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    25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

    25TH
    ANNIVERSARY
    SEASON

    GIL CATES THEATER

    Paradise Blue

    November 9 – November 22, 2021

    Power of Sail

    February 8 – March 27, 2022

    Edward Albee's
    Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

    April 19 – May 22, 2022

    A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill

    June 23 – July 24, 2022

    AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

    The Enigmatist

    September 14 – November 14, 2021

    Trayf

    March 1 – April 10, 2022

    Man of God

    May 10 – June 19, 2022

    King Liz

    July 12 – August 14, 2022

    25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
    SPONSORED BY JODI & HOWARD TENENBAUM

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    Make live, thrilling theater a priority in your post-pandemic life. Subscribers receive the best seats at the best price, along with incredible benefits.

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    Subscribe for as
    little as $90!

    Subscribe for
    as little
    as $90!

    Make live, thrilling theater a priority in your post-pandemic life. Subscribers receive the best seats at the best price, along with incredible benefits.

    Subscribe Today

    The Enigmatist

    SEP 14 – DEC 12, 2021

    AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

    Written & Performed by David Kwong

    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 cryptology. Following a sold-out New York City run in 2019, renowned magician and New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong brings his popular in-person show to the Geffen Playhouse. Clues are everywhere, so keep your eyes open and be ready for surprises behind every multi-layered illusion.


    Paradise Blue

    NOV 9 – NOV 22, 2021

    GIL CATES THEATER

    Written by Dominique Morisseau
    Directed by Stori Ayers
    Featuring Tyla Abercrumbie, Wendell B. Franklin, Alani iLongwe, John Earl Jelks & Shayna Small

    Welcome to the sultry, jazz-filled Paradise Club. It’s 1949 in Detroit, and trumpet-playing club owner Blue has a tough decision to make. Should he sell his jazz joint as gentrification is banging on the door? The house band is desperate to stay, Blue’s demons are tempting him to leave, and the arrival of a seductive stranger turns everything upside down. In Tony Award-nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau’s (Ain’t Too Proud, Skeleton Crew) powerful noir-inspired drama, a makeshift family and their troubled bandleader find themselves fighting for the future of Paradise.

    UPDATED NOVEMBER 24, 2021—After a series of events, the Geffen Playhouse production of Paradise Blue has been cancelled. An incident between members of the production was brought to our attention and we did not respond decisively in addressing it. As a result of these missteps, some members of the production felt unsafe and not fully supported.

    We continually examine our best practices so artists and staff feel safe and can achieve their best work. In this case, we acknowledge having fallen short of this commitment. We have apologized to everyone involved, and in learning from this experience, we commit to continuing our ongoing work to improve and evolve as artists and collaborators.

    We respect Dominique Morisseau and her work enormously, and we are proud of this powerful and beautiful production.


    Power of Sail

    FEB 8 – MAR 27, 2022

    GIL CATES THEATER

    Written by Paul Grellong
    Directed by Weyni Mengesha
    Produced with Daryl Roth
    Featuring Hugo Armstrong, Amy Brenneman, Bryan Cranston, Safiya Fredericks, Donna Simone Johnson, Tedra Millan, Seth Numrich & Brandon Scott

    Distinguished Harvard professor Charles Nichols (Emmy & Tony Award winner Bryan Cranston) finds himself in hot water after inviting an incendiary white nationalist to speak at his annual symposium. His colleagues are concerned, his students are in revolt, but Charles is undeterred in his plot to expose and academically thrash his invited guest. This profoundly relevant new play by Paul Grellong (The Boys, Manuscript) examines the insidiousness of hate disguised as free speech and the question of who ultimately pays the price.

    Cast Notice The role of “Quinn Harris” will be performed by Donna Simone Johnson thru 3/20, and by Safiya Fredericks after 3/20.

    PRESENTING SPONSOR


    Trayf

    MAR 1 – APR 10, 2022

    AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

    Written by Lindsay Joelle
    Directed by Maggie Burrows
    Featuring Ilan Eskenazi, Ben Hirschhorn, Louisa Jacobson & Garrett Young

    Zalmy lives a double life. By day, he drives a Chabad “Mitzvah Tank” through 1990s New York City, performing good deeds with his best friend Shmuel. By night, he sneaks out of his orthodox community to roller-skate and listen to rock and roll. But when a curious outsider offers him unfettered access to the secular world, is it worth jeopardizing everything he's ever known? This road-trip bromance is a funny and heartwarming ode to the turbulence of youth, the universal suspicion that we don't quite fit in, and the faith and friends that see us through.


    Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

    APR 19 – MAY 29, 2022

    GIL CATES THEATER

    Directed by Gordon Greenberg
    Featuring Aimee Carrero, Calista Flockhart, Graham Phillips & Zachary Quinto

    George and Martha, the American theater’s most notoriously dysfunctional couple, have invited the young and naive Nick and Honey over for drinks. What begins as harmless patter escalates to outright marital warfare, with the provincial newcomers caught in the crossfire. We are thrilled to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the hilarious and harrowing Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, arguably Edward Albee’s most famous and most vicious masterpiece.


    Man of God

    May 10 – June 19, 2022

    AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

    Written by Anna Ouyang Moench
    Directed by Maggie Burrows
    Featuring Shirley Chen, Emma Galbraith, Erin Rae Li, Albert Park & Ji-young Yoo

    During a mission trip to Bangkok, the four members of a Korean Christian girls’ youth group discover that their revered pastor has hidden a camera in their hotel bathroom. Samantha is personally wounded that Pastor would do this to her. Jen is worried about how this might affect her college applications. Mimi’s out for blood, as usual. And Kyung-Hwa thinks everyone needs to have lower expectations for men. Their communal rage and disillusionment fuel increasingly violent revenge fantasies amidst the no-holds-barred neon bubblegum sex-tourism mecca of Bangkok. Man of God is a funny feminist thriller about that moment when girls realize the male gaze has been watching all along—and decide they’re definitely gonna do something about it.


    A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill

    Jun 23 – Jul 24, 2022

    GIL CATES THEATER

    Words & Music by Matt Schatz
    Directed by Mike Donahue
    Featuring Jahbril Cook, Zehra Fazal, Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper, Rivkah Reyes, Danny Rothman & Jill Sobule

    On a November night in 1994, a murder was committed in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. In this poignant true-crime story told completely through song, a tight-knit Jewish community gathers to recount, remember, and reckon with the details of what happened in—and to—their town. This wholly original production, written by South Jersey native Matt Schatz, asks what it does to our souls when our leaders fall from grace.

    This play was created during the Geffen Playhouse inaugural The Writers’ Room program, in which six Los Angeles playwrights develop new works with the support and guidance of the Geffen Playhouse artistic team. Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Major support for this world premiere production provided by the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund.


    King Liz

    Jul 12 – Aug 14, 2022

    AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

    Written by Fernanda Coppel
    Directed by Jesca Prudencio
    Featuring Ray Abruzzo, Oscar Best, Nancy Linari, Michell Ortiz, Evan Morris Reiser & Sabrina Sloan

    It’s good to be king. Liz Rico is a powerful sports agent who represents NBA superstars, having fought her way to the top of a male-dominated profession with her skill for cutthroat negotiations. Given the chance to sign Freddie Luna, a once-in-a-generation high school talent with a troubled past, Liz sees an opportunity to take her career to the next level. But when accusations start swirling around the young phenom, Liz must attempt to rebound Freddie’s career or protect her own crown.

    Tickets On Sale Now

    Next
    Season

    Next
    Season

    The Inheritance (Parts 1 & 2)
    FALL 2022

    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, they meet an older man haunted by the past, and a younger man hungry for a future. Chance meetings lead to surprising choices as the lives of three generations interlink and collide—with explosive results.

    The Inheritance reunites Geffen Playhouse alums Matthew Lopez & Mike Donahue (The Legend of Georgia McBride, 2017) for an extended run of the celebrated Stephen Daldry production after its Olivier Award-sweeping London and Tony-award winning Broadway runs.

    Next
    Season

    Next
    Season

    The Inheritance (Parts 1 & 2)
    FALL 2022

    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, they meet an older man haunted by the past, and a younger man hungry for a future. Chance meetings lead to surprising choices as the lives of three generations interlink and collide—with explosive results.

    The Inheritance reunites Geffen Playhouse alums Matthew Lopez & Mike Donahue (The Legend of Georgia McBride, 2017) for an extended run of the celebrated Stephen Daldry production after its Olivier Award-sweeping London and Tony-award winning Broadway runs.

    What's Changed & Reopening Plans

    Welcome to Geffen Playhouse! A lot has changed in the past year. Here is the information you need to know about our health and safety plans, along with what has changed from our previously announced season to our new season.

    Support theater
    and subscribe!

    Support theater
    and subscribe!

    Make live, thrilling theater a priority in your post-pandemic life. Subscribers receive the best seats at the best price, along with incredible benefits.

    Subscribe Today

    Support theater
    and subscribe!

    Support theater
    and subscribe!

    Make live, thrilling theater a priority in your post-pandemic life. Subscribers receive the best seats at the best price, along with incredible benefits.

    Subscribe Today

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