Alan Mandel News

Civic leaders and a star-studded cast will perform a one-night- only reading of "8, The Play," with Public Theatre of Southern California, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact. "8, The Play," chronicles the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. tonight, September 21st at The Ernest Borgnine Theater, located at 855 Elm Avenue in downtown Long Beach.

Nominees for the 2012 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced Tuesday evening at the Renberg Theatre inside the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles. The 2012 Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, November 12, at the historic Los Angeles Theatre, 615 South Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles at 7:30 pm. For more information, visit www.LASTAGEOvations.com.

Civic leaders and a star-studded cast will perform a one-night- only reading of "8, The Play," with Public Theatre of Southern California, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact. "8, The Play," chronicles the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California's Proposition 8, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black. The performance will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 21st at The Ernest Borgnine Theater, located at 855 Elm Avenue in downtown Long Beach.

Broadway veteran and GLEE star Jonathan Groff stars opposite original cast member Alfred Molina in the Los Angeles premiere of RED at the Mark Taper Forum. Groff plays Ken (orignally played by Tony winner Eddie Redmayne) in the play, alongside Molina who reprises his Tony-nominated role as Mark Rothko. Michael Grandage directs.

The Colony Theatre presents the first production of its "Season of Premieres" with the Los Angeles Premiere of THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION, written by Evan Smith and directed by award-winning Cameron Watson, the show stars three-time Los Angeles Drama Critics Award-winning actress Anne Gee Byrd. THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION opens tonight, June 16 at 8:00pm and continues through Sunday, July 8 at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.

This year the "Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement" was presented to Jason Alexander, "A man worthy of the tribute for both his illustrious career and for his support of The Fund over the years," said The Fund's President and CEO, Joe Benincasa. See below for photos from the event!

Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie has set the 2012-2013 season at the CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In a season of contrasts - of surprising comedy and startling drama, the 2012-2013 season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre will include the magical and mystical hi-jinks of the CTG-commissioned "Elephant Room" by Trey Lyford, Geoff Sobelle and Steve Cuiffo; the acclaimed Gate Theatre Dublin production of the Beckett classic "Krapp's Last Tape" with one of Britain's greatest actors, John Hurt; the comic genius of The Second City with their unique, satirical twist on a Dickens's favorite - "A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens!" written by Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort; the world premiere of the otherworldly drama "The Nether" by the 2012 Susan Blackburn Smith prize-winning playwright Jennifer Haley; and the world premiere of the powerful boxing drama "The Royale" by Los Angeles playwright Marco Ramirez.

The Colony Theatre presents the first production of its "Season of Premieres" with the Los Angeles Premiere of THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION, written by Evan Smith and directed by award-winning Cameron Watson and will star three-time Los Angeles Drama Critics Award-winning actress Anne Gee Byrd.

Samuel Beckett's modern classic 'Waiting for Godot' opened March 21, 2012 and continues through April 22 at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The cast includes prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell (Estragon) and Barry McGovern (Vladimir), Academy Award-nominee James Cromwell (Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy); the director is Michael Arabian. Below, check out the opening night video with cast, creative and celebrity audience member interviews!

Samuel Beckett's modern classic 'Waiting for Godot' opens March 21, 2012, at 8 p.m. and continues through April 22 at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The cast includes prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell (Estragon) and Barry McGovern (Vladimir), Academy Award-nominee James Cromwell (Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy); the director is Michael Arabian. Check out the production photos below!

Samuel Beckett's modern classic 'Waiting for Godot' opens March 21, 2012, at 8 p.m. and continues through April 22 at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The cast includes prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell (Estragon) and Barry McGovern (Vladimir), Academy Award-nominee James Cromwell (Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy); the director is Michael Arabian. Check out the production photos below!

Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy Award nominee James Cromwell (who will play Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy) will join the previously announced prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell and Barry McGovern in the classic tragicomedy "Waiting for Godot" opening at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum March 21, 2012. Written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Michael Arabian, "Waiting for Godot" begins previews March 14; performances will continue through April 22.

Rehearsals have begun for The Center Theatre Group's 'Waiting For Godot' in Los Angeles. Watch the very first rehearsal getting underway below.

Rehearsals have started for "Waiting for Godot," which opens March 21, 2012, at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The cast includes prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell (who will play Estragon) and Barry McGovern (Vladimir), Academy Award-nominee James Cromwell (Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy). Written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Michael Arabian, previews begin March 14; performances continue through April 22.

Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy Award nominee James Cromwell (who will play Pozzo), Hugo Armstrong (Lucky) and LJ Benet (Boy) will join the previously announced prominent Beckett actors Alan Mandell and Barry McGovern in the classic tragicomedy "Waiting for Godot" opening at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum March 21, 2012. Written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Michael Arabian, "Waiting for Godot" begins previews March 14; performances will continue through April 22.

Nominees for the 2011 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on the evening of Monday, September 19 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank; the complete list of nominees is as follows.

The announcement of the 2011 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominees has been set for Monday, September 19 at 7:00 pm. The event will be hosted by the Falcon Theatre, which is located at 4252 Riverside Drive in Burbank.

Four of today's most powerful plays, plus a world premiere musical and a timeless Beckett play have been scheduled for Center Theatre Group's 2012 season at the Mark Taper Forum, it was announced today by CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie.

The announcement of the 2011 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominees has been set for Monday, September 19 at 7:00 pm. The event will be hosted by the Falcon Theatre, which is located at 4252 Riverside Drive in Burbank.