California: The Tempest – Pacoima

California: The Tempest

Pacoima, Los Angeles

Hansen Dam Lake

Pacoima is a densely populated 6 square-mile neighborhood in the northeast corner of the city of Los Angeles. It’s nestled between the 5, 118 and 210 freeways with Hansen Dam at the south edge and the city of San Fernando adjacent to the north. Pacoima has a reputation as plagued with gangs, but it is an area with many parks and a lot of non-profit organizations serving the community with particular interest in lifting up the lives of its young people. Ask most residents about their favorite place and they’ll tell you it’s home, where families gather and celebrate outdoors a lot. For many years Pacoima was one of the only neighborhoods where African American veterans could buy a house and it became a bedroom community for the aeronautical industry. When the jobs left so did many of those residents and the demographics shifted to a Latino majority. Street vendors, busy bus lines, multiple churches and a few ranchos with horses are all part of this cityscape.

Rehearsals for It’s All Bueno, 2010.

Performances: February 5, 6 & 7, 2015,
indoors at ArTES
Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academy
1001 Arroyo Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340 (View Map)

7:30pm Curtain.
Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can (Suggested donation $10)
Seating is limited so call to reserve your seats: 1-800-578-1335

Local Partners:
MEND: Meet Each Need with Dignity

Local resident Karen Covarrubias is in the touring cast of California: The Tempest. She played the role of The Vender in our 2010 collaborative production in Pacoima, It’s All Bueno.

Community members playing uno during a rehearsal break, 2010.

It’s All Bueno (2010) cast & crew playing uno during a rehearsal break.

Cornerstone has done two previous collaborations with the community of Pacoima. In 1993 we produced Rushing Waters which performed at The Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley. When we returned in 2010 for our 7^th Institute Summer Residency, we partnered again with The Boys & Girls Club but also with Youth Speak Collective Maclay Community Center, First United Methodist Church of Pacoima and others. It’s All Bueno, an adaptation of the story of Candid, was written by Sigrid Gilmer and directed by Juliette Carrillo, with original music by David Molina. The play performed at Project Youth Green, Pacoima’s community garden located in Jessup Park. The play that told the adventure of two sisters leaving the shelter of their parents’ home and learning about their home town by taking the bus, visiting Costco and other important landmarks of he neighborhood. It’s All Bueno had a cast of 54 and 43 of the performers were local residents. We had a great community crew, too! Approximately 700 people attended the performances.