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Michael Ritchie Announces Retirement from Center Theatre Group
Michael Ritchie has announced that he will retire as Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group on December 31, 2021. Having taken over the position from Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson in January, 2005, for more than 16 years, Ritchie has led one of the country’s largest nonprofit regional theatres, producing and presenting 266 productions — which included 49 world premieres, four Pulitzer Prize finalists and led to 59 Tony Award nominations — while programming the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum in downtown Los Angeles at The Music Center and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
“It has been an honor working at Center Theatre Group over the past 16 years and I’m extremely proud of what our organization has accomplished during that time,” said Ritchie.
Throughout his time as Artistic Director, Ritchie produced celebrated world premieres including the musicals “Soft Power” (Pulitzer finalist), “13” and “Sleeping Beauty Wakes,” and the plays “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” (a Pulitzer Prize finalist which moved to Broadway), “Water & Power,” “Yellow Face” (Pulitzer finalist) and “Marjorie Prime” (Pulitzer finalist). He also…