October 16, 2009 09:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fresh off the heels of its successful opening of Arthur Meiselman’s AIDS drama Hello and …Goodbye!, the American Latino Theatre (AmLT) announces its partnership with AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). This effort aims to create a stronger connection between the two organizations and targets the Latino community to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. A special benefit performance hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be held on Saturday, October 17, as a joint fundraiser which will fund further initiatives to raise AIDS awareness.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is also instrumental in the launch of the AmLT Youth Theatre Program. The first phase of this endeavor is to bus students from inner-city schools to attend special matinee performances of Hello and…Goodbye!, followed by a Q and A session with representatives from AIDS Healthcare Foundation. This initiative is meant to augment health education and raise questions about social issues faced by minorities including sexuality and gender identity.
The program includes busing students from various inner-city schools to ‘the lot’ (formerly Warner Hollywood Studios) in West Hollywood where the special performances will run Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22 at 4:00 p.m. Due to the mature nature and themes addressed in the play, audiences will be limited to high school juniors and seniors. Participating schools are: CALS High School, International High School, Soledad Enrichment Actions High School, Camino Nuevo High School, College Ready #5 High School, and College Ready #7 High School.
The AmLT Youth Theatre Program is made possible through a partnership with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, who will sponsor the event, and the Youth Policy Initiative. Representatives from AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be on site to offer information about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, as well as stationing a mobile testing unit at ‘the lot’ offering free testing to students, employees, and tenants of ‘the lot.’ All performances will culminate with an open discussion about issues relating to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to augment sex education which has been diminished due to budgetary cuts.
The students’ unique experience will continue as they will be treated to a tour of ‘the lot,’ the oldest functioning film lot in Hollywood. This tour will give them an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the entertainment industry, as well as learning about one of Hollywood’s historical landmarks.
January 16
by BWW News Desk
The co-production will be presented on the new Main Stage of Casa 0101; 2102 East First Street; Los Angeles, CA 90033 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., January 27 – February 12, 2012.Casa 0101 Theater in association with CoActive Content will present a new co-production of “The King of the Desert,” written by Stacey Martino, performed byRené Rivera, and helmed by Sal Romeo, all Lifetime Members of The Actors Studio.
Opening Night is Friday, January 27, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
About the show: “The King of the Desert explores the way our cultural identity often informs our personal view of ourselves and in turn affects our children. The play strives to present accurate Mexican American history that is often overlooked as seen through the eyes of one ordinary man surmounting extraordinary struggles. During a time in which immigration issues and stereotypical images of Latinos are still prevalent in society today, this play focuses on a forgotten story, a true account of a Mexican American experience.”
Concurrently throughout the run of the play an exhibition of Milagros (artwork created by young Latino children representing their dreams and aspirations) will be on display at the theatre.
Originally produced at the El Centro Theatre in Hollywood, CA in 2010 under the direction of Valentino Ferreira, “The King of the Desert,” was most recently presented at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, CA in 2011. The new production of “The King of the Desert” at Casa 0101 will be staged by multiple award-winning director, Sal Romeo. The set is designed by Danuta Tomzynski, with lighting by Jeremy Pivnick and visual effects by Mat Hale.
Josefina López, Production Co-Producer and Founder/Artistic Director of Casa 0101, said: “We are very excited to bring this beautiful new production to our theatergoers here in Boyle Heights. The play’s content and story about a Mexican American boy’s journey from a Texas barrio to The Juilliard School and Broadway is empowering and important for people of all ethnic backgrounds to experience.”
Co-Producer David Llauger-Meiselman said: “During the course of the run of this production, local students from East Los Angeles schools will be bussed in to see the production. These performances will be followed by informal discussions with actor René Rivera and the students, who will have an opportunity to learn how René changed his life’s path from his early beginnings growing up in a barrio to where he is in life today.”
Playwright and Co-Producer Stacey Martino said: “My play is an ‘against all odds’ look at how cultural history and personal mythology which some may think might limit us, can actually set us free instead. The play takes us on a Mexican American journey that explores a universal struggle to become our most authentic selves.”
Danny Trejo, right, and breakout artist Johnny Ortiz in a scene from “Strike One.” Boricua Films
Filmmaker David Llauger-Meiselman calls himself “a Heborican, born to a Puerto Rican mom and Jewish dad.” He grew up in the gang-plagued Humboldt Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side, an experience that inspired his latest film, the cautionary tale “Strike One.”
On Monday, Llauger-Meiselman will share that story with hundreds of young Sacramentans ages 14 to 20 who have been invited to fill Crest Theatre as part of the movie’s nationwide tour of schools, universities and Boys & Girls clubs. Starring Danny Trejo, of the “Machete” movies and countless other action flicks, the film tells the story of a Latino teen trying to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, a former gang member who spent years in a state prison after gang-banging in Los Angeles.
The film also warns about the state’s three-strikes law, which Llauger-Meiselman called a “draconian” policy that disproportionately affects impoverished, at-risk youths of color.
“Latino gangs are a big reality in Sacramento and statewide. They’re all connected and they’ve been utilized in the last 15 to 20 years to sell drugs for the Mexican cartels,” Llauger-Meiselman said. “Because they have more money and weapons and there’s commerce going on, it’s easier now to recruit these kids.”
BeLisa Serna, the daughter of the late Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna, helped produce the event and said she worked to bring “a little bit of Hollywood to Sacramento because it’s the state capital and the timing’s very good.”
She added that the event’s organizers have invited community leaders, city officials and Sacramento organizations who work with at-risk youths.
“There’s a lot of talk now about prison reform and the criminal justice system that tends to rope in Latino and black kids,” said Serna, a public relations executive who works with Elia Esparza at the Los Angeles-based firm Always Evolving PR. Serna added that “films about Latinos are sorely missed in Hollywood.”
State Attorney General Kamala Harris has recently said she’s prioritized fighting transnational organized crime in California. “Criminal groups have made California the single biggest point of entry for methamphetamine into the United States, with 70 percent alone entering through the San Diego Port of Entry,” she says on the state Department of Justice’s website.
Esparza said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation data show homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds in the state. Law enforcement statistics show there are an estimated 1.15 million gang member in the United States, 40 percent under age 18, Esparza added.
That reality helped prompt the nonprofit group AmericanLatino Cinema, in conjunction with Boricua Films, to produce “Strike One” as a “call to action,” Serna said.
For more information, go to http://sacb.ee/4Elw or twitter.com/StrikeOneFilm.
Stephen Magagnini: 916-321-1072, @StephenMagagnini
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article43706619.html#storylink=cpy
