Olmos to Take Part in Center Theatre Group’s 50th Anniversary Event

It’s a special homecoming for Edward James Olmos

The 70-year-old Mexican American actor will take part in a star-studded event to celebrate the Center Theatre Group’s 50 years of excellence.

Edward James Olmos

The event will feature a one-night-only production from writer, director and producer Robert Egan, followed by dinner in downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park.

Co-Chairs Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, and Sue Tsao, Center Theatre Group board member will be joined by celebrated alumni like Olmos, Alfred Molina, Annette Bening, Matthew Bourne, Danai GuriraPhylicia Rashad and more.

The celebration, taking place on May 20 at the Ahmanson Theatre, will spotlight Center Theatre Group’s education and community outreach programs as well as its continuing role in creating new work and helping to define the role of theatre both in Los Angeles and beyond.

“We are thrilled to have so many incredible artists returning to help us celebrate this exciting milestone, and the power of theatre to shape the cultural landscape of Los Angeles,” said Center Theatre Group Board President Kiki Ramos Gindler. “Our 50th Anniversary Celebration will bring together some of our most beloved and talented artists to reflect on Center Theatre Group’s proud history of world-class productions, innovative programs and field-defining new work.”

Olmos, an Academy Award nominee for his performance in Stand and Deliver, starred in the in the Center Theatre Group’s production of the Chicano protest musical Zoot Suit as El Pachuco back in 1978. Oscar-nominated actor Demian Bichir stepped into that role for the revival of the Luis Valdez play, also produced by the Center Theater Group.

Moreno Honored by the Los Angeles Music Center

Rita Moreno is the epitome of excellence, and now she’s being acknowledged for her performing arts background…

The 84-year-old Puerto Rican actress, the only Latina to secure an EGOT (winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award), was feted for her performing arts legacy Thursday night at the Los Angeles Music Center’s inaugural summer soiree.

Rita Moreno

Moreno was presented with the center’s excellence in the performing arts award by The Nanny star Fran Drescher.

“She uses her celebrity and her fame for the greater good,” Drescher said of Moreno before welcoming her to the stage. “She leverages it for the advancement of women, for the advancement of the Latin community and anyone that happens to be marginalized in society.”

Moreno earned an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in 1961’s West Side Story and landed Emmy wins for her guest appearances in The Rockford Files and The Muppet Show.  She’s currently in production on the Netflix reboot of Norman Lear’s 1970’s-80’s family sitcom One Day at a Time.

Gracing the Music Center stage with humor and humility, Moreno devoted her acceptance speech to the loved ones who contributed to her multi-faceted career success, including her immigrant mother who “did all that she could to underwrite [her] dreams.”

“That sweet elixir that I call the arts requires more than the creativity and passion of the arts,” said Moreno. “There would be no Misty Copeland, no Rita Moreno, no Lin-Manuel Miranda, no Justina Machado apart from those of you who encourage, support and applaud.”

The award presentation was followed by an American Ballet Theatre production of Firebird, starring Misty Copeland, and an outdoor after-party in Downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park.