Connecting Californians
Finding the Art of Community Change
An Inquiry into the role of story in strengthening communities

Appendix B

Brief Descriptions of Projects Represented on Maps

This is an alphabetical listing of the counties in California and an example of one way each of them has used performance of local stories for community building in the last ten years. In each county, I sought one original play/performance piece based on stories about California life, produced in the past 5 or 10 years. Qualities I looked for included: original, collectively created, community building, bridge building, community engaging, and focus on sense of place and about California life and history.

The survey was accomplished in approximately one month through telephone interviews and in-person visits. Because of the short length of time allotted for this task, the list is nothing more than a snapshot of the state: In many cases I took the first example I could find. A deeper survey would look somewhat different.

The examples are wide-ranging, including many forms of performance and dozens of kinds of presenters — from a county arts council to a high-school storytelling program. The presentations cited are not necessarily the "best" program produced in each county, simply the ones I could find, governed by whom I could reach and how well they could grasp what I was asking. What the list does prove, however, is that the people of California, in all its counties (except one: rural Glenn County), are engaged in this activity.

Its time and place flavor the survey: California in late 1999. Because the state is in the midst of a sesquicentennial — celebrating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in 1848 and statehood in 1850 — more than half of the examples that came to my contacts’ immediate recollection were historical works/events about their towns or counties, particularly during the Gold Rush era. Some used that lens to look at current local issues or problems; many took the opportunity to collect the oral histories and family archives of their area’s residents; for most, the Sesquicentennial was successful in producing enormous pride of place.

Of particular importance to this task was "History Alive," a Sesquicentennial Chautauqua program of the California Council for the Humanities. This was a series of performances by scholar-actors who portrayed and discussed the lives of Californians who experienced the changes that came in the wake of the Gold Rush. The performances include an unscripted portrayal of the character and two question-and-answer periods with the audience — one in character and one out of character. This allowed vigorous discussion of certain past and present issues that arose from the portrayals: racism, the subjugation of women, the abuse of immigrants, labor issues, growth issues, greed, the true history of the West. I cited several of the chautauquans because I believe this program was designed to do exactly what the survey was seeking.

One observation needs making: My first or second call in each county went to its prominent theater or the community theater company, and I found that they all understood my questions, but found this activity very difficult to undertake. Those who had carried out large projects that engage the community around important issues — such as racism or the environment or county growth — knew well how much work and friction such projects can engender, and most "can’t afford" the time required to do this job well more than once or twice a decade. Even when they enlist the help of community partners, this in itself takes a great deal of time and diplomatic effort. To keep their facilities open and their members working, most theaters outside the large urban centers feel they must present standard theatrical fare. They could easily come up with an exciting project idea, but immediately asked me whether I knew of a granting program that would help them buy time to accomplish it. Only two or three theater companies are well enough organized, and obsessed with a vision of social change, to forge ahead with this work no matter what the cost. Overall, I would say — of the arts organizations cited — only Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles is solely dedicated to this work.

On the bright side, I found that all the county presenters found joy and satisfaction in community-building work. Often it would take 15 minutes of conversation before my correspondents could understand what sort of activity was "acceptable" to my survey, and then I would hear a cry of relief: "Oh, of course! That was the most popular thing we did all year!" I believe the survey in itself helped to valorize community performance activity in California, and left at least a few school teachers, librarians, small-town playwrights, chambers of commerce, state park rangers and county arts agents beaming with pride.

Linda Frye Burnham
Art in the Public Interest

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Title: "Code 33: Emergency, Clear The Air"
When: October 7, 1999
Organized by: Suzanne Lacy and T.E.A.M. (Teens + Educators + Artists + Media Makers)
Performed by: Civic officials, police and youth
Where: Oakland’s City Center West Garage
Style: Performance art
Representation: Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: This performance event featuring150 Oakland young people, 100 police officers, 57 neighborhood crime-prevention councils, Mayor Jerry Brown, Police Chief Richard Word, members of the Oakland City Council, parents and neighbors. Dozens of black cars and white cars with headlights blazing converged on the garage rooftop. The project also included a large-scale discussion between 100 youth and 100 police officers. Part of ongoing project to create a teen-police dialogue.

Contact:
Suzanne Lacy
California College for Arts and Crafts
Oakland, CA

ALPINE COUNTY

Title: "The Hanging of Lucky Bill"
When: Christmas season 1997
Organized by: Alpine County Arts Commission
Performed by: Storyteller Chris Bayer
Where: Turtle Rock Park Community Building, Markleeville
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Nevada storyteller Chris Bayer’s solo performance was based on the book "The Hanging of Lucky Bill" by Alpine County writer Mike Makeley. Lucky Bill was an actual historical character living in the Nevada Territory during the Silver Rush days of the 1803s-40s. Alpine County was once a part of the Nevada Territory.

Contact:
Diane Lipscomb
Alpine County Arts Commission
Markleeville, CA

 AMADOR COUNTY

Title: "Gold Fire"
When: September 1997
Organized by: Amador County Arts Council
Performed by: Volcano Theater Co., Main St. Theater Works
Where: Volcano Theater Co., Volcano, and Main St. Theater Works, Sutter Creek
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: "Gold Fire" is the story of the famous 1922 Argonaut Mine Fire in Amador County, which killed 34 people. The script was written by local radio-station owner Larry Rutter, based on personal accounts of the miners’ descendants. It was performed by two community-theater companies in the county.

Contact:
Shirley Alexander
Amador County Arts Council
Sutter Creek, CA

BUTTE COUNTY

Title: "Gold Trader Flat and Yuba Feather Museum"
When: October 1998
Organized by: Yuba-Feather Historical Museum
Performed by: County residents
Where: Yuba-Feather Historical Museum, Forbestown
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: "Gold Trader Flat and Yuba Feather Museum" was a performance and a 30-minute television documentary set in the Yuba Feather Historical Museum’s replica of a Gold Rush town. It was performed by 60 local residents, ages 8-80. A narrator walked through the town and told stories about each building and some of characters that lived during the late 1800s. Forbestown has had the reputation of being "full of drug addicts, welfare leeches and other unsavory characters," suffering much vandalism. The museum, created as a community-builder and center of community pride, is staffed by volunteers and funded through local individual or business donations.

