Geffen Playhouse

Los Angeles, United States

4.6

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 310-208-5454
Website:
www.geffenplayhouse.com
Address:
10886 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90024
Westwood, UCLA
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
210 ftLe Conte / Westwood
240 ftWestwood / Le Conte
480 ftWestwood / Weyburn
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Today

Today –
Local time (Los Angeles) 18:20 Wednesday, 2 July 2025

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Description

History

Established in 1995.

Main Stage at the Geffen Playhouse

Originally constructed in 1929, the building that is now the Geffen Playhouse was one of the first twelve structures in Westwood.

In 1995 the Combs family donated the theater to UCLA under the premise that it would remain a theater in perpetuity, and that Gilbert Cates (founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television) assumed development. Thanks in part to a founding gift by David Geffen, the theater began its first season under new leadership in 1999 and was renamed the Geffen Playhouse.

In 2001, the organization embarked upon a $ 17 million capital campaign to upgrade the facility to a state-​of-​the-​art theater capable of providing world-​class productions, while restoring the building’s original craftsmanship and beauty.

Currently, our main stage seats 525 patrons comfortably and features plush wide seats, newly crafted acoustics and upgraded lighting that highlights the stunning elegance of the theater’s historic setting.

Meet the Business Owner

Gilbert C.

Business Owner

A message from

PRODUCING DIRECTOR, GILBERT CATES:

Welcome! This is a wonderful year to be part of the Geffen Playhouse.

We are thrilled to announce our new season which begins in September of this year. The season, which runs the gamut from satire and farce to musical and biography, kicks off with the world première of Blair Singer’s Hollywood parody Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas — featuring Matthew Modine himself, segues into Bill Caine’s witty historical fiction Equivocation, is followed by the North American première of Joanna Murray-Smith’s wild comedy The Female of the Species — featuring Annette Bening which leads into the world première of Jonathan Brielle’s gritty musical Nightmare Alley, and concludes with the West Coast première of George Stevens, Jr’s stunning biography Thurgood — featuring Laurence Fishburne.

See you at the theater,

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20 reviews of Geffen Playhouse

