Advise about Hotel Living from I-8 class

We've had all kinds of living set-ups for our eight previous Institute Summer Residencies.  Last year, as this year, the students and some of the staff lived in a hotel.  The hotel in Fowler was just two blocks from our home-base / "Nest" location, rather than 14 miles away which is what our situation is in Arvin.

I asked last year's folks if they had any advise for you about living in a hotel while doing the Institute.  Here are the responses:

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TOM C:  TURN THE A/C UP!  +1

BIRDIE J:  hotel laundry is expensive. go elsewhere. also, laundromats are full of town characters.  +2

SABRINA S-T:   bring a few pictures or trinkets to make it feel more like home - hotels can feel a little sterile sometimes.  +2

CHRISTOPHER D:  Live the moment, be present then and now, don't over think things, you truly will only remotely begin to value what you're doing after your done. I make discoveries about my time in Fowler all the time. My time at I-8 and with Cornerstone has proved an invaluable life tool as an artist and a person. It was invaluable in completing and articulating my thesis. 

DANIEL P:  Use the hotel to re-energize and focus. its great to have a place where you know you'll have your own bed and an AC when youre ready to unwind. My suggestion would be to not let it be a place that shelters you from the rest of the experience. Find some way to make the hotel communal, a place where you can unpack the experience with the rest of the group. some of us would meet outside around the pool in the evenings. It was a great time to unwind and share with the group outside of what was happening during the institute. If you have the opportunity to shower in the showers that they built outside, do it! it was amazing. I feel part of the institute experience is to spend time with people that have similar and differing ideas about something that is important in your life, don't let the hotels be a place that can make you miss out on these conversations and experiences. It goes by quick and you'll have a lot of time away from these people, take advantage of the time that you do have to share with them. But no lie, the AC is great.

   *We are not building outdoor showers this summer for anyone so you won't be able to take Danny's advise on that...

MARY T:  try to pack everything you need for that day so you don't have to make trips back to the hotel throughout the day. going back there during the day will just waste time you could be using to focus or spend time with other institute members. Also, it will inevitably take longer to make the trip back than you think, because the nice cold, dark rooms can be very beguiling on a hot summer day.

  *Mary's advise about taking what you need for the whole day when you leave hotel in the morning is absolutely true and necessary this year, because you can't just walk back whenever you want this year.

While he didn't respond to this inquiry, Brent G made the hotel room television into a big of decorative art so as to resist ever turning it on.  I think my advise would definitely include to try never turn on the television in your hotel room while you are in residence.  

Institute Staff 2012 - bios *updates

Evan Anderson (Master Electrician)  is a recent graduate from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Drama Production.  Lighting design was his focus and is a serious passion of his.  In addition to doing theatre, he plays in a couple of rock and roll bands.  He’s very much excited to work on this project and meet you all!

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Nephelie Andonyadis (CTC Ensemble/Scene Designer) is an ensemble member who first worked with Cornerstone Theater Company as a guest artist in 1995, when she designed the set for Sid Arthur, in collaboration with the community of Watts. Her approach to the design invited the community’s children and seniors directly into the process as they created dozens of paper art works that were integrated into the scenic concept, bringing a unique life into the design. Since then her relationship with Cornerstone has continued to evolve. She has designed the set or costumes for Order My Steps, 3,7,11, Los Illegals, Three Truths, The Unrequited(Between Two Worlds) and most recently for Café Vida, working with and within various communities throughout Los Angeles. Some of her favorite CTC experiences have been Institute projects, including Boda de Luna Nueva in the Central Valley for which she designed costumes, Jason in Eureka for which she designed the set and last summer’s Fowler residency for which she was company cook. In addition to her work with CTC, Nephelie has designed at South Coast Repertory and many other regional theatres from coast to coast for over 20 years. She is a Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Redlands as well as an active leader at her son’s Charter Montessori High School in Redlands, (where she sometimes cooks lunch), a member of the Redlands Chapter of Slow Foods and a sometimes breakfast chef at the The Grove School Saturday Farmers’ Market. 

Sean Cawelti (Properties Designer) is a Designer, Builder and Director and a graduate from the University of California Irvine, where he received his BA in Drama with honors in Stage Direction. In 2002 he had the chance to live in New York for the summer and study puppetry at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU which was where he thinks he really decided he would live the artists life. He has self-identified as a puppeteer since he was just a boy after picking up his first puppet at a swap meet in Orange County when he was 3. His 'day job' is as the Artistic Director for the performance group Rogue Artists Ensemble, which creates Hyper-theatrical productions, incorporating puppetry, masked acting, original music scores and theatrical effects. Over the years he has been awarded a Technical Achievement Honor for Puppet Oriented Theater Design by the OC Weekly, a Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle award for his adaptation of Mr. Punch, a graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated Dave McKean and was honored with a UNIMA Citation of Excellence for Gogol Project. Although this is his first time working an Institute project He has had the chance to see many past Institutes perform their work. He’s overjoyed to be a part of this collaboration and can't wait to roll his sleeves up, grab a water bottle and get building crazy props. 
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Sage Alia Clemenco (Co-Company Manager) lives in Brooklyn, NY and is currently finishing her studies as a graduate student in Applied Theatre at CUNY. A jackette-of-all- trades, she is a licensed massage therapist, arts based facilitator, and avid gardener and home cook. She works in the Education department at Vital Theatre, a children's theater company in NYC. This is Sage's fifth institute summer, first as a student in Holtville and since on staff in Eureka, Pacoima, Fowler and now Arvin. She is excited and privileged to be back for another Institute and is looking forward to meeting this years crop of exceptional students.

