Before we move into Summer ‘Cool mode, we want to highlight the fabulous work that our After ‘Cool, Teen Leadership students and teaching artists put into their finale presentations earlier this month! Over the past year, each class worked as an ensemble to devise and stage an original production based on our theme of “Family.” The classes then collaborated with lighting and sound designers to create a play to share with parents, siblings, grandparents, and the rest of the 24th Street family. Thank you to our families for your commitment to our program. This would not be possible without you. Congratulations on 4 successful shows, and thank you to everyone who showed up to support your students’ efforts. We’ll see you all in August! (fb)

"Tonight, I went down to 24th Street Theatre to see a piece I encountered fifteen years ago, ‘La Razon Blindada’, brilliantly performed in Spanish, with terrific captioning, and written by Aristides Vargas, one of the founders of Teatro Malayerba in Ecuador, who also directed the piece. Performed simply, elegantly, and devastatingly effectively by two Los Angeles based actors, Jesus Castaños-Chima and Tony Duràn, who simply stun in telling the story of two political prisoners who entertain themselves by using Man of La Mancha as their inspiration. It's a marvelous piece of theatre, and I implore you to see it before it closes on the 18th of May. I am almost done with this semester. Graduation is Friday and it can’t come soon enough. I feel ragged both inside and out. I subbed for a lot of classes. They were tears. And a refrain that escaped several student mouths, “It’s too much, the world, right now.” I couldn’t agree more. And yet, all these plays, six in three days, give me so much hope. Art is the balm." - Luis Alfaro, artist, writer, director, professor, and activist Thank you, Luis, for your kind words and inspiration in these dark times. Only two more opportunities to see this timely, funny, and moving piece of theatre. (fb)