About...Productions

ABC/HULU is casting Latinx leads for a new television series and is holding a digital open call. See the link for more information and instructions on how to enter. https://www.castittalent.com/Punk_A_B

Attention, Latinx artists and arts administrators! Applications for the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Institute are open. The NALAC Leadership Institute takes place virtually July 12-16 and will provide training in nonprofit arts management and leadership development for arts leaders of every level of experience. ... This opportunity is open to U.S. and Puerto Rico-based Latinx artists, arts administrators, and cultural practitioners working in all media or disciplines. The deadline to apply is March 11th, 2021. For more information and to apply, visit the link below. https://www.nalac.org/leadersh/nalac-leadership-institute/

Say hello to our Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture intern, Camila Toscano! Camila Toscano is a 22 year old from Los Angeles, currently a Pitzer College senior majoring in History. She is an Ecuadorian-American. She looks to pursue a career in arts education or archiving. In her spare time, she loves listening to music, creating visual art, and watching Laker basketball. Camila has been working with About...Productions since August. Her main project has been wo...Continue reading

We've been working away on archiving our work in preparation for it's inclusion in the California State University, Northridge's Digital Collection. Under the steady guidance of L.A. as Subject Resident Archivist Crystal Johnson, we're cataloging 28 years of our Los Angeles history-based theaterworks. Our intern, Camila Toscano, is making a major contribution towards this deep dive into seven productions from 1992-2020. We're excited to be moving closer to being part of the C...SUN Collection as well as the Digital Public Library of America. To be able to share our work on these educational and research platforms is an honor, and we're looking forward to announcing its official launch! Check out this "They Shoot Mexicans, Don't They?" clip from the 2017 site-specific remount at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Movie producer Walter Petersen, played by Peter Howard, pitches his silent film-in-the-making based on the historic "The Mission Play"; and intros dancers --Stephani Candelaria, Naydoe Pinedo (Mike Pinedo), Gilbert Saldivar and Annaliese Chavez Tusken. Silent film actors (l-r): Michael Manuel, Sayda Trujillo, Francisco Martinez (also production choreographer), and Jesse Ramirez.

About...Productions has been awarded a grant from the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund! We would like to thank the LA County Board of Supervisors (Supervisor Hilda Solis, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Supervisor Janice Hahn, and Supervisor Kathryn Barger for allocating federal funding to arts and culture, and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture for administering the grant. As cultural first responders, our work is vital to preserving our community's stories, and offering a space for artistic expression in the face of hardship. Funding from this grant has allowed us to continue our arts education and outreach programs, creating positive impact in our community and providing job opportunities for artists. Thank you for your investment in the arts and our community!

The Western States Arts Federation is now accepting applications for the Emerging Leaders of Color 2021 program! We highly encourage the arts leaders of color in our community to apply. Program goals include: -Building a cohort of cultural leaders of color in the western United States who are committed to the advancement of the arts. -Engaging diverse emerging leaders in coursework and activities designed to strengthen competencies and prepare participants for leadership posi...tions in the field. -Providing opportunities for promising arts professionals to establish networks that support their careers and the cultural interests of the communities they represent and serve. -Deepening participants' understanding of the arts in the United States and how public support sustains the vibrancy of the sector. The program will take place completely virtually on March 18-19 and March 22-24, 202. The deadline for the application and endorsement is 4:00 p.m. PST on Monday, February 1, 2021. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.westaf.org/emerging-leaders-of-color/"

About...Productions is thrilled to announce the 20TH ANNIVERSARY of our YOUNG THEATERWORKS program. For over 20 years, this arts education and outreach program has served thousands of highest-risk youth in the Greater Los Angeles area, providing skills to improve literacy, spark creativity, and strengthen community. In one of our programs, the 10-week intergenerational residency "Through the Ages," participating students interview elders in their community, and then write short plays based on their life story. This clip features one of those plays performed at a culminating event this past December. "A Light at the End of the Tunnel" was written by Rose City High School students based on their interview with screenwriter and youth pastor Eric Johnson; and performed at Boston Court Pasadena theater.

