National Broadway Tour of August Wilson’s Jitney. New York credits include Classic Stage Company and the Public Theater. Regional Credits: Steppenwolf, Baltimore Center Stage, Goodman, Penumbra (Company Member), Huntington, Guthrie, Denver Center, KCRep, Milwaukee Rep, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Alliance, and the A.R.T. TV: Boss , Empire , Blindspot , Law And Order O.C., The Blacklist, Chicago P.D, Power Book II, FBI, Kold And Windy, Graduate of the Institute For Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University . MFA – Moscow Art Theatre School.
PATRICK BALL (Hamlet). Patrick stars as Dr. Frank Langdon in the new HBO Max series The Pitt. On stage, he recently starred in Tectonic Theater Project's Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard at Miami New Drama and The XIXth at The Old Globe. He received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama. He is represented by Innovative Artists and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.
JOE CHREST (Detective Fortinbras/Ghost) . Previous CTG: Guns and A Little Night Music directed by Gordon Davidson. Regional work includes a decade long collaboration with RSC Director Emeritu, Barry Kyle including Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Three Sisters, and Rocky Horror Show. A veteran of 150 film and TV productions, Joe is best known as "Ted Wheeler" on Netflix's Stranger Things (SAG Award). Joe is a proud USAF Veteran and dad. Much love to Nic, Sam, and Christine!
FIDEL GOMEZ (Gravedigger, he/him/el). Mr Gomez has performed at Arena stage, The Goodman Theatre, South Coast Rep, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, as well as The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Film and TV credits include: HBO’s Walkout , Sister Cities , NCIS ,
Undercovers, and Grey’s Anatomy, among others. He was last seen opposite Christoph Waltz in the feature Dead for a Dollar, written and directed by Walter Hill, which was an official selection at The Venice Film Festival. He dedicates this show to his grandmother Esperanza Huerta.
TY MOLBAK (Laertes/Rosencrantz, he/him) is best known for starring in Sam Barlow’s BAFTA Award Winning Immortality. Film: Babylon, She Taught Love, Next Exit, Master. TV: Law & Order, PBC, Katy Keene. CTG Debut. Theatre: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Geffen); Sylvia, Sylvia, Sylvia (Geffen, Workshop); The Bottoming Process (IAMA); Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Sabbath Girl (59E59). BFA: Mason Gross at Rutgers. Thanks to Robert, Nick, Henry, my teams at Framework + HCKR, and, of course, my parents, brothers, and Ky.
RAMIZ MONSEF (Polonius, he/him). Ramiz is happy to return to the Taper. LA: Taper, (Archduke), The Kirk Douglas (Vicuña), The Geffen Playhouse (Guards at the Taj, Mysterious Circumstances). New York: SecondStage, New York Theatre Workshop,The Culture Project. Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, A.C.T, Seattle Rep, Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep, Williamstown, Actors Theatre of Louisville. Film/TV: Synchronic, Descendant, Slayer, various shows. Ramiz wrote the play The Ants ( Geffen ), as well as co-wrote The Unfortunates, (OSF, A.C.T.).
CORAL PEÑA (Ophelia, she/they). Coral Peña is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with conservatory training at Stella Adler and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Coral currently stars as Aleida Rosales on the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind. Stage: IAMA/Center Theatre Group's Our Dear Dead Drug Lord and MCC Theater’s BLKS. Film: Thelma (Sundance 2024), Story Ave (SXSW 2023), and The Post (dir. Steven Spielberg). Coral will next appear in the upcoming HBO series Task and the Hulu feature film Swiped
JAKEEM POWELL (Horatio, he/him). Jakeem Powell is ecstatic to be returning to the Mark Taper Forum. He can be seen in George C. Wolfe’s critically acclaimed Netflix feature Rustin produced by The Obamas’ Higher Ground Production Company. His recent credits include: Public Obscenities (Soho Rep, Drama Desk for Best Ensemble, Pulitzer Prize finalist), Slave Play (Broadway and Mark Taper Forum), and the streaming play This American Wife (alongside Pulitzer Prize finalists Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley). He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. Instagram: @jakeemdpowell.
ARIEL SHAFIR (Claudius) Off-Broadway: Richard III (Shakespeare in the Park), The Merchant of Venice (TFANA - Edinburgh), Henry V (The Public), Mankind (Playwrights Horizon). Regional: Macbeth (Denver Center), Romeo and Juliet, (Chicago Shakes), A Streetcar Named Desire (Williamstown), Marie Antionette (Steppenwolf). Film: Bride Wars, What Happens In Vegas. TV: Only Murders In The Building, When They See Us, The Sinner, The Blacklist, Bull, Blue Bloods, Law and Order: SVU, Orange Is the New Black, 30 Rock.
JAIME LINCOLN SMITH (First Player/Attendant). Broadway: Holler If Ya Hear Me. Shakespeare In The Park: Much Ado About Nothing . OffBroadway and NY Theatre: Pipeline, Ruined, Skeleton Crew, Birthright, Last Saint on Sugar Hill. Also numerous regional theatre credits. TV/ Film: Bull , NCIS: New Orleans , Blue Bloods , Elementary, The Deuce, Respect the Jux, 11:55 and more. MFA: Rutgers University.
GINA TORRES (Gertrude) has established herself as a force on stage (Broadway and Off-Broadway) and screen. Best known for her roles as Jessica Pearson on Suits , and Pearson , where she became the first Afro-Latina to create, star, and produce a TV series, and most recently as Tommy Vega on 9-1-1: Lone Star. Torres continues to be a trailblazer on and off screen in her advocacy work for women and POC in the industry and beyond through the power of storytelling.
DANNY ZUHLKE (Guildenstern, he/him) . Danny Zuhlke is thrilled to make his debut with Center Theatre Group. Originally from Queensbury, New York, now an LA-based actor, writer, and director, his films have premiered at Chelsea Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, and more. TV: Lucifer (Netflix), The Deuce (HBO), The Affair (Showtime). Theatre: Black Super Hero Magic Mama [as assistant director] (Geffen Playhouse), Macbeth (DCPA). BFA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Special Thanks: Mom, Dad, Samantha, Maggie, Darius.
EDWARD HOKE (u/s Hamlet, he/him). Edward is delighted to be making his CTG debut. A graduate of Northwestern University, he also studied at ACT and RADA. StageScene LA named him 2023's Breakout Performer of the Year. LA Credits Include: Theatre of NOTE, Pacific Resident Theatre, Little Fish Theater, Ophelia's JUMP!, Shakespeare by the Sea, Skypilot Theatre Company. TV Credits Include: Animal Kingdom (TNT), Wild West Chronicle (INSP). He is a founding member of FRANK'S, a new work focused theatre collective. @cometofranks
GABBY WELTMAN (u/s Ophelia, she/her). Gabby Weltman is thrilled to begin her theatrical career understudying for Ophelia at the Mark Taper! She recently earned her MFA in Acting from USC, where she enjoyed playing roles that ranged from Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest to Mother Teresa in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. She began training at the Colburn School and has since studied at Second City, CSSSA, Groundlings, The British American Drama Academy, and The Clown School.
INGER TUDOR (u/s Gertrude, u/s Head Attendant; she/her) is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and LAMDA. Theatre: Boney Manilli (Walker Arts Center), Merchant of Venice, Annotated (National tour), Lifespan of a Fact (Fountain Theatre; Rubicon Theatre), Silent Sky (Arizona Theatre Company), The Exorcist (Geffen Playhouse), Stuff Happens (Mark Taper Forum); Film: Voodoo Macbeth, The Remedy,
My Condolences, The Social Network, On Time; TV: Your Honor , Physical , Goliath , Leverage ; Voiceover: audiobooks and audio description for film and television.
PETER O’CONNOR (u/s Claudius, u/s Polonius; he/him). Select Theatre: LA: Outrage (dir. Allen Barton), NYC Off-Broadway: Annie Baker's The Flick (Pulitzer Prize, dir. Sam Gold), Patron of the Arts (dir. Mike Donohue), Jailbait (OBIE, dir. Suzy Agins), Regional: The Aliens (dir. Lila Neugebauer, west-coast premiere), Molly Smith Metzler’s The May Queen (dir. Amanda Charlton), Smart People (dir. Desdemona Chang), How I Learned to Drive (dir. Amber McGuiness), The Weir (dir. Amanda Charlton), Chinglish (dir. May Adrales). Select Film/TV: Hustlers, Public Morals, FBI, FBI Most Wanted
TIM FRANGOS (u/s Laertes, u/s Rosencrantz; he/him) makes his CTG debut having just graduated with his MFA in Acting. University credits include Romeo and Juliet, Airness, King Lear, and West Side Story, among others. He has appeared in several regional productions at Kingsmen Shakespeare and Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum and was recently on tour in Turkey. Love to his wonderful family, friends, teachers, and mentors. Tim is a proud graduate of UC Irvine and the University of Southern California.
