DouglasPlus Closes DARWIN, 1/30

DouglasPlus continues in 2010 with the return of "Darwin," a family-friendly theatre piece, January 23-30; and staged workshops of the new musical "Post Office" by Melissa James Gibson and Michael Friedman, February 17-21. This season's DouglasPlus, Center Theatre Group's new program that fosters new work, new theatrical forms and new audiences at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, began last fall with readings, workshops and special events.

"Darwin," An Adventure for All Ages, which features an electro-luminescent wire dinosaur, will have family performances Saturday, January 23 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Saturday, January 30 at 11 a.m. (Student matinees for CTG's Young Audiences Program will be held January 20-22 and January 26-29.) "Darwin" was first introduced to DouglasPlus audiences in March 2009.

Created by Corbin Popp and Ian Carney with a cutting-edge blend of puppetry, technology and dance, "Darwin" is the heartwarming story of a dinosaur named Darwin, who is created piece by piece by a famous scientist with magic powers. When Darwin is complete, he is sent off on an adventure, meeting all types of other creatures, and learning what is really important in life.

Special, free, puppet-making workshops will be held following the three public performance of "Darwin."

"Post Office," with book and lyrics by Melissa James Gibson ("Suitcase or, those that resemble flies from a distance," "[sic]" and "This") and music by Michael Friedman ("Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" and "This Beautiful City"), will be presented in staged readings February 17, 18, 20 and 21 at 8 p.m.

The infamous, mind-numbing lines at the post office belie the drama in the lives of customers and clerks alike in this new musical, directed by Mark Brokaw. Commissioned by CTG, "Post Office" looks at parenthood, love, legacy and responsibility in an unpredictable and winning way.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has awarded a grant from its National Fund for New Musicals, with additional support from Broadway Across America, for this presentation of "Post Office."

Post-play discussions will be held after each reading and staged workshop.

DouglasPlus was introduced in the 2008-2009 Kirk Douglas Theatre season with the goals of broadening the spectrum of what CTG can develop, produce and present at the Douglas. It provides an eclectic mix of theatre choices that utilize both traditional and non-traditional performance spaces. Each presentation has a very limited number of performances to be sold at a modest price.

Tickets for DouglasPlus for both "Post Office" and "Darwin" are $20 and are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, in person at the CTG box office at the Ahmanson Theatre or two hours prior to performances at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office.

For the presentations of "Post Office," CTG's popular Lounge in the bar area of the theatre's lobby will feature pre-show box dinners, sandwiches and other snacks, and will be open for an hour after the performances for cocktails and conversation with cast and crew.

Funding for DouglasPlus is provided by The James Irvine Foundation's Artistic Innovation Fund and the Leading for the Future Initiative, a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City,