LOS ANGELES, CA – September 26, 2017 – 501 (see three) ARTS and 24th STreet Theatre are thrilled to present the West Coast premiere of Pang! on Saturday, December 2 at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:00pm. Pang! – by Dan Froot and Company – is a triptych of adventurous live radio plays based on the oral histories of three American families hungering for change. The 90-minute production is being performed for theatre audiences in the three cities where the actual families live: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California at 24th STreet Theatre (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/26 & 1/27/18). Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line. For more information on Pang!, please visit Tinyurl.com/pang-info.

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of Pang! –

Pang! is a response to our increasing socioeconomic disparity. Over the course of eight months in 2015-2016, Dan Froot and Company created six book-length oral histories of families living with food insecurity in Cedar Rapids, Los Angeles and Miami. They then collaborated with one of the families from each city to devise each of the 30-minute stories that comprise Pang!. The families consult with the Company continuously throughout the adaptation, rehearsal and performance processes. The families include:

Even though the plays deal with sobering realities, they are rich with the humor, warmth and resilience of the families themselves.

 

Pang!’s Process in Los Angeles –

Pang!’s participant families were initially identified through a screening and consent process carried out by Pang!’s community partners in the social services sector, including, in Los Angeles: LIFT Communities Los Angeles and Hunger Action Los Angeles. Froot and local oral historian/performance and visual artist Luis Tentindo conducted twelve one-hour interviews in 2015 with each Los Angeles family. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and lightly edited into book-length oral histories, which are to be presented to their respective families. The Los Angeles family who then went on to consult with Dan Froot and Company on the adaptation of their story into theatrical form are Beatrice, her elderly uncle Gregorio, and her nine children ranging in age from 18 months to 22 years. Fiercely independent and self-reliant, Beatrice overcame the adversity of growing up poor in an underserved neighborhood by working as an auto mechanic and eldercare specialist.

 

Why Radio Plays? – 

Dan Froot and Company’s exploration of the radio play format is inspired by audio storytelling, from the classic 1938 radio drama War of the Worlds to the current zeitgeist of nonfiction public radio podcasts such as The Moth and Snap Judgment. Amidst a forest of microphones and musical instruments, and tables overflowing with odd assortments of objects, Dan Froot and Company voice dozens of characters, manipulate sound effects props, and play musical accompaniment. Froot writes that he wants audience members to feel as if they are “between the ears” of each family, hearing what they hear, feeling what they feel. “Empathy,” writes Froot, “can lead to the de-stigmatization of those living with hunger and poverty, which can lead to inter-class dialogue, which can lead to the political will to address income disparity in America.”

 

Robert Een’s eclectic score features Een on cello, piano, and baritone ukulele; and Froot on flute and alto and soprano saxophones. Froot occupies the “Foley pit,” where he creates larger sound effects such as footsteps and door slams, and acts as the evening’s affable host.

 

Hunger & Other Issues – 

The original focus of the project was to destigmatize local hunger. All participating families qualify as being food-insecure, i.e., unable to afford enough healthy food for a period of time. As the project progressed, it became clear to Froot and his collaborators that while food insecurity was indeed problematic for all participating families, other issues presented more immediate threats: barriers faced by immigrants, foreclosures on family homes, and gun violence toward children. While food insecurity remains one of Pang!’s core concerns, the creators recognize ways in which it is woven inextricably into a fabric of circumstances for each family. Indeed, food insecurity operates metaphorically in the work, as participating families hunger for safety, security, stability, and a sense of home.

 

Cross-Class Dialogue –

An integral feature of each performance of Pang! is a discussion with economically diverse audience members, social justice activists, scholars, the artists, and participating family members. Pang! features an onstage “kitchen table” that is occupied by a shifting group of audience members before, during and after the performance. It provides a place to socialize, eat, and dialogue across socio-economic lines.