TOBIN MITNICK (u/s Guildenstern, u/s First Player, he/him) is from Pennsylvania. Credits: multiple seasons at TX Shakespeare, solo show at Hollywood Fringe (Producer's Award, Pick of the Fringe). TV: Master of None, Power, All My Children. Film: leads in Hollidaysburg, upcoming Disconnected. Webby-nominated tree lover @ jewslovetrees. Book: Must Love Trees : An Unconventional Guide. Favorite trees include: Boole, Stagg, Methuselah. Currently developing a comedy feature film set in the cutthroat world of bonsai artists. Training: Columbia University, UCB, Lesly Kahn.
JUAN FRANCISCO VILLA (u/s Gravedigger, u/s Detective Fortinbras; he/him/el). He recently worked with John Leguizamo on the world
premiere of his play The Other Americans at Arena Stage in DC, Directed by Ruben SantiagoHudson. In LA, he last appeared on Our Dear Dead Drug Lord by Alexis Scheer and Directed by Jo Bonney at The Kirk Douglas. Other theatre credits include The Public Theater (NYC), Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Geffen. TV Credits: Ryan Murphy's Monsters Season 2: The Menendez Brothers, with recurs on: Blue Bloods, General Hospital, and The Set Up with Hannah Stocking. VO credits opposite Ethan Hawke, Toni Collete, Jon Hamm, Mini Driver, Danny Devito, Aubrey Plaza, and Judy Reyes.
MIGUEL ANGEL GARCIA (u/s Horatio, he/him), originally from Ossining, NY, is an actor of Peruvian and Spanish descent and a 2020 USC School of Dramatic Arts graduate. He stars in Die Like A Man, a gritty coming-of-age thriller directed by Eric Nazarian. Other credits include The Long Game, Jenni, Blue Miracle, A Wonderful Way with Dragons, Promised Land, and Deputy. He recently performed in Brett C L eonard's Guinea Pig Solo. Miguel would like to thank CTG, the cast, crew, and Robert O’Hara for this opportunity.
ROBERT O’HARA (Adaptor/Director, he/him) is the Tony-Nominated Director of Slave Play and is currently working on several film, television, and stage projects. He’s a two-time Obie Award Winner and two-time NAACP Award Winner whose work has been seen around the country.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Playwright) was born in April 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon and died there in 1616. In addition to Hamlet, his works include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Julius Caesar, Henry VI, Richard III, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love’s Labour’s Lost , Richard II , King John , Henry IV, Love’s Labour’s Won, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Torilus and Cressida, Measure for Measure, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest
CLINT RAMOS (Scenic Design, he/him) Clint Ramos is a Tony Award-winning designer and producer. Select Broadway: Maybe Happy Ending , KPOP , Slave Play , The Rose Tattoo , Eclipsed (Tony Award), and Once on This Island He's designed over 250 theatre, opera, dance, and film productions. Clint is the producing creative director at NYCC Encores! and Artist in Residence at Lincoln Center.
DEDE AYITE (Costume Design). Select Broadway: Othello , Buena Vista Social Club , Our Town , Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (Tony Award), Hell’s Kitchen, Appropriate, Topdog/ Underdog, Slave Play. Select Off-Broadway: Merry Wives (Public), Days of Wine and Roses (Atlantic). Opera: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (MET). Select Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage and Steppenwolf. Television: Netflix, Comedy Central. Awards: TDF/Kitty Leech Young Master Award, Obie, Drama Desk, Henry Hewes, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area, Audelco, Jeff Awards.
LAP CHI CHU (Lighting Design). Broadway: Suffs, Yellowface , Uncle Vanya , and Camelot (Tony Nomination). Other theatres include: The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe, American Contemporary Theater, Goodman Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, and the Alley Theater. Recognitions include the Lucile Lortel Award for Outstanding Lighting Design and an Obie for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design. Head of Lighting Design at UCLA. lapchichu.com
LINDSAY JONES (Original Music and Sound Design, he/him). Broadway: Slave Play (Tony nominations for Best Original Score, Best Sound Design of a Play), The Nap, Bronx Bombers, A Time to Kill. Off-Broadway: Privacy (Public Theater), Bootycandy (Playwrights Horizons), Feeding the Dragon (Primary Stages), many others. Regional: Guthrie, Center Stage, ACT, many others. Podcasts: Marvel, Audible, Next Chapter
Podcasts. Film: HBO Films’s A Note of Triumph (2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject). Co-Chair of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA). lindsayjones.com.
YEE EUN NAM (Projection Design, she/her) Yee Eun Nam is a visual artist and theatre designer for live performance, working across opera, theatre, and multimedia productions. Recent credits include X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Metropolitan Opera), Yellowface (Roundabout), A Transparent Musical and Twilight (Center Theatre Group), Once Upon a (korean) Time (Ma-Yi Theater Company), and Long Day's Journey into Night (Audible Theater). She is a Lucille Lortel Award nominee and LADCC winner for CGI/Video design. She holds an MFA in Theater Design from UCLA. yeeeunnam.com
J. JARED JANAS (Wig, Hair, and Make-up Design). Select Broadway: Dead Outlaw, John Proctor is the Villain, Glengarry Glen Ross, Buena Vista Social Club, Our Town, Once Upon a Mattress, Mary Jane , Prayer for the French Republic , Purlie Victorious, Good Night, Oscar, Sweeney Todd…, Ohio State Murders, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo , Indecent , Sunset Boulevard , The Visit , The Real Thing , Lady Day …, Motown , Peter and the Starcatcher , Porgy and Bess Recent Off Broadway: Sally & Tom (Drama Desk Nomination), Yours Unfaithfully (Drama Desk Nomination).
TENIECE DIVYA JOHNSON (Fight Direction/ Intimacy Coordination, they/them) is an Intimacy Director, Fight Director, Stunt Performer, and Movement Storyteller working across television, film and stage. The first Black and first nonbinary intimacy director on Broadway with Slave Play and first Black intimacy coordinator working on TV/Film, Teniece serves as a resolute advocate for a decolonized collaborative approach to art, Black intimacy, Kink and Queer representation. They are also the founder of BlackIntimacyConsentCollective.org, a community based educational organization a round intimacy, consent and wellness. @teniecedivyajohnson
NICHOLAS POLONIO (Dramaturg and Associate Director, he/him). Nicholas Polonio is a theatre director based in Brooklyn. He has worked on over a dozen productions with Robert O'Hara including Slave Play (Mark Taper Forum, Broadway, West End), X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Metropolitan Opera), Jelly's Last Jam (Encores!), and Richard III (Shakespeare in the Park). Alumni of the NYTW 2050 Fellowship, Drama League Directing Fellowship, Roundabout Directors Group, and the National YoungArts Foundation. BFA in Acting from Rutgers University.
HENRY RUSSELL BERGSTEIN, CSA (Casting Director) . A bi-coastal casting director and producer. Theater: Broadway, Off- and Off-OffBroadway specializing in new American plays and musicals. Recently: Oh, Mary!, White Girl In Danger, Titaníque. Emmy-nominated: Succession, Inventing Anna. Other television: Adults, The Other Two, Mozart in the Jungle, Black Mirror Film: Mass (Independent Spirit Award), The Neighbor's Window (Academy Award - Best Live Action Short), Black Bear, Saturday Church, It Felt Like Love. Podcasts: Homecoming, Anthem: Homunculus . Former VP Casting, HBO Max. Upcoming: Damned if You Do and Bookends
DAVID S. FRANKLIN (Production Stage Manager). CTG highlights: Bandido! , Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème , Art , Romance , Curtains , The History Boys, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Two Unrelated Plays by David Mamet, Parade, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, God of Carnage, Red, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike , Bent , A View From The Bridge, Zoot Suit, Archduke, Head of Passes, Linda Vista, King James, A Transparent Musical, Green Day’s American Idiot. Los Angeles Theatre Center from 1985–1990. Pasadena Playhouse since 1989 and most recently stage managing their 2023/24 Season! New York: Public Theater. Tours: Europe— Quotations from a Ruined City, Law of Remains (with Reza Abdoh’s Dar a Luz company).
CAMELLA COOPILTON (Stage Manager). Camella Coopilton’s stage management credits include Both/And by Carolyn Ratteray at The Wallis Annenberg/ Boston Court, SHE by Marlow Wyatt at Antaeus Theatre Company, Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, King James by Rajiv Joseph, and A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson at Center Theatre Group. She co-founded Black Stage Everything and has served as Co-Artistic Director of Ammunition Theatre Company.
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
SNEHAL DESAI (Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director, he/him) was appointed Center Theatre Group’s third artistic director in 2023. As an artistic leader, Snehal has sought to raise awareness on social issues that affect Angelenos through impactful and empowering storytelling. Previously, he was the Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. A Soros Fellow and the recipient of a Tanne Award, Snehal was the Inaugural Recipient of the Drama League’s Classical Directing Fellowship. He has served on the boards of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (Caata), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and currently serves on the board of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). Snehal was on the faculty of USC’s graduate program in Arts Leadership and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
MEGHAN PRESSMAN (Managing Director/CEO, she/her) joined Center Theatre Group in 2019. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (D.C.), Director of Development for Signature Theatre (N.Y.), and Associate Managing Director of Berkeley Rep. She is a graduate of Yale School of Drama/Yale School of Management and serves as a mentor in the Theater Management program. Meghan has served as the Vice-Chair for the Theatre Communications Group Board of Directors and is a member of the Broadway League.
