Arts & Culture

Kirk Douglas Theatre Announces Their 2007-2008 Season

Cash for your car

With three world premieres, and six new plays in all, the Center Theater Group has exciting plans to titillate audiences in their 2007-2008 season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.? From September 2007 through July 2008, CTG will showcase a wide-range of work, from the best of off-Broadway and international fare to hip hop to comedy to satire to drama to rock.? CTG?s artistic director, Michael Ritchie, also announced his pride in bringing audiences the work of new, promising artists, like Matt Sax and Tanya Barfield, along side genius theatre veterans like David Mamet, who will be presenting his first ever musical.? Be sure to secure your tickets far in advance.? With such a diverse season this year, there?s no doubt that the Kirk Douglas Theater will draw huge crowds from all over the Los Angeles area, eager to experience the shining talent and fresh messages of these plays and musicals.? In Ritchie?s own words, ?There?s an internal energy in all these works that is present and persistent and addictive. I know Los Angeles audiences will feel this as well.??

Kirk Douglas Theatre

The Center Theatre Group 2007-2008 Presents:

The About Face Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre Company Production of
?Clay?
Written and Performed by Matt Sax
Developed In Collaboration with and Directed by Eric Rosen
West Coast Premiere
September 13 ? October 14, 2007

The fourth season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre opens with a one-man hip-hop musical, ?Clay,? the fresh, intense coming of age story written and performed by Matt Sax.? Developed in collaboration with and directed by Eric Rosen, The About Face Theatre and Lookingglass Company production of ?Clay? is presented in its West Coast premiere from September 13 through October 14, 2007.? (Opening is set for September 19.)

Sax shifts between sharply-etched characters with seamless virtuosity in his story of Clay, a teenager who wants to escape the effects of his parents? divorce, his cold, manipulative father and his despondent mother.

He falls under the spell of a spoken-word guru who teaches him that ?when words speak truth, hip-hop will prevail? and he finds expression and release through the poetry, the sly humor and the raw energy of hip-hop.? But on the night of his big concert, the past threatens to eclipse his promising future as a hip-hop star.

When ?Clay? was presented in its American premiere in Chicago last year by About Face Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said, ?Sax is vulnerable, hip, smart and compelling, and he’s being widely touted around town as headed for a major career.?? Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that, ?With his rubbery face, deft morphing into and out of multiple characters and ages, and feverish command of the hip-shop style, Sax is clearly a master of the form.?

?Clay? debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004. Sax, who has just turned 23, received theatre training from Juilliard, the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and The Stella Adler Studio, and studied theatre at Northwestern University where he graduated in 2006.? Sax is part of a two-man comedy improv team with John Dixon. Their work includes ?Sax and Dixon: This Plane Is Definitely Crashing? and ?Sax and Dixon:?Are Town.?

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Center Theatre Group and FITLA ? International Latino Theatre Festival of Los Angeles Present the Teatro de los Andes Production of
?En Un Sol Amarillo?
Memorias De Un Temblor
(?In a Yellow Sun?
Memories of an Earthquake)
Directed by C?sar Brie
West Coast Premiere
October 26 ? November 25, 2007

One of the most renowned theatrical groups of South America, Teatro de los Andes, will bring its riveting production of ?En Un Sol Amarillo? ? Memorias De Un Temblor, to the Douglas, October 26 through November 25, 2007.? (The opening is October 28.)

?En Un Sol Amarillo? ? Memorias De Un Temblor (English translation ? ?In a Yellow Sun? ? Memories of an Earthquake) is equal parts docu-drama and physical theatre.? Performed in Spanish with English supertitles, the piece recreates the chaotic atmosphere of Bolivia in 1998 when a massive earthquake rocked the country.? Fusing actual testimonies with electrifying imagery, ?En Un Sol Amarillo? sheds light on the victims and the survivors of that massive seismic disturbance, and also on the shockwaves of greed and corruption by opportunistic civil servants that followed.

CTG is joining with FITLA, the International Latino Theatre Festival of Los Angeles, to present the West Coast premiere of this urgent story and its exploration of how the human costs of political decisions can be magnified in the wake of a natural disaster. This CTG/FITLA collaboration is part of CTG?s Los Angeles Company Partnerships program, in which CTG produces, co-produces or presents new works with Los Angeles area companies. In 2006 the Robey Theatre Company/Greenway Arts Alliance production of ?Permanent Collection? was presented by CTG at the Douglas, followed in 2007 with productions at the Douglas of Playwrights Arena/TDRZ Productions? ?Dogeaters? and CTG/Deaf West Theatre?s ?Sleeping Beauty Wakes.?

