Mark Taper Forum in LA Suspends 2023-24 Season Due to Covid-19 Aftermath

The 2023-24 theatrical season at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles has been paused, with the venue's management attributing the decision to the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This situation is described as an unprecedented crisis in the venue's 56-year history.

The Center Theatre Group, which oversees the operations of the Taper, along with the Ahmanson and Kirk Douglas venues, has announced that the programming halt at the Taper will lead to the delay of the world premiere of Larissa FastHorse's "Fake It Until You Make It" and the cancellation of the previously scheduled tour stop of "Cambodian Rock Band" by Lauren Yee.

The decision to suspend the season's programming at the Taper is a tough but necessary one, according to the CTG statement. It will affect both artists and audiences and is especially hard for the dedicated CTG staff who have worked tirelessly to bring high-quality theatre to Los Angeles.

Like many arts organizations across the country, CTG continues to grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic. The group has been trying to reconcile rising production costs with significantly decreased ticket revenue and donations that are still not up to 2019 levels.

The CTG statement, attributed to Amy Forbes, CTG's President of the Board; Snehal Desai, Incoming Artistic Director; Meghan Pressman, Managing Director & CEO; and the Center Theatre Group Board of Directors, states, "We are still facing a crisis unlike any other in our fifty-six-year history. It is in this environment that we have to take the extraordinary step of pausing a significant portion of CTG programming beginning this summer and continuing through the 2023/24 Season, as well as taking significant restructuring measures to build a vibrant and sustainable organization that can navigate this new paradigm."

Despite the Taper being at the core of CTG's innovative programming, the venue will not host a season this year. However, the group hopes to use the space in unique, non-traditional ways through special events and community-centered programs starting as early as the fall.

The Ahmanson and the Kirk Douglas will announce their 2023-24 season and select programming soon.