Paula Donnelly (CTC Ensemble/Director of Engagement) began working with Cornerstone in 1998. She worked as a professional stage manager for many years. In 2003 she became Cornerstone’s Institute Director, planning and producing the annual Institute Summer Residency and Intensives. As Director of Engagement, Paula's broader focus is to continue sharing Cornerstone’s methodology, to strengthen Cornerstone’s relationships post-production, and to guide Cornerstone's efforts in contributing to and facilitating expansion of the field of community-based theater. Paula loves the state of California, the city of Los Angeles and the many people and stories contained therein. She's really excited about the South Kern communities- especially the young people-- and the play that we'll create together. 

Marcenus M.C. Earl (CTC Ensemble/Actor)  first came to Cornerstone as a community member back in 1993 during the company's Watts Residency when he appeared in Love of a Nightingale and Breaking Plates. Other community collaborations M.C. has appeared in include Broken Hearts, For Here or To Go?, For All Time and the ongoing Beyond the Diagnosis, Cornerstone's partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to promote HIV/AIDS awareness through theatre. M.C. is a graduate of USIU San Diego's BFA Acting Program.

Michael John Garcés (CTC Ensemble/Artistic Director/Faculty) For Cornerstone he has directed Café Vida by Lisa Loomer, Making Paradise, a musical by Tom Jacobson, Shishir Kurup and Deborah Wicks La Puma, 3 Truths by Naomi Iizuka, Someday by Julie Marie Myatt, attraction by Page Leong, and The Falls by Jeffrey Hatcher (at the Guthrie Theater). He also wrote Los Illegals, the first play of the Justice Cycle, created in collaboration with communities of day laborers and domestic workers and which was subsequently produced by Teatro Bravo in Phoenix, Arizona. Los Illegals was published in the summer, 2011 issue of Yale’s THEATER Magazine. Directing credits at other theaters include, most recently, red, black and GREEN: a blues by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, which premiered at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and which is currently toured the U.S. to venues such as The Walker Art Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, and Oedipus El Rey by Luis Alfaro at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Other theaters at which he has directed include A Contemporary Theater, Hartford Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, The Children's Theatre Company, Second Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Cherry Lane, The Atlantic Theater Company and Repertorio Español. He has twice been in residence with a consensus-run collective, Sna Jtz'ibajom, in Chiapas, Mexico, collaborating in the creation of community-engaged work with members of the Mayan community. Michael is on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. His full-length plays include THE WEB (needtheatre), points of departure (INTAR Hispanic American Arts Center) and Acts of Mercy (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); short plays include catch (Active Cultures), hymn in three parts (Chalk Rep), in the Zone (Red Fern Theatre Co.), tostitos (Ensemble Studio Theatre Marathon of One-Act Plays) on edge and the ride (Humana Festival, "The Open Road Anthology"), audiovideo (The Directors Project) and sandlot ball (Mile Square). Michael is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue, the Alan Schneider Director Award, and a Rockwood Arts and Culture Fellowship. He is a proud alumnus of New Dramatists. 

Raquel Gutierrez (CTC Ensemble/Manager of Community Partnerships/Faculty) 

Meghan E. Healey (Costume Designer) Recent work includes Cafe Vida (Cornerstone, dir. Michael John Garces) and the world premiere of Undone by Andrea Thome (dir. Tamilla Woodard, NYC). Also for Cornerstone, Someday (dir. Michael John Garces), Jason in Eureka (dir. Laurie Woolery) Making Paradise (dir. Mark Valdez/Michael John Garces), and THE UNREQUITED (dir. Shishir Kurup). Ms. Healey is the recipient of the 2007 ACE Award and the 2007 HOLA for Best Costume Design for Zanahorias (Duke Theater). Other recent work includes: Najla Said's Palestine (dir. Sturgis Warner, Twilight/NYTW), the American Premiere of Lars Norén’s WAR (RPT, dir. Anders Cato), and world premieres of Rob Handel’s The Knights (Target Margin, Aristophanika Festival), Milk-n-Honey (Lightbox Theater Co., dir. Ellen Beckerman), Week 52 of Suzan Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays for the Public Theater (dir. Joanna Settle), Greenzone by Rob Handel (Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab, dir. Alec Duffy), points of departure (dir. Ron Daniels), Kissing Fidel by Eduardo Machado (dir. Michael John Garcés, INTAR), and Blues for a Grey Sun with Nilaja Sun (dir. Louis Moreno, INTAR). She is a professor of costume and scenic design at Queens College.

Bill Honigstein (I9 Production Manager) just finished his first year in TD grad school at CalArts. He's worked every Institute Summer Residency except I-6 in Eureka, as a TD, Production Manager, Facilities Manager, carpenter/electrician/crew/etc. and he volunteered with strike in 2004 because his g.f.-now-wife was Costume Design Assistant. (Blanca is Cost Des Assist again this summer, too!) 

