Henriëtte Brouwers, associate director and producer
Henriëtte Brouwers is a performer, director and teacher. As Associate Director she has worked with the Los Angeles Poverty Department since 2000. Born in the Netherlands, Brouwers has a degree from the Academie voor Expressie door Woord en Gebaar in her native country and studied corporeal mime with Etiènne Décroux and ‘theatre of the oppressed‘ with Augusto Boal in Paris. She was invited to present her work in the US by the Theatre Project in Baltimore in 1993 and has since performed and taught at Towson University and the Baltimore Highschool for the Arts, UT of Knoxville and Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem. She was movement director for Blue Monk, directed by Ed Smith for the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Highways Performance Space presented her solo: la Lengua, the tongue of Cortés in 2000. Inspired by Mexican legends about women, Brouwers directed Weeping Women and War at Pomona College, Weeping Women on Skid Row and La Llorona of Echo Park with LAPD. In 2003–4, Brouwers worked with John Malpede on the creation of RFK in EKY a community-based re-enactment of Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 trip to investigate poverty in Appalachia. She is also featured in artist Bill Viola’s renowned The Passions series, which has been exhibited extensively in major museums throughout the world. and

Kevin Michael Key, performer and community coordinator
Kevin Michael Key is a law school graduate and has practiced as a defense attorney. He is active in the recovery community in downtown Los Angeles and in community advocacy groups. He works part-time for United Coalition East Prevention Project to mobilize the neighborhood on quality of life issues. He does community diabetes education with the JWHC clinic. Kevin Michael has worked with LAPD since 2003 and has traveled with LAPD for community residencies in New York, Charlotte, NC, Utrecht, The Netherlands, the Paris, France suburb of Gennevilliers and Bolivia. As a member of LA Poverty Department Kevin Michael is responsible for linking communities, organizing workshops and public convening’s and speaking with the press. 

Matt H. Mayes, resident filmmaker Matt first began working with the LAPD during the 2009 tour of Agentes y Activos in Bolivia, when he was hired by Thomas Jones of Halo Group to record the trip and performance. He later edited the footage into a 30 minute documentary, Agentes y Activos: The Los Angeles Poverty Department in Bolivia. Since then he has stayed on with the LAPD - contributing video content for installations, documenting live performances and organizing the digitizing of our 25 year archive of work.

Riccarlo Porter, performer, writer Riccarlo Porter is a writer, performer, publicist and a producer of arts events. As a core ensemble member of LAPD he has traveled with the company to Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C and Houston. He’s played a significant organizational role in our “UTOPIA/dsytopia” project and in our “History of Incarceration” project. He is a contributing writer and a performer in our production “State of Incarceration”.

Charles Jackson, performer, special projects coordinator Charles Jackson has performed with LAPD since 1995.  He worked closely with Henriëtte Brouwers in developing the movement sequences in Is There History on Skid Row?  In 2002 and 2007 he coordinated the activities of 12 university participants and international visitors in changeXchange; LAPD's month long instructional workshop in making community based art. For many years Charles has been the tenant representative for his building, The Ward Hotel.

Ibrahim Saba, performer Ibrahim is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Arabic. He has performed with LAPD’s since 1999. He also performed in three community productions with Cornerstone Theater Company and he is a member of Drama Stage Qumran.  He has for many years worked for the LA County Department of Social Services.

Sashae Siatui Zackery, performer Sashae is trained as a nurse at UCLA, lives on Skid Row and has been a member of L A Poverty Department since 2003. She made her LAPD debut as la Llorona in La Llorona, Weeping Women on Skid Row. She performed in the Netherlands in Agents & Assets and particiapted in the residency Sleepwalking Democracy. She appeared in UTOPIA/dystopia.

Ronald Walker, performer Ronnie has performed with LAPD since 2008. He was part of LAPD's contribution in David Michaleck's 'Portraits in Dramatic Time' at Lincoln Center in New York, 2011. He is an active member of the Skid Row Recovery Community and a graduate of the Amity Prison Re-entry program, where he is fulltime employed.

Carmen Vega, performer Carmen is a graduate of NYU, a poet and actress who has performed with LAPD, Drama Stage Qumran and most recently with the Company of Angels production “The other side of the frame”. She joined LAPD in 2010, performed in LAPD’s “State of Incarceration” and is working on our upcoming performance“ Walk The Talk”.

Walter Fears, performer, drummer Walter joined LAPD in 2011 and performed in “State of Incarceration” and our current work “ Walk the Talk”.  He is a leading member of the Skid Row Playaz; a percussion group that often performs at community events and is a regular at the Downtown Art Walk. Walter is US army veteran who volunteers to at the VA hospital in Westwood.  He is an active member of Skid Row’s LA Community Action Network.

Linda Harris, perfromer, singer Linda is a singer and actress. She performed in the ‘Soloist’ and appeared in the documentary ‘Lost Angels’. She is a member of the choir of the Central City Community Church, and she has worked with LAPD since 2009, performing in “Let’s Go”, “State of Incarceration” and our current work “ Walk the Talk”.