Teatro de los Andes, which has a repertoire of 17 plays that have been performed in South America and internationally, was founded in 1991 by C?sar Brie and is located near Sucre, Bolivia. The company has a workshop space for performance, teaching and creating new works, and in addition to touring around the world, Teatro de los Andes brings theatre to local communities, universities and job sites. With its distinctive fusion of western theatrical technique and the Andean tradition, the ensemble is rooted in improvisation, physical and vocal work and the belief in the actor as ?actor-poet.?

FITLA is a non-profit organization created in 2001 to advance the appreciation of diverse Latino theatre traditions through the presentation of theatre performances, an annual international theatre festival, instructive workshops, public symposiums, youth and college outreach programs, and extension programs throughout California and Mexico. ?En Un Sol Amarillo? is part of FITLA 2007, the organization?s 6th Annual Latino Theatre Festival.

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?Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson?
Written by Alex Timbers
Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman
Directed by Alex Timbers
World Premiere
January 13 ? February 17, 2008

The world premiere of an irreverent Wild West rock musical, ?Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,? written by Alex Timbers, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, and direction by Timbers, brings in the New Year at the Douglas, January 13 through February 17, 2008.? (The opening is January 20.)

In this darkly funny yet historically accurate story, Andrew Jackson rises from a humble frontier background to battle the British, the Spanish, Native Americans and a young nation?s already calcified political system, bringing populism and the Democratic Party to the American people.

By the time Jackson was elected the country?s seventh president, the ?people?s president,? his maverick, egalitarian brand of politics wooed the people and made him the rock star of his age. He was crucial in solidifying the image of vigor and confidence that continues to be identified with Americans today.

But while the country was under Jackson?s spell, some shameful events occurred, including the forced march of Cherokee families out of their native land on The Trail of Tears.? Timbers and Friedman portray with both broad comedy and painful irony, a man whose ambition, energy and down home charm couldn?t mask his less admirable traits.

Timbers and Friedman are each connected with theatre companies in New York.? Timbers, an Obie Award-winning writer and director, is the artistic director of Les Freres Corbusier, a ?punk post-modernist theatre company? (Paper Magazine) and ?gifted troublemakers? (The New Yorker).? For the company, Timbers has directed productions in New York that have tackled architecture and urban planning ? ?Boozy,? for which he was also the playwright; religious cults ? ?A Very Merry Unauthorized Children?s Scientology Pageant,? which also played at the Powerhouse Theatre in Los Angeles; and evangelical Christians ? ?Hell House,? among others. He also directed ?Gutenberg! The Musical!? at the Actor?s Playhouse and 59e59, and ?underground? at BAM.

Michael Friedman is an associate artist with the highly regarded theatre troupe The Civilians, for whom he has created the music and lyrics for ?(I am) Nobody?s Lunch,? ?Gone Missing? and ?Canard, Canard, Goose?,? as well as co-created ?Paris Commune? with Steven Cosson.? He is currently working with company members on an untitled project about evangelicals in America. He is also composing music for ?Romeo and Juliet? for this summer?s Shakespeare in the Park, working on a musical adaptation of the novel ?The Fortress of Solitude? with director Daniel Askin, and composing the score for an adaptation of the 2004 movie ?Saved!? for Playwrights Horizons.? Friedman has been commissioned by Center Theatre Group to compose the music for Melissa James Gibson?s ?The Post Office,? as part of CTG?s New Play Production Program.

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?No Child . . .?
Written and Performed by Nilaja Sun
Directed by Hal Brooks
West Coast Premiere
March 6 ? April 13, 2008

The current off-Broadway hit ?No Child . . . ,? featuring a galvanizing solo performance by the author, Nilaja Sun, will be presented in its West Coast premiere in the fourth slot of the Kirk Douglas Theatre?s 2007-2008 season, March 6 through April 13, 2008.? (Opening is set for March 7.)

Directed by Hal Brooks, the acclaimed actress and teaching-artist Nilaja Sun explores life in one of New York City?s public schools, magically transforming herself with rapid-fire precision into the students, the janitor, the teachers, parents, administrators and security guards who inhabit the school.

The school system is tragically breaking down, but Sun finds much life and humor in the school?s classrooms and even a bit of hope in the young people who represent the future of America, as she works with them in creating their own production of Timberlake Wertenbaker?s play ?Our Country?s Good.?

