On Jan. 7, 60 students at California’s Altadena Arts and Eliot Arts magnet schools began rehearsals for their production of Shrek, Jr. That same night, while the young artists were soundly asleep, the Eaton fires began to ravage their region of Los Angeles. In the ensuing week, as the Pacific Palisades fire simultaneously raged in West L.A., the Easton fire destroyed much of their school, including their theatre, which lost its roof. Around 40 percent of the students also lost their own homes in the blaze.
For three weeks, they didn’t know what they’d do. But as Eliot Arts director Mollie Lief put it, “No matter what, we always say, the show must go on. That’s more important now than it’s ever been. Our beloved town was taken from us.”
At a pizza party dinner on Jan. 26, Lief revealed that they’d be partnering with Center Theatre Group and Pasadena Playhouse, all leading up to “one big giant performance starring you all on a big stage in Downtown L.A.” Where? CTG’s Ahmanson Theatre, on April 18. (The two performances are already sold out.)
The students, who saw Sutton Foster in Once Upon a Mattress at CTG last fall, were immediately excited. “Y’all are stepping up!” choreographer Billy Rugh said. “It was like a rock concert; there was shouting and tears,” said CTG’s managing director Meghan Pressman. “We’re so thrilled to present that show and give the kids the night of their life.”
It’s the latest in CTG’s efforts to support short- and long-term recovery for the Los Angeles region in the aftermath of the wildfires. After the fires were contained, CTG listed themselves as an available relief space and offered “emergency care camps” where teaching artists offered trauma-informed care and teaching in local parks for students who had disrupted or lost schools, so they had somewhere to go during the day. This amounted to 700 hours worth of teaching “to help get through the tough first weeks,” Pressman said.
“The fires were devastating and it’s obviously a real crisis for the community,” Pressman continued. “But it’s also been amazing moment for Los Angeles. People have been banding together, turning up to really support people who’ve been affected and to really give many kudos and thanks to the first responders. It’s actually been, in many ways, a heartwarming community-coming-together moment. I think that will help people get through what will be a many-year recovery period.”
The company also created its Wildfire Relief Fund and a drive for Baby2Baby collecting childcare supplies, offered complimentary tickets to first responders, supported their own displaced staff, and reached out to support local schools’ spring productions to offer virtual teaching resources for educators teaching remotely due to fire displacement. Altadena and Eliot are among those schools.
For these Title 1 schools, where 63.3 percent of their student population comes from low-income families, and 42 percent of Eliot students and 55 percent of faculty had homes in the Altadena evacuation zone, the loss of homes is “even more difficult,” Pressman said. The chance to perform in CTG’s space downtown has given them strength, support, and hope during this time of turmoil.
They’ve been rehearsing in a variety of spaces across Pasadena, as it’s closer to Altadena. But they’re getting tech time and their performances in the Ahmanson, which is bigger than what they’re used to. (To fill the space, the production team is renting scenic and projection packages.). On March 13, CTG bussed the students to the Ahmanson for “orientation day,” where they met staff assigned to the show, toured the space, and participated in workshops and classes. The whole time, Pressman said, they wore Shrek headbands.
In a letter of appreciation to CTG staff, director Lief wrote: “By lifting up these theatre kids and giving them a space to express themselves and heal, we will contribute to healing the broken hearts of our school and our extraordinary Altadena community.”
Pressman said that the school’s willingness to push through is inspirational. “Change can be difficult. To see how quickly both the L.A. arts and public school districts will say ‘Yes, we’ll figure it out,’ has been so amazing,” she said. “Anyone else could say ‘We can’t do this right now.’ Instead, they said ‘This is the number one thing we want to do.’”
CTG is continuing conversations with L.A. parks and recreation for activities in city and county parks, and made similar offers to schools in the Palisades. “The story’s not over yet. We’re honored to support folks with the programming we have,” Pressman said.
Daniella Ignacio is a contributing editor for American Theatre, based in Washington, D.C. She was previously an intern and editorial assistant. Bylines include Washingtonian, The 51st, 3Views on Theater, DC Theater Arts and more. www.daniellaignacio.com
