Students Present SEEDS OF RESISTANCE: Social Justice Plays Inspired By Community Leaders' Stories
Plays will be presented at Roosevelt High School Auditorium (2530 East 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033) on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Seeds of Resistance: Social Justice Plays written and performed by youth Inspired by community leaders' stories will be presented at Roosevelt High School Auditorium (2530 East 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033) on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Admission is FREE. Eventbrite registration highly recommended. Event registration HERE.
About...Productions presents a unique event featuring plays created and performed by educationally underrepresented 9th through 12th graders in the company's Young Theaterworks' Social Justice Residency at Roosevelt High School's Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy (MSTMA) in Boyle Heights. Students conducted interviews with four social justice leaders whose work has inspired the creation of four new plays that will be performed by the students in a production titled Seeds of Resistance.
"It's an honor to serve as the lead teaching artist for this very impactful, intergenerational, theatrical offering. Our community is rich in culture and civic engagement and this project highlights that in a meaningful way. It honors our community leaders' legacies while reminding us of our shared history. This social justice focused program allows for east side youth to consider the paths paved by those who came before as they look towards embarking on their own future. It's an opportunity for creative exploration and reflection. How much has changed? What remains the same? How can I make a difference in my community?" said Marlene Beltran, Young Theaterworks Program Manager and Lead Teaching Artist.
The four community leaders students interviewed are:
Father Gregory Boyle, a native Angeleno, a Jesuit priest, and the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program. Boyle is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, President Obama named Father Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame's 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
Nobuko Miyamoto, artivist/performer and founder of Great Leap multicultural arts organization. Miyamoto was recently featured on Artbound.
Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara, “is a Los Angeles native Chicano musician, singer, songwriter, poet, performance artist, activist, producer, short story author and historian. Famed for his beautiful singing voice and performances with Frank Zappa, Johnny Otis, Tina Turner, Celia Cruz and Bo Diddley, Guevara's calling has always been ‘as much a spiritual calling as it was political,'” writes Mike Sonksen for PBS SoCal (see full article HERE).
Victoria Castro, educator and one of the primary organizers of the historic 1968 East L.A. Walkouts. More information on Castro can be found HERE.
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