Past Work
In January of 1992, the Company moved to Los Angeles to explore urban communities. We also formalized a commitment to cycles of community residencies, culminating in a “Bridge Show” that brings together artists and community members from previous residencies.
Our first sequence of shows was designed around three different ways to define communities:
Communities of Age, Geography, Culture
Watts Residency
Birthday and Workplace
Communities of Age, Geography, and Culture
Our first cycle of shows in Los Angeles was designed around three different ways to define communities:
BY AGE…
THE TOY TRUCK, 1992
Adapted by the company and Peter Sagal from Sudraka
As translated by J.A,B, Van Buitene
Music by Nathan Wand
Directed by Bill Rauch
Produced on the Angelus Plaza rooftop
Created with people from the Angelus Plaza, the nation’s largest housing project for low-income senior citizens, this tale of inter-generational love was performed in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.
BY GEOGRAPHY…
RUSHING WATERS,1993
Witten by Migdalia Cruz
Music by Dany Vicente, Darren Brady & La Rue Marshall
Directed by Bill Rauch
Produced with residents from the working class neighborhood of Pacoima at the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley, this “history fantasy play in fourteen scenes” traced a little girl’s journey to a new place where spirits and humans shared a new vision for the world.
BY CULTURE AND LANGUAGE…
GHURBA,1993
Written, Composed, and Directed by Shishir Kurup
Produced with members of the Arab-American community at UCLA as an event at the Los Angeles Festival, Ghurba included languages, songs, rituals and even food from the many homelands of the participants.
BRIDGE SHOW
LA BUILDING, 1994
Adapted by Alison Carey
From “Under Shanghai Eaves” by Hsia Yen
Translated by George Hayden
Music by David Markowitz
Lyrics by Alison Carey, David Markowitz, George Haddad, Ismael Kanater, and Richard Miro
Directed by Bill Rauch
L.A. Building told the story of diverse residents of a Los Angeles apartment building who, living together, end building a shared sense of community and hope.
Watts Residency
For our second cycle of Los Angeles residencies, we were invited to help build bridges between African American and Latino residents of the community of Watts.
BREAKING PLATES: A CELEBRATION OF WATTS TOWERS, 1994
Written and Directed by Ashby Semple
Produced at the Watts Towers Art Center
Eleven children played Sabado Rodia, the man who spent 30 years building the Watts Towers.
LOVE OF THE NIGHTINGALE, 1994
Written by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Music by Jan Mabry
Directed by Ashby Semple
Produced at the Watts Towers Art Center
A retelling of the Greek Myth about violence against women and the suppression of women’s voices.
LOS FAUSTINOS, 1994
Written by Bernando Solano
Directed by Juliette Carrillo
Music by Robert Ceja
Produced at San Miguel Parish Hall
A contemporary, bilingual adaptation of the Faust legend, this play told the story of a Chicano family that made a deal with the devil for a piece of the American dream.
SID ARTHUR, 1994
Written and composed by Shishir Kurup, inspired by Herman Hesse
Original Music by Shishir Kurup and Paris Barclay
Directed by Page Leong
Produced at St. John’s United Methodist Church
Sidney Arthur (Quentin Drew), an African American college student, balks at following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a minister, preferring instead to go out in the world to seek his “bliss.” His quest takes him first into the ranks of a nonviolent activist group, then into homelessness, then to the heights of Hollywood success. Sidney ultimately abandons his materialistic path and journeys back to the old ‘hood, where he finds peace as a traffic crossing guard.
BRIDGE SHOW THE CENTRAL AVENUE CHALK CIRCLE, 1995
Written by Bertolt Brecht
Adapted by Eric Bentley and Lynn Manning with translations by Bernando Solana
Music by Shishir Kurup
Directed by Bill Rauch
Produced at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
The story of a young janitor who saved an abandoned baby during California’s secession from the United States then faced a comic judge’s unusual brand of justice. The production received LA’s highest theatrical honor, the Ovation Award for Best Production of the Year.
Communities of Birthday and Workplace
We spent our 10th anniversary season in celebration, both with fellow citizens who shared the company’s birthday of June 30th, and in praise of civil servants citywide.
BIRTHDAY OF THE CENTURY, 1996
Written by Shishir Kurup
Directed by Bill Rauch
Produced at California Plaza’s Watercourt Stage in Downtown Los Angeles
Cornerstone invited diverse Angelenos who were born on June 30th (the anniversary of the first day of the company’s operations) to create a play together. Inspired by a Thornton Wilder one-act, the play traced a single family through 90 years and several generations, all at a singly non-stop birthday party.
CANDUDE, OR THE OPTIMISTIC CIVIL SERVANT, 1997
Adapted from Voltaire by Tracy Young
Music by Joe Romano
Directed by Shishir Kurup
Produced at Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Branch
A series of writing workshops with police officers and librarians culminated in story-telling performances. MTA employees and US Postal Service workers joined the mix in this site-specific adaptation, produced in and outside of LA’s Central Library.
