About the Theatre
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays as well as provocative world premiere productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that garners national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates and is currently helmed by Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., Artistic Director Matt Shakman and Board Chair Adi Greenberg. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts.Upcoming Shows
Dragon Mama is the Los Angeles premiere written and performed by Sara Porkalob, marking the second part of The Dragon Cycle. The story follows Maria...
The production of Athol Fugard’s Master Harold… and the Boys takes place in a 1950s South African tea shop, where the dynamics between a white...
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous features Anna Campbell, a celebrated actress looking to reclaim her status while navigating the complexities of her past and the...
by Andrew Child - March 15, 2026
This is inside baseball with tensions, heartaches, and personal touches that no one wants to have to explain afterward to their token straight friend....
by Evan Henerson - March 14, 2026
Weston Gaylord’s mind-bender of play enhances the mystery of an already fascinating creature and of the limitless possibilities of what we don’t know....
by Andrew Child - March 13, 2026
Glass feels to be in direct conversation with grand opera, layering incantations from the chorus over triangulations of notes played nearly ad nauseam on violas to evoke something of the mystery that shrouds ancient Egypt in western culture....
by Evan Henerson - March 13, 2026
With all its visual delights on full display, the non-Equity production directed by Catie Davis (from the original direction by Alex Timbers) is a carnival of the macabre....
by Shari Barrett - March 09, 2026
Thanks to de Santos’ insightful direction, the on-going dialogues never seem to drag and the action flows at a pace which keeps the audience interested in just what happens between these well-written characters....
by Evan Henerson - March 06, 2026
In the premiere of RED HARLEM at Company of Angels, director Bernadette Speakes’s production offers some frequently dynamic staging which is brought down by a mixed bag of acting performances and the heavy-handed messaging of Henderson’s script....
by Shari Barrett - March 01, 2026
Director Max Mayer keeps the action authentic and story realistically contrite after helping execute the play’s workshop, making this production an especially meaningful return to the material....
by Evan Henerson - February 27, 2026
Embodied by the exciting Ann Noble and surrounded by a solid cast, Richard and his dastardly deeds are every inch at home within the world of Guillermo Cienfuegos’s sweet and seedy production of RICHARD III for A Noise Within....
by Andrew Child - March 02, 2026
LuPone has woven an unexpected, eclectic musical collage that leads to two clear conclusions; she knows what sounds good in her voice and she knows how to sell a song....
by Tracey Paleo - February 25, 2026
NATURAL SELECTION is an excessive existential exploration of the ways women encounter their own subjectification. Playwright Stacy Adelman, gets the point across – in the first 20 minutes. ...
Past Shows
SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA is a world premiere from playwright Beth Hyland, set to run at the Geffen Playhouse. The story follows Sally, a former acclaimed...
In the West Coast premiere of Table 17, Jada and Dallas, former fiancés, reunite for dinner to confront their shared past. As they navigate the...
Littleboy/littleman is a world premiere play that explores the complex relationship between Nicaraguan brothers Fíto and Bastian as they navigate their differing visions of the...
Am I Roxie? is a world premiere showcasing the talents of Roxana Ortega, who both writes and performs this one-woman show. Through humor and resilience,...
In contemporary Manhattan, Eric and Toby are 30-somethings who seem to be very much in love and thriving. But on the cusp of their engagement,...
Distinguished Harvard professor Charles Nichols (Emmy & Tony Award winner Bryan Cranston) finds himself in hot water after inviting an incendiary white nationalist to speak...
Can you solve the enigma? From the creator and performer of the hit virtual production Inside the Box comes an immersive experience of puzzles and...
Obie Award-winning multimedia artist Jared Mezzocchi has a harrowing story to tell: his family's frightening, true-life haunting inside a 200-year-old New England house. Flip the...
Part musical, part adventure, this inventive new play is designed to take frustrated kids in quarantine on an outrageously fun journey. After entering a door...
Hanging on by a thread after her ex-husband gets engaged to a much younger woman, Jodi (Tony Award winner Idina Menzel, Rent, Wicked) retreats to...
Mischief is afoot in the sleepy village of Edmonton and the fate of the world is at stake in this smart modern fable. When the...
The most chilling test of faith come to life on stage. This world premiere adaptation of the famous 1971 novel documenting the terror and redemption...
Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tracy Letts weaves a heart-warming and humorous tale of unlikely friendships in one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods....
Playwright and provocateur Neil LaBute’s newest play takes off from George Bernard Shaw’s quote: “All truths begin as blasphemies.” And then we meet John Smith....
Videos