By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — Theatre lovers in San Diego know how fortunate we are to live here in such a rich and varied cultural landscape. So much more than a Navy town on the border, San Diego County is home to ten equity theatre companies, an opera with its own orchestra, three improv companies and three universities with notable graduate programs. Amidst these mountains, it’s easy to overlook some of the smaller hills whose trails take some unexpected turns. I recently attended a pow-wow at the Performing Annex in City Heights to learn more about some theatrical ventures. So I now invite you to take a walk with me and explore a path less trodden.
Mo’olelo (taken from the Hawai’ian word for story) was an upstart theatre company dedicated to giving a stronger voice to under-represented communities. It was founded by Seema Sueko. I first met Seema at a staged reading of one of her plays. She chronicled her adventures in Israel from a very unusual perspective, that of a Pakistani-born, liberal, feminist, Muslim-American. I didn’t agree with everything she said, but I sure admired her chutzpah.
Fortunately for Seema, she has moved on to become the Deputy Artistic Director of the Arena Stage in the nation’s capital. Not too shabby. Unfortunately for Mo’olelo, their board has decided to fold. But, committed to doing some good, they have donated their remaining assets to another worthy outfit: Playwright’s Project.
Playwright’s Project is an organization whose mission is to “empower individuals to voice their stories through playwriting programs and theatre productions.” I first encountered their work in the 90s with an after-school literacy program. Professional actors brought to life the works of elementary school children. My favorite was about a little dragon who finally mastered fire-breathing by eating chili peppers.
In 2016, through a purely chance meeting –or maybe providence- I was hired by Playwright’s Project to do a show written collaboratively by inmates at Donovan State Prison. It was a glaring, unblinking look at life on the inside and an experience I won’t soon forget.
At this pow-wow, Artistic Director Cecilia Kouma introduced two very playful and energetic young actors who presented samples of their work. Looking at the world from different points of view, a boy in juvie wrote about two feral dogs. At first, they say that they relish their freedom, going wherever and doing whatever they wish. But deep down, they’d rather have the safety and comfort of families who love and care for them. Another POV was that of a pen and pencil fallen behind a desk. In juvie, survival means putting on a strong front. Such projections give them a safe space to express their more vulnerable feelings.
The same goes for veterans, young men and women who leave the comforts and security of home for a far more uncertain world. The insecurities that haunt them are not just for their immediate safety, but what they will return to if they return at all. After living under the mantra to just “suck it up,” channeling those energies through a character provides them just enough aesthetic distance to be vulnerable and yet feel safe.
And that’s the underlying power of theatre. Is the Playwrights Project grooming the next Shakespeare or Neil Simon? Who knows? Are they doing their part to repair the world? Indubitably.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com