GORDON DAVIDSON (Founding Artistic Director) led the Taper throughout its first 38 seasons, guiding over 300 productions to its stage and winning countless awards for himself and the theatre—including the Tony Award for theatrical excellence, Margo Jones Award, The Governor’s Award for the Arts, and a Guggenheim fellowship. The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One) won the Pulitzer in consecutive years and, in 1994, three of the four plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play were from the Taper (Angels in America won). In 1989, Gordon took over the Ahmanson and, in 2004, he produced the inaugural season in the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
DOUGLAS C. BAKER (Producing Director, he/him) joined Center Theatre Group in 1990. Doug is an active member of the Broadway League, the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), and is a proud member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM). In 2013, Doug received the Broadway League’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award.
NAUSICA STERGIOU (General Manager) has worked supporting artists in theatres of all shapes, sizes, and locales including Center Theatre Group as General Manager and, previously, as Audience Development Director. She oversees productions at the Taper and Douglas, as well as new play commissions and developmental productions. Nausica has taught Marketing and Management at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and works with local nonprofits including Hollywood Orchard. BA, Cornell University. MFA, Yale School of Drama.
LINDSAY ALLBAUGH (Associate Artistic Director, she/her). Associate Artistic Director for Center Theatre Group and award-winning Los Angelesbased director and producer. Recent productions: Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler (Best Production: Ovation Award, LADCC Award, Stage Raw Award) at the Echo Theatre Company as well as Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties by Jen Silverman at the Boston Court Theatre. Lindsay was Co-Artistic Director of the Elephant Theatre Company from
2004–2014, where she directed and produced many productions including 100 Saints You Should Know by Kate Fodor, Revelation by Samuel Brett Williams, and Never Tell by James Christy. Selected CTG producing credits include—Mark Taper Forum: Slave Play, Archduke, Bent, Waiting for Godot; Kirk Douglas Theatre: Creative Producer behind Block Party, Tambo & Bones, Good Grief, Throw Me On the Burnpile and Light Me Up, Endgame, Women Laughing Alone With Salad, Chavez Ravine, different words for the same thing, The Nether
CENTER
THEATRE GROUP, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading not-for-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1,600 to 2,100-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, Center Theatre Group was led by Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson until 2005 when Michael Ritchie was the artistic director until his retirement in 2021; Snehal Desai was appointed the organization’s next artistic director in 2023. Center Theatre Group has produced more than 700 productions across its three stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Associate Scenic Designer
Associate Costume Designer
Assistant Lighting Designer
Associate Sound Designer
Associate Projection Designer
Production Assistant
Casting Assistant
Tailor
Miguel Urbino
Michelle Ridley
Kaitlin Trimble
Natalie Houle
Samantha Skynner
Jihee Jenny Park
Elisa Isaacs
William Mellette
First Hand/Stitcher...........................................................................Pamela Walt
Stitcher/Craft Artisan
Stitcher
Carpenter
Physical Therapy
Directing Apprentice
Scenic Apprentice
Costume Apprentice
Marissa Soto
Liza Dally, Peggy Stevenson
William Voorhees
Fusion Arts, Karen Moran
Abitha Nunis
Gretchen Ugalde
NaNa Mathis, Jenna Whiteman
Prop Apprentice.............................................................Alejandra Sofia Gonzalez
Technical Direction Apprentice
Alex Muir
Production Management Apprentice Yichun Li
Lighting Apprentice..............................................................................Em Moore
Production Observers
Jamie K. Brown, Diego de Los Andes, Nariya McCall Douglas, Reina Macias, Jazz Zhu
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers of the United States.
The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
The following employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Machine Operators, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC: Stage Crew Local 33; Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 857; Wardrobe Crew Local 768; Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Local 706
United Scenic Artists represents designers and scenic artists for the American Theatre.
Center Theatre Group is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the American Arts Alliance, the Broadway League, Independent Producers’ Network (IPN), and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG).
A look at first rehearsals of Hamlet
ARTISTIC
SNEHAL DESAI Artistic Director | MEGHAN PRESSMAN Managing Director/CEO | DOUGLAS C. BAKER Producing Director
GORDON DAVIDSON Founding Artistic Director
Center Theatre Group would like to thank its exceptional staff for their ongoing commitment, dedication, and extraordinary efforts. ♦ On staff for 10+ years. °Education & Community Partnerships Alumni.
ZACHARY BONES, REBECCA GRAUL, CATHERINE HOLLY, AJA HOUSTON, JOHNATHON L. JACKSON, DAVID JIMENEZ,°
CARENE ROSE MEKERTICHYAN, MARA PALMA, ROBERT PATERNO, MADDOX PENNINGTON, MARTA PORTILLO,TARA RICASA, TIANA RANDALL-QUANT, MONIQUE SYPKENS Teaching Artists
PRODUCTION
JOE HAMLIN♦ Director of Production
SHANNON G. BICKNELL Senior Production Manager
LESLEY GONZALEZ Associate Production Manager
YICHUN LI Production Management Apprentice
CAMBRIA CHICHI° Production Supervisor
ISAAC KATZANEK Technical Director
SHAWN ANDERSON♦ Head Carpenter (Ahmanson Theatre)
SCOTT LUCAS Head Properties (Ahmanson Theatre)
JARED BATTY Head Electrician (Ahmanson Theatre)
ROBERT SMITH♦ Head Sound (Ahmanson Theatre)
SHANE ANDERSON Head Flyrail (Ahmanson Theatre)
MICHAEL GARDNER♦ Wardrobe Supervisor (Ahmanson Theatre)
MARY BORGIA Hair & Make-up Supervisor (Ahmanson Theatre)
CHRISTINE L. COX♦ House Manager (Ahmanson Theatre)
EMMET KAISER♦ Head Carpenter (Mark Taper Forum)
MARY ROMERO Head Properties (Mark Taper Forum)
AARON STAUBACH♦ Head Electrician (Mark Taper Forum)
NATALIE MARCEAU, SIMON J.O. MARTIN, REGINA NILES, ANTONIO DIXON Drivers
VANESSA BRADCHULIS, OLIVIA CHOATE, PRESSLY COKER, MONICA GREENE, PAT LOEB, TWON POPE, SAM UDERO Stage Door Attendants
FINANCE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES
CHERYL SHEPHERD Chief Financial Officer
PETER BANACHOWSKI............................................................Controller
DENICE BEHDAD Assistant Controller
ANAHITA ASHRAFIPOUR Senior Accountant
XOCHITL ORTEGA Accounts Payable Supervisor
KERRY BETH KAUFFMAN° Accounting Assistant
JESSICA HERNANDEZ Payroll Manager
MYLAH BARRETO, TIFFANY GARDE Payroll Specialist
TOM MEGALE IT Director
JANELLE CABRERA TORRES Tessitura & Web Administration Director
JOEY SOLANO Digital Product Manager
CRIS SPACCA♦ Information Technology Manager
JODY HORWITZ♦ Director of Human Resources
JERMAINE CARTER HR Generalist
MOSS ADAMS Auditor
MICHAEL C. DONALDSON, LISA A. CALLIF Legal Counsel
GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER Legal Counsel
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
SARAH SULLIVAN Director of Institutional Advancement
RICKY CARTER Director of Development
CRYSTAL DIAZ Director of Special Events
KATASHA ACOSTA-ROWE Director of Advancement Operations
PAULA MATALLANA Director of Institutional Grants
ANASTASIA RUTKOWSKI Corporate Relations Officer
GRACE PIPER Assistant Director, Prospect Research and Strategy
NICOLE SCIPIONE♦ Senior Individual Giving Officer
OYE EHIKHAMHEN Individual Giving Officer
ZAIN PATEL Individual Giving Officer
CLAIRE PEARSON Institutional Giving Manager
NICKI BONURA Advancement Associate
RACHEL BONDS Senior Analyst, Gift Accounting and Reporting
HAILEY BRUNSON Annual Giving Coordinator
ALICE PELAYO Donor Liason & Institutional Advancement Assistant
IRENE CHO Executive Assistant to the Director of Institutional Advancement
As part of our commitment to supporting new plays and playwrights, we foster and develop a broad range of theatrical work from diverse artists locally, nationally, and abroad.