Contact:
Joyce Middlebrook
Yuba-Feather Historical Museum
Brownsville, CA

CALAVERAS COUNTY

Title: "Dr. Yee Fung Cheung"
When: January 24, 1998
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Calaveras County Arts Council
Performed by: Actor Charlie Chin
Where: Calaveras County Arts Council, San Andreas
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Asian Americans
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: This was a chautauqua performance by actor Charlie Chin, director of the National Asian American Writer’s Workshop and a Smithsonian Institution community folklore scholar. Dr. Yee Fung Cheung was an herb doctor who came from China in 1859 to care for Chinese miners and others in the Gold Country of California in and around Calaveras County. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Penny West
Calaveras Arts Council
San Andreas, CA

COLUSA COUNTY

Title: "Story Time"
Date: September 15, 1998
Organized by: Friends of Colusa County Library
Performed by: Storyteller Tom McCormack
Where: Colusa County Library, Colusa
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: Native Americans
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: Oregon Native American storyteller Tom McCormack came to the library for its regularly scheduled Story Time to present stories from the Indian history of the northern California/southern Oregon region. This appearance was sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Contact:
Brenda Gross
Colusa County Library
Colusa, CA

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Title: Hogbetsotso Festival
When: June 21, 1997
Organized by: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Asian American Music & Dance Ensemble
Performed by: Asian American Music & Dance Ensemble
Where: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Theater, Richmond
Style: Community festival
Representation: African-Americans
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: Hogbetsotso is an authentic traditional festival of the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa. According to the production's officiating elder, CK Ladzekpo, Hogbetsotso commemorates a successful flight of the entire tribal group from an ancient settlement in Togo and subsequent resettlement in their present home in Ghana. The celebration included sacred Anlo-Ewe dance-drumming rituals, an integral part of Anlo-Ewe community life, in which everyone in the tribe participates. The rituals illustrate the social structure of the tribe, including hierarchy, religious culture and military culture. The festival was part of Juneteenth community celebration at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts.

Contact:
East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
Richmond, CA

DEL NORTE COUNTY

Title: "Treachery at the Aerodrome"
When: July 4, 1998
Organized by: Lighthouse Repertory Theatre
Performed by: Lighthouse Repertory Theatre and community residents
Where: Methodist Church Social Hall, Crescent City
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: This was an original melodrama by Crescent City resident Cheryl Davis recalling WWI events in the town, followed by "a half-hour of singing and jokes." It was one of Lighthouse’s annual new melodramas based on local history. Lighthouse is "an all-volunteer community theater," including many community members with no acting experience.

Contact:
Debbie Cochran, board member
Lighthouse Repertory Theatre
Crescent City, CA

EL DORADO COUNTY

Title: "Dame Shirley"
When: January 24, 1998
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park
Performed by: Actress Kate Magruder
Where: Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, Coloma
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Women
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: This was a chautauqua performance by actress Kate Magruder, cofounder of the Ukiah Players Theatre and a teacher of humanities and theatre arts at Mendocino College. Dame Shirley was the pen name of Louise Amelia Smith Clappe, the chronicler of life in the mining camps at the height of the Gold Rush. Coming to California from New England with her husband, a doctor in the gold camps, she described the rugged life and the conflict among cultural groups in a series of 23 letters written to her sister in 1851 and 1852. The letters were later published in the Pioneer, San Francisco’s leading literary magazine of the time. She influenced writers Bret Harte and Mark Twain. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Kate Magruder
California Council for Humanities, History Alive!
San Francisco, CA

FRESNO COUNTY

Title: "Jose Jesus"
When: March 18, 1998
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Fresno City & County Historical Society
Performed by: California State Park Ranger Jose Rivera
Where: Fresno City and County Historical Society, Fresno
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Native Americans, county residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: California Park Service Ranger and interpretive specialist Jose Rivera presented this chautauqua performance as Jose Jesus. Jesus was a Siakumne Indian of the Central Valley Yokuts people, who fought with Captain John Fremont’s American Indian Company H during the Mexican-American War. After the war, he contracted Indian labor for the Stockton Mining Company, which opened up most of the southern mines. He was also alcalde (mayor) of Mission San Jose. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Amy Crowe
Fresno Historical Society
Fresno, CA

HUMBOLDT COUNTY

Title: "The Korbel Series"
Organized by: Dell’Arte Company
Performed by: Dell’Arte Company
Where: Dell’Arte Company Theater, Blue Lake
Style:Issue-based theater
Representation: County residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: Dell’Arte produces "popular" issue based theater — performed with great physical style by a professional theater company — utilizing members of the community on stage. This was a series of three plays about the nearby Humboldt County town of Korbel, which was once a gold-mining town of 10,000 people during the 1890s, then a lumber town, now reduced to a population of 50 people because of environmental legislation and computerization of the lumber industry. The plays focus on the Dugan family. Dell’Arte has created dozens of works about the area, and is devoted to "Theatre of Place."

Contact:
Michael Fields
Dell'Arte Company
Blue Lake, CA

IMPERIAL COUNTY

Title: "The Winning of Barbara Worth"
When: April 1996
Organized by: Pioneers Museum, Imperial
Performed by: County residents
Where: Pioneers Museum, Imperial
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: "The Winning of Barbara Worth" is the story of the settling of Imperial Valley, and the construction of the All-American Canal. It was based on the book by Imperial Valley resident Harold Bell Wright of Holtville. It was a "Valley-wide" production, featuring non-actors from all walks of life.