Blanca Honigstein (Costume Design Assistant)  has been an important part of all the Institute Summer Residencies except for one.  She’s served as Company Manager a few times as well as Costume Design Assistant.  She is a graduate of Cal State Northridge, a designer, a performer, an amazing cook and mother.

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Ellie Honigstein (I9 Baby in residence) 

Peter Howard (CTC Ensemble/Actor and Faculty) is a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Department of Drama of the University of Virginia. With Cornerstone, Peter has performed in, written or otherwise collaborated on scores of productions in Los Angeles and communities around the country. As a playwright, his Cornerstone credits include Zones (an original, audience-interactive play exploring interfaith themes) and an American Muslim adaptation of You Can't Take It with You (the first adaptation ever approved by the Kaufman and Hart estate). More recently, Peter has also authored rural community-specific adaptations of Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding and the Argonaut myth for Cornerstone's summer Institute.  As an actor, his regional theater work includes productions at the Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theatre Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf, and the Guthrie. Peter has served on staff of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), working as a facilitator, playwright and director in a variety of youth arts programs that use theater as a springboard for dialogue on challenging human relations topics, such as immigration, hate crimes and the Native American mascot issue. He has directed the participatory youth script development and performance programs of a number of regional theatres including the Mark Taper Forum (The Speak to Me program) and Shakespeare Festival/LA (Will Power to Youth). Currently, Peter directs the Beyond the Diagnosis program for Cornerstone. This program, a groundbreaking partnership with the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, engages communities in conversation about HIV, and uses live theater to engage and educate about the virus in cities across the United States.  As a workshop leader and teacher, Peter's experience includes: University of Southern California, CalArts, University of Virginia, Davidson College (NC), Fringe Benefits Youth Theatre, Imagination Workshop and Plaza de la Raza. Since 2004, he has served as faculty, lead artist and mentor for the Cornerstone Institute, a training program in Cornerstone’s unique community-based methodology for theatre artists from around the country.

Nikki Hyde (CTC Ensemble/Stage Manager) began her relationship with Cornerstone as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed LA County intern in 2005 during the Faith Cycle Bridge show, A Long Bridge Over Deep Waters. Shortly after completing a stage management fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival three years later, she returned to her CTC roots by working on the stage management teams of For All Time and every Los Angeles- based production since, including the first Hunger Cycle show, Cafe Vida. She has had the pleasure of working in New York, as well as with Center Theatre Group, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Greenway Court Theatre and Company of Angels, among other LA theatres. A proud Michigan native and a graduate of the University of Southern California, Nikki will be arriving in Arvin straight from her first opera gig in San Francisco and is thrilled to be stage managing her second Institute.

Angie Kamel (CTC Institute Manager) came to Cornerstone as an Institute student in Fowler in the summer of 2011. She is excited to now dedicate herself to supporting this program, which she found so inspirational and rewarding. She sees the world as an educational opportunity and is proud to have received her MFA from the University of California, San Diego.

Melody Kanschat (Faculty) 

Geoff Korf (CTC Ensemble/Lighting Designer) has worked professionally as a freelance lighting designer for the past thirty years. His designs have appeared on Broadway as well as at many regional theatres including The Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, The Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Long Beach Opera, The Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Geoff first came to Cornerstone as the lighting designer for Rushing Waters in 1992. Since then he has designed 35 Cornerstone productions including: An Antigone Story, Los Biombos/The Screens, Los Illegals, and For All Time. Geoff is the head of the design program at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a native of Southern California, and a graduate of California State University, Chico, and the Yale School of Drama.

Leo Korf (Electrician) 

Will MacAdams (Playwright) is a playwright and director who has worked in South Africa, Indonesia, and in communities across the United States. Past projects include: the Black Dirt Cycle, a series of three site-specific plays about farming, immigration, and local soil created with farmers, farm workers and artists in Warwick, NY; Peter Handke’s Kaspar, performed by theater students in Johannesburg at the beginning of the Mandela era (Director); Eye to Eye, an original play about youth-police relations, created with future police officers and young people from New Haven, CT (Co-Playwright, Director); Awaken New Haven, a five-hour, four- neighborhood theatrical event about death and rebirth, produced by Long Wharf Theatre (Co-Playwright, Co-Director); Naomi Wallace’s The Retreating World, produced in Louisville, KY alongside a community dialogue with activists, artists, and scholars about the politics of war and peace (Director); and Cruising the Divide, an interview-inspired play about divides of race and class during the celebration of the Kentucky Derby, performed by members of the Apprentice Company at Actors Theater of Louisville (Playwright). He is a past recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Fellowship, a civil rights award from Louisville’s Carl Braden Memorial Center, and a Bates Fellowship, which brought him to Central Java, Indonesia to train in Javanese Shadow Puppetry.

John Nobori (Sound Designer) is a graduate of the University of California in Irvine with a degree in Drama. He has been member of the theater group Rogue Artists Ensemble since 2007. He has been nominated for several awards for excellence in sound design, including an Ovation Award nomination for Best Sound Design in Intimate Theater for his work on Mr. Punch as well as nominations from both Drama Critics Circle and LA Weekly for his sound design of Gogol Project and HYPERBOLE: origins. John is also an alumni of the Cornerstone Theater Company Institute, having participated in the inaugural institute in Lost Hills. 

