EDGE OF THE WORLD THEATRE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2008 LOS ANGELES HISTORY PROJECT LINEUP
Edge of the World Theatre Festival, with generous support, has commissioned six new plays about our city and its rich history. These plays will be presented as workshops by six of Los Angeles’ most exciting and innovative theater companies as part of EdgeFest’s ongoing Los Angeles History Project.
The event will be held at the Autry National Center on Sunday, July 13 & Sunday, July 20, 2008. All presentations are free of charge.
The schedule of works to be presented is listed below.
Sunday, July 13
11AM
Son of Semele Ensemble
Record Storm Spreads Ruin!
A corrupt administration. A leader clinging desperately to his power. A devastating flood.
In 1938, Los Angeles Mayor Frank Shaw, on the verge of being ousted from power, broadcasts over the radio airwaves to a drowning city. His citizens, some living and some dead, converge on City Hall to offer him one last chance at salvation from his past deeds, before he is overtaken by a record storm.
1PM
Circle X Theatre Company
The Chinese Massacre (Annotated)
Based on historical incident, The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) chronicles the first race riot in Los Angeles history, when 19 Chinese men and boys were lynched by a mob of 500 "people from all nations." Resonant with more recent racially motivated Los Angeles civil disturbances (the Zoot Suit Riots, the Watts Riots, the Rodney King insurrection), The Chinese Massacre (Annotated) brings to light the remarkable, culturally diverse 19th-century Wild West town that exploded into today's metropolis.
3:30
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
My Man Kono
The story of Toraichi Kono, who worked as movie star Charlie Chaplin’s personal valet for 17 years before being arrested as a Japanese enemy spy on the eve of World War II. This is a presentation of Act One of the play which covers Kono's years with Chaplin.
Sunday, July 20
11 AM
Watts Village Theater Company
At Risk
In a fictional middle school in South Los Angeles, every student is at risk, and so is every teacher. Watts Village Theater Company's offering to the festival explores the history of United Teachers of Los Angeles through the eyes of a rookie and the motley band of veterans who get him through his first year.
1PM
About Productions
Bleeding Through
A multi-media work inspired novella Bleeding Through Layers of Los Angeles, which uncovers the narrative ghosts, both fictional and non-fictional of Angelino Heights, and addresses historical forgetting and the erasure of memory.
3:30PM
Native Voices at the Autry
Serra Springs
Two teens, two adults and one strange dude deal with some major surprises during one magical night at a protest to save the last sacred site of the Tongva people in West Los Angeles.
What: EdgeFest Los Angeles History Project
When: Sunday, July 13, and Sunday, July 20, 11AM, 1PM, 3:30 PM
How Much: Free
Reservations: Not required.
The mission of the Edge of the World Theater Festival is “to contribute to the evolution of theater in Los Angeles, to educate and strengthen the audience for our work and to inspire Los Angeles theater artists to create innovative and exciting pieces that are unique to the theatrical experience and push the boundaries of what is possible.”