Artists creating new work commissioned by Center Theatre Group this season:
Z LISA D’AMOUR
LARISSA FASTHORSE
JENNIFER HALEY
ALESHEA HARRIS
GERALDINE ELIZABETH INOA
LISA KRON
KIMBER LEE
YOUNG JEAN LEE
MATTHEW LOPEZ
ROGER Q. MASON
TAHIRIH MOELLER
JANINE NABERS
QUI NGUYEN
LYNN NOTTAGE
MARCO RAMIREZ
LA WRITERS’ WORKSHOP
CYNTHIA GRACE ROBINSON
SARAH RUHL
T.TARA TURK-HAYNES
LUIS VALDEZ
PAULA VOGEL
KAREN ZACARÍAS
MEDIA AND CONTENT
BRETT WEBSTER Director of Media and Content
JESSICA DOHERTY° Associate Content Director
BOBBY MARTINEZ Content Associate
KEELEY BELL Media and Content Coordinator
DAVIDSON & CHOY PUBLICITY:
TIM CHOY, PETER GOLDMAN,
VICTORIA WESTBROOK Publicity Consultants
DEANNA McCLURE Design Director
JAVIER VASQUEZ♦ Digital Content Producer
LILA WAKILI Senior Graphic Designer
CINDY ANDRADE Graphic Designer
CHEYNE GALLARDE Graphic Designer
MARKETING AND SALES
GARRETT COLLINS Director of Marketing and Sales
PAMELA KUHR Director of Membership
BRENNIE TELLU Ticketing & Customer Experience Director
CANDICE WALTERS♦ Marketing Campaigns & Operations Director
SKYPP CABANAS♦ Senior Manager, Ticket Operations
DEVANY HARDEN° Senior Manager, Audience Loyalty
KATHARINE MEANS° Senior Manager, Advertising
MIKE RATTERMAN Senior Manager, Membership Engagement
ANDRESSA ROYER Senior Manager, Audience Development & Marketing Events
NINA PERRY Account Sales Manager
CHASE ANDERSON-SHAW Kirk Douglas Theatre Manager
ROMAN DICESARE Email Marketing Associate
MARC GOODMAN Senior Analyst, Sales Strategy & Data
TINTIN NGUYEN Ticket Operations Coordinator
PETER SULLIVAN Marketing Coordinator
AARON HIGAREDA Membership Engagement Supervisor
MICHAEL AGUILO, LA'RAE CARMICHAEL, JOE CASPER, NATALIE DRESSEL, DAVID HUNTER, NAT KEEZER, KATHLEEN LITTLEFIELD, JOSEPHINE NUNEZ, IAN PRICE, DONALD RIZZO, BENJAMIN SCHWARTZ, DIANE WARD Membership Engagement Representatives
CAROLINE THOMPSON/IMPACT 123 Media Planning
SANDY CZUBIAK♦ Audience & Subscriber Services Director
JONATHAN FLORES Audience Services Assistant Supervisor
JURGEN SANTOS, CHRISTIAN UNGER Audience Services Sales Associates
JOSHUA BADILLO, CLAY BUNKER, FRANK ENSENBERGER, DANIEL GARCIA, MICHAEL MUNOZ, SAMUEL ROQUE, DAVID SALAZAR, ASHLEY SANDOVAL, CHRISTINA WRIGHT Audience Services Representatives
LUIS ESPINOZA, KAITLYN GALVEZ, MICHAEL KEMPISTY,♦ RICHARD RUBIO 2nd Assistant Treasurers
Since 2005, we have invited local playwrights to spend a year researching and writing a new work with the feedback of their fellow writers and artistic staff as part of our L.A. Writers’ Workshop. Learn more at CTGLA.org/ARTISTS
2023/24 COHORT:
AMY BERRYMAN
INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN° ISAAC GÓMEZ
CHRISTOPHER OSCAR PEÑA
RAMIZ MONSEF
JASMINE SHARMA
LA ARTIST RESIDENCIES
DIANA BURBANO
LARISSA FASTHORSE
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
MICHAEL JOHN GARCÉS
DANIEL ALEXANDER JONES
MADELINE SAYET
KRISTINA WONG
CRITICAL MASS PERFORMANCE GROUP
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE LA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHALK REP NATIVE VOICES AT THE AUTRY
OUR SUPPORTERS: ANNUAL DONORS
THANK YOU for your generous annual support.
As we emerge from the most challenging period in Center Theatre Group’s history, we recognize our generous individual donors for their annual and event support.
$500,000+
Anonymous(2)^
Kirk & Anne Douglas^
The Louis & Harold Price Foundation
$250,000+
Jana & Trevor Bezdek
Amy Forbes & Andrew Murr
Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark
$100,000+
Anonymous(2)^
Diana Buckhantz & Vladimir & Araxia Buckhantz Foundation
Helen & Morgan Chu
Cindy & Gary Frischling
Kiki & David Gindler^
Aliza Karney Guren & Marc Guren^
Louise Moriarty & Patrick Stack
Deena & Edward Nahmias
Laura & James Rosenwald & Orinoco Foundation
$50,000+
Anonymous
Joni & Miles Benickes^
Margaret Sheehy Collins
Patricia Glaser & Sam Mudie
Manuela & James Goren
Robert Greenblatt
Mr. & Mrs. James L. Hunter
Vicki King
Thomas Safran
Elliott Sernel & Larry Falconio^
The estate of Frank J. Sherwood*
J R Stein Family Foundation
Donna & John Sussman^
Matt & Dana Walden
Kim & Bill Wardlaw
$25,000+
In Memory of Morris A. Hazan
In memory of Trana and Ronald Labowe
Anonymous (2)
Gay & Harry Abrams/ Abrams Artists Agency
Karen & Jonathan Axel
Elissa Becker
Judith & Thomas Beckmen
Gail Berman & Bill Masters
Debra & Norris Bishton
Allen Blue & Kira Snyder
Betsy Borns & Jonathan Shapiro
Jill & Allen Chozen
Christine Cronin-Hurst & Mark Hurst
Ms. Lynne M. Diamond
Cecilia Estolano
Waltraut Fefrmann
Ruth Flinkman-Marandy & Ben Marandy
Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation Donor Advised Fund
Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
Gerald & Jacqueline Kehle
Kelton Fund/Lenny & David Kelton
Harvey & Ellen Knell Foundation
Doris Luster
Melissa McCarthy & Ben Falcone
Justin Mikita
Weston Milliken
Cindy Miscikowski
Marsha J. Naify
Olivia & Anthony Neece
Jeanne L. Newman
Bill Resnick & Michael Stubbs
Edward & Mary Beth Ring
Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer
Glenn & Andrea Sonnenberg
Sandra Stern
Stone Family
Terence Tchen & Emily Breckenridge
$15,000+
Robert Abernethy
Laura & Harvey Alpert^
James Asperger & Christine Adams
Shelley & Rick Bayer
I. Mark & Marlene Bledstein
Lynn Booth and Kent Kresa
Paula Brand
Dr. Robert Braun & Dr. Joan Friedman
Janice R. Brittain
Linda & Maynard BrittanTraub-Brittan Family Trust
Marla Campagna^
Wendy Chang
Donald & Zoe Cosgrove*
Bernie Cummings & Ernie Johnston
Doug Dust and Lorin Liesy
Connie Elliot
Michael A. Enomoto
Lisa Field
Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll
Jason Grode & Maryl Georgi
Annie Gross
Marion & Tod Hindin
Jing Ho
Jennifer L. Jackman
Ellen & Jerry Jacobson
David & Martha Kadue
Elisabeth Katte Harris Trust
KNU for Kids Foundation
Vicki & Seth Kogan
Mrs. Gayle Leventhal
Brian Lourd
Kelly Sutherlin McLeod & Steven B.
McLeod Family Foundation
Janice & Bruce Miller
Ben Mui & Carrie Hartman
Mr. Jacques Nack Ngue & Dr. Coree Levy^
Kari L. Nakama^
Gail Neiman
Christine Marie Ofiesh
Ernesto & Richard Rocco-Davies
Bill & Susan Roen
Robyn & Steven Ross^
Nina & Steven Sheldon^
Phyllis J. & Steven F. Spierer
The Sugimoto Family Foundation
Anne C. Taubman
Karen & William Timberlake
Peter & Iona Tompkins
Elinor & Rubin Turner
Peter & Susan Van Haften
Seymour Waterman & Family
Jerrie D. Whitfield & Richard W. Motika
$10,000+
Linda Antonioli in loving memory of Kenny Antonioli
Anonymous
Amy & Bob Abramson
Betsy & Harold Applebaum
Laurie and Bill Benenson
Fran R. Berger
Robert Bienstock
Ms. Virgina Blywise
Henry Cohen
Dr. Lawrence & Jane Z. Cohen
Bob Ducsay and Marina Pires de Souza
Dr. Bradford W. Edgerton & Mrs. Louise Edgerton
Rhonda C. Evans
Fran Flanagan
Noah Francis
Tatiana Freitas
Marcy Gross
Dr. Stephen D. Henry & Rudy Oclaray
Robert D. & Claire Heron
Phil Hettema
Ann & Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr
Honey Sanders
Douglas Hutchinson
Janice A. Kido^
Geoffrey Kischuk^
Sheila Krasnoff
David & Tam Lachoff
Sarah Landau
Michael & Sandy Leahy
Steven Llanusa & Glenn Miya, M.D.
