After his recent and controversial announcement that Center Theatre Group's programs designed to develop new plays and playwrights would be axed as of July 1, CTG's new artistic director, Michael Ritchie, sought to calm the waters by saying he hoped collaborations with other small theaters would fill some of the resulting gaps in new play development and ethnic-specific programming.
As an example, Ritchie said that "Permanent Collection," a recent hit at a small L.A. theater, would be restaged next season at Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre, the newest venue in CTG's circle, which also includes downtown's Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. "Permanent Collection" was co-produced by the black Robey Theatre Company, but some have argued that it does not jibe with CTG's longtime commitment to developing minority playwrights because it was written by a white writer, Thomas Gibbons.