Contact:
Billy Brown
Mostly Theater Company
Imperial, CA

INYO COUNTY

Title: "Pio Pico"
When: April 15, 1999
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Inyo Council for the Arts
Performed by: Actor Robert Garza
Where: Inyo Council for the Arts, Bishop
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos/Asian Americans

Description: This was a chautauqua performance by film actor Roberto Garza, a faculty member at Pasadena City College and Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel. Pio Pico was the last Mexican governor of California. Born at the San Gabriel Arcangel Mission, he was of Spanish, Italian, Indian and African ancestry. He presided over the secularization of the missions and turned over their vast land holdings to private hands. After the American takeover, Pico built the first major hotel in Los Angeles and served on the city council. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Kathy Anderson
Inyo Council for the Arts
Bishop, CA

KERN COUNTY

Title: "For the Love of Maggie"
When: March 19-22, 1998
Organized by: An informal community coalition
Performed by: County residents
Where: Fox Theater, Bakersfield
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: "For the Love of Maggie" is a theater tradition in Bakersfield, a musical about the city at the turn of the last century when oil was discovered and the first cotton seed was planted. The play has been presented many times since it was written in 1960, most recently during the Bakersfield Centennial in 1998. It was written by local artists Barbara Gardner and Ann Agabashian, based on research in the local museums. It was first presented in a Bakersfield back yard, then moved to a community theater, the convention center and finally, the historic Fox Theater, recently refurbished. Part of the tradition is that Bakersfield citizens–both actors and nonactors — perform the roles.

Contact:
Phyllis Adams
Fox Foundation
Bakersfield, CA

KINGS COUNTY

Title: "From the Tales to the Trails, the Gold Is Still in California"
When: November 21, 1998
Organized by: National Youth Storytelling Association
Performed by: Voices of Illusion
Where: Hanford High School Presentation Center, Hanford
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: Youth
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: For an annual event call Tellabration, 200 students in Voices of Illusion told a group of stories about the people and history of Kings County, based on their own research and oral histories. Voices of Illusion, "the first high-school storytelling troupe in the nation," is the flagship group of the National Youth Storytelling Association. Founded in 1994 at Hanford High School by storyteller Kevin Cordi, the group has involved several hundreds of Hanford students who perform nationally and have won many state and national awards.

Contact:
Kevin Cordi
Hanford, CA

LAKE COUNTY

Title: Diversity Dance Workshop
When: March 16, 1997
Organized by: Lake County Arts Council
Performed by: Diversity Dance Workshop
Where: California National Guard Armory, Lakeport
Style: Musical theater
Representation: Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: This event was so popular, it sparked an effort by the local community to set up its own issues-oriented youth dance-theater company. Lake County Arts Council presented Diversity Dance Workshop, an international touring company of young people ages 17-20 who do musical theater works on the themes of unity, gender equity, poverty, substance abuse and the appreciation of diversity. There was a question-and-answer period for children after the sold-out show. The arts council hopes to bring the company back again with Diversity’s new "Youthquake" workshops in the schools, to help the local community start its own youth company.

Contact:
Jillian Maggid
Lake County Arts Council
Lakeport, CA

LASSEN COUNTY

Title: "Patchwork of Lives"
When: October 7, 1996
Organized by: Lassen Land and Trails Trust
Performed by: Community residents
Where: Lassen Union High School Little Theater
Style: History-based performance
Representation: Women
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: "Patchwork" was a series of short plays about the life stories of nine Lassen County Women between 1850 and 1950. It was written by Lassen County writer Jean Fruehan from newspaper accounts, books, personal journals and oral histories. The stories were about women’s struggles to make a difference in frontier life, "whether it was fighting off a grizzly bear or opposing men who didn’t want them to vote." It was performed by local actors, with "cameo performances by local notables."

Contact:
Colleen Thorn
Lassen County Arts Council
Susanville, CA

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Title: "Watts Bridge Show: The Central Ave. Chalk Circle"
When: 1996
Organized by: Cornerstone Theater, Watts community organizations
Performed by: Cornerstone Theater and county residents
Where: Watts Labor Community Action Committee Center, Los Angeles
Style: Community performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Building Group Identity, Increasing Engagement, Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: The Bridge Show was the culminating performance of a 15-month long residency in the Watts community of south-central Los Angeles, bringing together participants from the previous three Watts productions and two workshops in Lynn Manning's adaptation of Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" (winner of the 1996 Ovation Award for Best Production of the Year). Cornerstone Theater’s method is to adapt classic plays to focus on the target community’s contemporary concerns, and cast the play with local nonactors, leaving behind the impetus for a continuing community theater.

Contact:
Leslie Tamaribuchi
Cornerstone Theater
Los Angeles, CA

MADERA COUNTY

Title: "Coarsegold Mule Days"
When: June 17-20, 1999
Organized by: Madera Method of Learning through Research, City of Coarsegold
Performed by: Madera Method Wagon Train
Where: Historic downtown Coarsegold
Style: Community festival
Representation: Youth
Impact: Facilitating Personal Recovery

Description: While not an issues-based theater performance, this event was a sort of living community theater — a unique pageant in celebration of the California Sesquicentennial to commemorate the discovery of gold in 1849 and statehood in 1850. It spotlighted the Madera Method Wagon Train, which convened at Coarsegold Historic Village for a parade, and talent and essay contests. The train went on to join seven other trains for a nine-day journey to Stockton. The Madera Method Wagon Train is an annual event founded in 1993 for the purpose of providing elementary students "a realistic experience of the past." The Madera Method of Research Learning is primarily a writing project founded by Madera elementary teacher/historian Bill Coate — based on research methods created by writer Irving Stone — to empower students "to become writers of authentic local history." The Wagon Train is part of their learning experience.

Contact:
Bill Coate
Madera Method of Learning through Research
Madera, CA

MARIN COUNTY

Title: "The Planetary Dance"
When: April 1999
Organized by: Anna Halprin, Tamalpa Institute
Performed by: County residents
Where: Mt. Tamalpais, Mill Valley
Style: Community festival
Representation: County residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: The Planetary Dance is an annual, day-long community dance ritual of healing, renewal and the affirmation of life, initiated by Marin choreographer Anna Halprin. It began as a community reclamation of Mount Tamalpais at the time of the Trailside Killer (1981), and it has taken place every year since then as a way to honor this exorcism. The Planetary Dance is currently celebrated in 37 countries on four continents around the world.

