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Below is a statement from the Center Theatre Group on reasons for suspending the rest of their season at the Mark Taper Forum. While this is difficult news for the community to absorb, let us not sound the death knell, and take a breath. Center Theatre Group is the largest theatre organization in Los Angeles and has a long and storied history including its 1977 Regional Theatre Tony Award. What we in the region know, having witnessed the ups and downs and rebirth of the Pasadena Playhouse, is to never count artists out. But what we also have learned is that without support from audiences and the community, these institutions that we hold so dear can and will go away. So what can you do? Support! There is a link at the bottom of the page to send direct support. Go see LIVE THEATRE! Buy a ticket to the current and upcoming shows at the Ahmanson and Kirk Douglas Theatre including “Fetch Clay, Make Man” and “Into The Woods”. Spread the word about live theatre and the shows you see. Become a subscriber and/or supporter. Write to your elected officials asking for support for our theatres locally and nationally. Fear not, theatre goers! See you at the theatre!
Statement from Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group (CTG)—along with arts organizations across the country—continues to feel the aftereffects of the pandemic and has been struggling to balance ever-increasing production costs with significantly reduced ticket revenue and donations that remain behind 2019 levels. We are still facing a crisis unlike any other in our fifty-six-year history. It is in this environment that we have to take the extraordinary step of pausing a significant portion of CTG programming beginning this summer and continuing through the 2023/24 Season, as well as taking significant restructuring measures to build a vibrant and sustainable organization that can navigate this new paradigm.
CTG will be announcing a 2023/24 Season in the Ahmanson Theatre and select programming at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. CTG will pause season programming at the Taper beginning this July. This pause will include the postponement of the world premiere of Fake It Until You Make It by Larissa FastHorse and directed by Michael John Garcés, which we plan to feature in a future season. Regrettably, we also need to cancel the previously announced tour of Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee and directed by Chay Yew. Taper subscribers and ticket holders will be contacted directly with further details.
Pausing season programming at the Taper is a difficult but necessary decision that will impact artists and audiences; and is particularly painful for the talented and committed CTG staff who have dedicated so much to bringing great theatre to L.A. The Taper has long been recognized as the heart of CTG’s groundbreaking programming. However, though we will not be programming a season in the Taper this year, we hope during this time to be able to utilize this beloved theatre space in innovative, non-traditional ways through special events and community-centered programs starting as early as the fall. We will also continue to offer our robust Education & Community Partnerships programs, which reach thousands of students each year in all of our spaces and venues.
CTG’s mission is to serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles. We look forward to collaborating with The Music Center, the County of Los Angeles, and the greater L.A. arts community to envision and create a stronger future. Our hope, in this moment, is that these challenging times will present an opportunity for us to come together and collectively write the next great chapter in CTG’s storied history. Most importantly, we need you, our community, to join us and support local theatres—both here in Los Angeles and across the country. With your substantial support and advocacy, we will not only return to the legendary Mark Taper Forum, but together build a vibrant future for a cornerstone of culture in L.A.
Amy Forbes, President of the Board
Snehal Desai, Incoming Artistic Director
Meghan Pressman, Managing Director & CEO
and the Center Theatre Group Board of Directors
If you’d like to show your support for Center Theatre Group today, click here.
