Theater does not exist in a vacuum. At its best, it belongs to its city—reflecting it, challenging it, and widening who feels welcome inside its walls.
At Geffen Playhouse, we believe deeply that great art and broad access are not opposing forces. In fact, they depend on one another. A theater that truly serves its community must be both artistically rigorous and radically open. That belief guides everything you’ll see in the pages that follow.
Los Angeles is one of the most diverse, dynamic cities in the world, and we believe its stages should reflect that fullness—of story, of voice, of lived experience. Geffen Playhouse has leaned boldly into shared representation onstage and off, expanding who sees themselves belonging to our community while holding fast to the highest artistic standards. We are not sacrificing excellence in pursuit of inclusion; we are deepening it.
We also understand theater as a form of advocacy. Not advocacy in name only, but in action—showing up for young people encountering theater for the first time, for veterans and seniors finding language for their stories, for communities too often left out of cultural spaces. We see this as both a responsibility and a privilege.
What follows is not a list of programs alone, but a portrait of a theater actively engaged with its city—listening, learning, and investing in long-term relationships that strengthen the cultural fabric of Los Angeles.
We are grateful for your interest, your curiosity, and your belief in the power of theater to move hearts and shape civic life. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the community impact of Geffen Playhouse.
With appreciation,
GIL CATES, JR. Executive Director / CEO
TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY Artistic Director
OUR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
Guided by our mission to produce bold, original theater and foster meaningful connections with our community, Geffen Playhouse prioritizes:
• Access to high-quality theater experiences
• Education through arts learning
• Equity by uplifting underrepresented voices
• Engagement that builds long-term community relationships
OUR PROGRAMS
HIGH SCHOOL PARTERSHIP PROGRAM
We engage under-resourced LAUSD high schools in a season-long program that blends theater arts learning with English language arts learning.
VETERANS WRITING & PERFORMANCE PROJECT
A 10-week theater intensive where an ensemble of military veterans create personal, original monologues and share their work in a performance at the Gil Cates Theater.
STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS
A series of 6-week workshop programs supporting participants in developing their voice through writing, revising, and receiving constructive critical feedback, culminating in a performance for friends and family.
LIGHTS UP
We partner with non-profit and social service organizations representing seniors, foster youth, and adults transitioning out of homelessness to provide access to arts and theater.
AFFINITY & COMMUNITY MEETUP NIGHTS
Partnering with local arts, nonprofit, and service organizations whose missions align with our programming to build community and new audiences.
THEATER AS A LENS FOR JUSTICE
Provides individuals impacted by incarceration and their families the opportunity to experience performances throughout the season, supplemented with talkbacks and workshops by theater staff and artistic leaders.
WAITING FOR GODOT AT VICTORVILLE CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX
In 2024, the cast of Waiting for Godot—Rainn Wilson, Aasif Mandvi, Conor Lovett, and Adam Stein—took their performance to the Victorville Women’s Federal Correctional Complex. This special performance continued the play’s long history of reaching incarcerated audiences, dating back to the legendary 1957 San Quentin performance.
In 2025, in collaboration with The Shed (NYC), cast members performed Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play The Brothers Size at the Fresno Valley State Prison. These performances were made possible though the Geffen Playhouse’s Theater as a Lens for Justice program.
EACH
YEAR, THOUSANDS OF
STUDENTS EXPERIENCE THEATER.
MANY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Geffen Playhouse’s High School Partnerships Program (HSPP) is an immersive theater arts experience that provides approximately 2,000 Los Angeles students in grades 10-12 at arts-underserved LAUSD schools the opportunity to gain lifelong skills in creative and critical thinking. Students attend plays at Geffen Playhouse, engage in talkbacks with artists, work with Teaching Artists before and after each play, and participate in artistic writing and speaking exercises, unlocking their confidence, critical thinking skills, voices, and potential in life.
AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER TRANSFORMED INTO A NEW WORKS LAB
Supporting artists is central to the Geffen Playhouse’s mission, and new play development is a cornerstone of that support. In addition to programming intimate and immersive projects, a new vision for the Audrey theater has emerged, which includes workshops and development of groundbreaking new plays for our stages. The Geffen Playhouse supports playwrights in two key ways: commissions, and The Writers’ Room.
