Making Watts Count: Watts Village Theater Company Performs Guerilla-Style Show Encouraging Participation in the 2010 Census

Watts Village Theater Company’s (WVTC’s) “US Census: It’s In Our Hands” works to encourage
participation in the 2010 Census by explaining the purpose and uses of Census
data as well as dispelling common misconceptions that often exist in
disenfranchised communities about Census activities.

Watts, CA (PRWEB) March 16, 2010 -- In keeping with their mission to bring issue-driven, thought provoking theater to Watts and the South Los Angeles
area, Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC) will perform a short play written by
Damion Teeko Parran and directed by WVTC Artistic Director Guillermo
Avilés-Rodríguez that encourages residents of underserved communities to
participate in the 2010 U.S. Census. The project is part of a season that is
dedicated to site-specific or found space performance, and will be presented at
the Watts Farmers Market in Ted Watkins Park.

Historically, communities such as Watts have been difficult for the Census to reach, as many people harbor feelings of mistrust toward census takers that come door-to-door
to collect information. This is especially common in areas with large immigrant
populations, where undocumented immigrants avoid the Census, thereby resulting
in an inaccurate count of the population demographic and an inaccurate
allocation of funds to an already underserved community. In an effort to combat
this issue, the Census Bureau has partnered with organizations such as WVTC to
raise awareness and spread accurate information about the Census.

“We are proud to serve our community with this entertaining, relevant and educational piece of theater, and remain committed to continuously producing cutting-edge,
timely work by artists of color that speaks to our community,” said WVTC
Artistic Director Guillermo Avilés-Rodríguez. “Partnerships with entities such
as the Census Bureau are proof that what WVTC is working to change lives, and
we’re committed to continuing on that track.”

WVTC is a multicultural urban theater company that seeks to inspire positive social change through innovative theatrical work. They infuse their culturally diverse
community with tolerance for differences and create an appreciation for all
cultures through the development and production of provocative work such as It’s In Our Hands. The company’s primary
goal is to enrich the community of Watts and South Los Angeles with original,
eclectic and socially relevant theatrical work.

It’s In Our Hands will perform Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 12 PM and 2 PM, and Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 11 AM at the Watts
Farmers Market in
Ted Watkins Park: 1335
East 103rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90002.
Pay-If-You-Can tickets are available at http://census.eventbrite.com.

Meropi Peponides, Press Contact

Watts Village Theater Company

323-854-5866

http://www.wattsvillagetheatercompany.org

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