Bios – 

Robert Een – Composer:

Robert Een is a composer, singer, cellist, and performing artist known for his unique orchestrations and use of extended techniques for voice and cello. His work has been presented worldwide and has received an Obie Award for music composition, as well as two New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards for music composition and sustained achievement. Een has recorded sixteen albums of genre-defying original music. He is an adjunct professor of composition and collaboration at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, and composes for film, theatre, dance and the concert stage – www.roberteen.com.

 

Cricket Myers – Sound Design:  

On Broadway, Cricket Myers earned a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Regional designs include La Jolla Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, The Kirk Douglas Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, The Montalban, and the Geffen Theater. She has earned 20 Ovation Nominations in Los Angeles – www.cricketsmyers.com.

Christopher Kuhl – Lighting Design:

Christopher Kuhl is a lighting, scenic, and installation designer for new performance, theatre, dance and opera. Recent work includes: Stardust with David Roussève (REDCAT), The Object Lesson (BAM, Edinburgh Festival, Sydney Festival); Early Morning Opera’s The Institute of Memory (The Public Theater, TBA Festival); Straight White Men (Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company, Kirk Douglas Theatre, The Public Theater, Kaai Theater, Centre Pompidou). He is originally from New Mexico and a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

Natalie Camunas – Actor:

Natalie Camunas is a Los Angeles native, USC graduate, and queer identified artist. As a writer, Camunas’s plays have been produced in Los Angeles, NYC, and Ireland. Her TV credits include Speechless (ABC), Major Crimes (TNT), Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (Nickelodeon) and her feature film credits include Hara-Kiri (Henry Alberto), Bruising for Besos (Adelina Anthony) and David Ayer’s upcoming film Bright, with Will Smith, Noomi Rapace and Joel Edgerton. Camunas writes and performs to empower and celebrate her communities. She is endlessly grateful to share her voice and use stories as tools to heal – www.nataliecamunas.com.

Donna Simone Johnson – Actor:

Donna Simone Johnson is a Los Angeles-based actress and choreographer. Most recently, she can be seen in a national Nike campaign with NFL player Dayvon Ross as well as a recurring guest star on Bounce TV’s THE BRKDWN and FOX’s Shots Fired. Previous theatre credits include a host of regional theatre roles, including the national tours of High School Musical and The Lion King at the Pantages. Johnson holds an MA in Dance Education from NYU and an MFA in Acting from CalArts – www.donnasimonejohnson.com.

Christopher Rivas – Actor:

Christopher Rivas is an award-winning international storyteller, passionate artivist, published writer, film/television (Grey’s Anatomy, Shameless, Rizzoli & Isles, 2 Broke Girls, Rosewood) and theatre actor. His artistic mission is to create and share stories that move us forward, blend boundaries, and encourage dialogue. He is the proud founder of Lifestyledezine, a community dedicated to exploring and realizing the power of compassionate storytelling.

Bobby Gordon – Dramaturge:

Bobby Gordon is a poet, performance maker, and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner with an M.A. in Applied Theatre Arts from the University of Southern California (USC). He is a co-founder of the Melrose Poetry Bureau, teaches at UCLA in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, is the Assistant Director of UCLA’s Art and Global Health Center, and has created work with ensembles across the Americas and in South Africa.

24th STreet Theatre – Presenter:

24th STreet Theatre is a unique organization blending professional productions and world-class artists with quality arts education since 1997. Its mission is to engage, educate, and provoke our diverse community with excellent theatre and arts education. 24th STreet Theatre is one of the only professional Los Angeles theaters offering after school programming for elementary school children and one of the very few organizations approved by both the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission as arts education providers. 24th STreet Theatre is truly a model 21st Century arts organization that is using first-class art to make a difference in our own neighborhood, in our city, and around the world.

501 (see three) ARTS – Producing Organization:

Pang! is a project of 501 (see three) ARTS, a Los Angeles-based independent artist-run non-profit corporation supporting the creation and production of original dance, music, theatre and interdisciplinary performance works by its members. The company is dedicated to redefining the role of the performing arts, artists and audiences in a globalized world through innovative approaches to artistic production.