?It?s enough to make the angels weep to watch this caring, committed performance artist re-create her experiences . . . [a] theatrically riveting solo piece . . .,?? said Marilyn Stasio of Variety.? Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly noted that ?her energy is infectious and unflagging.?? ??Sun doesn?t just shine, she blazes. . .,?? said Rob Kendt of Newsday, while Hilton Als of The New Yorker called the piece ?. . . astounding… .?

Nilaja Sun?s numerous theatre credits include ?Einstein?s Gift,? ?Pieces of the Throne? and ?Time and the Conways? at Epic Theatre Center, ?Huck and Holden? at the Cherry Lane Theatre and ?The Cook? at Intar.? Her solo work includes the critically acclaimed ?Blues for a Gray Sun? at Intar, ?La Nubia Latina,? ?Black and Blue,? ?Insufficient Fare,? ?Due to the Tragic Events of . . .? and ?Mistress.?? A native of Lower East Side Manhattan, Sun has worked as a teaching assistant in New York City for eight years.
?No Child . . .? received its world premiere by Epic Theatre Center at The Beckett Theatre in New York on May 10, 2006. The piece was commissioned by the New York State Council of the Arts and Epic Theatre Center.

Nilaja Sun?s ?No Child . . . ? was recently nominated for a 2007 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show.

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?A Waitress in Yellowstone?
A New Musical
by David Mamet
World Premiere
May 11 ? June 8, 2008

?A Waitress in Yellowstone,? a funny and ironic modern-day fable and the first musical ever written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, David Mamet, is the fifth production in the Douglas? new season, May 11 through June 8, 2008.? (The opening is set for May 18.)

?A Waitress in Yellowstone? introduces us to Winnie, a waitress, and her son, Doug, who have been excitedly planning all year for a vacation to Yellowstone to celebrate Doug?s 10th birthday.

But on the night before the trip, Winnie catches a Congressman stealing her tips and reports him to the police. His political posturing leads to hilarious consequences, which escalate to the point that her visit to Yellowstone and her very future are thrown into jeopardy.

David Mamet was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for ?Glengarry Glen Ross,? for which he later wrote the screenplay.? His other plays include ?Speed the Plow,? ?American Buffalo,? ?Oleanna,? ?Boston Marriage,? and ?Romance,? which opened the 2005-2006 season at the Mark Taper Forum. His screenplays include ?The Postman Always Rings Twice,? ?The Verdict,? ?The Untouchables? and ?Wag the Dog.? Currently, Mamet created and is the executive producer of the critically acclaimed CBS-TV series ?The Unit.?

?A Waitress in Yellowstone? was originally announced as part of the current season, the 2006-2007 season at the Douglas Theatre, but in February of this year it was announced that the production will be postponed to the 2007-2008 season.

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?Of Equal Measure?
by Tanya Barfield
Directed by Leigh Silverman
World Premiere
June 29 ? July 27, 2008

A revelatory historical drama set during World War I America, the world premiere of Tanya Barfield?s ?Of Equal Measure,? is the final production of the 2007-2008 Douglas season, June 29 through July 27, 2008. (Opening is set for July 9.)

Commissioned by Center Theatre Group, ?Of Equal Measure? provides an illuminating perspective of the Woodrow Wilson presidency as viewed through the character of Jade Kingston, an African American stenographer working in the White House.

Jade witnesses first-hand the paradox of Wilson bringing the United States into the ?Great War? in order that ?the world be made safe for democracy,? while trampling civil rights at home by ordering the segregation of black federal employees and imprisoning individuals critical of the war effort.

The effects that these actions have on Jade, her job, her family and her country fuel a compelling story that resonates socially and politically today.

Tanya Barfield?s plays include ?Blue Door? (Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Berkeley Repertory), ?Dent,? ?The Quick,? ?The Houdini Act? and ?121? West.?? She was a recipient of the 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, 2005 Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize for Drama, a 2006 Lark Play Development/NYSCA grant and she has twice been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award.

Barfield received her commission from CTG to write ?Of Equal Measure? in August 2005, as part of CTG?s New Play Production Program.

Season Tickets Currently Available by Subscription Only
Tickets for the new season at the Douglas are currently available by subscription only.? For information and to charge season tickets by phone, call Audience Services at?????????(213) 628-2772???????????.? To purchase online, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org.

For information regarding audio description and Project D.A.T.E. (sign language interpreted performances) and discount subscriptions for the deaf and hard of hearing, call TDD/Voice?????????(213) 680-4017???????????.

Center Theatre Group?s Kirk Douglas Theatre is located 9820 Washington Blvd in Culver City.

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