Christopher Pheiffer (Technical Director)

Tali Pressman (CTC Ensemble/CTC Managing Director) 

Leslie Tamaribuchi (CTC Board Member/Faculty) is a Los Angeles-based educator and consultant working with artists and creative organizations to develop strategies to become sustainable, stronger and more deeply engaged with their communities. Director of Advancement and Enrollment of the Theater School at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Leslie teaches in the MFA producing program, leading coursework on fundraising, cultural policy and the sustainability seminar. From 2005-2011 she organized the annual Arts in the One World convenings with Erik Ehn, bringing international artists, activists and academics together to share art and activist practices. Leslie has represented CalArts as a Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability fellow since inception. She worked with Cornerstone Theater Company for ten years serving as managing director from 1995 to 2001, producing dozens of experimental, community-engaged, and site-specific theater projects and leading the company’s financial stabilization and growth. She serves on Cornerstone's board and on the board of the Watts Village Theater Company. Leslie holds a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, an AB in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Harvard College and studied at Kyoto University as a Japanese Ministry of Culture Fellow. 

Mark Valdez (Director) is the Executive Director of the Network of Ensemble Theaters, a national coalition of ensemble-based theaters that aims to support and sustain ensemble practice. Current NET projects include the Micro-Fest: USA initiative (theater festivals in Detroit, Eastern Kentucky, New Orleans and Honolulu) and the creation of an artist-to-artist touring network. Based in Los Angeles, Mark has worked as an educator, writer and director. Current directing projects include: Learn to be Latina at Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis and the premiere of a new community-based play created with the residents of Arvin, CA for Cornerstone Theater Company. Directing credits include the first ever approved adaptation of the Kaufman and Hart classic, You Can't Take It With You, adapted to LA's Muslim community, and a bi-lingual, Spanish- English, adaptation of the musical comedy, The Pajama Game. Mark has directed world premiere plays by Erik Ehn, Tracy Scott Wilson, Jose Cruz Gonzalez, Peter Howard, Rickerby Hinds, and others. His play, Around Atlanta on $80, an adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days was recently presented through the Alliance Theater’s Collisions Project. Mark has led workshops and participated in panels for TCG, Lincoln Center, Southwest Arts Conference, Leadership for a Changing World, REDCAT, NYU, The New School, ATHE, NEA and the Ford Foundation, and many others. He received an MFA in Directing from UC Irvine and is the recipient of Princess Grace Foundation Award for Directing. 

Ashley S. Walden (CTC Associate Producer) is a theater producer and manager. Ashley started working with Cornerstone in 2010 as a Paula Altvater Fellow and then as Institute Associate. She holds a M.F.A. in Theater Producing from California Institute of the Arts and a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA). Ashley has recently won a Theater Communications Group (TCG) Next Generations: Future Leaders Grant that supports a mentorship between Ashley and Artistic Director Michael John Garcés. While studying, Ashley has worked with other theater organizations including Arena Stage, Virginia Stage Company and Towne Street Theater. Working with Cornerstone is a delight for Ashley because it allows her to work toward her professional mission to provide access to the arts in under served communities and populations.

Chelsea Weiss (Costume Intern) is from a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA. She attens Queens College in New York. She is 20 years old.  She has been involved in theater since 10^th grade in high school.  She is a Classical Literature major and a Textiles and Apparel minor.  She has been sewing since she was about 6 years old.  She lives with her two sisters and mother in Pennsylvania when she is not attending school. She enjoys reading, sewing, going for walks, and obsessing over tv shows.  She’s really excited for this opportunity this summer and she can’t wait to get started!

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Jeffrey Wells (Co-Company Manager) is a contemporary performance-based creator, performer, director, and composer in Minneapolis, MN. He has performed in works by Chris Schlichting (SooVAC), Paige Collette (Bedlam Theatre), Chantal Pavageaux (Red Eye Theater, Bryant Lake Bowl), Jeffrey Lusiak (Patrick’s Cabaret) and Bright Eye Productions. In 2008, Jeffrey co-founded the dance/theater ensemble SuperGroup and has created and performed in over 20 works, including: Choreographers’ Evening at the Walker Art Center (2008, 2010, 2011); SuperGroup/École de Klein, a durational improvisational installation, part of Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers exhibition also at the Walker (2011); Shouldwetitleitnoworwait, Minneapolis New Breed Series at The Southern Theater (2009); and works-in-progress performances at BAX (2009) and Catch 46 (Bushwick Starr, 2011) in NYC. SuperGroup was nominated for a MN Sage Award for Dance in the category of Outstanding Ensemble in 2011, and will premiere their latest full-length work The Tent Has Been Pulled Down in June 2012 in the Red Eye Theater’s Isolated Acts Series. Jeffrey is a composer and musician and has created original sound for several SuperGroup shows and is currently working with Brooklyn-based performance artist Abigail Browde on instrumental arrangements for her show The Home, By Josephine. Jeffrey holds a BFA in Theater from NYUs Tisch School of the Arts, with training in both musical (CAP21) and experimental (ETW) theater, and holds a minor in Applied Theater. Jeffrey was a participant in the first Cornerstone Institute in Lost Hills (2004) and continues to work with the company on their summer residency programming. he most recently served as Associate Institute Director in Eureka, CA in 2009. Jeffrey’s upcoming projects include two new SuperGroup projects: Hot Liquid Containers, premiering at Studio 206 in Minneapolis in 2013; and KAIROS (working title), a collaboration with Jerome Foundation Playwriting Fellow (and former Cornerstone staff member), Rachel Jendrzejewski. He is also performing in a new work by renowned choreographer Karen Sherman, premiering at Dance Place in DC in Spring 2013.