Tomorrow, October 13th, the LA County Board of Supervisors will vote on a new plan for arts education. You can send a letter of support for LA County's New Regional Blueprint for Arts Education by clicking the link below, and urging the full board to adopt the new plan.

AUGUST 29, 1970 still resonates and inspires. Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium and the death of journalist Ruben Salazar. We are proud to be a sponsor and partner of The Chicano Rebellion Reconsidered program which features a virtual screening of Phillip Rodriguez' doc "Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle" followed by a live Q&A of leading Latinx journalists, artists and present day activists on AUG 29 @ 5PM. We're also excited that, as part of this project, the 3B Collective created the powerful mural (pictured below) and billboard image adjacent to the Silver Dollar Bar & Cafe where Salazar was murdered. Both are up temporarily so check them out ASAP!

Today we mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, granting women the constitutional right to vote. We're sporting the suffragette colors of purple and gold to celebrate this occasion along with the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and many other structures and institutions across America. We honor the suffragists who never gave up the march for equality, and fostered a better future for women's voices, bodies and minds! We hope this inspires Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act in the name of the late, great and Honorable John Lewis. Thank you to the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) and the National Endowment for the Arts for inspiring us to celebrate 100 years of this vital democratic victory! #ForwardIntoLight #CelebrateWomensVoices

Celebrating 100 years of Women's Right to Vote!

"Warehouse workers, sales clerks, delivery drivers, health aides the crisis has revealed just how essential, and how undervalued, these and many other workers are. The same is true of artists. Art is essential; the people who create it are essential, too." If you love the arts, remember to support the artist creating it! How have the arts impacted your life in quarantine?

Sooo proud of our friend and collaborator Martha Gonzalez' just published book "Chican@ Artivistas: Music, Community, and Transborder Tactics in East Los Angeles" and the L.A. Times feature (see below) on her latest accomplishment. Can't wait to dig in for the inspiration and insight we're sure the book will bring to us all. Another (quetzal) feather in her cap. ¡Felicidades! For more information on her book, visit https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/gonzalez-chicana-artivistas

Our monthly newsletter hits inboxes this afternoon! This edition addresses the glass ceiling of arts funding, seeking to expose the ways the current model of arts funding disadvantages BIPOC arts organizations. Take a look to read more about community-centric fundraising, an update on our Young Theaterworks program, and more!

APPLICATIONS are OPEN for the California Arts Council Administrators of Color Fellowship program. This is a statewide program and will match 10 Arts Administrators of Color (Fellows) with an arts and culture organization (Host Organizations) dedicated to equity and community engagement for a 9-12 month fellowship. Both Fellows and Host Organizations are encouraged to apply. ... This fellowship provides a $50,000 stipend for Fellows. In addition to the stipend, the fellowship provides an immersive learning community with professional development opportunities. Host Organizations will receive $35,000 to mentor their fellow and to cover administrative costs. Application deadline is July 31, 11:59 PM PDT. For more information and to apply, check out the website below.

Show up for your community today! Spend 10 minutes filling out the 2020 Census by visiting my2020census.gov or by phone. Only one person in each household needs to fill it out to be counted. See the graphic below for complete-by-phone options in different languages.... Participating in the Census is a simple yet vital act of civic duty. Data collected by the Census helps determine how government resources are used, such as access to health care, education, and emergency response. An accurate count is critical to the success of serving all communities. Unfortunately, some communities are historically undercounted. Some of these undercounted communities are ethnic, including the Latinx, Black, Asian American communities. Some undercounted communities are drawn by social boundaries, such as renters, low-income households, and families with young children. These communities face loss of political power and unequal funding and government resources. If you and your family are members of one or more of these communities, please fill out the Census today to tell the country you are here and that you count!