Contact:
Anna Halprin
Tamalpa Institute
Kentfield, CA

MARIPOSA COUNTY

Title: "Spirit of John Muir"
When: September 29, 1999
Organized by: Yosemite National Park
Performed by: Actor Lee Stetson
Where: Yosemite Theater, Yosemite National Park
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: Mariposa County resident Lee Stetson has been presenting solo performances as environmentalist John Muir for 16 years in Yosemite Valley. His most recent presentation, "Spirit of John Muir," is taken from Muir’s writing about his adventures in the Valley, Alaska and Mt. Shasta. The theme revolves around the health and invigoration Muir felt when fully engaging wildness. Stetson travels the world with his Muir performances, promoting good environmental practices. His next work is an "environmental chautauqua" presentation by actors/scholars portraying Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Rachel Carson, John Wesley Powell and Thoreau, and he hopes to establish a theater in Mariposa.

Contact:
Lee Stetson
Wild Productions
Yosemite, CA

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Title: "Telling the Truth in a Small Town" 
When: May 1999
Organized by: Ukiah Players
Performed by: County residents
Where: Ukiah Players Theatre, Ukiah
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Facilitating Personal Recovery, Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: This is an annual event featuring presentations by community members who share personal stories about experiences, people and perceptions that have shaped their lives. In the spring of 2000, participants told stories from their experiences during World War II as part of a Ukiah Players arts and humanities project "The Good War."

Contact:
Kate Magruder
Ukiah Players Theatre
Ukiah, CA

MERCED COUNTY

Title: California History Alive!
When: October 13, 1999
Organized by: San Luis Reservoir State Park, Gold Rush History Alliance Group
Performed by: Professional historians, county residents, Stanislaus State U. students
Where: McConnell State Recreation Area, Dehi
Style: Experiential education
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory, Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: This was a one-day "encampment" commemorating the Gold Rush era. In effect, it was a Gold Rush environment, produced by a combination of costumed local residents with expertise in Gold-Rush-era skills and crafts (including a superior court judge), the Gold Rush History Alliance Group (a group of professional California historians who insist on rigorous authenticity) and students. It offered a Renaissance-fair type atmosphere, with presentations and demonstrations of placer mining, camp cooking, marksmanship competition, etc. Participating students got credit at Stanislaus State University in a class in public history taught by Nancy Taniguchi in collaboration with State Park interpretive specialists.
Contacts:
Mary Stokes
Park Interpreter
San Luis Reservoir State Park
Gustine, CA

MODOC COUNTY

Title: "Lost River: The Story of the Modoc Indian War"
When: July 1999
Organized by: Modoc County Arts Council
Performed by: County residents
Where: California Pines, Alturas
Style: History-based performance
Representation: Native Americans
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: "Lost River" is a new outdoor drama, sponsored by the arts council, about "the only Indian war fought in California." It was written by Alturas resident Ben Van Meter, based on research among the indigenous Modoc Indian tribe, now living in Oklahoma, where they were sent into government exile. The drama is set in Lava Beds National Monument, a natural fortress. It was created and produced with cooperation of local Native Americans and Native American parts are played by Indian nonactors.

Contact:
Ken G. Brown
Modoc County Arts Council
Mammoth Lakes, CA

MONO COUNTY

Title: Storytelling by Diane MacInnes
When: September 5, 1999
Organized by: Mono Lake Committee
Performed by: Storyteller Diane Foster
Where: Old Marina, Mono Lake
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: Community residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: As part of its "Restoration Days" fostering the restoration of vitality to Mono Lake, the Mono Lake Committee presented storyteller Diane Foster, who told stories about the history and animals of the Mono Lake region, based on oral histories of local Native Americans. For 20 years the Mono Lake Committee has been working to protect the lake from destruction, to heal the damage done in the Mono Basin, and to educate the public about the natural environment and wise water use. At the end of the storytelling, there was a bonfire made of wood from the boardwalk once used to reach the shoreline of the decimated lake before it rose to its present healthier level, in part as a result of work by the committee.

Contact:
Arya Degenhardt
Mono Lake Committee
Mono Lake, CA

MONTEREY COUNTY

Title: Monterey Historic Park: Living History Day
When: July 4, 1999
Organized by: Monterey State Historic Park
Performed by: State Park volunteers
Where: Monterey Historic Buildings
Style: Community festival
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory, Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: Monterey State Historic Park worked with state-park volunteers to create "living history" events in Monterey State Historic Park in downtown Monterey. The actors portrayed delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Colton Hall in September 1849. This is an annual celebration, each year commemorating an event in local history 150 years before. Previous re-enactments celebrated the Sloat landing of 1846 and news of the discovery of gold in 1848.

Contact:
Dave Schaechtele
Monterey State Historic Park
Monterey, CA

NAPA COUNTY

Title: The Storytime Program
When: November 15, 1999
Organized by: Napa Valley Museum
Performed by: Regional Storytellers
Where: Napa Valley Museum, Napa
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: County residents, women
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: The Story Time Program of the Napa Valley Museum serves families in the county and involved local and regional storytellers, historians and puppeteers. The stories told are often related to exhibits on view at the museum. Local historians also present relevant stories gleaned from oral history.

Contact:
Evangeline Tai, Education Coordinator
Napa Valley Museum
Yountville, CA

NEVADA COUNTY

Title: "The Diary of a 49er"
When: April 29 - May 29, 1998 (Seminar: May 7)
Organized by: Foothill Theatre
Performed by: Foothill Theatre Company
Where: Nevada Theatre, Nevada City
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: "The Diary of a 49er" is a play about a young New Englander who comes to California (specifically, to Nevada County) with the Gold Rush of 1849. It was adapted by Foothill Associate Artist Gary Wright from the book by Chauncey L. Canfield, and developed over a year of work with local historians and people who live in outlying neighborhoods where the story took place. Originally created to tour the schools, it was brought to the mainstage by popular demand. There is much community debate over whether the book was a true miner's diary or fiction, with both sides holding firm.