Laurie Woolery (CTC Ensemble/ CTC Associate Artistic Director/ Curriculum Director) As a director and playwright, she has collaborated on many new works including Rooted: the Greensburg Odyssey by Marcia Cebulska/music by Kelley Hunt, A Man Come to Fowler by Julie Marie Myatt, Jason in Eureka written by Peter Howard, For All Time written by KJ Sanchez, A Holtville Night's Dream written by Alison Carey, 3/7/11: A Lincoln Heights Tale written by Jose Cruz Gonzalez and the students of Loreto Elementary, Nightingale Middle School and Lincoln High School as part of Cornerstone's first Youth Community Collaboration. Recently, Ms. Woolery directed The Language Archive by Julia Cho at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the west coast premiere of Tanya Saracho’s El Nogalar and the world premiere of The Bewildered Herd by Cody Henderson. She has also directed Amor Eterno - Six Lessons in Love (an anthology by six Latino playwrights) for the grand opening of the Ricardo Montalban Theatre, Bryan Davidson's Reflecting Back at the Los Angeles Central Library as part of the National Tour of the American Originals exhibit and Richard Coca's solo piece The Day I Flipped Off Jimmy Carter for SCR's Hispanic Playwrights Project. As a director, playwright, educator and actor, Laurie has worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory (Director of the Theatre Conservatory), Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Inge Center for the Arts, Denver Center, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Fountain Theatre, Native Voices at the Autry, Ricardo Montalban Theatre, Deaf-West Theatre, fofo Theatre, Highways Performance Space, Sundance Playwrights Lab as well as the Sundance Children's Theatre. Cornerstone Theater Company commissioned her solo play Salvadorian Moon/African Sky for its citywide Festival of Faith. Her most recent play, Lola in Lincolnlandia had its world premiere at Plaza de la Raza and REDCAT as part of CalArts Community Arts program. Several of her plays Scouting Reality, Bliss, The Hundred Dresses and Orphan Train: The Lost Children have received world premieres at South Coast Repertory. She is a long time artist with the Virginia Avenue Project and former artist-in-residence for Hollygrove Children's Home. Laurie has served on the faculty at California Institute of the Arts, USC, Citrus College and California State University at Northridge and serves on the Board of the Latino Producers Action Network (LPAN), Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) and the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.

We're in the paper again, thanks to Don!

Community Reading in Arvin

Sunday, June 3 we had a community reading for our Institute play in Arvin.  This was essentially the third draft of FLOR, by Will MacAdams.  In May we did 3 small readings of an earlier draft. 

On Friday, June 1, we had an in-house reading of this draft at Cornerstone.  The draft we read together on Friday did not include the parts of the script intended to be in Spanish.  Many people had to leave before we finished reading, but when we finished Laurie, Sigrid, Julie Marie Myatt, Angie, Mark and I spent some time talking about the script.

Meanwhile our translator in Arvin was working furiously to get Spanish into the script as Will has intended.  We got the script for Sunday early that morning and Angie started making copies on Cornerstone’s resistant copy machine and a little after 10am we piled into the Big White Van and drove the two hours to Arvin.  Here’s who went: Mark Valdez, Will MacAdams, Jeanette Godoy (I-9 student), Bill Honigstein, Nephelie Andonyadis, Angie Kamel and me.  (Nephelie met us in Arvin.)  Rick, the facilities guy at Veterans Hall, met us there and let us into the space where we set up quickly.  The room is so big we decided to sit in a circle on the stage where people’s voice might be more easily heard.  We had RSVPs for about 30 people.  22 people actually made it.  Many were more than 20 minutes late, but it all worked out.  Here’s who joined us:  The Dustbowl folks, essentially monolingual English speakers-- Don & Carol Burkett, Larry Hallum, WC Stampes, Jim & Ruth Young; The currently-living-in Arvin monolingual Spanish Speakers—Mr & Mrs. Martinez (parents of Mónica), Mr. & Mrs. Garcia (parents of Gabriel), Paula & Gabby Fernandez (mother & sister of Paola); plus Javier Arreola (translator), Mónica, Paola, Sam & Maria Mercado, Luz Peña, Clara Bruno and her little sister Susie, city council member Toni Picardo, and Stanley Clark who is a professor at CSUB.  Two or three people told me before beginning that they had to leave early but no one did. 

We did introductions around the room at the beginning. (Of course many people joined us post-introductions.)  Will made some opening remarks, mostly thanking folks for their participation and acknowledging that they are the experts on the south Kern communities and their generous sharing of stories is at the heart of Will’s work as playwright.  Mark handed out parts around the circle—most folks were willing to read—even those who we’d been advised would not want to read.  This version of the script includes stage directions in English and Spanish, some scenes that include both languages and others that are in one or the other with no included translation.  We opted to read the stage directions in Spanish – Javier did this for us—and ask the English-speakers to follow along with directions written in English.  Most of our participants were bilingual and they seemed to do well with the bilingual script.  Some were very enthusiastic about how language was treated in the script.  The monolingual English speakers felt shut out and in the dark regarding the scenes in Spanish and the quantity of Spanish.  Larry spoke loudly and forcefully about how Dustbowl folks would not come see the play if it stays as written regarding proportions of language. The monolingual Spanish speakers shared no comments.  Toni Picardo said that a large majority of Arvin residents are Spanish-only speakers.  (Though Will has heard other statistics.)  There was discussion about language and ideas for how to include simultaneous translation including super-titles and the headsets used in city and organizational meetings for translation. 

