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Culture & Values

Culture & Values

Our Mission

Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Los Angeles through plays and educational programs that inform, entertain, and inspire.

Our Action

The Culture and Values Committee is dedicated to fostering future growth and development in our mission to be a welcoming theater home for all communities and their stories. Comprising a diverse group of Geffen artists, staff, and Board members, the committee meets regularly to provide input and insight across all facets of the theater, from the art produced on our stages to individual employee programs. The Culture and Values Committee is responsible for developing and implementing Geffen’s company-wide Equity and Diversity Policy (Read Full Policy), and for introducing new voices and perspectives to the Geffen family.

Brian Allman (Staff), Berenice Campos (Staff), Gil Cates, Jr. (Staff), Ellyce Cooper (Community Member), Merle Dandridge (Artist/Board), Clay Dzygun (Staff), Jacob Feller (Staff), Karen Gutierrez (Staff), Elizabeth Kegley (Staff), Laura Kennedy (Community Member), Erick R. López (Staff), Vella Lovell (Artist), Tiffany Mayberry Co-Chair (Board), Tarell Alvin McCraney (Staff), Olivia O'Connor (Staff), Jeni Pearsons Co-Chair (Staff), Jon-Paul Schaut (Staff), Cela Sutton (Community Member), Miranda Tollman (Board), Eugene Young (Artist)

Our Initiatives

Commitment means taking action and being open to learning, growing, and evolving as an arts organization. We embrace diverse perspectives that reflect the rich diversity inherent in every community. Our work is a continuous journey.

Our initiatives include:

This list will be updated with new initiatives as they are introduced.

Our top priority is to create, nurture, and support a safe and inclusive space for all artists, employees, and patrons. This involves ongoing internal reflection and critical analysis of our environment and practices to evolve and advance as an arts organization for all communities. As part of our continuous reevaluation, we regularly conduct assessments with our staff, Human Resources Director, Culture and Values Committee, and The Aspire Group. Together, we develop and implement meaningful action steps to uphold our commitment to inclusivity and safety in the workplace.

Black
Partners
Appreciation
Nights

Black
Partners
Appreciation
Nights

In the spirit of Broadway's Black Out Nights, we welcome Black audiences to meet the artists and experience powerful theater alongside passionate community partners in a celebratory environment.

Learn More

Black
Partners
Appreciation
Nights

Black
Partners
Appreciation
Nights

In the spirit of Broadway's Black Out Nights, we welcome Black audiences to meet the artists and experience powerful theater alongside passionate community partners in a celebratory environment.

Learn More

Cultivating Community

As a non-profit organization, Geffen Playhouse is deeply committed to sharing outstanding theater with everyone. Our entire city benefits from thought-provoking and inspiring performances, regardless of race, faith, sexual orientation, ability, gender, background, or financial means. Geffen Playhouse’s Education & Community Engagement programs provide long-term, in-depth access to current and future theatergoers, instilling a lifelong love for theater. These learning experiences and theater-making opportunities are designed to deepen participants’ meaningful connections to the plays they attend, enhance their sense of agency as thinkers and communicators, and foster a sense of community—with each other, the Geffen, and Los Angeles County.

Education & Community Programs

Artist Voices

Geffen Playhouse is proud to support artists and present works reflecting our shared experiences. By amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices in theater, we can together create art that is more vibrant, more meaningful, and more inclusive of our communities.

Past Programs

As a way to engage staff, board, artists and community members, programs were developed to continue dialogue and thought-provoking conversation, including:

ART LIVES HERE

Art Lives Here project commissioned 12 original artworks to welcome patrons into our theater and experience theatergoing through the eyes of eclectic artists in Los Angeles. We are a home for the arts, and we believe our physical space should also reflect and be representative of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do and the communities we support.

COMMUNITY & CONVERSATIONS

In-depth conversations centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion in all facets of theater-making. Geffen Playhouse has hosted four events since January 2021. Past guest speakers include Snehal Desai (Executive Director of East/West Players), Kristin Sakoda (Executive Director of Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture), and Clint Ramos (Tony Award-winning designer).

BOOKED

A reading initiative and speaker series for Geffen Playhouse staff, board, community partners and artists. Past guest speakers include Kamilah Forbes (award winning director & producer), the late Greg Tate (writer, musician, and producer), and Marc Bamuthi Joseph (poet, dancer, playwright & TED Fellow).

Past Guest Speakers

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