Center Theatre Group Reveals Community Events For A SOLDIER'S PLAY

To celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Los Angeles, nurture lifelong learning and human connection, and connect audiences with artists that are working at the highest levels of their own experience and craft, Center Theatre Group will host a variety of events tied to the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which begins performances May 23 at Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre through June 25, 2023, and with an opening set for May 24, 2023.

The community events include (in date order):

FreePlay - 8 p.m., May 23 through May 24, May 30 through June 1, 2023

Audience members 25-years-old and under are invited to attend the preview performances of "A Soldier's Play" for free. Center Theatre Group wants younger patrons to be part of the art, conversation, and change that starts on our stages, and to help us ensure the future of live theatre. To remove one of the biggest barriers that keeps young Angelenos from experiencing live theatre, Center Theatre Group offers free tickets to the first few performances of all productions at the Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre as well as select Ahmanson Theatre shows. To learn more, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/FreePlay.

Norm Lewis Performs at Los Angeles Dodgers Game - 1:10 p.m., Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Dodger baseball fans will be in for a treat with Norm Lewis singing the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Washington Nationals. To purchase tickets to the game, visit dodgers.com/tickets.

American Express Card Member Performance - 8 p.m., Thursday, June 1, 2023

Following the performance of "A Soldier's Play," audience members who have purchased tickets with their American Express card are welcome to attend a post-show discussion with the cast of "A Soldier's Play." As American Express is the official card of Center Theatre Group, card members have access to exclusive offers including Card Member Performance opportunities. For more information about American Express offerings, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Amex.

Cast Talkbacks - 8 p.m., Wednesday, June 7 and Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Following the performance of "A Soldier's Play," audience members are welcome to attend a post-show discussion with some of the cast of "A Soldier's Play." To purchase tickets to this performance visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Tickets.

ACCESS Performance - 2 p.m., Saturday, June 17, 2023

Center Theatre Group's ACCESS program is committed to accessibility for all audiences. CTG offers a number of services to accommodate patrons requiring mobility, vision, and hearing access. One Saturday matinee for every mainstage Center Theatre Group production is designated as an ACCESS performance. These performances are designed for patrons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and/or have low vision. ACCESS performances offer American Sign Language interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description. For more information on the ACCESS program visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Access.

Backstage Club - 2 p.m., Saturday, June 17, 2023

Following the performance of "A Soldier's Play," Backstage Club audience members are welcome to attend a post-show discussion with the cast of "A Soldier's Play." The Backstage Club memberships are intended for students aged 13 to 18 and start at $78 for three shows or $104 for all four shows with special behind-the-scenes perks and access to the cast and other activities on select performances. For more information, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/BackstageClub.

LAUSD Student Matinee - 2 p.m., Thursday, June 22, 2023

Center Theatre Group partners with local educators to host students from the greater Los Angeles area for select performances at the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Over 1,400 students from various schools in LAUSD will attend this matinee performance. Center Theatre Group's goal is to collaborate with classroom teachers to provide young people access to high-quality, live professional theatre as a core part of their basic education and to help them make meaningful connections between art and their lives. For more information about Student Matinees, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/StudentMatinees.

About "A Soldier's Play"

Written by American playwright Charles Fuller, Roundabout Theatre Company's 2020 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning "A Soldier's Play" stars Norm Lewis, and is directed by Tony Award winner and Roundabout Theatre Company's Senior Resident Director Kenny Leon.

Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee Norm Lewis will star as Captain Richard Davenport. Joining him will be Broadway, TV and film star Eugene Lee, who originated the role of Corporal Bernard Cobb in the original 1981 Off-Broadway production of "A Soldier's Play," as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters, Will Adams as Corporal Bernard Cobb, Brandon Alvión as an understudy, Sheldon D. Brown as Private C.J. Memphis, Malik Esoj Childs as Private Tony Smalls, Ja'Quán Cole as an understudy, William Connell as Captain Charles Taylor, Charles Everett as an understudy, Alex Michael Givens as Corporal Ellis, Matthew Goodrich as Captain Wilcox, Chattan Mayes Johnson as Lieutenant Byrd, Branden Davon Lindsay as Private Louis Henson, Tarik Lowe as Private First-Class Melvin Peterson, Al'Jaleel McGhee as an understudy, Howard W. Overshown as Private James Wilkie, and Alex Ross as an understudy.

Joining director Kenny Leon for the tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's "A Soldier's Play" is the Broadway design team that includes Derek McLane (Sets), Dede Ayite (Costumes), Allen Lee Hughes (Lights), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound) and Cristina Angeles (Associate Director). The tour of "A Soldier's Play" is produced by Roundabout Theatre Company and Tamar Climan. The "A Soldier's Play" tour stage management team is John Atherlay and RL Campbell. The company management team is Frank Lott and Jordan Lingreen.

"The recent passing of The Giant that is Charles Fuller has only magnified his brilliance... an amazing writer who left us so much with his masterful 'A Soldiers Play,'" said director Kenny Leon. "We honor him with this American tour of the Broadway production of this great American classic. Come - laugh, think and reflect - America is in need of love."

In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service, and identity in America. Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece opened on Broadway for the first time on Jan. 21, 2020 at Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre, nearly 40 years after it was written. The acclaimed production was nominated for seven Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, winning Best Revival for both.

Tickets for "A Soldier's Play" are on sale and start at $40. They are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.