ZOOT SUIT Extends at Mark Taper Forum; ARCHDUKE Pushes Opening

Rehearsals have barely begun and Center Theatre Group is already announcing a one-week extension for "Zoot Suit," due to strong ticket sales. The production will now continue through March 19, 2017, at the Mark Taper Forum.

Previews for "Zoot Suit" begin January 31, with opening set for February 12. Written and directed by Luis Valdez, "Zoot Suit" is presented in association with El Teatro Campesino.

In order to accommodate this scheduling change, "Archduke" will now begin previews on April 25, 2017, open on May 7 and continue through June 4.

"Zoot Suit" was originally commissioned and developed by Center Theatre Group, playing for nearly a year in Los Angeles first at the Taper from August 6 to October 1, 1978, then from October 10, 1978, through July 1, 1979, at the Aquarius in Hollywood. It went on to become Broadway's first Chicano play, was made into a major motion picture and became a cultural phenomenon.

Nearly 40 years after its world premiere, original creator Luis Valdez will once again fill the Taper's stage with a company of 25 actors, singers and dancers weaving fact and fiction together as they portray the events surrounding the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder in Los Angeles. Filled with heart, sly wit and the infectious songs of Lalo Guerrero, "Zoot Suit" remains an urgent portrayal of the clash between generations in a Chicano family, the rifts between cultures in America and how racism and injustice can haunt a city and a society.

The cast includes (in alphabetical order), Brian Abraham, Mariela Arteaga, Demian Bichir, Melinna Bobadilla, Oscar Camacho, Stephani Candelaria, Raul Cardona, Fiona Cheung, Tiffany Dupont, Caleb Foote, Holly Hyman, Kimberlee Kidd, Rocío López, Jeanine Mason, Tom G. McMahon, Andres Ortiz, Michael Naydoe Pinedo, Matias Ponce, Rose Portillo, Gilbert Saldivar, Richard Steinmetz, Evan Strand, Bradford Tatum, Raphael Thomas, Daniel Valdez and Jeremy Ray Valdez.

Choreography for "Zoot Suit" is by Maria Torres, the production includes songs composed by Lalo Guerrero, the music director is Daniel Valdez, casting is by Rosalinda Morales, Pauline O'con, CSA, and Candido Cornejo, Jr., CSA. Scenic design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design is by Ann Closs-Farley, lighting design is by Pablo Santiago, sound design is by Philip G. Allen and projection design is by David Murakami. The associate director is Kinan Valdez and the production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

"Theatre has always created an extraordinary connection between artists and audiences," said CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. "Nowhere is that more clear than in the uniquely intimate space of the Mark Taper Forum. And that connection continues well beyond the curtain call in plays like Luis Valdez's 'Zoot Suit,' which changed the cultural landscape when it premiered at the Taper almost four decades ago and will continue to offer a vital insight when it opens our 50th season at the Taper in 2017."

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation's preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles' leading nonprofit theatre company, programming seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation's leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles

Tickets to "Zoot Suit" are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or at the Center Theatre Group box office located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $25 - $99 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Mark Taper Forum is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz

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