Community Voices

In our video series Community Voices, meet the passionate and brilliant community members that inspire and fuel our work.

Meet Community Council Member Magaly Meza. Magaly first became involved with Cornerstone in 2017 with Cafe Vida. She joined the Community Council in 2017. Watch her Cornerstone story here.

Meet Community Council Member Janine Betts. Janine first became involved with Cornerstone in 2013 with Love on San Pedro. She joined the Community Council in 2017. Watch her Cornerstone story here.

Meet Community Council Member Frank Ayala. Frank first became involved with Cornerstone in 2016 with Urban Rez. Frank was then cast in the Hunger Cycle Bridge show, Magic Fruit which premiered in December 2017. He joined the Community Council in 2017.

Meet Actor and Community Council Member Lorinda Hawkins Smith. Lorinda first became involved with Cornerstone in 2014 with Seed: A Weird Act of Faith. After Seed, Lorinda was cast in another Hunger Cycle production, Love on San Pedro. She joined the Community Council in 2017.

Meet Actor and Community Council member Kenny Ramos. Kenny first became involved with Cornerstone with Urban Rez in 2016, and since has performed in Where I’m From and this past summer participated in the Summer Institute Residency in Queens, New York, and was the assistant director to Juliette Carrillo for The Cardinal. He joined the Community Council in 2017, and is currently working on the production, Native Nation premiering spring 2019 in partnership with ASU Gammage.

Meet three of Cornerstone’s community partners Michelle Enfield from Red Circle Project,  Hayk Makhmuryan from THE PEOPLE CONCERN, Annie Simons from Los Angeles High School of the Arts and get a glimpse of Cornerstone’s impact on their communities.

In 2013, Michael Mejia was a junior in high school, unsure where his path in life would take him. He became a community cast member in “Lunch Lady Courage”. Working with our professional cast and crew, he became motivated and found a direction in life that led him to enrolling in college. Now in 2017, he is in his fourth year of college and returned as a cast member and first time puppeteer in our culminating Hunger Cycle production, “Magic Fruit.”

Alonzo Phoenix is a DTLA resident and community actor in Love on San Pedro. Hear about his unique experience.

Sigrid Gilmer is the playwright behind SEED: A Weird Act of Faith. Hear what she finds fulfilling and (delightfully!) challenging about writing Cornerstone plays:

Renee Gunter is a guerilla gardener, South LA advocate, and was a community actor in our most recent Hunger Cycle play SEED: A Weird Act of Faith.