Immediately following the reading though, Will took advantage of the very unusual circumstance of having this unique mix of Arvinites in the room and asked that we each take a few minutes to speak with someone we don’t know in the room and share something we remember from the script.  Many people just shared something they remember or think as related to the content of the script rather than specifically something in the script.  (At least, that’s what happened in my group with Jim Young, Guadalupe Martinez and Mr. Garcia—as translated by Javier.)

Will asked a couple other questions about the script, like what characters were strongest and what do they think happens at the end of the play.  Afterward we took a group picture and then many people had smaller conversations as folks were cleaning up and leaving.  I spoke with Toni Picardo who expressed disappointment that other council members did not attend, and that she was glad to have come to this even though she had to rush over from a fundraiser right beforehand.  Sam & Maria also arrived late due to other events attended earlier.   Mark had a conversation with WC.  Will walked out with Jim, Ruth and Larry. 

Clara interviewed Will for a SouthKernSol.org article about the reading.

Afterward the Cornerstone folks had lunch together at the Thai restaurant in Arvin.  

And dessert at the ice cream place next door to little ceasar's.    

Upon arrival in town you will understand that Little Ceasar's pizza place is kind of a landmark.  Also the ice cream place has some unique things on the menu-- 1 is some kind of weird item where the top is cut off of a tostitos (or similar) snack bag and some goop is put on top of the chips in that bag-as-serving-bowl.  It's hard to say what the goop is other than red and maybe jiggly, like it could be seafood (shrimp? squid?) or it could be gummy worms, or it could be, maybe onion slices slick with salsa.  We did not eat this but someone else there ordered it and it didn't make any more sense in person than it did in the photographic illustration on the menu board. 

2 is the most amazing selection of what seem to be homemade paletas (popsicles). We had a coconut one and a lime one. They are generous portions and extremely flavorful and delicious.

Thess are the paletas flavors, some made with milk, some made with water.  And also an image of the paletas in the freezer case.

Cornerstone in the Arvin Paper: May 2

Our friend Don Burkett is a special columnist for The Arvin Tiller and he wrote about Cornerstone's script reading at his house!  Here's a great little feature article.  Of course, there are some usual sort of errors, mostly with using the TRE spelling when identifying Cornerstone formally and confusing the heck out of the names of the folks previously unknown to him.  It's common that while working with Cornerstone everyone's names become interchangeable in some circumstances.
Don is really great and this is a sweet and true article!

Community Readings in April

Will MacAdams, Angie Kamel and I set up and attended a series of small community readings of the current draft of Will’s script for our Arvin community play.  Will completed a first rough draft of the script, Flor, in late March.  Since then he’s taken that script apart, divided it (for working purposes only) into three parts and re-written a lot of it.  For our readings this past weekend we had Part 1— pages 1-21 in All English and in All Spanish and Part 2- 21 pages of 9 scenes (English only at this point).  The direction of Part 3- the climax and ending of the play—is one of the things that Will hoped to learn more about from the readings this weekend.

Friday evening (4-7p) we were hosted at the home of Don & Carol Burkett who also provided a bbq dinner.  Will has spent a lot of time with a group of friends who mostly share a history of having moved to Arvin as children during the 1930s. They all graduated from Arvin High School and many of them taught there too.  This group was the majority of our participants at the first community reading on Friday night, April 20.  Here’s who was there:  Don & Carol Burkett, Jim & Janell Wren, Wayne & Barbara Slusser, Reford & Liz Hutson, Larry & Brenda Hallum, Barney Meyer, Betty Polk, Toni DeRosa-- the editor of the Lamont Reporter & Arvin Tiller newspapers, and Maria Morales Mercado.  (14 community members, plus 3 CTC.)

Maria came to all three readings this past weekend.  It was terrific to have her at Don’s since she was the only Latina (only self-identified Latina?) there and she was comfortable with that role.  Some of these guys were her teachers at AHS and she was classmates with Don’s daughter.

[One discussion on the way there was about what kind of beer to bring.  One might assume Bud or PBR or Coors was the beer of choice given how these guys like to frequently joke about their low class and early poverty.  One might also a assume that with a craft beer there would be another kind of joking and possible disdain.  We opted for Sierra Nevada as a middle of the road choice and all assumptions turned out to be true. Sierra Nevada was “fancy.” Will countered by pointing out the deluxe far-from-impoverished setting of our get together…  But yes, the guys had Bud Light, Miller Light and Coors on hand.]

The Burketts home is in a lush property on the Kern River in far NE Bakersfield.  To get there you drive by some crazy views of the oilfields that look kind of like a desolate grey planet.  (Three of the six largest oil fields in the world are in in Kern County.) We spent most of the first hour there sitting out by the river with just a few of the guys- host and early arrivers.  There we enjoyed conversation that included opera simulcast (Don loves it and takes any of the guys he can get to go with him), cds bought off the tv, and the differences between Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, etc., among other things.

