Kirk and Anne Douglas recently awarded a $1 million challenge grant to Center Theatre Group (CTG) to be combined with their earlier $1 million seed grant for new work.
“This challenge grant will be active for the next 10 years,” said Peter Douglas, president of The Douglas Foundation. “For every $2 that CTG raises, the Foundation will add another $1. This has a potential of yielding up to $4 million to support new theatre.”
“Theatre was always my first love,” said Kirk Douglas. “In fact, when I came to Hollywood to make my first picture, I thought it was just a temporary detour. I would earn enough money to tide my family over only until my first long-run hit on Broadway. That never happened,” he said, adding that he “resigned himself to being a movie star.”
“My second-choice career gave my wife and me an opportunity to give a lot of money to the Center Theatre Group over the years, a joyous commitment of which we continue to be extremely proud,” he said.
Douglas said that when he was presented with the opportunity to “shape a defunct movie house in Culver City into CTG’s first Westside outpost,” he and Anne and jumped on board.
Michael Ritchie eventually shepherded that dream into a small theatre that has enriched the environment of its host community, as well as premiering two plays that made it to Broadway this season.
“Even an old-timer like me was able take to the boards with my autobiographical show, Before I Forget,” Douglas said.
“Anne and I hope this additional gift will enable the Kirk Douglas Theatre to further its mandate of supporting new talent. We challenge others to join us in meeting that goal.”
The couple’s strong relationship with CTG began with Anne Douglas, who was a longtime member of CTG’s board of directors. In 2004, the couple donated $2.5 million to help transform the Culver Theater into the live theatre venue, the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Michael Douglas also contributed $1 million in honor of his father for the project.
The first six seasons at the 317-seat house have yielded award-winning work and several plays and musicals that have moved to Broadway and off-Broadway including the world premieres of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Wake, and the revival of Come Back, Little Sheba. A major workshop of the musical 13 was held at the CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre, after which the Douglases contributed $250,000 for the world premiere at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum. “13” also moved to Broadway.
“Kirk and Anne were instrumental in making a dream come true that my predecessor had of the creation of a mid-sized theatre,” said CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. “They have continued to be nothing but supportive of our work, especially with the development and production of new plays. I have become a great admirer of Anne and Kirk Douglas.”
The Douglas Foundation also lends its support to medical research, equipment and programs within the health system that strive to enhance the quality of care in local communities.
Center Theatre Group is Los Angeles’ leading non-profit theatre company, programming seasons at the 739-seat Mark Taper Forum and up-to-2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. CTG also supports a significant number of arts education and play development initiatives.
