FOREVER to Open This Sunday at CTG's Kirk Douglas Theatre

The world premiere of Dael Orlandersmith's "Forever," directed by Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Director Neel Keller, opens this Sunday, October 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre. A DouglasPlus presentation, "Forever" was commissioned and developed by CTG. Performances continue through October 26 (previews tomorrow, October 9 through the 11th).

In "Forever," writer/performer Orlandersmith investigates the complex legacy she received from her mother and their difficult life in New York. A riveting and powerful memoir about family -- the ones we are born into, and the strange way powerful bonds are formed with people who are "kin" through shared experience and perspective, is inspired in part by Orlandermith's experiences in Paris at the famed Pe?re Lachaise Cemetery where strangers from around the world make pilgrimages to the graves of such legendary artists as Jim Morrison, Marcel Proust and Richard Wright.

Set design for "Forever" is by Takeshi Kata, costume design by Kaye Voyce, lighting design is by Mary Louise Geiger and sound design is by Adam Phalen. The production stage manager is Young Ji.

Orlandersmith has been seen at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in a staged reading of "Forever" (2013), preceded by her plays "Stoop Stories" and the world premiere of "Bones" (2010). Her award-winning plays have been commissioned and presented by theatres across the U.S., including "Black n' Blue Boys/Broken Men," "Horsedreams," "The Blue Album," "Yellowman," "The Gimmick," "Monster" and "Beauty's Daughter." She is the recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Guggenheim and the 2005 PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for a playwright in mid-career and a Lucille Lortel Foundation Playwrights Fellowship.

"Forever" is the second, among five, DouglasPlus presentations for the 2014-2015 KDT season. For five years, DouglasPlus has provided the flexibility to explore new work and push boundaries through fully and minimally staged events, workshops and readings and traditional and non-traditional performance configurations.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, 90232. For tickets and information, visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling (213) 628-2772 in person at the Center Theatre Group box office or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office two hours prior to curtain.