COMMISSIONS
To commission a playwright means making a commitment to their voice, craft, and vision, with the hope of sharing the fruits of their work on our stages. Commissioning is an institutional priority at Geffen Playhouse. To date, we have commissioned 49 playwrights.
THE WRITERS’ ROOM
A group for Los Angeles-based playwrights, The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community of this city.
WORKS DEVELOPED
Somewhere Between
Written by N’yomi Stewart
Directed by Tramaine Raphael Gray
Workshop: October 21 - 25, 2024
littleboy/littleman
Written by Rudi Goblen
Directed by Nancy Medina
Workshop: February 24 - 28, 2025
SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA
Written by Beth Hyland
Directed by Jo Bonney
Workshop: March 4 - 13, 2025
Am I Roxie?
Written by Roxana Ortega
Directed by Bernardo Cubria Workshop: March 31 - April 4, 2025
Dragon Baby
Written by Sara Porkalob
Directed by Andrew Russell Workshop: November 10 - 14, 2025
Untitled Backstage Miss Saigon Play
Written by Lauren Yee
Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody
Workshop: December 6 - 12, 2025
AANHPI & BLACK PARTNERS APPRECIATION NIGHTS RAISE OVER $100,000 FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Affinity Nights at Geffen Playhouse reflect our belief that theater thrives when everyone feels welcome. Through our partner appreciation nights, we work with trusted community organizations to open our doors to new audiences and deepen lasting relationships.
In a distinctive profit-sharing model, partner organizations retain proceeds from single ticket sales for a designated performance—supporting their vital work while helping Geffen Playhouse broaden, diversify, and grow our audience. Since its launch in 2022, these nights have raised over $100,000 for our partners.
These evenings do more than fill seats: they invest in community, expand access to the arts, and help ensure our theater is a place where first-time patrons become lifelong participants.
MEASURING IMPACT
TICKET ACCESS TO COMMUNITIES
Geffen Playhouse is committed to making world-class theater accessible to all. Through a range of free as well as affordable ticket options and community programs, we remove financial barriers so more audiences can experience bold, transformative storytelling. Below are statistics for our 2024/25 season.
TESTIMONIALS
“The teaching artists were great at boosting confidence in us as young artists and taking our work seriously. I also loved the collboration and community that came from other students.”
– STORYTELLING WORKSHOP STUDENT PARTICIPANT
“Hands down, the most beautifully memorable and healing experience in a lifetime of Hollywood dreams.”
– VETERANS PROJECT PARTICIPANT
“This was the first time in school someone told me my story was worth telling.”
– HIGH SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM STUDENT
“We’ve been partners with Geffen Playhouse for several years as they were the first organization to support our Bold, Resilient and Carefree programmatic which is an actor’s gymnasium for creative exploration. The Black Partner Appreciation Night allowed us to onboard an intern which we would not have been able to do otherwise.”
– BLACK PARTNERS APPRECIATION NIGHT PARTICIPANT
GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater committed to enriching the cultural life of Los Angeles through plays and educational programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. Known for its intimacy and nationally recognized mix of classic works, contemporary plays, and provocative world premieres, Geffen Playhouse champions bold storytelling and new artistic perspectives.
TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney believes theater is a civic act; a place where storytelling brings people together, challenges perspectives, and strengthens our shared cultural fabric. Under his leadership, Geffen Playhouse is experiencing a renaissance marked by bold programming and a transformative shift in audience demographics, unlike anything seen since its founding 30 years ago.
THANK YOU
I came to the theater because it was one of the first places where I felt fully seen.
As a young person, theater gave me language—for joy, for grief, for questions I didn’t yet know how to ask. It taught me that my story mattered, and that it could stand beside others with dignity and power. That belief has shaped my life and guides my work at Geffen Playhouse every day.
We know who we are. We are a theater that believes storytelling is a civic act—one that invites empathy, challenges assumptions, and strengthens community. We are committed to work that is bold, artistically rigorous, and deeply human.
Now, we invite you to join us.
Your partnership helps ensure that great theater remains accessible, that new voices are nurtured, and that this art form continues to serve not just audiences, but the broader civic life of our city.
Thank you for believing, as I do, that theater matters—and that its future is worth building with intention and care.