Contact:
Philip Charles Sneed
The Foothill Theatre Company
Nevada City, CA

ORANGE COUNTY

Title: "Doña Rosita’s Jalapeño Kitchen"
When: November 1997
Organized by: Santa Ana College
Performed by: El Teatro de la Esperanza
Where: Santa Ana College and community elementary schools, Santa Ana
Style: Issues-based theater
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos/Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: "Doña Rosita’s Jalapeño Kitchen" was a performance piece written and directed by El Teatro’s Duarte Clark for San Antonio artist Ruby Nelda Perez. Doña Rosita invites the audience for the "Last Supper" in her barrio of Salsipuedes (Get-out-if-you-can), while she contemplates selling her restaurant/home of 23 years to make way for a new shopping mall. This performance was part of a residency that included four- or eight-hour story-circle and community-building workshops for teachers and students around the topic of immigration. The student body is 80 percent Latino and Southeast Asian, including many immigrants and refugees who created stories about why they came to the U.S., where they came from and how, and what they found when they got here. The residency also trained the art, history, theater, dance and music faculties to use these workshop techniques in their work.

Contact:
Rodrigo Duarte Clark
El Teatro de la Esperanza
San Francisco, CA

PLACER COUNTY

Title: "Dusty Gold, Chanukkah Gold"
Organized by: Motherlode Stage Company
Performed by: Motherlode Stage Company and county residents
Where: Red Brick Arts Center, Loomis
Style: History-based performance
Representation: Jewish Americans
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: Chuck Myer’s play, about the lives of a Jewish immigrant family during the Gold Rush, is based on actual California historical characters. Actors included a local lay rabbi and Hebrew scholar, and other local Jewish citizens. It was commissioned from Colfax native Myer by Motherlode, and presented following traumatic political battles in recent elections during which swastikas and other anti-Semitic vandalism occurred. Motherlode’s programs are devoted to early California history, and are part of Loomis’ goal to create a performing arts center in the 19th C. town.

Contact:
Stuart Smith
Motherlode Stage Company
Loomis, CA

PLUMAS COUNTY

Title: "Words and Music"
When: Second Thursday of each month
Organized by: Plumas County Arts Commission, county writers
Performed by: County writers
Where: Morning Thunder Café, Quincy
Style: Poetry and fiction performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: "Words and Music" is a monthly gathering of local artists and musicians presenting original stories and poems out of their own experiences. This event is ten years old and, according to the Arts Commission, has served to organize the cultural resources of the entire county, spinning off two similar networks in other communities of Plumas.

Contact:
Roxanne Valladao
Plumas County Arts Commission
Quincy, CA

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Title: The Ramona Pageant
When: March — April 1999
Organized by: Ramona Pageant Association
Performed by: Professional actors and county residents
Where: Ramona Bowl, Hemet
Style: Community performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Building Group Identity and a call for social justice

Description: This outdoor drama, performed annually since 1923, is the "Official California State Play." Based on a novel by Helen Hunt Jackson, which deals with the history of race relations in Southern California and Jackson’s plea for change, The Ramona Pageant now has a local volunteer cast of over 400. According to the pageant’s historian, in 1995 the pageant association formed a Native American Advisory Committee of scholars, native performers and tribal elders, seeking their help to "remove inappropriate material" and add more authentic elements to the production, including the traditional Cahuilla Bird Singers. The number of Native American performers and backstage volunteers has been growing, and the pageant now receives regular financial support from several of Southern California’s tribal casinos.

Contact:
Phil Brigandi, Pageant Historian
Ramona Pageant Association
Hemet, CA

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Title: "Stories from Solitude"
When: Fall-Winter 1999
Organized by: California Arts-in-Corrections, California State Prison, Sacramento
Performed by: Incarcerated men
Where: California State Prison, Sacramento ("New Folsom")
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: Incarcerated men
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: At the time of our survey, this was a program in progress in a maximum-security prison, in which theater artist Bill Ritch was teaching inmates to write solo performance pieces about their own lives and perform them inside the prison. The program also intended to create a documentary videotape about the process and the performances, and circulate it outside. The program was being facilitated by Jim Carlson, artist-facilitator at the prison, who produced a theater piece at San Quentin Penitentiary in 1988. Bill Ritch was beginning a similar program at Vacaville.

Contact:
Jim Carlson
Sacramento County Prison
Represa, CA

SAN BENITO COUNTY

Title: "La Pastorela"
When: November, December 1999
Organized by: El Teatro Campesino
Performed by: El Teatro Campesino
Where: El Teatro Campesino Playhouse, San Benito
Style: History-based performance
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: A Pastorela is an indigenous Christmas pageant based on Mexican oral traditions, performed annually throughout Mexico and the American Southwest. Characteristically, the "script" is constantly evolving, and incorporates the current political struggles in its community. This is true of El Teatro Campesino’s Pastorela, performed annually in their home community of San Benito. El Teatro Campesino was born in 1965 as an organizing tool within Cezar Chavez’s United Farm Workers union, and became the premier Chicano/a performance ensemble to emerge from that movement in the 1960s and 1970s. "La Pastorela" is currently a major performance activity of the theater.

Contact:
Kinan Valdez, Director
El Teatro Campesino
San Juan Bautista, CA

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Title: Christmas Past at Asistencia
When: December 11, 1999
Organized by: San Bernardino County Museum
Performed by: Professional actors
Where: The Asistencia, Redlands
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: Visitors were invited to "meet" historical characters associated with the Asistencia, a California Historical Landmark. They included actors playing Jose del Carmen Lugo of the San Bernardino Rancho who lived at the Asistencia from 1843 to 1851, and Ben Barton, who occupied the property from 1859 until he completed building his neighboring "mansion" in 1867. The Asistencia was established in 1819 as part of the Mission San Gabriel’s Rancho San Bernardino. After occupation by the Spanish (1819-1834), Mexican Californians (1843-1851), Mormon settlers (1851-57), and Dr. Barton (1859-67), the complex fell into disuse and the adobe buildings gradually deteriorated. By 1925, the site was only a ruin until the county restored it in 1937.