Tiffany Lovett
Margot & Mitch Milias
The Muller Family Foundation
The Murray / Reese Foundation
Chris & Dick Newman/C & R
Newman Family Foundation
Ms. Marian Beth Price
Laura & David Quigg
Willard & Sharon Reisz
Melissa Louise Rhone
Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Ring
Bruce & Randy Ellen Ross
Daryl and Steven Roth Foundation
Donna Schweers & Tom Geiser
Joan & Arnold Seidel
James & Alexis Sheehy
The Snyder Family Foundation
Jay Srinivasan
Eugene & Marilyn Stein
Tom Stempel
Taffy Stern^
Brad & George Takei
Mari & Randall Tamura
Elizabeth Topkis
Sheila & Wally Weisman
Hattie & Harold Wheeler
George Zimmerman & Tatyana Gurvich^
$8,000+
Desobry E. Bowens in Memory of Alice Desobry Bowens
In Memory of John W. Carner
Remembering Lynn Kinikin
Anonymous (2)
Lois Yvonne Adams
Russell Allison
Debra & Dave Alpert
Adriana & Jay Balaban
Tracey Boldemann-Tatkin & Stan Tatkin
JoAnn & Wade Bourne
Robert Brook & Jackie Kosecoff
James L. Brooks
Rose-Marie Browning & Michael Fletcher
Kathleen & Milton Campbell
Dannielle Campos Ramirez & Armando Ramirez
Cathy & Tony Chanin
Dr. Allison Diamant
Lauren Donner
Anne M. Dougherty & David B. Dobrikin
Nick Dudzak
Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei
Howard Gleicher and Damon Chen
Ms. Dana Guerin
Dr. Lisa Guerin & Mr. Tim Ryan
Pamela Herman Broussard & J. Garfield Broussard
The Hoebich Family Foundation
Mary Ann Jacobsen
Roslyn & Warren Jacobson
Norman & Leslie Koplof
Mr. Craig E. Lawson
Curtis Lelash
Ronald Levenson & Marcia Gold Levenson
Liz Levitt Hirsch
Janell & Randall Lewis
Marissa Messer
Andy & Laura Mintzer
Mildred Moon Esq. & Earl Whitaker
Judy Nussenblatt
Tye Ouzounian
Linda S. Peterson
Raymond James Charitable
Dr. Peggy Renner & Dr. Robert Nelson
Mary Kay Schumacher
Peter & Susan Schwab
Mr. & Mrs. Ted Seidman
Howard & Stephanie Sherwood
Jan & Carl Siechert
Debra J. Silvera-Sheehan
Mason A. Sommers & Rami Aizic
Tracy A. Stone & Allen Anderson
Ellen & Steve Sugerman
Luke & Colleen Welsh
James A. Zapp & Elizabeth A. McGlynn
$5,000+
All My Friends Productions
Empress Jacquie
Geoffrey Tully and Madison Tully in memory of Genise Reiter
In Memory of Marianne Cooper* In Memory of Mille Kern
Nita Whitaker
Stuart & Laurie Rice In Loving Memory of Adam Rice
VoiceWorks Productions, Inc.
Anonymous (6)^
Katherine Adamson
Florence C. Agcawili
Andrew Aichlmayr^
Susan Alschuler
Robert C. Anderson
Suzanne Attig
Cheryl & Elliott Balbert
Howard Banchik
Christopher & Anadel Barbour
Angela Bardowell
Linda Barnett
Mark & Jody Barnhill
Lois Barth & Michael Schubach*
Susan Baumgarten
Pamela & Dennis Beck
Martin & Gina Bell
Yvonne & Derek Bell
Daniel Berendsen and Kevin Brockman
Susan & Adam Berger
Drs. Jack & Barbara Berman
Peter & Helen Bing
Diane Birnbaumer &
James Thompson
Leah Bishop & Gary Yale
Joan & Rob Blackman
Majorie Blatt
Yvonne Bogdanovich & Family
John Bowab
Dr. Adrienne Brandriss
The Brannan Family Foundation
Sandy & Mayer Brenner
Jim Bright & Lucy Farber
Eileen and Harold Brown
Linda Brown
Neil H. & Karen Hochman Brown
Anne Bruner & James Bremner
Rick Buche & Vin Reilly
Dr. Lisa Bukaty & Mr. Raymond M. Bukaty
Richard J. Burdge Jr. &
Lee Smalley Edmon
Linda Stafford Burrows
Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Busuttil
Laura and Jerry Callaway
Patty Chan
The Honorable Judith C. Chirlin^*
Suzanne & John Clark
Mary Coates
Roberta A. Conroy
Corinna Cotsen & Lee Rosenbaum
The Craig Family
Tim Curtis and Shandon Youngclaus
Mrs. Teran Davis
Nancy Dennis
Cathy DeRoy
Rajendra and Kiran Desai
Julia Donoghue
Ms. Laurie Dubchansky
Matthew Dubeck
Patricia K. Duffie*
Dr. William Duxler
Ms. Anita H. Dymant & Mr. Richard Drooyan
Alan & Barbara Faiola
Valerie Field
Pat Fleming
Judith R. Forman & Richard N. Weiner
The Franke Family Trust
Michael Galindo & Mary Quon Jung^
Jay & Donna Gallagher
Scott Gaudineer
Lesley & Dr. Kenneth H. Geiger
Fariba Ghaffari
Bethany Goldberg
Roslyn & Abner Goldstine
James D. & Margaret A. Gray
Claudia & Tom Grzywacz
Roberta L. Haft and Howard Rosoff
Mr. Jeffrey L. Hall & Mr. Kevin A. Yoder
Tanna Handley Havlick
Michael Hanel and Steve Linder
Steve & Toya Harrison
Gail & Murray Heltzer
Zvia Hempling^
Alicia Hirsch & Jesse Russo
Karen Hirshan/Hirshan Family
Foundation
Ofer B. Ho
Rand Hoffman &
Charlotte Robinson
Amy Hogan
Erika Honda
Gary Kading
Linda R. Kaplan
Cari & Marty Kavinoky
Ken & Stefanie Kay
Claudia E. Kazachinsky & Richard A. Sherer
Albert Kelly & Marjorie Stevens Kelly
Sharon Kerson
Genni Klein
Michael & Deborah Klein^
Karen & Bob Knapp
Joanne C. Kozberg
Darell & Elizabeth Krasnoff
Mr. & Mrs. Stan Krasnoff
Jale Kutay
Anne & Michael Landsburg
David & Janet Lazier
Ron & Pat Lebel
Dinny & David Lesser
Dr. Dianne N. Long
Mr. & Mrs. Mark S. Louchheim
M. Michele Martin
Dr. Rosie M. Mayfield
Gerard McCallum
Alan & Jodi Melcher
Carla Meyer & Chuck Arnold
Donna Millan
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Miller
Joanne & Joel Mogy
Patrick Moran
Toni Morgan
Lon Morse and Toni Hollander-Morse
Loula Moschonas & James
Edgerton^
Jerri & Dr. Steven Nagelberg
Bob & Renee Nunn^
Mr. Richard Nupoll
Michael R. Oppenheim^
Janie & Allan Orenstein
Yvonne Orji
Elsie & Peter Paterno
Jamie Patricof & Kelly Sawyer Patricof
Helen Pekny
Maggi Phillips & Mario Gerla
Dr. Ralph & Cathy Quijano
Rollin A. Ransom & Chris Lacroix
Paula F. Reach
Resnik Family Foundation
Kristine Reynal
Rick & Judy Richman
Michael Robin
Lois Rosen
Ellen & Mike Rosenberg
Karen P. Rosenthal & Clark Linstone
Stephen and Kate Sachs
Marsha & Imre Sallai^
June Sanders Sattler
Stephen J. Sass & Dr. Steven Hochstadt
Leonard Sharzer
Linda M. Sherman
Jacque & Herb Spivak
Merrilee B. St. John^
Jill Stein
Clumeck Stern Schenkelberg & Getzoff
Laura Stevenson Maslon
Susan R. Stockel
Jeff Sung
Robin & David Swartz
Fran Sweeney
Marcy Szarama
Laney Techentin
Eileen T'Kaye & David Bischoff
Russell Todd
Lynn Tolkan Franklin
Sandra Tufts
Michael Valocchi
Rob Wade
Norman & Barbara Weiler
Susan & William Weintraub
John R. White and Kimberly Stirling
Denise J. Winner
Mary J. Witt
Wolfen Family Foundation
Virginia & Greg Young
Arnold H. & Tricia L. Zane
Richard Zbur
$2,500+
Beatrice (Tina) Castillo & Gail Sandford
Bobbie Stern
Ellen Eubanks
In Honor of Laura Woolls
In Honor of My Mother, Consuelo Lopez
In memory of Robert A. Fisher
In Memory of Ruth & Leon Sirkin
In Memory of Wayne Jervis, Jr.
Anonymous (9)
Michael and Susan Abeles
Paula A. Adams
Craig J. and Kathryn K. Anderson
Laura Armour
Sandra Aronberg, M.D. & Charles Aronberg, M.D.