The reading itself didn’t actually start until 6pm!  There were some slow moments throughout due to age and eyesight of the readers.  Some folks chose not to read.  A lot of the response was about their own specific experiences of farm work and language (ie: we say Cut Grapes not Pick Grapes, and Pick Up potatoes not pick potatoes).  Lots of detail notes and more stories of experiences were shared.  Then we had hot dogs and salads and the gang switched from beer to wine- those who were drinking.  Will, Angie and I each had different conversations with folks.  Angie learned that Janell was recently diagnosed with possible dementia or alzheimers and she and Jim were dealing with her memory difficulties with grace and a positive front.  I talked with the Hallums- Larry is a fan of cowboy poetry. I told them about CTC other Arvin project focusing on school discipline and the high expulsion rate to which Larry responded that anyone who gets expelled should be. I wonder if Brenda, who is teaches 8^th grade English in B’field, agrees, but we didn’t discuss it further.  Will was invited by Wayne into a debate about Obama but everyone else told Wayne to back off.  Maria and Jim talked for a long time.

Saturday morning (9a to noon) we were scheduled for a reading at the Lamont Library expecting Maria & Sam Mercado, Gabriel Garcia, Luz Peña who runs the So Kern Sol journalism group, and 8 of the So Kern Sol youth.  We only  had 2 kids from So Kern Sol—Clara and Berenice.  (6 community members total, plus 3 CTC.)  Sam Mercado grew up in Lamont and Clara & Berenice both live there, too, so that was a cool perspective.  Maria dominated the conversation a bit.  We hoped to hear more from Berenice and Clara but since they are both not very outgoing speakers it was hard to make windows for them to contribute.  They both were very engaged and interested and did have good questions comments, I just wished we could have heard more from them. 

We did have conversations with them about maybe CTC helping to arrange a ride for them and some of the other SoKernSol of DHF kids to come down to see Café Vida, which I think they’d really enjoy.  I also spoke to them about the idea of spending time with our institute classes.  I let them know that we see them as potential leaders in their community and they could be involved in our Arvin School Discipline project if they are interested.  They seemed interested.  (These two young women don’t share their emotions or thoughts in their faces or body language with us so you mostly can only rely on what they say and you have to be patient for them to say anything.)

Saturday evening (5 to 8pm) we were hosted at the home of Monica Martinez.  Her dad Lupe is a monolingual Spanish speaker and a farmworker and we scheduled a few factors of this reading around him.  He did not attend though.  We planned for this to be a reading where Spanish speakers would be prioritized and there were many Spanish speakers, they just also spoke English.  Here’s who was there:  Monica Martinez, Gabriel Garcia, Sue Calderon, Ariceli Aguilar, and Paola Fernandez (all former AHS drama students current college-age-ish friends).  Gabriel’s brother David the botanist (AHS 14), Maria Mercado (AHS 75), Javier Arreola the translator, and Gene Lundquist (AHS 60) and his wife Susan.  (10 community members + 3 CTC)

The Lundquists are among the last of a dwindled Arvin Congregational Church that is in process of granting their facilities to a Latino church group.  Gene’s family was farming in Arvin since 1917—pre-Dustbowl migration.  Javier joined us after doing in person translation from 8a to 4pm at a parenting workshop and he was fried.  It was also very hot on Saturday.  Our group was just small enough to move inside to the a/c’d living room rather than sit in the growing (setting) sun on the patio.  This was a very warm and sincere group of people.  We read Part 1 in Spanish.  Those of us who don’t speak Spanish followed along in the English version.  Everyone joined in reading Part 2 in English.  This group seemed the most connected to the script and the most moved by it.  Javier was very happy to have heard it read in Spanish, said it made sense to him in lots of new ways.  He seemed elevated by the experience.  People shared a variety of feedback, mostly answering questions.  At both Saturday readings we asked the group to write on an index card what they think the story of the play is.  Will collected them to read later.  We checked out from this reading by sharing 1 thing each person hoped for this play, either in the content or the experience of it.  Will recorded this.  Afterward we shared dinner that CTC had brought and Maria had brought chocolate for dessert.  We ate outside and there was more conversation but more silliness and relaxing.  Monica and Gabe are performing in a theater for youth production at CSUB and they did a command performance for us of their parts sans giant hippo costumes, sans all the other cast.  It was a really fun way to end our full visit to Arvin.

There are so many things that happen, so many things that get witnessed and/or shared on these visits.  These are just some basics here for you.  Feel free to ask Will or Angie or me about anything you’d like to hear more about.

Next steps:  Friends will share flyers about our project at next weekend’s Wildflower Festival.  Will is working on completing Parts 2 & 3 of the script. We’ll have a bigger more public—invite everyone who’s interested-- community reading of that draft (and, I hope, an in-house read at CTC too) in late May early June.

Paula D

windy day in arvin: High School, House and Council Mtg

Ashley W and I went to Arvin for meetings on Tuesday.  It was a strange weather day—gloomy clouds, a little rain, a little clear blue sky on the drive through Grapevine pass.  Once we were in the valley though: cloudy skies and WIND.  There were tumbleweeds and dust storms on the highways, dust like fogbanks. 

