Geffen Playhouse


The Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named for donor David Geffen. The current executive director is Gil Cates Jr.

History

The Geffen Playhouse was built in 1929 as the Masonic Affiliates Club, or the MAC, for students and alumni at UCLA. One of the first 12 structures built in Westwood Village, it was designed by architect Stiles O. Clements. Its courtyard fountain is a piece from Malibu Potteries; the two patterns can be seen on and in Malibu Potteries founder Rhoda May Knight Rindge's daughter's house, the Adamson House, which Clements designed and for which Rindge provided the tile. The pattern on the lower tier of the Geffen's fountain appears in the Adamson House dining room, while the pattern on the upper tier can be seen on the east exterior face of the dining room, bordering a Moorish arch window.
Originally named the Contempo Theatre, and later the Westwood Playhouse, the property was purchased by UCLA in 1993. UCLA's then chancellor, Charles E. Young, appointed Gil Cates, founder and former president of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, as its producing director. The theater was renamed in 1995 after media mogul David Geffen donated $5 million, one of the largest philanthropic donations ever made to an already constructed theater.
In 2002, the David Geffen Foundation made a $5-million lead gift towards an eventual $17-million capital campaign to renovate the theater, which was originally a Masonic lodge. The renovation gutted the theater while keeping its historical character. The Geffen reopened on November 16, 2005 with the main 500 seat theater retained and a new 125-seat Audrey Skirball-Kenis Theater added. In March 2010, the Playhouse's board of directors named the main stage the Gil Cates Theater. Geffen Playhouse founder Gil Cates Sr. died in October 2011. Gil Cates, Jr. was appointed executive director in 2004. Two funding drives followed, the Geffen Playhouse Legacy Fund and the Innovation Fund.
The Geffen Playhouse offers five plays per season in the Gil Cates Theater and three plays per season in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, as well as producing special events in both venues. The Playhouse is known for performances by film and television actors, including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Idina Menzel, Andy Garcia, Dulé Hill, Jason Alexander, Debbie Allen, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Dana Delany, Roma Downey, Peter Falk, Ginnifer Goodwin, Neil Patrick Harris, David Hyde-Pierce, Carrie Fisher, Jane Kaczmarek, Alfred Molina, Rebecca Pidgeon, George Segal, Martin Short, Alicia Silverstone, Rita Wilson, and James Van Der Beek.
In August 2017, Matt Shakman was appointed as the new artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse.

Awards and nominations

AwardsProductionNominationsWinsNotes
Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara53Won for Best Production, Lead Actor, and Lead Actress
Beethoven As I Knew Him21Won for Sound Design
Farragut North20
Time Stands Still20
10Nominated for Best Season
Equivocation83Won for Best Production, Featured Actor, and Lighting Design
Through the Night52Won for Lead Actor and Sound Design
Extraordinary Chambers50
Superior Donuts40
Good People80
The Jacksonian10
Radiance: The Passion Of Marie Curie10
The Pianist Of Willesden Lane10
10Nominated for Best Season
American Buffalo20
Yes, Prime Minister10
Miss Julie10
Ovation AwardsGeffen Playhouse10Best Season
Ovation AwardsActually61Award for Best Playwriting for an Original Play
Ovation AwardsThe Legend of Georgia McBride83Awards for Best Choreography, Lighting Design and Costume Design
Ovation AwardsIcebergs10Lucas Verbrugghe nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play
Ovation AwardsBarbecue10
Ovation AwardsLong Day's Journey Into Night20
Ovation AwardsGeffen Playhouse10Best Season
Ovation AwardsIronbound41Award for Best Production of a Play
Ovation AwardsSell/Buy/Date11Award for Best Presented Production
Ovation AwardsSignificant Other10
Ovation AwardsSkeleton Crew71Award for Best Scenic Design
Ovation AwardsLights Out: Nat "King" Cole71Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Ovation AwardsCharles Dickens' A Christmas Carol88Award for Best Production, Direction, Lead Actor in a Play, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Scenic Design, Sound Design
Ovation AwardsBlack Super Hero Magic Mama10Nominated for Best Costume Design
Ovation AwardsMysterious Circumstances20Nominated for Best Lighting Design, Scenic Design