Margaret Arvey
Linda Ayers
Corinne Baldassano
John Ballinger & Rod Davis
David Baltimore & Alice Huang
Chris & Rose Bauss^
Dr. Martine Bauwens
Nancy Berman
Mr. & Mrs. John Bettfreund
Christopher Bissonnette
Susan Bloch & Stephen Kay
Rachel Bloom
Annette Blum
Betsy Borns
Irene Boyd
Lynn and Robert Brandt
Devra Breslow
Leah Broidy
Jaron Brooks
Abbott Brown
Todd & Cory Buchner
Christine Cahill
Kelly Campbell
Steven Cantrell
Melinda Carmichael
Thomas J. Carmichael
Sandra L. Carter
Arthur & Katheryn Chinski
Caroline Choi
Joanne R. Cohen
Victor Cole & Patricia Green
Father Vince Connor
Hon. Candace Cooper (Ret.)
Corbell Family
Ted Cordes
William Dandridge
Steve & Linda Darling
Kenneth Davis
Larry Davis
Mr. Nicholas Davis
Heidy & Saul De La Rosa
Tom De Simone & Jason Wright
Erica B. Deutsch
Chiedu Egbuniwe
Thomas Farrell
Mrs. Barbara J. Feiga
Robert Finkel & Adelle Gross
Lauren Firestone & Chris Cookson
Jon Fisher
Darcy Fleck
Ruth Fleming-Stephens
Laura E. Fox, M.D. &
John D. Hofbauer, M.D.
Tony and Elisabeth Freinberg
Kenneth J. Friedman
Rosalie Friis-Ross
Howard J. Fulfrost
Kerry Garvis Wright
Dr. Robert Gasway & Kristen Wong
Freddi & Marvin Gelfand
Jeanne K. Gerson
Jeri & Keith Gertzman
Patrick & Frank Gibson-McMinn
Celine L. Gillibrand
Kelly Lynn Gitter
Bruce & Madelyn Glickfeld
Bob Gold
Ms. Gail Goldberg Stoter
Andrew and Colleen Goldberg
Dr. Irene Goldenberg
Nan & Allan Goodman
Edith Gould
Mr. & Mrs. Francisco Govea
Dr. Stuart & Adrienne Green
Nancy Greenberg
Sally Greenfield
Ms. Ann Greer
Craig Greiwe
Debra Grieb & John Mickus
Cynthia Griffin
Pam Grissom
Lorrie & Richard Gurewitz
Ms. Elizabeth Haaker
Scott Hall & Rhonda Church
Ms. Kamala Hamilton & Mr. Lucky Weir
Marc Hankin
Harris Family Foundation
Sam Harris
Johnny Ruth Harrison, M.D.^
Trish Harrison-Runnette &
John Runnette
Catherine & Mark Helm
Phyllis & J. Michael Hennigan
Barbara Herman
R. Christine Hershey
Ellen & Tom Hoberman
Fritz Hoelscher
Laurie Zaks & Jeff Horn
Joan Hotchkis
Heidi Hu
Elizabeth Irvine Bray
The James Irvine Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Itami
Irwin & Meredith Jacobson
Sean Johnson & Alex Ocampo
Carol & Bruce Johnston
Rosalind Joseph
Janet & Steve Kahane
Judith & Russell Kantor ^
Regina & Richard G. Kaplan
Elyse & Stanley Katz
Laurence & Linda Kaufman
Jennifer Keller
John and Karen Keller
Sarah E. Kiefer
Kerry Korf, Geoffrey Korf, William Korf, & Hannah Haas
Lindsey Kozberg
Dr. Peter A. Krikes
Dr. Micheal and Mrs. Mindy Kuhn
Lynn Kwock
Lynn Lalonde Allen
Katherine L'Amour
Michael Lanning
Sharon Lapid
Joan & Chris Larkin^
Ned Leiba
Gordon Lemke & Brian Rodgers
Charles Letzgus & Michael McDonald
Jeff S. Levine/The J2 Foundation
Marla E. Levine
Carl L. Levinger ^
Carrie & Mark Levinson & Emily, Lauren & Max
Nancy & Jonathan Littman
Mary Anne Lucero
Michael Lurey & Laurie Hasencamp
Roger MacFarlane
Marge & Bill MacLaughlin
Hon. Nora M. Manella
Darlene Manus
Deborah Marshall
Emily & Phillips Marshall
Amy & Harold Masor
Marie Mazzone & David Israeli
Meg McComb
McKinney Fund
Robert L. Mendow ^
Lorraine & Craig Meyer
Nick & Vaughan Meyer
Carole Miller
Joan & Philip Miller
Gretchen & Marshall Milligan
Julien Minard
Lawrence A. Mirisch
Arline M. Nakanishi
Robert & Sally Neely
Marianne & Michael Newman
Patty & John Nickoll
Marsha Niles
Russell Noel
Cindy & Ken Norian
Nancy Norris
Dr. David Oh
Susan Oka
Mary Rose & Edward Ortega
Thomas Payne
Carole Pelton
Carol Phillips & Bob Shapiro
Frank and Cheryl Pine
Carolyn & John Poer
Pauline & Drew Pomerance
Clark and Kathryn Porter Family Foundation
Irv & Gina Posalski
Michael Powell & Dr. Sheila Phillips
Shelley Powsner & Stephen Skrovan
Mr. & Mrs. Albert Praw
Patricia Price
Jeffrey C. Quinn
Nan Rae
Lee Ramer
Van Ramich
Tracy L. Ramont
Courtney Rangen
Lary Rappaport & Ellen Isaacs
Kirk & Cathy Reynolds
Andrea and Mark Richard
David A. & Karen Richards Sachs
Peter Richards
Ms. Carol Risher
Lindsay Ritter
Murphy & Ed Romano
Bingo Roncelli
Robert Roosth
Jeffrey A. Rosen
Nathalie & Jim Rosen
Lynne Rosenberg
Richard M. Ross
Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Rothblum
Jeanne Sakata
Dana Saladen & Linda Walters
Jay & Linda Sandrich
Linda & Clifford Schaffer
Barbara Schnell & Gordon Johnson
Scolamieri/Colwell Family Trust
Rob & Cathy Sevell^
Patrick & Patricia Sheldon
Ms. Shannon Shih
Jacqueline & Harvey Shulman
Karen & Gordon Silverstein
Alan and Esther Siman
Kurt & Keli Skarin
Stephen & Judith Slagle
Leslie Smith
Roberta Smith^
Bruce Spector
Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman
David A. Steinberg
Jack & Marlene Susser
Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell Sussman
I.H. Sutnick
Stephen & Karen Sweeney
Nathan Swisher
Ellen Tam
William L. Tan & Shelly M. Ushio
Will Tanous
Judith N. Taylor
Mary & Peter Tennyson
Dr. Keith Terasaki
Ms. Allison Thomas
Marla Thornton
Susan & William Tinkley
Judy Tishkoff & Keith Crasnick
Paulette Toumazos & Michael Lorenz
Sue Tsao
Trude Tsujimoto
Carol Vernon & Robert Turbin
Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Wallace
Jason Wanderer
Rita Warren
Charles W. Weeks
Janice & Larry Weiner
Bonnie Weis
John & Martha Wengert
Kim White Peterson
Sara Widzer
Lori Williams & Stephen Schulte
Eric Winston &
Jacqueline McIntyre-Winston
Edward Wolkowitz Family
Wayne Zahner
Matt J. Zaslow
Ruth Zommick
The above list reflects total annual giving from either the FY25 fiscal year (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) or the previous fiscal year FY24 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024), whichever is greater. This list is updated as of April 2, 2025.
Please contact our Advancement team at 213.972.7564 or Give@CTGLA.org with any corrections to this list. Thank you! ^Acknowledges a loyal supporter who has pledged a multi-year commitment to Center Theatre Group, including next year. *Deceased
OUR SUPPORTERS: ENDOWNMENT + PLANNED GIFTS
THANK YOU for investing in our future.
We are honored to recognize contributors who have provided support that extends well beyond the current season and safeguards the future of Center Theatre Group. We thank all of our endowment and Ovation Circle donors for making a commitment that sustains the finest theatre artistry.
ENDOWMENT GIFTS
$500,000+
The Ahmanson Foundation
Gordon Davidson Tribute Fund
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Ann & Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr.
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
Renee & Meyer Luskin
Martin Massman
John S. Surabian, Jr. and in memory of Faith and Sharon Ann Surabian
$250,000+
S. Brower Trust
The Michael Shaw Jacobs Fund
Patricia Glaser & Sam Mudie
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Simon
$100,000+
Betsy & Harold Applebaum
Judith & Thomas Beckmen
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
Maynard & Linda Brittan— Traub-Brittan Family Trust
Center Theatre Group Affiliates
Kenneth Corday
Regina Fadiman
Barbara & Peter Fodor
Ava & Charles Fries
Brindell & Milton Gottlieb
The Hearst Foundation, Inc.