Blossoms like snow on the ground in March

Trees in bloom- almonds, I think

First we met Charles Trellis the City facilities guy at the Varsity Drive House so we could see inside and assess what we need to do before moving in, what we might want to bring for our stay there and how we might choose to use that property we are renting for the residency.  The repairs include replacing 2 broken windows, repairing the kitchen sink faucet, cleaning the carpets and replacing some filter.  Charles says they’ll paint the walls before we arrive.  The house has 3 bedrooms and one bathroom.  It has a living room in front and a kitchen sans appliances.  There’s also a one-car garage. 

We went to Arvin Library (boo! No wi-fi!) to do some work between meetings. 

At the high school we met with Robert Moore, Assistant Principal of Administration, and Principal Carlos Sardó, though Carlos missed the first third of the meeting.  Carlos continues to be very enthusiastic about our project and committed to supporting it as much as possible.  Unfortunately they were operating as if they’d never received the proposed schedule and explanation of use that I’d sent back in October.  BUT I’d brought extra copies and we all have that info now.  Their challenges for our project include 1. need for maintenance staff to be present whenever we are working on campus & the cost of that, 2. Cost of considerable use of air conditioning in the auditorium, 3. Their alarm systems adjustments.  Of all these things only #1 is a serious concern factor.  I am going to look at adjustments in our schedule to minimize the times when we would be there outside of hours when maintenance staff is already scheduled to be on campus.  I’ll send a revised schedule for use as soon as I can get that together.  Robert Moore will also look into a few variables that affect when the maintenance staff might already be on campus. 

It became clear too that we will have full use of the Auditorium, the loading dock/work room, and dressing rooms.  There didn’t seem to be any restrictions on the spaces affiliated with the auditorium.  But an additional room or space for rehearsals is not in the picture there.  Given all these circumstances it seems we should rent and utilize the Veterans Hall as primary rehearsal space, allowing the theater space to serve as production/shop workspace used during the hours that maintenance staff is already present on AHS campus. 

inside Veterans Hall

Finally we attended the Arvin City Council meeting because approval for us to utilize county-restricted spaces at Adobe Plaza (adjacent to Veterans Hall) was on the agenda.  When this came up, as we predicted, they immediately asked if we’d be sleeping and showering there!  City Manager contextualized our use of space there as housing but we clarified that our plans had changed and we’d use the Veterans Hall, the Y Suite (dining room and kitchen) and the A/B Suite for a variety of uses but not for living/sleeping/residence use.  This has become clear in the past few weeks of researching other possible housing spaces and other possible shower solutions.   The city council approved our use. 

[Other notes about the city council meeting: 

In Public Comments a gentleman told the council that he’d heard that a co-worker, fellow city employee was going to be reviewed by the council & likely fired, and this speaker wanted to speak out in favor and positive reference for the guy who’s job was on the line.  Mayor Tarver asked the man where he’d heard that this man’s job was under review by the council & on the agenda.  The man named someone who may or may not have been the individual he was advocating for.  The mayor turned to city staff and asked if this was truly an agenda item & the attorney replied that there were some “closed session items that were confidential.”  Mayor Tarver said, “Yes, that’s the word.  Confidential.  Please note, staff: confidential.” He shook his head and moved on.

Two different individuals spoke regarding a new apartment complex.  The city council approved this new(?) structure/apartment complex under the stated plan that it would be available to farm labor and low-moderate income renters.  But they are responding to inquiries from applicants that only farm labor (or retired former farm laborers) are permitted to rent there.  Also the new building is not handling their driveways/in & out access very well and are causing a nuisance and hazard for the road they are on. 

One other agenda item was a renewal of a lease to use the rec center at DiGiorgio Park to Arvin Boxing Club.  Councilmember Guzman—who almost always has questions—asked the representative present if in fact there was just one Arvin team as originally presented.  He’d heard that there might be a rift within the original group and that 2 different representatives at cross-purposes were trying to make arrangements for the space with the city.  The boxing guy said that’s not the case. 

We left as they transitioned to “reports.”]

After these meetings we are looking at this as a plan for our use of spaces in Arvin:

VETERANS HALL @4^th Street location – Classes and Rehearsal. 

Might reduce our dates for rental to reduce some cost.  We could start this rental as late as July 5 or July 7.  We might could definitely end this rental on August 5, maybe as early as July 31.

Y SUITE (KITCHEN & DINING ROOM) @4^th Street location - 

The Nest: Meals and Meetings

A/B SUITE @4^th Street location –

If it’s not too costly, we could use it for a secondary rehearsal space, classroom, meeting space, shop space, another landing place, and possibly an extension of the dining room for company meetings if we cancel the rental of Veterans Hall once we move to the theater for rehearsals.

VARSITY DRIVE HOUSE (across the street from AHS auditorium)–

Housing for 6 full time staff and occassional short term &/or visiting staff, and as a possible landing/mtg space for staff.  Living room might serve as an office.

ARVIN HIGH SCHOOL – Production work, shops and rehearsal for weeks 3 & 4 and performances. 

HAMPTON INN – Housing for students and majority of company.

Distances:

Between Nest & AHS/Varsity House = .7miles/15 minute walk

Between Nest/AHS & Hotel = 15 miles/30 min drive.

That’s where we’re at today!

-Paula Donnelly