Contact:
Jolene Redvale
San Bernardino County Museum
Redlands, CA

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Title: "Because All Places Are Sacred"
When: Summer 1995
Organized by: California Council for the Humanities, Playwright’s Project
Performed by: Professional actors and county residents
Where: San Diego neighborhoods of Little Italy, San Ysidro, Hillcrest and the Barona Indian Reservation
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents/Youth
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory and Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: This play was developed by teenaged participants of the Playwrights Project, based on oral histories gathered in four San Diego neighborhoods: Little Italy, San Ysidro, Hillcrest and the Barona Indian Reservation. The play was scripted by local playwright and teacher Barry Mann as part of "Searching for San Diego," a multi-year project including public receptions, neighborhoods history exhibits, discussions led by local scholars, readings and films.

Contact:
Deborah Salzer
Playwright’s Project
San Diego, CA

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY

Title: "Slouching Towards Armageddon: A Captive's Conversation / Observation on Race"
When: January 1 - February 1, 1999 
Organized by: Cultural Odyssey, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Performed by: The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women
Where: Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, San Francisco
Style: Issue-based theater
Representation: Incarcerated women
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: This was the Medea Project’s fifth production. Performance artist Rhodessa Jones (co-director of Cultural Odyssey) and her team of artists, ex-offenders and incarcerated women use autobiography, multi-media, interviews and live performance to examine "the misconceived ethno-realities that cloak our culture." The Medea Project’s mission is "breaking the cycle of probation, incarceration and drug relapse through the use of the arts." Medea works to increase self-awareness and self-esteem in the incarcerated women's population through the creation and production of theater pieces based on their personal histories.

Contact: Idris Ackamoor
The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women
San Francisco, CA

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Title: "Senior Showcase"
When: February 20-21, 1998
Organized by: San Joaquin Delta College and county residents
Performed by: County seniors
Where: San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton
Style: Musical theater
Representation: Seniors
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: "Senior Showcase" was created by Martha Custer while working on her Masters degree in gerontology (the study of aging), out of concern that older performers were no longer offered the opportunity of exercising their craft. Each Spring since 1981, Senior Showcase has mounted a new original musical production at S.J. Delta College showcasing the talents of performers 60 years or older; the focus of this production is on the senior who is an active, vital member of the community. Each show in the 1465-seat theater is sold out. Profits go to courses for seniors at the college. Other Senior showcases have emerged in Fresno, Palm Springs and San Jose.

Contact:
Nora Keating
Senior Showcase
Stockton, CA

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

Title: "When El Cucui Walks"
When: Fall 1996
Organized by: Cuesta College, El Teatro de la Esperanza
Performed by: El Teatro de la Esperanza
Where: Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo
Style: Issues-based theater
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: This was a play by El Teatro about the value of hearing and passing of traditional stories in the Latino community. A grandfather struggles to convince his granddaughter that these stories carry values with them that are important for her own survival. It was part of a residency in San Luis Obispo that included workshops with teachers and students in local elementary schools in the "acto" style of theater that El Teatro specializes in, presenting a model for the students of Latinos doing theater that honors their traditions and the validity of their cultural stories.

Contact:
Rodrigo Duarte Clark
El Teatro de la Esperanza
San Francisco, CA

SAN MATEO COUNTY

Title: Raices de Mexico
When: August 23-24, 1997
Organized by: Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce
Performed by: Raices de Mexico
Where: Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, University Avenue, Palo Alto
Style: Musical theater
Representation: Latinos, Chicanos/Youth
Impact: Facilitating Personal Recovery

Description: Raices de Mexico is an East Palo Alto-based ensemble of 15 adults and 12 children, founded in 1980 by East Palo Alto resident and community activist Ruben Avelar to build pride in the area’s diverse Hispanic heritage, increase communication and leadership skills among young people and offer a meaningful alternative to gang lifestyles. Students in Raices de Mexico performed at the Festival of the Arts with songs and dances that told stories behind regional history and religious beliefs, as well as ancient Mexican legends.

Contact:
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

Title: "Voices from the Indian Orchard: Six Generations of Chumash Women Speak"
When: Fall 1997
Organized by: Ernestine Ygnacio De Soto, John Johnson
Performed by: Ernestine Ygnacio De Soto
Where: Karpeles Manuscript Library, Santa Barbara
Style: History-based performance
Representation: Native Americans/Women
Impact: Building Group Identity

Description: "Voices" was a solo performance about the Barbareno Chumash community by Ernestine Ygnacio De Soto, a Chumash woman who approached John Johnson, curator of anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, about collaborating to tell the story of six generations of women in her family. They based each woman's story on oral histories collected from De Soto’s mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and De Soto’s own reminiscences and autobiography. De Soto took on the persona of each woman (one from each generation) and told the experiences of that individual. Dr. Johnson illustrated the talk with slides projected on the wall behind De Soto that depicted the people, places and events mentioned in her narration. The performance has been presented all over the state.

Contact:
John R. Johnson, Ph.D.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara, CA

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Title: "Theater as Digital Activity" (TADA)
When: May 5, 1998
Where: The Montgomery Theater, San Jose
Organized by: San Jose Children's Musical Theater
Performed by: County children
Where: San Jose Children's Musical Theater
Style: Musical theater
Representation: Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: Theater as Digital Activity produced "PULSE," a musical about kids living with serious illnesses and disabilities and finding their voice and each other on the internet. Written by Kem Hauge based on the real life stories of children from San Jose and others who contributed via the project’s "Convonation" Web site. Audience included doctors, nurses and patients from the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. SJCMT’s Theater as a Digital Activity program allows children, not just in San Jose, but all over the world, to participate via the Internet.

Contact:
Michael P. Mulcahy, Executive Director
SJCMT
San Jose, CA

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Title: "Mary Ellen Pleasant"
When: February 26, 1999
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Santa Cruz Museum of History & Art
Performed by: Actress Susheel Bibbs
Where: Museum of History and Art, Santa Cruz
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Women/Asian Americans
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory.