Vicki King
Gloria Lothrop
Richard G. & Virginia L. Martin
The Estate of Frank J. Sherwood
Louise Taper
$50,000+
Moira Byrne Foster Foundation
Margaret Sheehy Collins
Deborah M. Hyde
Ellen & Michael S. Korney
Dorothy & Richard Sherwood
$25,000+
Abbott Brown
Linda Brown
Greve Foundation
Dr. Tom Hickey
Renata Landres and Family
Levine Foundation
Diane & Leon Morton
The Estate of Anita Mae Hirsh
$10,000+
A and J Davidson Skipper Award Fund
George A. V. Dunning
Carolyn & Kit Lokey
Betty & Sanford Sigoloff
PLANNED GIFTS
Shirley & Irving Ashkenas
W. Lee Bailey, M.D.
Angela Bardowell
Chris & Rose Bauss
Dr. Adrienne Brandriss
Tim Curtis and Shandon Youngclaus
Pamela & Dennis Beck
Judith & Thomas Beckmen
The Bennetts
Linda Brown
Allan & Joan Burns
Richard & Norma Camp
Bill Cohn & Dan Miller
Earl & Christine Cory
Zoe Cosgrove Estate
Susan D. Clines & Charles Dillingham
Anne M. Dougherty & David Dobrikin
Kirk & Anne Douglas
Elisabeth Katte Harris Trust
Amy Forbes & Andrew Murr
Kiki and David Gindler
Mr. & Mrs. Walter E. Grauman
Susan A. Grode
Virginia Hayes
Sharon L. Henderson
Mr. Kim L. Hunter
Deborah M. Hyde
The Doug Jones and John Sanger
Theater Ticket Fund
Richard & Julie Kagan
Arlene M. Kageyama-Chikami
Sarah & Andy Kane
Debra L. Karrenbrock
Dr. & Mrs. Jack Kavanaugh
The Paul Kowal Charitable Foundation
Darell L. Krasnoff Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald
Joyce & Kent Kresa
Marla E. Levine
Steven Llanusa & Glenn Miya, M.D.
Carol & Douglas Mancino
George Manet
Meg McComb
Betty McMicken in honor of Jeanette Shammas
Diane & Leon Morton
Merle & Peter Mullin
Isabel F. Newman
Bob & Renee Nunn
Doug Palmer
Linda S. Peterson
Sally & Frank Raab
Edward L. Rada
Nan Rae
Stuart & Laurie Rice In Loving
Memory of Adam Rice
Rocco-Davies Foundation
Penelope C. Roeder, Ph.D.
Bruce & Randy Ellen Ross
Allyson S. Rubin
Eileen B. Salmas
Wes Schaefer & Cathy King-Schaefer
Elliott Sernel
Margaret Sheehy Collins
Sue & Steve Soldoff
I.H. Sutnick
William Tierney and Barry Weismarys
Karen & William Timberlake
Paulette Toumazos & Michael Lorenz
Sue Tsao
Carol Vernon & Robert Turbin
Peter & Susan Van Haften
Magda & Frederick R. Waingrow
Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Wallace
Pat Warford
Susan & William Weintraub
Lauri N. Weiss
James Blair White
Margaret H. White
Mary J. Witt
or Give@CTGLA.org.
THANK YOU for your institutional support.
We deeply appreciate the corporate members, grant-making institutions, and government agencies that partner with Center Theatre Group to sustain and expand our engagement with the Los Angeles community through the art of theatre.
$1,000,000+ The Ahmanson Foundation
Anonymous
Edgerton Foundation
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Mellon Foundation
Perenchio Foundation
S. Mark Taper Foundation
$200,000+
Bank of America
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
Gilead Sciences
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
$100,000+
David Lee Foundation
Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Snap Foundation
The Louis & Harold Price Foundation
$75,000+ PNC Bank
$50,000+ The Capital Group Companies
Charitable Foundation
The David William Upham Foundation
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
L.L. Foundation For Youth
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
US Bank
$25,000+
Anonymous (2)
Amazon Studios
Angelo Family Charitable Foundation
Babcock Power, Inc./ Dale S. Miller
The Baldwin Group
Center Theatre Group Affiliates
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
The Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
Rosenthal Family Foundation
Tiger Baron Foundation Weston Milliken at Tides Foundation
$15,000+
Anonymous
California Arts Council
Culver City Unified School District
Edison International
The Friars Charitable Foundation
The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris
Foundation
The Otis Booth Foundation
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
Sascha Brastoff Foundation
Warner Bros. Discovery
$10,000+
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Jones Day
Lawrence P. Frank Foundation
NBCUniversal
Payden & Rygel
The City of Culver City Cultural Affairs Commission
The Fran and Ray Stark Foundation
$7,500+
Chubb
Perry, Neidorf & Grassl, LLP
Sony Pictures
Entertainment
USI Insurance Services
$5,000+
The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Find Your Light Foundation
SoCalGas
The Brookside Fund
$1,000+
The Caplin Foundation
The Sheri and Les Biller
Family Foundation
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
CORPORATE SUPPORT
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish
Mariza
Riccardo Muti
Anat Cohen
Cécile
McLorin
Salvant
We gratefully recognize the long-term dedication of The Affiliates, who have supported Center Theatre
through active fundraising, volunteering, and outreach since 1971.
PRESIDENT
Marsha Tauber Sallai
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Stephanie Germeraad
Roberta Haft*
Christine Harte
Marianne Tobé Karns
Melinda J. Kelly
Thea F. Koss
Joan Krause
Marianne Mandel
Jerri Nagelberg
Lisa Nichols
Sharon Reisz
June Sanders Sattler*
Dr. Carmen Estrada Schaye*
Mary Kay Schumacher
Donna Sussman*
Janice Brock Wallace*
Janice Weiner
Beth White
MEMBERS
Jamila Abu-Omar
Jacqui Assadi
Vi Ballard
Janet Barnet*
Sue Bass
Judith Beckmen*◆
Marjorie Bender◆
Lestrita Boardman◆
Elnora Guerraro Campos
Eileen Cohen
Judy Colich
Judi Davidson
Ilene Eisenberg◆
Lynda Wolfson Fadel
Ruth Flinkman-Marandy
Carolyn H. Fried
Dina Goldstein
Debra C. Gordon
Meg Greenwood
Kristina Greiner
Gina Harpur
Stephanie J. Hibler
Kim-Chi Hoang
Diane Kessler*
Barbara Krasnoff
Cheryl Lacsina
Rita Lee ◆
Annie Marie Lehrer
Diane Lesser
Helen Gordon Lowy
Dr. Elizabeth Lu
Gladys Lyons
Phyllis Massing
Diane Morton
Deena Nahmias
Randy Jill Nalin
Olivia Neece
Diane Neubauer*
Sheila Poncher*◆
Gina Russ Posalski*
Nan Rae
Courtney Rangen◆
Linda Rendleman
Corina Rinaldi
Harriett Chatter Rose ◆
Lois Rosen
Marla Rubin
Gaile Gray Ryan
Carole Schiffer ◆
Angela Shah
Suzanne M. Shapiro
Maggy Simon
Los Angeles Jewish Health...Energizing
Christine Smith
Verra Smith-Terrell
Carole Solomon◆
Robbie J. Solomon
Marilyn Stambler*◆
Roslyn Holt Swartz
Louise Taper
Katherine L. Todd*
Sue Tsao ◆
Elinor Turner
Susan Tyssee
Barbara Van Orden
Donna Marie Venick*
Barbara Weber
Kim White Peterson*
Rosaline Zane*◆
Los Angeles Unified is looking for passionate and talented educators to help students express their
continued from page 9
As a part of this new chapter in LA history, Desai announced that acclaimed journalist Lynell George has begun to document the impact of the Palisades and Eaton fires in a brand-new work commissioned by CTG called The LA Fire Project. An ensemble of some of LA’s best actors performed a powerful segment from this work in progress, which was inspired by the kind of documentary theatre pieces made famous by Anna Deavere Smith, whose Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, was similarly commissioned by CTG in the wake of the LA Riots.
Other highlights from the Taper show included a reunion with David O, an extremely talented LA-based composer and Music Director of this season’s production of Green Day’s American Idiot , which was produced in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre. He spoke about his love for Los Angeles and the power of its theatre community, after losing his Altadena home in the Eaton fire, then led an impassioned performance of “Whatshername,” featuring members of the cast from American Idiot, performed in both English and American Sign Language. Members of the Eliot Arts cast of Shrek The Musical JR also took to the Taper stage, after having just performed at the Ahmanson the week before, to perform a medley of “I Know It’s Today” and “I’m A Believer,” followed by a special surprise from actor Michael Urie, who the students got to see in a Student Matinee performance of Once Upon A Mattress this past December.
The show also looked, with great optimism, to the future by featuring appearances by Brian Henson’s wickedly funny Puppet Up! – Uncensored, which will be at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in July, as well as Patrick Ball and Gina Torres, the stars of Robert O’Hara’s Hamlet, which would go on to premiere at the Taper at the end of May.
After some much-needed laughter and excitement for CTG’s programming on the horizon, MUSE/IQUE closed out the show with an energized performance of Bill Withers’ classic song, “Lean On Me”— which reminded us all of the importance of community not only during times of crisis, but in times of pure joy, as well.
