"Clybourne Park" is the most acclaimed new American play of the last several years (since John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," anyway), and the original off-Broadway production, with the whole original cast, is playing at the Taper this month before moving back for a Broadway run in April. more ›

Aspiring actresses across America are about to have their chance to become the next Barbara Streisand; the Center Theatre Group is holding an online casting call for the role of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl," and auditions are open to anyone and everyone. In a statement, representatives from the company said that they were casting a wide net to find the right woman for the job. more ›

This morning, the LA Stage Alliance announced the nominees for the 2007 Ovations Awards, which are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles and considered by the LA Times to be the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." 30 categories in all, one of our favorite "LAist Recommends" from this year, "The Long Christmas Ride Home" at the Tribe Theatre in the NoHo Arts District, has been nominated for several awards including best ensemble, direction... more ›

I call it Performance Row. That stretch downtown along Grand Avenue between Temple St. and the California Plaza. You can easily walk between 9 performance spaces in 5 minutes. Starting at the Music Center Plaza at Temple and heading South, you first are at the Ahmanson, Center Theatre Group's (CTG) proscenium stage that is used for dance, musicals and other traditional performances. Next is the Mark Taper Forum, a theatre used for newer theatrical... more ›

In our continuing yearlong coverage of 365 Days/365 Plays, we present you with weeks two through four: Week 2: The Open Fist Theatre Company Tuesday, November 21 at 7:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Friday, November 24 at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, November 25 at 6:45 p.m. Week 3: Playwrights’ Arena Wednesday, November 29, 2006, 8 p.m. Lutheran Church of the Master, 10931 Santa Monica, Los Angeles Week 4: The Elephant Asylum Theatre December 5 -... more ›

Excerpt from Day 2 (Nov. 16): Father Comes Home From The Wars (Part 1) Father: Hi honey, Im home. Mother: Yr home. Father: Yes. Mother: I wasnt expecting you. Ever. Father: Should I go back out and come back in again? Mother: Please. We're going to say this right now and get it over with: get off your arses and participate in this yearlong national theatre festival. which is being held simultaneously around the... more ›

On 13 November, 2002, I had this silly idea that I would write a play every day for a year. It would be about being present and being committed to the artistic process every single day, regardless of the ‘weather.’ It became a daily meditation, a daily prayer celebrating the rich and strange process of a writing life ~ Suzan-Lori Parks Hey, LAist writes everyday too. How strange that we share this habit with... more ›

WATER & POWER Richard Montoya and Culture Clash; Center Theatre Group: Mark Taper Forum (Nominated for World Premiere Play) The 2006 Ovation Award Nominations were announced this week. Yes, they do give awards for excellence in theater here in Tinseltown. The ceremony will be held on Monday, November 13th at 7:30 at the Orpheum Theater downtown. Read up on the Ovations and past winners.... more ›

We're sorry, this contest is now closed. more ›

Los Angeles playwright John Glore is the author of The Company of Heaven and On The Jump, among other works. His most recent piece, Preludes and Fugues, is currently playing at the Son of Semele ensemble theatre in Silver Lake. (Laist reviewed it here.) Preludes and Fugues explores the pathological, bizarre and beautiful dreams of four frustrated musicians the night before a concert. Glore has had his plays produced nationally, including at South Coast Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He was the dramaturg for Center Theatre Group from 2000 to 2005 and before that was the literary manager at SCR for 15 years. He has recently become the Associate Artistic Director of SCR. more ›

This Sunday, LA's theatre community--the companies, actors, supporters and fans--are hosting Applause for August Wilson, a tribute event for the playwright who passed away on October 2 at the age of 60. The brief, one hour long event will conclude with each of the titles of Wilson's "decade" plays (including Fences, The Piano Lesson, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) will be called-out, one at a time, followed by the audience giving Wilson and his plays 1 full-minute of grateful applause, for a total of 10 minutes. Scheduled participants include the African Grove Institute for the Arts (California Chapter), Center Theatre Group, League of Allied Arts Corporation, Robey Theatre Company, and the Towne Street Theatre. The tribute aims to be simple, solemn, and timely, and a chance for the community to gather to honor the life of a playwright who dedicated his life's work to chrnonicling the African-American experience in the twentieth century. In New York City, Broadway's Virginia Theatre will be renamed for Wilson, and further tributes for the Los Angeles area are in the works. more ›

What better way to wake up an Ahmanson audience than by having four swimsuit-clad ripped New York street kids, including the gorgeous, barely-legal Ricky Ullman, cannonball into a giant pool of water in the orchestra pit? , the first of 21 plays scheduled by Center Theatre Group's new artistic director Michael Ritchie, begins with a splash and ends with a song. We've never seen a large crowd of old theatre-goers pay better attention to the story than in this little-known Sidney Kingsley play. more ›