Description: This chautauqua performance was presented by actress Susheel Bibbs, Emmy-winning producer and university lecturer. She portrayed Mary Ellen Pleasant, a philanthropist who fought to secure justice for "colored" citizens in general, and ex-slaves in particular. She was known as California’s "Mother of Civil Rights" because of her work in aiding runaway slaves and winning a civil-rights case in court. Her earnings from real estate and several boardinghouses in San Francisco during the Gold Rush were donated to civil-rights causes. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Leah Tarlen
Museum of Art and History
Santa Cruz, CA

SHASTA COUNTY

Title: The Shasta County Community Challenge Project
When: 1996-1999
Organized by: Water & Stone Center, Shasta County schools
Performed by: County students
Where: Shasta County high schools
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: Youth
Impact: Facilitating Personal Recovery

Description: Water & Stone Center is a community arts organization serving youth, providing "experiential opportunities for exploring responsibility, self authority, decision-making, respect and personal commitment." As part of this "community challenge" project, they trained high-school seniors to go into the freshman classes in county schools with performances designed to spark discussion of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, peer pressure and drug use. The seniors were trained using storytelling techniques and a problem-solving teaching model. The seniors also presented ten community performances during this period in community venues.

Contact
John Cunningham
Water & Stone Center

SIERRA COUNTY

Title: "Strange Tales from the Sierra Turnpike Players"
When: August 1998
Organized by: Sierra Turnpike Players
Performed by: Sierra Turnpike Players
Where: Yuba Theatre, Downieville
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Sierra Turnpike Players is a community theater group of 20 in a town of 325 people. Annually they do "Strange Tales," vignettes from Downieville history collected by local historian James Sinnott. The group puts on three productions each year in the Yuba Theatre, a former movie house remodeled into a theater by the community (it houses the Sierra Arts Council).

Contact:
John Roper
Sierra County Arts Council
Downieville, CA

SISKIYOU COUNTY

Title: "McCloud’s Memorial Misadventure"
When: August 20-22, 1999
Organized by: County residents
Performed by: County residents
Where: McCloud Heritage Junction Museum, McCloud
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Every year local realtor Annette Spitser writes an original melodrama based on the history of McCloud and the citizens produce it in the Old Union Hall Meeting Room of the museum. The plays have examined a Pinkerton Agency investigation of the lumber milling trade, a disastrous mudflow off Mt. Shasta, a labor strike by immigrant Italians, a bank robbery and, in this case, the discovery and founding of McCloud. Spitser uses historical documents, oral histories, Forest Service materials and other data to create the plays. They are performed by local residents.

Contact:
Annette Spitser
McCloud, CA

SOLANO COUNTY

Title: "Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo"
When: September 10, 1998
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Benicia State Park
Performed by: Historian Daniel Lewis
Where: Benicia State Park, Vallejo
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: This chautauqua performance was presented by Daniel Lewis, a noted chautauquan and assistant professor of history at Cal Poly Pomona. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo held both military and civil authority over a vast area of northern California during the Mexican period. He maintained a local military force, and was acknowledged as the local representative of the Mexican government. His land grants at one time included most of what are now Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. Although imprisoned by Americans during the Bear Flag Rebellion, he later participated in drafting the new state constitution, acting as a negotiator and translator, and served as a State Senator. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Karen Barret or Janet Moor
Benicia State Park
Benicia, CA

SONOMA COUNTY

Title: Fort Ross Historic Living History Day
When: July 24, 1999
Organized by: Fort Ross Interpretive Association, Inc.
Performed by: County residents
Where: Fort Ross State Historic Park, Fort Ross
Style: Community festival
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: For Living History Day each July more than 100 costumed participants (staff and local volunteers) recreate the sights and sounds of a day in the life of this 19th Century Russian-American settlement. The Interpretive Association provides artifacts, research assistance and funding. Fort Ross is a restored Russian trading settlement first established on the Sonoma Coast in 1812.

Contact:
Robin Joy
Fort Ross State Historic Park
Jenner, CA

STANISLAUS COUNTY

Title: "Bustles and Bows"
When: May 30-31, 1998
Organized by: Knight’s Ferry Sesquicentennial Committee
Performed by: Bustles and Bows
Where: Main Street, Knight’s Ferry
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Knight’s Ferry turned 150 years old in May 1998 and the Sesquicentennial Committee put on a two-day celebration called the Knight’s Ferry Gold Rush. Bustles and Bows is a performing company based in Sonoma County. They did a series of short skits based on the history of California’s motherlode country.

Contact:
Lee Shearer
Knight’s Ferry Sesquicentennial Committee
Oakdale, CA

SUTTER COUNTY

Title: "John Sutter"
When: September 9, 1999
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Yuba City Community Memorial Museum
Performed by: Historian David Fenimore
Where: Yuba City Community Memorial Museum
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Noted chautauquan David Fenimore portrayed John Sutter, for whom the county is named. The discovery of gold at one of Sutter’s mills launched the Gold Rush in 1848. Sutter came to California from Switzerland to establish his "New Helvetica." He built an economically thriving outpost in Mexican California based on livestock and lumber using Native American labor. He was financially ruined as prospectors tramped through his lands on their rush to the gold fields. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Julie Stark
Community Memorial Museum
Yuba City, CA

TEHAMA COUNTY

Title: "Life in the 1850s"
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, March through May
Organized by: Ide Adobe Environmental Studies Program
Performed by: County students
Where: Wm. B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park, nr. Red Bluff
Style: Experiential education
Representation: Youth
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: The Ide Adobe was the home of William B. Ide, president of the "Bear Flag Republic," a local band of citizens that rebelled against Mexican rule in 1846. The Ide Adobe State Historic Park offers an environmental studies program targeted for grades 4 - 6, "Life in the 1850s," which attempts to recapture for students a day in the lives of Northern California's pioneers. Costumed docents from Salisbury and Red Bluff high schools serve as group leaders versed in aspects of the frontier culture of the 1850s. Costumes are supplied for the grade-school visitors, who spend the day immersed in rope-making, candlemaking, blacksmithing, adobe brickmaking, woodworking, "schooling," quilting, pioneer games and cooking in the adobe kitchen.

