Center Theatre Group Blog

Mike Sablone is CTG’s Literary Associate, starting left fielder and third-string shortstop for Dark Monday, the CTG softball team.

We start, Saturday morning, with 6 brand new plays by 6 playwrights. We then pack ten incredibly talented actors into a room and ask them to take part in cold readings of all 6 over the next 2 days. Sound thrilling?

If you said yes, let me tell you more. Each year Resident Dramaturg/Literary Manager Pier Carlo Talenti and I coordinate CTG’s Writers’ Workshop. We ask 6 to 9 local playwrights and tell them that we’d like to give them space and support to work on a new play over the next 9 months.

The first step is a weekend Salon. Each playwright decides on a topic she’d like to write about. She then interviews 2 experts on that topic, in an attempt just to get the creative juices flowing. By the end of the weekend our brains are stuffed.

From there we meet once a month and listen to scenes from 3 of the playwrights. Then we spend a few minutes giving feedback and answering questions the writer might have about her pages.

Six or so months later, Bonnie Grisan, our Associate Casting Director, gathers together a company of actors to read the scripts over the weekend-no matter where they are in the process. There is no rehearsal, no director.

And it’s one of the most thrilling weekends of the year. The scope of the new work is impressive–the actors are making fearless choices, speaking languages they don’t normally speak, playing across gender, across race, singing songs that haven’t been written yet, and in general finding the heart at the center of each piece.

For anyone who thinks that new work isn’t being supported in Los Angeles, I have terrible news for you. You are completely wrong. Watching these plays over the weekend is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s enlightening to see just how much work is being written. And it’s a shame to just use the word “work.” No one is saying it isn’t difficult, but it’s more than that. More importantly, it’s art. And the breadth of it is inspiring.

I’d like to personally recognize our 6 writers that I had the privilege of working with over the last nine months. These are incredible artists and incredible people. May you all have the pleasure of working with them very soon.

Mickey Birnbaum
Michael John Garces
Donald Jolly
Evangeline Ordaz
Matt Pelfrey
Adriana Sevan

Catch exclusive interviews with SPAMALOT star John O’Hurley and co-creator
John Du Prez about the Tony Award-winning musical kicking off the Ahmanson Theatre’s 2009-2010 season. Beginning July 7, this hilarious, irreverent and fun-filled romp based on the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” fulfills your need for flying cows, killer rabbits, and dancing knights!

We just caught internet wind of Patti LuPone’s fantastic response to a cell phone incident during a recent performance. Just one more reason why we adore this Broadway legend. Catch her and Mandy Patinkin live at the Ahmanson Theatre THIS WEEK ONLY and please, remember to turn off your cell phones and pagers!!

Bailey Pennick is Center Theatre Group’s Press Intern for Summer 2009. She is majoring in English at UC Berkeley.

Welcome to the Working Week

The week of June 8-12, 2009 is infamous through the halls of Center Theatre Group: twelve CTG employees were laid off last Tuesday and Wednesday purely for budget reasons.  This was my first week working as the Press Intern.  Most of my previous summer jobs were silly retail or food industry, but not this one.  The first moments working for Center Theatre Group initiated me into the (seemingly exclusive) club more commonly known as the adult work force, and the ugly truth that comes with membership.

With regards to work in general I believe that Elvis Costello said it best, “Oh I know it don’t thrill you, I hope it don’t kill you.”  This cynical sentiment was tested during my first few days.  As I sat at my desk, tearful employees would come through the Press office holding the dreaded brown envelope not ready to say good-byes.  At these moments the signature kindness of the Center Theatre Group broke through the dark clouds with long hugs and heart-broken tears; mostly assuring their friends that this was not the end.  Cutbacks, even necessary ones, always feel personal; especially in an organization that can be seen more as a close-knit family than as a business.  Everyone experienced salary cuts, everyone experienced the pain, and everyone came together to try and survive the storm together.

While the mood throughout the office was less than cheery, I continued to feel welcomed by the entire staff, which was touching and unexpected by me for obvious reasons.  I quickly realized that because I did accept an internship in the theater world, emotions ran particularly high all across the board.  The extremely sad moments were countered by the biting wit maintained by the CTG staff.  In an attempt to keep morale as high as it could be in the events of losing co-workers and friends, dark humored jokes and quips became the norm for office banter.  The consensus was that it was too soon.

