LAFPI

The production will run January 29 to March 9, 2025 (press opening February 5) at the Mark Taper Forum, as the third offering of Center Theatre Group’s One CTG. One LA. Season, previously announced by Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker.

The cast at the Mark Taper Forum will be Noah Bean (David Mamet’s Romance), Eric Stanton Betts (Holiday Down Under), Julie Bowen (Modern Family) Tonantzin Carmelo (NBC La Brea), Brandon Delsid (Amazon Prime This is Me … Now), and Dakota Ray Hebert (Marvel’s Echo).

A bold world premiere comedy from Los Angeles-based playwright, Larissa FastHorse, about being whoever you want to be, even when it’s not who you are. In her uproarious new comedy, a collision of friends and foes within the non-profit sector sets the stage for a whirlwind of competition, chaos, and comedic revelation.

Meet Wynona, the Native American proprietor of N.O.B.U.S.H., and River, her white counterpart at Indigenous Nations Soaring. Their escalating rivalry ensnares colleagues and bystanders, leading to the unraveling of secrets that highlight the absurdities of ambition and authenticity. Amidst the laughter, genuine connections form, emphasizing the value of unexpected paths to success. Fake It Until You Make It  takes an absurd look at what defines who we are, and the lengths some people will go through to change it.

“After re-opening the Mark Taper Forum in the fall, we are excited to partner with our friends at Arena Stage and get back to what the Taper has been celebrated for over the course of its history—and that’s by continuing to be the home for bold world premiere productions,” said Snehal Desai, CTG’s Artistic Director. “I am particularly thrilled that LA’s own Larissa FastHorse and her new comedy, Fake It Until You Make It, will be making its premiere at CTG this season. We are already laughing out loud in the rehearsal room with this incredible cast as they bring this fantastic and hilarious play to life and we can’t wait to share it with all of you.”

“Arena Stage is delighted to collaborate with Center Theatre Group on this hijinks-filled world-premiere comedy, featuring a fierce and funny ensemble that will rollick audiences from coast to coast,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. “Larissa FastHorse’s writing exposes the fragile yet ruthless underbelly of the nonprofit sector, where coworking and culture clash. In a town that runs on identity politics, Larissa dares to unmask us all.”

Fake It Until You Make It is an Edgerton Foundation Commission that was awarded to Center Theatre Group. The play was originally commissioned by Center Theatre Group.

2024/25 Season programming at the Mark Taper Forum is made possible through the generous support of the S. Mark Taper Foundation. Additional season support is provided by Perenchio Foundation.

Tickets for Fake It Until You Make It are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at 213.972.4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown LA 90012.

Bank of America is Center Theatre Group’s 2024/25 “One CTG” Season Sponsor. Bank of America believes in the power of the arts to help economies thrive, to educate and enrich societies, and to create greater cultural understanding. For over 20 years, the company has supported Center Theatre Group’s innovative Education and Community Partnerships programs and world-class productions.

Venue: Mark Taper Forum, 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012

Dates: Wednesday, January 29 to Sunday, March 9, 2025; Press opening is Wednesday, February 5.

Schedule: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m

Website — CenterTheatreGroup.org
Phone — Audience Services at 213.628.2772

BIOGRAPHIES

LARISSA FASTHORSE (Sicangu Lakota Nation) (Playwright) is a MacArthur Fellow for theatre and co-founder of Indigenous Direction, the leading consulting company for Indigenous art. Larissa is currently represented across the country with a revised book of the musical Peter Pan. She was the first known female Native American playwright on Broadway with The Thanksgiving Play, one of the most produced plays in the country. Additional plays include The Native Nation Trilogy, For The People, and Fancy Dancer. Larissa is a professor of practice at Arizona State University.

MICHAEL JOHN GARCÉS (Director, he/him/his) is an LA-based director and playwright and a professor of practice at Arizona State University. Recently: productions at The Guthrie Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Pioneer Theatre Company, and the Geffen Playhouse. Former artistic director of Cornerstone Theater Company, where he directed new plays by many writers including Mark Valdez, Juliette Carrillo, Alison Carey, Lisa Loomer, and three by Larissa FastHorse: Wicoun, Native Nation, and Urban Rez.  Recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award, Princess Grace Statue and SDC President’s Award.

