Teens Address Racism and Violence in THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE at La Mirada Theatre

 On March 26, twelve teens and young adults will command the stage at the 1,300-seat La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through an original theatrical production: Teens on Tour: The Center of the Universe. Performances at 9:30am and 12:30pm are offered as field trip performances for local schools, with a public performance scheduled for 7:00pm.

The show tackles the violence, racism, bullying, and prejudice dominating today's headlines through a multi-media live theatrical production. With an ultimate goal of inspiring change and activism through this peer-to-peer production, tickets will be offered for free to all middle and high school students. Adult tickets start at just $25. Tickets can be obtained via the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at 562-944-9801 or online at www.PhantomProjects.com/Universe

Teens on Tour has performed in over 150 cities for over 250,000 young people. A national tour had launched right as Covid began, and after selling out 2 performances at the Cam-Plex Arena in Gillette, Wyoming, all performances came to a stoppage.

The production, directed by Steve Cisneros, features 12 teens and young adults from Los Angeles and Orange Counties: Greyson Anderson (13), Jaina Benton (20), Evie Rosa Butler (20), Eddiejames Castro (19), Sierra Tolentino Chavez (13), Collin Fletcher (20), Isabelle Fraser (13), Mathieu Hill (20), Kennedy Levine (13), Kalista Price (13), Enrique Rodriguez (19), and Soriya Shiwotsuka (15).

"They aren't afraid to get personal," commented Cisneros when commenting on the post-show discussion, the most important part of the production, "audiences are genuinely moved by the candid discussion about the serious topics presented in the scripted portion. They are inspired by what they see and hear from our young cast."

Despite the heavy subjects, the show is ultimately uplifting. "Our students could not stop talking about it and it led to meaningful conversations about respect and tolerance," commented Kate Henson, a teacher at Yermo Middle School after hosting the production on her campus. "My students were engaged and connected with the performance. These topics, unfortunately, are very relevant today and my students were moved by what was presented. This led to great topics of discussion in class," added Karie Sandovla at First Lutheran Church after hosting the show for her youth group. Forbes Magazine called the show "powerful," adding that it successfully targeted one of the hardest audiences to reach: teenagers.

"This is important," Added Cisneros. "We need parents to bring their teens. We need youth groups to join us. We hope all adults will find a way to get teens into the audience, because we as a society need to be talking about how we can make a difference in this world"