The Music Center's Mark Taper Forum
Opened in 1967, the Mark Taper Forum (Taper) is The Music Center’s smallest and most intimate theatre and was designed for the production of dramas and experimental theater. It was named for S. Mark Taper, a prominent real estate developer, banker and philanthropist. The venue is the ideal stage for dramatic plays and productions by Center Theatre Group and has received virtually every theatrical award including a special Tony for theatrical excellence, which was awarded in 1977.
A circular building that measures 140 feet in diameter, the Forum rises from a reflecting pool. The upper 27 feet of the Forum cantilevers out from the base, which is covered in dark, split-face granite blocks. The dark granite mirrors that of The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion across Jerry Moss Plaza.
The Taper’s drum-like structure features a 378-foot-long cast concrete relief mural in an abstract pattern that encircles the theatre and suggests the movements of the performing arts. Designed by sculptor Jacques Overhoff, the relief is a repeating pattern that is seven panels in width with seven repeats, for a total of 49 panels; the artist chose seven panels as the width so the eye would never be able to see the repeating pattern given the circular shape of the building. Inside the Taper, the entrance features a 60-foot wall, created by designer Tony Duquette, called “Curved Wall”, which is composed of 50,800 abalone shell tiles.
Featuring a thrust stage that juts out into the audience, the theatre’s 736 seats are arranged in a semi-circle in classical amphitheater style, surrounding three sides of the stage. This design gives audiences the opportunity to view the performance from a variety of perspectives. As such, the theatre does not feature either a stage arch or curtain.
The Music Center oversaw a $30 million renovation of the Taper interior from 2007–2008 to upgrade its technical capabilities and audience amenities while maintaining the structural integrity of the original design. Award-winning architectural and design firm, Rios Clementi Hale Studios (now known as Rios), led the theatre’s architectural renovation.
As part of their work, the architects doubled the size of the lobby area, enhanced the abalone wall with recessed lighting and added a new main refreshment area. In addition, the lobby now includes mirrored columns a metal mesh wall covering called Cascade Coil Drapery, decorative terrazzo flooring and a raised ceiling and floor. By raising the lobby floor, the architects provided audiences with access to the theatre directly from Jerry Moss Plaza.
Featured at the Mark Taper Forum
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Fri Nov 22 7:30 PM
Sun Nov 24 2:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center Urban Bush Women
Mark Taper Forum
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its...Show More
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its 40th anniversary with the West Coast premiere of SCAT!… The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar. This vibrant, dance-driven jazz club experience, inspired by founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s childhood in Kansas City’s Black neighborhoods, follows a family’s journey through the Great Migration and the realities of life in 1940s America. With live music by Craig Harris and a cast of electrifying performers, SCAT! pays tribute to the joy, resilience and rich legacy of Black floor shows. Presented in association with Center Theatre Group.
Conceived, Directed, & Co-Choreographed by: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
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Co-Choreographed by: Vincent Thomas
Original Music Composed: Craig Harris
Dramaturgy by: Talvin Wilks
Assistant Director & Associate Producer: Cheri Stokes -
Wed Jan 29 8:00 PM
Sun Mar 09 6:30 PM
Center Theatre Group Fake It Until You Make It
Mark Taper Forum
A bold world premiere comedy from Los Angeles-based playwright, Larissa FastHorse, about being whoever you want to be, even when it’s not who you are. FastHorse is a critically acclaimed writer who focuses her keen sense of satire to examine Nativ...Show More
A bold world premiere comedy from Los Angeles-based playwright, Larissa FastHorse, about being whoever you want to be, even when it’s not who you are. FastHorse is a critically acclaimed writer who focuses her keen sense of satire to examine Native American perspectives on contemporary life and will be the first Native American writer to have a mainstage production on the Mark Taper Forum stage. A member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, and author of the Broadway comedy, The Thanksgiving Play, FastHorse’s new work shines a hilarious light on ‘shifters’ who exist in a world of self-determined identity. This thought-provoking comic play asks what happens when you don’t believe you are the race you want to be? Change it! Fake It Until You Make It takes an absurd look at what defines who we are, and the lengths some people will go through to change it.
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Wed May 28 8:00 PM
Sun Jul 06 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Hamlet
Mark Taper Forum
It’s been a half a century since Hamlet was produced at the Taper and next season Tony Award® nominated visionary, Robert O’Hara, who directed the landmark box office hit Slave Play, returns to stage one of the most famous tales ...Show More
It’s been a half a century since Hamlet was produced at the Taper and next season Tony Award® nominated visionary, Robert O’Hara, who directed the landmark box office hit Slave Play, returns to stage one of the most famous tales ever told.
