Jeremy O. Harris’ slave game will remain part of Center Theater Group’s 2022 programming. The playwright had recently asked the job be removed from the lineup, citing a gender imbalance in the coming season.
The turnaround came after CTG shared with Harris their plans for the 2022-2023 season, which will exclusively feature female-identifying and non-binary playwrights at the Mark Taper Forum (where slave game will debut on the West Coast). Additionally, that same season will have a majority of female-identifying and non-binary playwrights at the Kirk Douglas Theater. Both venues will also focus on BIPOC artists.
Jeremy O. Harris
Marc J. Franklin
READ: LA Center Theater Group announces additional titles for 2022 season
“As an organization that actively strives to be anti-racist and inclusive, we take responsibility for the lack of intersectionality of social identities and experiences on our stages,” CTG said in a statement. declaration. “We will continue our commitment to elevate / strengthen gender and race equity within our production managers and artistic teams. ”
O. Harris took to twitter to share his enthusiasm for his play’s LA arc and the changes that have been made to ensure it. “I hope that this engagement, this reframing and this dialogue with the artists can serve as a model / call to action for other theaters and artists in our country,” he wrote. “I’m relieved that the show can go on but I don’t want these dialogues to end and I have offered my services to the theater in any way they might want to use my privileges to help the fight for true fairness in our programming.
The Los Angeles-based company also announced additional New Play Development programming, including a new chapter of the Not a Moment initiative, But a Movement, by commissioning six new plays from playwrights identifying black and non-binary women. These initiatives will take place under the leadership of a new artistic director, Michael Ritchie retiring at the end of the year.
The CTG also invited artists, spectators, colleagues and partners to contact Artistic TeamContact@ctgla.org to address any concerns.
Prior to his LA debut, slave game will return to Broadway in November at the August Wilson Theater.
