The 2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) Regional Finals will be streamed one time only on Tuesday, March 23 at 5 pm Pacific. The event is free to the public and available at CTGLA.org/AugustWilson2021.
Center Theatre Group selected 11 local high school students whose performances will be evaluated by a panel of judges including Sophina Brown, Wren T. Brown, Colman Domingo and Michele Shay. The competition was held virtually with participants performing on the stage of the Kirk Douglas Theatre and the judges viewing remotely but in real time.
This is the tenth consecutive year Center Theatre Group is hosting the Los Angeles component of the national monologue competition. The program is designed to inspire and educate Los Angeles youth using monologues from August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle,” a 10-play cycle that details the complexity of the African American experience in the 20th century. All previous competitions have culminated in an evening of monologues performed on the stage of the Mark Taper Forum.
The students selected to participate in the regional finals are Simone Baker (Sherman Oaks), Hazel Eko (Los Angeles), Willa Jackson (Los Angeles), Chazaiah Johnson (Los Angeles), Hailey Soomin Lee (Redondo Beach), Giselle Lopez (Los Angeles), Veronica McFarlane (Whittier), Stephen Moran (Los Angeles), Reva Pau (South Pasadena), Dillion Jerome Sowell (Moreno Valley) and Landon Wouters (Fullerton).
Two finalists will be announced during the livestream on March 23. Those two finalists will be joined by one of last year’s finalists, Tyla Uzo, in advancing to the national competition. The students selected will receive master classes provided by Center Theatre Group. The sessions will allow the students to refine their performances while gaining valuable acting techniques.
“Tango The Musical by Sergei Tumas” comes to Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage March 25 through March 28, 2021. Presented Thursday at 5 pm; Friday at 5 and 8 pm; Saturday at 5 and 8 pm and Sunday at 1 and 5 pm (all times Pacific), the streaming video will cost $10 for all viewers and will be available at www.centertheatregroup.org/
Featuring a cast of 11 world-champion Argentine tango couples accompanied by a premiere 10-piece orchestra of Latin Grammy Award-winning tango musicians under the musical direction of pianist Cristian Zárate, “Tango The Musical” celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary Argentinian composer and pioneer of tango nuevo, Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992). “New tango” is a cultural blend of classical, jazz, rock and folk music and dance and this production is a complete Astor Piazzolla experience in music and dance, with glamorous costumes and lighting design, under the artistic direction of Maestro Sergei Tumas and choreographed by Argentinian choreographers Iván Leonardo Romero and Silvana Nuñez.
“Tango The Musical” tells the story of Los Desaparecidos, those who disappeared during Argentina’s Dirty War which began in 1976. It follows an angel, Romeo, who falls in love with Isabella and goes through a journey of varying physical, psychological and spiritual states, all rooted in Greek mythology and presented through the dramatic language of the Argentine tango – the eternal dance.
Currently Available On Demand:
Matthew Bourne’s production of “The Red Shoes” premieres Friday, March 19 at 8 pm and streams Saturday, March 20 at 5 and 8 pm; and Sunday, March 21 at 1 and 5 pm (all times Pacific). Available for $10 at www.centertheatregroup.org/