NOAH BEAN (Theo, he/him) is thrilled to be back at The Taper after performing here in David Mamet’s Romance. He has performed in many New York and regional theatres; most notably, originating roles in David Henry Hwang’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated Yellowface at The Public Theater, as well as Jordan Harrison’s Pulitzer finalist Marjorie Prime at Playwrights Horizons. He has starred in such television series as the Emmy-nominated Damages, Nikita, 12 Monkeys, The Endgame, and Amazon’s upcoming series Ballard.

ERIC STANTON BETTS (Mark, he/him) is a mixed BIPOC performer based in Los Angeles. His work expands across commercial, fashion, theatre, and film. He is also a writer having finished his first full length feature film just last summer, a rom-com titled Holiday Down Under. Credits: Film; Tyler Perry’s Joy Ridge; Birthright: Outlaw; Martinez, Margaritas and Murder, and Deadly Scholars. Theatre: Kinky Boots at the Hollywood Bowl, A Family Business, Three Tables, Kinky Boots International Tour. Eric is grateful to delve deeper into his indigenous heritage through working with this company. Follow him @StandsTooTall21.

JULIE BOWEN (River at Center Theatre Group Mark Taper Forum). A two-time Emmy Award winner for portraying “Claire Dunphy” on Modern Family, Julie is thrilled to be making her LA theatre debut. Television includes Boston Legal and Lost. Julie will soon be seen reviving her role as “Virginia Venet” in Happy Gilmore 2 with Adam Sandler. Other film roles include starring opposite Melissa McCarthy in Life of the Party, and Horrible Bosses with Jason Bateman. Julie was most recently seen in Hysteria! (Peacock) and continues to produce and develop projects.

AMY BRENNEMAN (River at Arena Stage Kreeger Theater). Amy can most recently be seen in The Old Man opposite Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow and in Shining Girls with Elisabeth Moss. Her large body of film work includes Casper, Fear, Daylight, Heat, Friends and Neighbors, The Jane Austen Book Club, Peel, The Face of Love, Words and Pictures, Nine Lives, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, and Mother and Child. Amy created, executive produced, and starred in Judging Amy, earning two TV Guide Awards, three Golden Globe nominations, a Producers Guild nomination, three Emmy nominations, a People’s Choice nomination, and a SAG nomination. Amy starred in The Sound Inside at Pasadena Playhouse, as well as in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rapture, Blister, Burn (Playwrights Horizons, Geffen Playhouse) and in the world premiere of Rules of Seconds directed by Jo Bonney. Amy was a founding member of the award-winning Cornerstone Theater Company, which specializes in site-specific community-based theater on themes of social justice. Favorite Cornerstone roles include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Natasha in Three Sisters, Clytemnestra in The Oresteia, and Solveig in Peer Gynt. Other Theater: CSC Rep, Lincoln Center Theater, L.A. Theatre Works, LATC, Williamstown Theatre Festival, En Garde Arts, American Repertory Theater, and Yale Rep.

TONANTZIN CARMELO (Wynona, she/her). Tonantzin Carmelo is a SAG award nominated actress most recently seen as a series regular on La Brea (NBC) and recurring roles on NCIS Origins (CBS), The English (BBC), and the upcoming Dark Winds (AMC). She honed her craft in the theatre playing lead roles with Native Voices, Teatro Sinergia, and the DCPA. Her choreography work was featured in the Amazon TV series, Undone, and in The Industry opera, Sweetland. She’s honored to perform on her Tongva ancestral homelands in the great Tovaangar the central village of Yaanga (Downtown Los Angeles). Instagram: @tonantzincarmelo

BRANDON DELSID (Krys) is an actor originally from Fresno, CA. He can be seen starring in Amazon Prime’s This is Me…Now musical alongside Jennifer Lopez. This spring he’ll be guest starring on HBO’s The Rehearsal. Last year he completed June and John with director, Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and shot Peacock’s The Date Whisperer. He can be seen in campaigns for Amazon, Cerave, White Claw, HBO, Redfin, and Netflix. Follow @brandondelsid for more fun.