As a fresh intern off from college for summer break, I know that I have not been here long enough to weigh in on the true importance of last week’s issues, but I do think that it is too soon to do a lot of things: too soon to have wounds completely healed, to make lay off jokes, to knock on wood.  Too soon to truly notice the absence of the valuable individuals that had to leave.

Audiences are raving about the unpredictable and hilarious spectacle that is Dame Edna’s My First Last Tour at the Ahmanson Theatre. Check out the scene from opening night, including interviews with actors Martin Sheen and Julian Sands, CTG’s Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson, and plenty of audience reaction!.

Mike Sablone is CTG’s Literary Associate, starting left fielder and third-string shortstop for Dark Monday, the CTG softball team.

I was an absurdly lucky kid who got to go to Disney World a lot growing up. My grandfather, many, many, many years ago, won the lottery. And one of the gifts he gave to my family was yearly plane tickets to visit them in Florida, where they would hibernate for the winter. So every year my sister, brother and I would get a free trip. Because of this my parents would treat us to Disney World each year, a phenomenal gift.

I’ve lived in Southern California for three and a half years now, and have never felt the urge to go to Disneyland. But recently a friend said that a group of people were going so I asked if I could tag along to see the park through (somewhat) adult eyes.

Crucial bit of information you need to know about me: I am a complete wimp. I hate scary movies. I hate fast roller coasters. I’m not a huge fan of heights. Which makes Disneyland the best place for me to go, since there are plenty of rides for people like me.

So I spent the day exploring the storybook rides. You know, the ones that tell the old stories you know so well, like Winnie-the-Pooh, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

Here’s the thing. I’ve been on these rides before. I’ve seen these movies, read these books. Not in a long time, mind you, but I think I remember most of these stories.

At least I thought I did. Because each time the safety bar came up at the end of the ride, I was scratching my head.

I had no bloody idea what story they were telling.

Seriously. The Snow White ride? Absolutely, positively incomprehensible. As far as I could tell the Snow White ride is about a woman who hangs out with some dwarves and is chased, for no apparent reason, by a woman who may or may not be a hideous witch. What happens to that woman? To either women? To the dwarves? No idea. The ride just ends.

Winnie-the-Pooh? I think it’s Pooh’s birthday. And then, this part is a bit weird but I’m pretty sure they give Pooh some acid or peyote and proceeds to trip through his party. Don’t worry kids, he comes down from it. At least I think he does, in that the last 20 seconds is back to being “real.” With this ride I couldn’t even understand what the characters were saying. The only thing that was clear was Eeyore, which is amazing as he doesn’t speak until the very end when he moans about his gift. Way to leave em wanting more.

So after a 20 something year hiatus, what did I learn upon my return to Disneyland? That the phenomenal storytelling that Walt Disney always relied on is nowhere to be found in his amusement park.

Also, and perhaps more importantly, I learned that I am a terrible, terrible person to take to an amusement park. Seriously, who wants to go to a happy, fun, delightful place with a dork in glasses who, when exiting a ride loudly says: “Can someone please explain the story I was supposed to be following?”

Even the toddlers looked at me with disdain. Serves me right.

Over at her blog, actress Julia Stiles offers her thoughts on Opening Night of Oleanna at the Mark Taper Forum. For more Opening Night goodness, check out the video footage from the party and festivities, including some great interviews with the many stars in attendance. David Mamet’s Oleanna plays until July 12 with Julia and Bill Pullman.

Opening night of Oleanna was a star-studded event. Watch reaction from actors and audience-members Chris Noth, Rose McGowan, Robert Loggia, and Jai Rodriguez, as well as interviews with Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman about the challenges in bringing this intense Mamet drama to the stage.

Click here to watch director Doug Hughes (Doubt) discuss the impact of David Mamet’s Oleanna, an intensely dramatic work on sexual harassment issues in academia. In this exclusive interview, Hughes tackles the major themes of the play and the relevance to today’s audience now witnessing the battle-of-the-sexes at the Mark Taper Forum.

President Obama and the First Lady have apparantly stirred up some controversy with their recent New York trip to see August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Charles McNulty dismisses the naysayers and applauds the President not only for his cultural interests but for a savvy selection.