Of Center Theatre Group's three performing arts spaces, the Kirk Douglas Theatre has the most welcoming lobby — your instinct says to hang around. And CTG takes advantage of that by creating exhibits to accompany its shows. For instance, for The Nether, a play about an online, virtual fantasy world, a table held boxes with signs like “I have at least one friendship with someone I've never met in person”; audience members were asked to place jacks in the boxes that applied to them. Another read, “Nobody knows I dream about … ” People were instructed to fill in their answers on cards, then post them on the wall. For Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape, the lobby became “Sam's Pub,” where you could sit, drink, make your own audio recordings and hash out the existentialist one-man show you just saw. One might expect guided reflection to feel forced or preachy, but here it usually comes across as a welcome opportunity to let the play sink in and start conversations with fellow theatergoers as they stick their own jacks in the bowls. 9820 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232. (213) 628-2772, centertheatregroup.org/theatres/douglas. —Zachary Pincus-Roth

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.