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Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
First time at this theater and found it to be quite pleasant. The quaintness of it along with the Christmas light decorations gives it a real holiday feel. We had a good time watching «Stage Kiss». We didn’t have a problem finding Street parking. Ushers were all informative and helpful.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Two words: College Night. $ 10 tickets plus a pre-​show reception with complimentary food and drinks. Can life get much better than this?! I don’t think so, friends.
Just last night I attended College Night for the production of Barcelona. My friend and I checked in at the door and were given a bracelet to enter a private room for the catered reception. They had light bites from Garlo’s Aussie Pie Shop, cookies from Diddy Riese, a delicious non-​alcoholic cocktail, and Hint water for guests to enjoy– yum! The reception room itself is beautiful; it would be a great space to rent out for a private event.
I absolutely loved the production of Barcelona! The show was excellent, and the theater itself is incredible. I love that they offer affordable tickets for college students who may not be able attend otherwise. In addition to College Night, they also host regular events such as Wine Down Sundays, Talk Back Tuesdays, Girls Night Out, Lounge Fridays, as well as a few others.
If you have the opportunity to see a play at the Geffen, I highly recommend it.
Place rating: 4
La Palma, CA
This is such a perfect quaint & intimate theatre. Everything about this theatre is lovely, whether it’s the welcoming lobby or the romantic outdoor patio. The boyfriend got tickets last night for Thom Pain, a monologue featuring Rainn WIlson. It was a great evening.
Only complaint, one usher wouldn’t allow my boyfriend to bring his tea inside the theatre, even though another usher said it wouldn’t be an issue. We ended up tossing the tea and spending another $ 3 for a bottle of water instead.
Place rating: 5
NORTHRIDGE, CA
Came here last night to watch Rainn Wilson. The venue was awesome. It’s not like other playhouses that are outdated and old. This playhouse was modern and beautiful. Everything is also organized well, from will call to walking into the theater. They also have a little shop where you can buy snacks and drinks before the show. There’s also a cute patio with outdoor seating to chill before and after shows. Loved it! Will definitely be coming back to this venue again.
Place rating: 5
Long Beach, CA
My fav fav place. Both theaters are great. I’ve had subscriptions for 2 years and will deffinetly renew.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
the playhouse has the solid foundation that you would like from a community theater
whether its the facilities, stage, lighting, or the outdoor patio for the patrons to mix & mingle
this theater is RICH in history… one of the original buildings of westwood… it used to be a masonic clubhouse… cool eh?!
the owners donated it to UCLA under the contingency it will serve as a theater into perpetuity! gotta love those that support the arts!!^^
Place rating: 5
Studio City, CA
This is the nicest performing arts theater I’ve been to. Perusing the humungous list of donors listed in the program explained why: this place is rolling in dough.
I loved the show we saw and look forward to going back for more.
Place rating: 5
Studio City, CA
I love coming to this place. It has the college community feel to it at the same time professional. Great neighborhood with plenty of restaurant and bar selection for before and after treats.
Place rating: 5
Agoura Hills, CA
Let me begin by saying this review is long overdue as I have been coming to The Geffen Playhouse going back to when it was the Westwood Playhouse and I attended UCLA…
The Geffen is a significant upgrade and a truly wonderful and intimate venue to see, explore and appreciate the Arts with a series of great productions on the Westside (Westwood).
I go often and some of my recent favorites were Bad Jew, The Power of Duff and Country House which was amazing…
It’s a great intimate venue and a wonderful fun date night out to enjoy with a wealth of nearby dining destinations on the Westside to enjoy and dazzle your palate along with your partner…
The Geffen is very professional and efficiently run yet very cozy, homey and welcoming. Stephanie and her staff are wonderful, accessible and consummate professionals. The theatres are great, very comfortable with excellent line of sight, acoustics and temperature not to mention good air flow.
The crowd is typically older well heeled couples and professionals, in addition to a number of friends or girls night out groups enjoying the theatre before they get there groove on :-)
The refreshments are what you would expect including wine but there are much better nearby options if you choose to indulge.
Parking is accessible next door around $ 8 – 10 I recall or nearby in Westwood if you want to navigate or know your way around?
Do yourself a favor and go to the Geffen it’s a first class venue with great productions on the Westside you will be hooked and feel free to thank me later…
Place rating: 4
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Review for Venue …
Bottom Line: This is a terrific little playhouse.
Venue: The 512-​seat «Gil Cates Theater» inside the Geffen is nicely sized with good acoustics; there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. The garden in front of the Geffen is cozy and quaint, a nice place to relax before a show or during intermission.
Parking: There is a parking structure right next door which charges a flat-​fee of $ 7.00. You can also park a block away at the «Palazzo» parking structure which is only $ 4.00 with validation (you can request a validation ticket from the box office or concierge desk).
P. S. — By the way, saw «Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin.» The show was really, really good.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Great small venue with a little garden up front. They serve wine before the show. Bad Jews was amazing. Def a good laugh and cry and a must see. Will come back to Geffen again.
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
My experience at the Geffen was quite pleasant. The audience was engaged in the play we were watching (Bad Jews) and the atmosphere of the Gil Cates Theatre definitely tied the whole environment together. The Gil Cates theatre have floor and mezzanine seating, and I had the opportunity to watch the play from the mezzanine level. The acoustics were great, though it was hard to see some scenes of the play from my location, which is why I dock one star.
