Center Theatre Group Halts Mark Taper Forum Productions Due to Budget Shortfall and Covid Crisis.

The Center Theater Group in Los Angeles announced layoffs of 10% of its workforce and the suspension of productions at one of its three stages, the Mark Taper Forum, due to drops in revenue and attendance caused by the pandemic. The theater posted an $8 million shortfall for the 2022-23 fiscal year and a $7 million shortfall the year before, much of which had been covered by federal pandemic assistance that is now ending. Season subscriptions at the Taper are 35% below pre-pandemic levels, and subscriptions at the group’s main theater, the Ahmanson, are down 42%.