The night ended with a party for all Angelenos to celebrate together under the stars with dessert, drinks, and dancing to tunes spun by KCRW DJ Chris Douridas. While ONE LA was one much needed evening of togetherness at CTG, we look forward to many more ahead, and in sharing in all the ways we, the greater Los Angeles arts community, can continue to come together as One LA.
YOU’RE HERE.
Congrats, You’ve Picked a Great Performance! Check out the interactive version of this theater program magazine and enjoy even more insight into the performers, creative talent and theater activities that are behind it all.
LINKS TO PERFORMERS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
MULTI - MEDIA PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE.
UNDERSTUDY UPDATES
THEATER SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES
UPCOMING SHOWS AND CONCERTS AROUND TOWN
INSIDER SCOOPS FROM THEATER AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS
It’s the new way to read the program, it’s
continued from page 13 and gets people hating each other and the fulcrum of it rested on Leo Frank.”
But underneath the strife on the surface is a story of love between Leo and Lucille Frank. “It is a good love story about people who are...unable to say how they feel until the pressures of this terrible thing that happened to their marriage brought them closer and let them open their hearts to each other,” he said.
Director Rob Ashford understood the duality of that perspective well in the Donmar Warehouse production of the show, which played the Mark Taper Forum in 2009. And this new production continues to build upon the previous productions in new ways.
“Rob’s production was, in itself, a sharpening of what Hal Prince did in the 90s, in
Talia Suskauer and Max Chernin in the National Tour of Parade. Photo by Joan Marcus.
this production, [director] Michael [Arden] has used TV documentary things with a lot of slides and photographs, which really weren’t done twenty years ago,” Uhry said. “Each time the focus has just gotten stronger.”
Uhry is not a stranger to Center Theatre Group—besides the 2009 production of Parade, his play The Robber Bridegroom took to the Taper stage in 1976 and Without Walls in 2005.
Despite his already lengthy and prolific career, it isn’t over yet. Uhry felt that he could never quite get the latter play right and is currently working on a new version of the script. And Parade is now the first time his work has appeared on the Ahmanson stage.
“I love [these] theatres,” Uhry said. “This is the Ahmanson. These are big fish to fry!”
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Welcome to The Music Center!
Thank you for joining us.
The Music Center is your place to experience the joy, solace and transformative power of the arts. Here you can express yourself, connect with others and enjoy incredible live performances and events in our four beautiful theatres, at Jerry Moss Plaza and in Gloria Molina Grand Park.
We promise to provide you with the best experience possible on our campus. Please do your part to help us create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment by reviewing The Music Center Guest Agreement at musiccenter.org/guestagreement
Visit musiccenter.org to learn about upcoming events and performances.
Enjoy the show!
#BeAPartOfIt
@musiccenterla
General Information (213) 972-7211 | musiccenter.org
Support The Music Center (213) 972-3333 | musiccenter.org/support
TAKE A TOUR OF THE MUSIC CENTER
Free 90-minute docent-led tours take you through the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall, along with Jerry Moss Plaza. You’ll learn about the history and architecture of the theatres along with The Music Center’s beautiful outdoor spaces as well as the incredible selection of artwork located throughout the campus.
Tours are offered daily. Check the schedule to plan a fun-filled day in Downtown L.A.!
Visit musiccenter.org for additional information.
OFFICERS
Cindy Miscikowski
Chair
Robert J. Abernethy
Vice Chair
Rachel S. Moore
President & CEO
Diane G. Medina
Secretary
Susan M. Wegleitner
Treasurer
William Taylor
Assistant Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Charlene Achki Repko
Charles F. Adams
William H. Ahmanson
Romesh Anketell
Jill C. Baldauf
Susan Baumgarten
Phoebe Beasley
Kristin Burr
Dannielle Campos
Alberto M. Carvalho
Elizabeth Khuri Chandler
Riley Etheridge, Jr.
Amy R. Forbes
Greg T. Geyer
Joan E. Herman
Jeffrey M. Hill
Jonathan B. Hodge
Mary Ann Hunt-Jacobsen
Carl Jordan
Ronald D. Kaplan
Richard B. Kendall
Terri M. Kohl
Lily Lee
Cary J. Lefton
Keith R. Leonard, Jr.
Kelsey N. Martin
Susan M. Matt
Elizabeth Michelson
Darrell D. Miller
Teresita Notkin
Michael J. Pagano
Karen Kay Platt
Susan Erburu Reardon
Joseph J. Rice
Melissa Romain
Beverly P. Ryder
Maria S. Salinas
Corinne Jessie Sanchez
Mimi Song
Johnese Spisso
Michael Stockton
Jason Subotky
Timothy S. Wahl
Jennifer M. Walske
Jay S. Wintrob
GENERAL COUNSEL
Rollin A. Ransom
DIRECTORS
EMERITI
Wallis Annenberg
Peter K. Barker
Judith Beckmen
Darrell R. Brown
Ronald W. Burkle
John B. Emerson **
Richard M. Ferry
Bernard A. Greenberg
Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr.
Kent Kresa
Mattie McFaddenLawson
Fredric M. Roberts
Richard K. Roeder
Claire L. Rothman
Joni J. Smith
Lisa Specht **
Cynthia A. Telles
James A. Thomas
Andrea L. Van de Kamp **
Thomas R. Weinberger
Alyce de Roulet
Williamson
** Chair Emeritus
Current as of 4/30/25
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Yannick Lebrun.
Photo by Dario Calmese.
John McCoy for The Music Center.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Support from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors plays an invaluable role in the successful operation of The Music Center.
Janice Hahn Supervisor, Fourth District
Lindsey P. Horvath Supervisor, Third District
Kathryn Barger Chair, Fifth District
Holly J. Mitchell Supervisor, Second District
Hilda L. Solis
Chair Pro Tem, First District
(From left to right)
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
As a steward of The Music Center of Los Angeles County, we recognize that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh and Chumash Peoples. We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants — past, present and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters. We acknowledge that settler colonization resulted in land seizure, disease, subjugation, slavery, relocation, broken promises, genocide and multigenerational trauma. This acknowledgment demonstrates our responsibility and commitment to truth, healing and reconciliation and to elevating the stories, culture and community of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.
We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these ancestral lands. We are dedicated to growing and sustaining relationships with Native peoples and local tribal governments, including (in no particular order) the:
• Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians
• Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California Tribal Council
• Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians
• Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation
• San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
• San Fernando Band of Mission Indians
To learn more about the First Peoples of Los Angeles County, please visit the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission website at lanaic.lacounty.go
Photo Credit: David Franco, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Photographer.
Happening at The Music Center
SUN 1 JUN / 1:00 p.m.
Life of Pi
CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Ahmanson Theatre
SUN 1 JUN / 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Hamlet
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
@ Mark Taper Forum Thru 7/6/2025
SUN 1 JUN / 2:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky & Pereira LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SUN 1 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
New Renaissance
LOS ANGELES
MASTER CHORALE
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
TUE 3 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
New Voices from Korea LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
FRI 6 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Korean Premieres & Sunwook Kim LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
JUNE 2025
Visit musiccenter.org for additional information on all upcoming events. @musiccenterla
FRI 6 JUN / 5:00 p.m. dinner; 8:00 p.m. performance
The Music Center's Spotlight
Grand Finale & Grand Gala
THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion & Ahmanson Theatre
SAT 7 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Unsik Chin & Brahms'
Double Concerto
LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
Also 6/8/2025
SUN 8 JUN / 2:00 p.m.
Rigoletto LA OPERA
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Thru 6/21/2025
SUN 8 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Igor Levit LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
TUE 10 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Seoul Chamber Music LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SAT 14 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Renée Fleming & Friends LA OPERA
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
TUE 17 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Parade CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Ahmanson Theatre Thru 7/12/2025
FRI 20 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
The Music Center's Dance DTLA
Dance Genre TBA THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Jerry Moss Plaza
THU 26 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Boston Ballet's Swan Lake
THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Thru 6/29/2025
FRI 27 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
The Music Center's Dance DTLA
Dance Genre TBA
THE MUSIC CENTER @ Jerry Moss Plaza
Will Yang for The Music Center.
Camille A. Brown & Dancers
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
Sep. 12–14, 2025
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Oct. 24–26, 2025
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Mar. 25–29, 2026
New York City Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Jun. 24–28, 2026
The Music Center’s BalletNOW ®: Superstars of Paris featuring Hugo Marchand & Friends
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
Jul. 31–Aug. 2, 2026
New York City Ballet. Photo by Erin Baiano.
Chef Adolfo Perez of Cilantro Mexican Grill is the newest Emerging Chef-in-Residence at Abernethy's at The Music Center.
Known for his heartfelt approach to Mexican cuisine, Chef Adolfo brings his bold flavors to a new stage at Abernethy’s, expanding his culinary canvas and blending the soul of Cilantro Mexican Grill with new expressions of his evolving craft.
We invite you to come and experience his story through every bite as he introduces modern flare to traditional favorites we all know and love.
