Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC) - the only show in Watts...
Meet Me @ Metro: A Moving Theater...
WATTS VILLAGE THEATER COMPANY BRINGS ITS THEATER TO YOU.
Meet Me @ Metro: A Theatrical Extravaganza Along The LA Metro Rail,
Featuring Innovative Works By Cutting Edge Companies.
Coming to a stop Near You.
(Los Angeles, CA. Watts) On May 2, 2010, Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC) will present the 1st Annual Production
of Meet Me @ Metro, featuring original works by: Collage Dance Theatre, East LA Rep, Epic Megalopolis Productions,
and Moo Doo Puppets. Meet Me @ Metro will perform on May 2nd 2010 at 11:00am and 4:00pm. Performances will take
place around the METRO RED, PURPLE, and BLUE lines starting at Union Station and ending at the Watts Towers
Amphitheater.
Meet Me @ Metro is an interactive, trans-disciplinary theatrical journey, conceived by WVTC‟s Artistic Director Guillermo
Avilés-Rodríguez, which takes place around LA‟s Metro Rail Transit System (Metro). Meet Me @ Metro was inspired by
interactions with the youth of Watts who, despite being in their late teens, had never traveled outside a ten-mile radius of
their community. A further exploration of this phenomenon revealed that just as youth seldom ventured outside of Watts,
many Los Angeles residents never travel to Watts. Meet Me @ Metro will bridge the gap between the Watts Towers and
several other surrounding isolated and segregated sites and communities by guiding audiences from the Red Line‟s Union
Station to The Blue Line‟s 103rd Street Station, taking a communal journey to view original 10-minute long, site-specific
performances revolving around the theme of movement in America today. The process and performance will be
documented by Blague Communications.
Guillermo Avilés-Rodríguez charged six companies, WVTC included, to create art that moves by engaging their assigned
community. The artistic process began in the Fall of 2009 and will consist of several creative workshops leading up to the
festival. Avilés-Rodríguez explains that the journey “will reinforce the message that art lives everywhere, and with us all. The
people who witness art forming are as much a part of the process as the ones who craft it. Like the Metro moves people, so
does art.”
Meet Me @ Metro is keeping with WVTC‟s 14-year track record of producing socially relevant and theatrically daring
work. Coming off of a three-year cycle of exploring Afro-Latino relations in Watts and South Los Angeles, the company has
decided to branch out and explore the culturally universal themes of how movement relates to identity (both individual and
communal) as well as communion, community and commonality in the context of present day Los Angeles, an environment
that often perpetuates isolationism. Meet Me @ Metro‟s multicultural and multidisciplinary celebration combats Los
Angeles‟ prevalent “car culture” by essentially forcing residents from drastically varying demographics to interact with each
other within the shared space that is Metro. As the company is constantly striving to create work that bridges gaps within
and between communities, the Metro presents itself as an ideal venue for examining the over 250 nationalities and languages
that comprise Los Angeles. Meet Me @ Metro also represents the ideal in WVTC‟s theatrical aesthetic – cutting edge,
thought provoking performances that are accessible to all.
“Meet Me @ Metro is an example of a Los Angeles theater company creating the learning curve in theatrical innovation,
rather than following it,” says Avilés-Rodríguez. It is also a response to the seismic shifts taking place within the current
economic and cultural landscape of the city and country. “Everywhere you turn, funding for the arts is being cut. So we
believe that future sustainability in the arts will consist of developing strategic partnerships in order to do more with less.”
Avilés-Rodríguez explains, referring to his decision to partner with other organizations in the creation of the piece. And
even as funding declines, increasing access to digital media and the web is pushing theater even further into the fringes of
American culture. “The future of our art form lies in using the word „theater‟ as a verb rather than as a noun,” asserts
Avilés-Rodríguez. “Rather than being a building that you must go to in order to enjoy art, our theater is an activity that you
can engage with. It‟s art that moves and that is constantly transforming. You don‟t have to go to the theater – we will bring
it to you.”
Participating Companies
Collage Dance Theatre
Collage Dance Theatre (CDT) creates ephemeral contemporary art experiences in extraordinary places that boldly redefine
the relationship between audience and art. Through cultivating innovative collaborations with artists, arts organizations and
local communities, CDT brings meaningful interdisciplinary dance to new audiences throughout Los Angeles and the world.
East LA Rep
East LA Rep is rooted in the culturally rich communities of East Los Angeles, where they have worked to establish an
epicenter of Latino theatre by producing, presenting and developing the work of playwrights of Latino heritage.
Epic Megalopolis Productions
Epic Megalopolis Productions (EpicMegaPro) was founded to support the development of new work for the stage and to
produce innovative and socially relevant material for a new generation of theatergoers. As a company, they place as much
value on the integrity and ingenuity of the creative process as they dedicate toward any finished production.
MooDoo Puppets
MooDoo Puppets provides interactive puppet shows for children and adults throughout Los Angeles. It is their goal to
promote peace, diversity and imagination through extraordinary and unique performances that touch the heart. Each year,
MooDoo Puppets stretches its reach, touching tens of thousands through live shows at festivals, parades and theatres,
puppetry and puppet-making workshops. www.moodoopuppets.org
The Nonsense Company
The Nonsense Company, based in Madison, Wisconsin, performs new and innovative works of contemporary music and
theater, with an emphasis on the musical use of speech in estranged contexts and the application in theater of techniques
more commonly associated with music. www.princemyshkins.com/nonsensebio.html
Watts Village Theater Company
Watts Village Theater is a multicultural urban theater company that seeks to inspire positive social change through
innovative theatrical work. They infuse communities with tolerance for differences and create an appreciation for all
cultures through the collaborative art of theatrical play production. WVTC produces and develops new plays by Los
Angeles-based artists that address sociopolitical issues pertinent to Watts and the greater Los Angeles area, and promotes
literacy and self-empowerment amongst the youth of Watts through internships, volunteer opportunities and education in
the performing arts. www.wattsvillagetheatercompany.org
Meet Me @ Metro will take place on May 2nd with performances at 11:00am and 4:00pm. Performances will take place
along the Red and Blue Lines starting at Union Station (800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA) and ending at the Watts
Towers Amphitheater (1727 E. 107th St., Los Angeles, CA). Go to www.wattsvillagetheatercompany.org to make your
reservation and for detailed route information. $5.00 Metro Day Pass Required to see the Performance.
Meet Me @ Metro is made possible by the generous support of the California Arts Council, MAP Fund and the Doris
Duke Charitable Foundation.
For press inquiries contact Theodore Perkins at 908-230-7044 or at M3press@wattsvillagetheatercompany.com.
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