A Jordan Downs Illumination

2017-2019

written & directed by:
Nancy Keystone

May 16-26, 2019 at the Jordan Downs Recreation Center, Watts

Named one of 2019’s Best Productions (KCRW).

About The Project

A commission by, and collaboration with, Cornerstone Theater Company and the community at Jordan Downs housing project in Watts–a spectacle of installations, community interactions, and performance, performed in multiple
locations around the site.

“A Jordan Downs Illumination” is a celebration and commemoration of the life of the community at Jordan Downs. As the complex undergoes a complete redevelopment, the performance is an invitation to acknowledge a moment of historic change. Built 75 years ago, Jordan Downs is practically an antique, and despite the demographic shift– from majority Black/African-American, to now majority Latinx/Hispanic– the community and built environment has been almost an island, relatively unchanged, amidst the dynamic landscape of the city that surrounds it. It is a deeply connected community with multiple generations of families and friends living together. The performance, created
in collaboration with community members and performers, is an interactive spectacle that takes place in and around the Jordan Downs Recreation Center. The audience travels through different stations which tell the stories of Jordan Downs, shining light on the past, and exploring the intricacies of the change that is underway. Some of the questions that guided the creation of the piece include: What do people want to remember? What is worth preserving? What is being lost? Do we resist change, or do we welcome it? How does the past inform the present, and how do people navigate the swells and currents of history? The 2-year creation process included story-circles,
personal walking tours, recipe sharing, interviews, bike rides, community meetings, art- making events, activist marches, theatre workshops.

Ensemble

Ashley Arana – Green Guide
Devonne Bowman – Hall of Decades Docent: 1940s, 1980s
Johnnie – Yellow Guide
Numa Juarez – Hall of Decades Docent: 1960s, 2010s
Fran de Leon – Mrs. Malkovich
Marcenus MC Earl – M.C.
Richard Gallegos – Hall of Decades Docent:1950s, 2000s
Marianet Tirado – Pink Guide
Bahni Turpin – Hall of Decades Docent: 1970s, 1990s

Production Team

creative producer: Bruce Lemon
stage manager: Sophia Sanchez
costume design: Lena Sands
scenic design: Nephelie Andonyadis
lighting design: Chris Wojcieszyn
composer/sound design: Jonathan Snipes
video design: Hana Sooyeon Kim
assoc. producer/production manager: Cameron Squire
asst. stage manager: Maria Oliveira
asst. costume designer: Blanca Gutierrez
asst. producer, dramaturgical & curatorial assistant: Lindsay Jenkins
production assistant: Lisa de Los Angeles

Cornerstone Theater Company Staff

artistic director: Michael John Garcés
managing director: Megan Wanlass
director of engagement: Paula Donnelly
social enterprise: Andy Horwitz

Press

“… a deeply moving and sensitive experience of a place with a rich and complicated history. Whatever you know of public housing and Jordan Downs, specifically, this play will change how you feel about it… Don’t miss this production. Don’t miss this chance to experience community.” –Anthony Byrnes, KCRW

“This kind of community-engaged theatre doesn’t just feel like home to me. In this rapidly diversifying nation, it feels like the future.” –Rob Weinert-Kendt, American Theatre Magazine

Los Angeles Times–Jordan Downs housing project’s little-told history is embraced as immersive theater
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-jordan-downs-illumination-20190523-story.html

American Theatre—Big Ups for Jordan Downs: Cornerstone Memorializes a Watts Housing Project
https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/05/17/big-ups-for-jordan-downs-cornerstone-memorializes-a-watts-housing-project/

KCRW/Press Play with Madeleine Brand–Theater project explores Jordan Downs, public housing, and gentrification
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/ambitious-housing-bill-sb-50-gets-shelved-until-next-year/theater-project-explores-jordan-downs-public-housing-and-gentrification

KCRW—Theatre of Place: Jordan Downs
https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/opening-the-curtain/the-theatre-of-place-jordan-downs

photos:
Noe Montes, Hana Sooyeon Kim