Mark Taper Forum

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The Mark Taper Forum is a small thrust stage with 745 seats at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates. It has presented innovative plays since 1967. The world premiere of Angels in America was produced here. Recent plays include Stuff Happens by British playwright David Hare and August Wilson's 10 play series, ending with Radio Golf in August 2005. In all, the theater has 5 Tony Awards to its credit.

The Mark Taper Forum (as well as the neighboring Ahmanson Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City) is operated by Center Theatre Group. The theater was named for real estate developer Mark Taper.

The building bears an architectural resemblance to Carousel Theatre at Disneyland, also built by Welton Becket and Associates in 1967. It is similar in design concept and size to the Dallas Theatre Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and the original Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, in Minneapolis.

The Mark Taper received a major renovation to its interior in 2007/08, reopening in September, 2008 with 'House of Blue Leaves'. After the Taper reopens, the auditorium will be renamed the Amelia Taper Auditorium after a $2 million gift from the S. Mark Taper Foundation. ^[1]

There is also a S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

[edit] References

Hunt, William, Total Design: Architecture of Welton Becket, New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1972. (the firm of Welton Becket and Associates designed the Music Center and other modernist buildings)