Joel Grey and Phylicia Rashad to be Honored at Center Theatre Group 2026 Gala

Center Theatre Group will present CTG: The Gala, the not-for-profit's annual event which will be held on Sunday, March 29 at The Music Center, featuring cocktails and dinner on the Jerry Moss Plaza and a one-night-only show at the Mark Taper Forum, followed by a post-show after party and reception. This year, CTG honors two luminaries of the American Theatre: Phylicia Rashad and Joel Grey. As CTG's most impactful fundraising event of the year with proceeds from the gala providing essential general operating funds for Center Theatre Group.

Join in for a sequins-and disco-inspired evening to celebrate Center Theatre Group on the eve of its 60th anniversary. Enjoy a delectable dinner by Chef Suzanne Goin (A.O.C., The Lucques Group, James Beard Award Winner), an unforgettable one-night-only performance, and a dazzling dance party—all set to a disco beat. So, pull on those bell bottoms, button up those jumpsuits, and slide into those platform shoes for a one-of-a-kind theatre celebration that only CTG can present.

Honoree Phylicia Rashad, inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2016, is a Tony Award winner (Skeleton Crew and A Raisin in the Sun) who has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Center Theatre Group as both a director and actress. Rashad directed A Raisin in the Sun for The Ebony Repertory Theatre production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2012 and continued her partnership with Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum, directing August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone (2013), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2016), Immediate Family (2015), and Blues for an Alabama Sky (2022). As a performer, she appeared on stage at the Taper in Tarell Alvin McCraney's Head of Passes, directed by Tina Landau in 2017.

In 1966, Joel Grey originated the role of the Emcee in the Broadway musical Cabaret and reprised the role in the film adaptation in 1972. He has won the Academy Award, the Tony Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Golden Globe Award for this iconic performance. He was also presented the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award at the 76th Tony Awards in 2023. Among the highlights of his storied career are starring roles in George M! (1968), Goodtime Charley (1975), and The Grand Tour (1979). He returned to Broadway as Amos Hart in Chicago (1996), originated the role of the Wizard in Wicked (2003), and starred in the revival of Anything Goes (2011). With George C. Wolfe, he co-directed the Broadway revival of The Normal Heart (2011, Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nomination) and appeared on Broadway again in The Cherry Orchard (2016). Grey directed the acclaimed, award-winning off-Broadway Yiddish-language revival of Fiddler on the Roof (2018–2019) and had a recurring role on the FX television series The Old Man (2022). He is also an internationally celebrated photographer, and his work sits in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum.

As Center Theatre Group's largest annual fundraiser, proceeds from the event will help the theatre company further its mission to serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles by producing and presenting world-class theatre, by nurturing rising artists, and by attracting new audiences and continuing its impactful work throughout Los Angeles that helps inspire, uplift, and shape the next generation of storytellers. This year's gala paddle raise, held during the dinner portion of the evening, will raise funds specifically for CTG's Education & Community Partnerships programs. These funds will ensure that CTG continues to have an impact in the community and bring arts to Angelenos wherever they are.