Contact:
Bob Grace
Wm. B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
Red Bluff, CA

TRINITY COUNTY

Title: "Dark Angel"
When: Fall 1995
Organized by: Trinity County Schools, Calif. Dept. of Health
Performed by: Dell’Arte Company
Where: Burnt Ranch Elementary School, Trinity Valley Elementary School in
Weaverville, Willow Creek Elementary School
Style: Issues-based theater
Representation: Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: "Dark Angel" was a look at tobacco advertising and the effort to make cigarettes "hip" and attractive to children. It was booked by the county schools as part of their program to confront tobacco use by the school children of Trinity County. The shows were funded by the State Dept. of Health, and used mask, movement and music, along with a question & answer period with the students. The project was called DATES (for Dell'Arte Tobacco Education Shows) and lasted for two-and-a-half years.

Contact:
Peter Buckley
Dell'Arte Company
Blue Lake, CA

TULARE COUNTY

Title: "What Will You Do When the Party Is Over"
When: October 22, 1999
Organized by: Coalition for Peace and Reconciliation of Visalia First Assembly of God
Performed by: Professional actors and county youth
Where: Visalia First Assembly of God Church, Visalia
Style: Issues-based theater
Representation: Asian Americans/Latinos, Chicanos/Youth
Impact: Increasing Engagement and Dialogue

Description: This drama addressed drugs, alcohol and gang violence. It was written by Albert Padilla, director of this coalition of private businesses, Tulare Co. Office of Education, Probation Department, Superior Courts and Tulare Co. Board of Supervisors, whose objective is to stop violence in the community. It was performed for an audience of 800 young people, including members of eight rival gangs. "Our community has had its share of gang problems among Asians and Hispanics gangs," said Padilla. "At the end of the drama there was a compelling plea for those that wanted out of the gang lifestyle and we had 130 respond. We are currently working with these young people with a variety of different programs."

Contact:
Rev. Albert Padilla
First Assembly of God Church
Visalia, CA

TUOLUMNE COUNTY

Title: "Betsy Ross of the Bears"
When: July 1999
Organized by: Duende Drama and Literature and county residents
Performed by: Duende Drama and Literature
Where: National Forest Amphitheater, Pinecrest
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: This play is set during California’s Bear Flag Revolt, and is about Nancy Kelsey, the first white woman to walk across the Sierra Nevadas. She became involved with the Bear Flag rebels and provided the cloth from which the California Bear Flag was fashioned. This play was written by Rick Foster, director of Duende Drama and Literature in Tuolumne County, at the request of a local group interested in the history of Nancy Kelsey. Research came from newspaper interviews with Kelsey, who was illiterate. Duende specializes in original theater and school performances about cultural conflict in California history.

Contact:
Rick Foster
Duende Drama and Literature
Sonora, CA

VENTURA COUNTY

Title: "Ghost Walk"
When: October 1999
Organized by: Santa Paula Community Theater
Performed by: Santa Paula Community Theater
Where: Streets of Santa Paula
Style: History-based performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Strengthening Sense of Place

Description: "Ghost Walk" is an annual street-theater performance in which local actors portray real people who have either died tragically or unusually due to historical events in the area (dams bursting, plague, etc.).

Contact:
Fred Helsel
Santa Paula Theater Center
Santa Paula, CA

YOLO COUNTY

Title: "Juana Briones"
When: March 23, 1999
Organized by: California Council on the Humanities, Woodland Public Library
Performed by: Storyteller Olga Loya
Where: Woodland Public Library, Woodland
Style: Chautauqua performance
Representation: Women
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Storyteller Olga Loya presented a chautauqua performance as Juana Briones, a businesswoman, landowner, rancher and humanitarian in early California who fought for her land grant in what is now San Francisco — all the way to the Supreme Court. This presentation included a question-and-answer period with the audience, in character and out.

Contact:
Marie Bryan
Woodland Public Library
Woodland, CA

YUBA COUNTY

Title: Storytelling by Larry Maurice
When: October 2, 1999
Organized by: Beckwourth Frontier Days, Poets and Writers Incorporated
Performed by: Cowboy storyteller Larry Maurice
Where: Beckwourth Frontier Days, Marysville
Style: Storytelling performance
Representation: County residents
Impact: Deepening Historical Memory

Description: Larry Maurice is a working cowboy and award-winning "cowboy poet." A student of the late 19th and early 20th Century masters of the cowboy storytelling genre, Maurice performs traditional and original stories and poems. He has performed at the Elko Cowboy Poetry gathering in Nevada, Canada’s Cowboy Festival and at cowboy poetry festivals throughout the West. His appearance at Beckwourth Frontier Days, an annual living history celebration commemorating African-American frontiersman James Pierson Beckwourth, was supported by Poets and Writers Incorporated.

Contact: Susan Nicoletti
Beckwourth Frontier Days
Marysville, CA

CATEGORIES USED IN THIS LIST

STYLE

• Storytelling performance: based on the personal story of the teller or traditional tales of the region
• History-based performance: based on written and oral histories of the community
• Poetry and fiction performance: performance based on written poems and fiction
• Community performance: performance by and for community members, based on a well-known text, adapted to address immediate community concerns
• Issues-based theater: original scripted play about issues faced by local community, performed by a theater company
• Musical theater: theater production of which music is a primary component
• Chautauqua performance: scholar/actors in unscripted portrayal and discussion of historical characters
• Performance art: performance principally derived from visual art and not theater
• Community festival: festival by and for the local community, including theatrical elements
• Experiential education: education through a "realistic" experience of the past, including theatrical elements
• Residency: combination of activities by a visiting theater company, including performances and workshops in local schools or other community setting

REPRESENTATION (who is represented, and/or who it is for):

• County residents
• African Americans
• Asian Americans
• Jewish Americans
• Latinos, Chicanos
• Native Americans
• Women
• Youth
• Incarcerated men or women
• Seniors

PURPOSE OR OUTCOME

• Increasing Engagement and Dialogue: Productions that initiate unlikely conversations, partnerships, and problem solving around critical local issues.
• Strengthening Sense of Place: Productions that creatively use public space and build awareness of the places we inhabit.
• Deepening Historical Memory: Productions that help people to remember and understand local history and tradition.
• Building Group Identity: Productions that strengthen and communicate the voices of under-represented groups.
• Facilitating Personal Recovery: Productions that use theater as a tool for personal recovery, explorations or development.