‘Think you got me pigeonholed?’

Gordon Davidson opened the Mark Taper Forum with his staging of “The Devils,” a glance at 17th century Catholic clergy and their sexual fantasies. Since then, he has presided over more than 500 productions, plus nearly 800 workshops, readings and one-night events. He directed 34 of the full-fledged productions. Here are reminiscences about some of the shows. Davidson directed these unless otherwise noted.

“The Devils” (1967)

By John Whiting

A perfect way to open the theater, but I didn’t know that at the time. A great learning experience in the power structure of L.A.

“The Sorrows of Frederick” (1967)

By Romulus Linney, directed by Albert Marre

Marre had no concept of what this theater was about. To him, it was a pre-Broadway tryout, it was about Sherman marching through Georgia. It taught me not to be used.

“In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer” (1968)

By Heinar Kipphardt

I learned a lot about dealing with real people as subjects. It was my first experience with an issue that was immediate for us, and it was the first play I moved [to New York]. I produced it here without any thoughts of a future life, but with the move I saw the benefits and a hint of some of the dangers.

“Hamlet” (1974)

By William Shakespeare

I wasn’t at my best. It wasn’t as focused and as personal an interpretation as you have to have.

“The Shadow Box” (1975)

By Michael Cristofer

“Children of a Lesser God” (1979)

By Mark Medoff

Defining moments for me and for my work with new plays, complex in structure and with serious subjects.

“Zoot Suit” (1978)

Written and directed by Luis Valdez

Along with “Angels in America,” my most satisfying producing experience. Whatever I know about L.A., I discovered at “Zoot Suit.”

“I Ought to Be in Pictures” (1980)

By Neil Simon, directed by Herbert Ross

You think you got me pigeonholed? Not everything has to be about pain, misery and social injustice.

“The American Clock” (1984)

By Arthur Miller

A great experience, with Arthur Miller staying at our house and helping [Davidson’s children] Rachel and Adam with their homework.

“Moby Dick -- Rehearsed” (1984)

By Orson Welles, directed by Edward Payson Call, the third play to be produced in a repertory season

A lot of the actors in the other two plays realized they’d be playing sailors in this. It demoralized them when they realized they were trapped doing “Yo ho!”

“In the Belly of the Beast” (1984, 1985)

By Jack Henry Abbott, adapted by Adrian Hall, directed by Robert Woodruff

A very personal focus about a truly dangerous man. To go into that danger was scary yet illuminating.

“Green Card” (1986)

Written and directed by JoAnne Akalaitis

I loved the messiness of it.

“Julius Caesar” (1991)

By William Shakespeare, directed by Oskar Eustis

It wasn’t good enough. With some directors, it’s better to spend more time testing the ideas. But I do believe in an artist’s right to fail -- otherwise, we’re not doing our job.

“Kentucky Cycle” (1992)

By Robert Schenkkan, directed by Warner Shook

“Angels in America” (1992)

By Tony Kushner, directed by Oskar Eustis with Tony Taccone

People loved the idea of coming twice or to marathons, and they loved the idea of history revealed in “Kentucky” and history in the making in “Angels.” “Angels” transcended everything about who we were and who I was.

“Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” (1993)

Written and performed by Anna Deavere Smith, directed by Emily Mann

Certainly as timely as we’ve ever been. I love Anna Deavere Smith, but she is complicated, and her work takes a toll on the support staff.... When the Watts riots broke out [in 1965], I didn’t know where Watts was.

“The Persians” (1993)

By Aeschylus, adapted by Robert Auletta, directed by Peter Sellars

Peter Sellars is enormously gifted, but talk about complex. It’s very hard for him to fit into the context of a working theater in which this is one of many projects we’re doing and we have to go on.

“Candide” (1995)

By Leonard Bernstein, Hugh Wheeler, Richard Wilbur, Voltaire and others

(The first homegrown production at the reconfigured Ahmanson Theatre, and which Davidson had directed in 1966, before the birth of Center Theatre Group.) You can’t go home again. I wasn’t happy.

“Putting It Together” (1998)

By Stephen Sondheim, directed by Eric A. Schaeffer

A lesson in putting it together. [Co-producer] Cameron Mackintosh is brilliant at that, and he did not come in to rape this theater.

“Living Out” (2003)

By Lisa Loomer, directed by Bill Rauch

I liked that it came out of our development process, and that it told a story of something that people don’t think about.

“Like Jazz” (2003)

By Cy Coleman, Larry Gelbart, and Marilyn and Alan Bergman

I haven’t done too many plays that audiences left on such a high. But I discovered the jazz police, who came out and said, “That’s not jazz.”