interplay partners: L.A. Theatre Works

L.A. Theatre Works
Mission:
L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) strengthens our cultural community through the use of innovative technologies to produce, promote and preserve significant works of dramatic literature.

Address:
681 Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(800) 708-8863
latw@latw.org
www.latw.org

Hours of operation:
Monday-Friday
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Programs:
Founded in 1974, LATW’s original mission was to use theatre as a tool to provide a voice for communities that were traditionally unheard and underserved. The organization began operations with “Artists in Prisons,” providing theatre programs to incarcerated men and women.

LATW later evolved into a conventional theatre company and, for years, was one of the primary producers of professional plays in Los Angeles. LATW remained committed to bringing theatre to underserved communities, but shifted its educational focus to children at risk.

In 1985, LATW made the bold decision to move from a traditional theatre producing organization to a “virtual” theatre company, utilizing more dynamic channels of modern communication to reposition theatre as a widely available, accessible and affordable resource.

Today, LATW records drama before a live audience for broadcast over public radio stations around the nation, international and satellite radio, and through Internet streaming and download. LATW features leading actors in state-of-the-art audio productions of classical and contemporary theatre. All productions become part of our extensive Audio Theatre Collection, which is available to the public, schools and libraries nationwide. Today, our Audio Theatre Collection includes more than 350 titles—the largest library of its kind in the world.

LATW currently operates three primary programs:
The Play’s The Thing is a live in-performance radio theatre series at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, which records10 new productions a year. The Play’s The Thing reaches thousands of additional listeners through a weekly two-hour radio show on public radio stations around the country, XM Satellite Radio, and through broadcast specials on international stations such as the BBC, Voice of America, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

Alive and Aloud is a national outreach program that distributes recorded plays and study guides free of charge to more than 2,500 schools and libraries nationwide.

Arts & Children is a local education outreach program for at-risk youth in greater Los Angeles, serving LATW’s original mission to reach underserved communities. LATW’s audio publishing service makes our extensive Audio Theatre Collection available individual buyers and libraries nationwide.