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Thu Nov 21 8:00 PM
Sun Nov 24 1:00 PM
LA Phil Star Wars in Concert
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
Show Less -
Fri Nov 22 7:30 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center Urban Bush Women
Mark Taper Forum
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its...Show More
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its 40th anniversary with the West Coast premiere of SCAT!… The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar. This vibrant, dance-driven jazz club experience, inspired by founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s childhood in Kansas City’s Black neighborhoods, follows a family’s journey through the Great Migration and the realities of life in 1940s America. With live music by Craig Harris and a cast of electrifying performers, SCAT! pays tribute to the joy, resilience and rich legacy of Black floor shows. Presented in association with Center Theatre Group.
Conceived, Directed, & Co-Choreographed by: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Show Less
Co-Choreographed by: Vincent Thomas
Original Music Composed: Craig Harris
Dramaturgy by: Talvin Wilks
Assistant Director & Associate Producer: Cheri Stokes
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Sat Nov 23 1:00 PM
Sun Feb 23 1:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents: IndieCade in Residence
Jerry Moss Plaza
Discover the vibrant world of IndieCade in Residence on Jerry Moss Plaza! Explore award-winning indie games, engage with captivating interactive experiences and immerse yourself in the creativity of independent developers.
Discover the vibrant world of IndieCade in Residence on Jerry Moss Plaza! Explore award-winning indie games, engage with captivating interactive experiences and immerse yourself in the creativity of independent developers.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Thu Nov 21 8:00 PM
Sun Nov 24 1:00 PM
LA Phil Star Wars in Concert
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
Show Less -
Thu Nov 21 8:00 PM
Sun Nov 24 1:00 PM
LA Phil Star Wars in Concert
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
Experience the entire Star Wars saga through specially edited film clips and the power of John Williams’ unforgettable music, hosted by C-3PO himself!
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Sat Nov 02 7:30 PM
Sat Nov 23 7:30 PM
LA Opera Romeo and Juliet
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Two feuding families rule Verona, with the Montagues and Capulets each determined to write their victory in blood. A chance meeting between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet sparks a forbidden romance. But it wouldn’t be a Shakespearean tragedy wi...Show More
Two feuding families rule Verona, with the Montagues and Capulets each determined to write their victory in blood. A chance meeting between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet sparks a forbidden romance. But it wouldn’t be a Shakespearean tragedy without...well...tragedy.
Famed Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan and our very own Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados lead Gounod’s romantic score, studded with one gorgeous love duet after another. Rising stars Amina Edris and Duke Kim make their house debuts as opera’s favorite star-crossed lovers, with Justin Austin in his company debut as Mercutio and company favorite Craig Colclough as Lord Capulet. Enter a sensuous, elegant world of vengeful duels and young love as this fan favorite returns to LA Opera for the first time since 2011.
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Sat Nov 23 1:00 PM
Sun Feb 23 1:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents: IndieCade in Residence
Jerry Moss Plaza
Discover the vibrant world of IndieCade in Residence on Jerry Moss Plaza! Explore award-winning indie games, engage with captivating interactive experiences and immerse yourself in the creativity of independent developers.
Discover the vibrant world of IndieCade in Residence on Jerry Moss Plaza! Explore award-winning indie games, engage with captivating interactive experiences and immerse yourself in the creativity of independent developers.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Fri Nov 22 7:30 PM
Sun Nov 24 2:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center Urban Bush Women
Mark Taper Forum
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its...Show More
Urban Bush Women, the groundbreaking dance company known for amplifying underrepresented voices and unheard stories of Black women+, marks its 40th anniversary with the West Coast premiere of SCAT!… The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar. This vibrant, dance-driven jazz club experience, inspired by founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s childhood in Kansas City’s Black neighborhoods, follows a family’s journey through the Great Migration and the realities of life in 1940s America. With live music by Craig Harris and a cast of electrifying performers, SCAT! pays tribute to the joy, resilience and rich legacy of Black floor shows. Presented in association with Center Theatre Group.
Conceived, Directed, & Co-Choreographed by: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Show Less
Co-Choreographed by: Vincent Thomas
Original Music Composed: Craig Harris
Dramaturgy by: Talvin Wilks
Assistant Director & Associate Producer: Cheri Stokes
Tour The Music Center Campus
Free tours are available of all The Music Center's theaters.