Other than that, Bad Jews was so compelling, and I look forward to frequenting this location for future shows!
Place rating: 4
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
What a cute theater! This is not at all a student theater (though you’ll be surrounded by UCLA students outside). The Geffen Playhouse is very much a a public venue with a charming outdoor courtyard and great plays.
I came here for their «Wine Down Sundays» where they serve free, unlimited wine (yes, this is true!). They serve wine from about 6−7pm and then the play starts promptly at 7pm.
The venue is larger than the intimate settings but not big like the Pantages. There’s a top and bottom floor and because of the amazing acoustics you can hear from wherever you are sitting.
We found street parking but there’s a few $ 5 lots in the area.
Definitely worth checking out!
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Came here for the first time. Very nice theatre, great comfy seats, pretty architecture, great front lobby area and outdoor courtyard. They also have a bar here and sell snacks. Came to see The Power of Duff. The reviews said it was a comedy but it’s very dramatic. Enjoyed the show. Love being at the Geffen. I’ve been to The Kirk Douglas, the Ahmanson, the Mark Taper, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Wallis, and another smaller theater in Pasadena, and they are all worth checking out.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Cute and cozy little playhouse located in Westwood! It’s not what it looks like from the outside but don’t be fooled by its exterior façade, Parking can be annoying because most of the meters are two hours but there are plenty of lots to park in near Broxton for $ 5 a day on weekends or similar maximum rates so you can hang around and eat amazing food from nearby areas before the play. If you’re wiling to walk there’s also residential/​student apartments parking around Veteran and Gayley towards Strathmore (UCLA direction).
The restrooms were clean but fairly small so per usje, you can expect the women’s lines to be long. Other than that, the small size of the theatre worked as an advantage, in my humble opinion, to creating a vibe that was refreshingly different from bigger theatres such as Pantages.
Will call tickets are also fast and quick and they open up other lines for you so you don’t have to wait-​super convenient. I watched Power of Duff here this past Sunday and although I didn’t recognize many of the actors, I thought it was still a spectacular performance that I would recommend to many of my friends.
Keep it up!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Located in the beautiful, downtown area of Westwood is the lovely Geffen Playhouse. Came here last Saturday to see the Power of Duff. The play was amazing. Live sound was on point too. Plenty of seats and very helpful ushers. Only drawback is parking. There’s a few lots nearby and most often your parking will be half off with ticket purchase. The 7 $ lot is a pain to get back to after 10 due to security being on hand and unlocking the door which is the only way to get back to your car.
Place rating: 4
Irvine, CA
I came here for many plays and I like this playhouse. It is good to come early and grab a drink, hang out in the patio area. It is very cozy and relaxing. It would be awesome if they provide lidded glasses to take the drinks inside while watching the performance.
It is not a big theater but well ventilated and reserving a pretty good spacing in between chairs.
Bar can easily be crowded as expected so don’t forget to pre order drinks and have them wait for you!
I wish they made the hall way to the restrooms wider, it is so narrow, can’t avoid hitting people on the way…
Place rating: 5
Altadena, CA
Great venue very seating not a bad seat
In the house. Courtyard is personal and intimate. Food bar had assortment of wines, beers and snacks. Great place to see a play.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Gettin’ some Geffen theater-​culture with «The Country House» ~
* YES — Cute quaint venue in the Westwood area (Le Conte and Westwood Ave)
* YES — Circulates some great plays here
* YES — Bar serving alcohol & snacks to right upon entry, Concierge desk to left
* YES — Small outdoor patio outfront with heatlamps and a water fountain
«The Country House»:
* YES — Particularly enjoyed performances by Blythe Danner, Scott Foley and Sarah Steele
* YES — Pretty entertaining play
* YES — Intermission left 1st half on dramatic note (dun dun duuuun)
* WOA (words of advice):
— Validates parking for Palazzo structure for $ 4 (a block away)
— Parking on-​site for $ 7
— Bathrooms available downstairs
Place rating: 5
Culver City, CA
Just saw Tom Robbins and Teller’s (of Penn & Teller fame) Play Dead at The Geffen, which is a one man performance by actor and magician Tom Robbins. Highly original and extremely entertaining, if you enjoy the subject of death and the spirit world, this is right up your alley. In this 90 min dance macabre, Mr. Robbins captivates the audience with his tales of death and murder, the spirit world and life after we shed our mortal coils ala Crypt Keeper on Tales From the Crypt, setting up stories ending in a WTF! moment.
The 90 minutes go by pretty quickly with no intermission, each segment is pleasantly introduced by Mr. Robbins as a buildup to another show stopping, shocking magical effect. I’ll honor his request not to discuss any of it so to not spoil any surprises, but there is audience participation and original effects I’ve never seen before, as you’d expect from Teller who probably thinks about magic 24⁄7. The themes are set in the early South, full of American hauntings, overly religious characters, supernatural hucksters, and sadistic serial killers (such as Albert Fish, the «Gray Man» himself). No, I won’t provide any other details, but will say that even in this setting where you’re expecting magical, grotesque effects, there were still instances where I was startled and surprised. The magic was also first rate, looking like special effects from a movie.
Highly recommended! The show is set to finish in a couple of days Jan 12 (starting its run last Nov), but if it ever comes back to LA and you get a chance to watch it, by all means go! It’s definitely worth it.