'UTOPIA/dystopia' performances at the REDCAT theatre:
Thursday Dec. 6 - Saturday Dec. 8 at 8: 8:30 pm and Sunday Dec. 9 at 3 pm at the corner of Hope and 2nd Street in downtown LA

Directed by: John Malpede
Performers:  Henriette Brouwers, General Dogon, Lorinda Hawkins, Charles Jackson, Kevinmichael Key, John Malpede, Tony Parker, Riccarlo Porter, Ibrahim Saba, Sashae Siatui.
Musicians:  Piano: Ron Taylor. Guitar songs and lyrics: Weba Garretson, Ralph Gorodetsky.
Cardboard tower: Richard Piscuskas / John Malpede
Images:  Fridgeir Helgason
Stage Manager: Pamela Miller Macias
Lighting Design:  Jeff Teeter / Henriette Brouwers

Excerpt Description: What is the best way to get people of the streets? Is it through aggressive enforcement of dubious laws that criminalize homelessness?  Or, is it through encouraging the further development of the recovery culture that has developed in downtown LA's Skid Row area, during the last 25 years, through public policy and non-profit initiatives?  

video by Tre Shallowhorn

November 16 - 4 PM
"220 Glimpses of Utopia" an Outdoor Utopian Movement Chain.
In a series of workshops LAPD asked 220+ people from in- and outside Skid Row what Utopia looks like to them. Each group translated these visions into slow motion movement and and togther they created a line of movement on the sidewalks that extended the 10 blocks from the heart of Skid Row to City Hall. Every person in the chain contributed something of their own vision and movement; and because the chain of caring, profound, loving movement extended throughout the community, it made clear that any true Utopian vision is one that includes and cares for everyone.
"220 Glimpses" is a means of articulating the humanity of several hundred people, and injecting it abruptly into the city through the medium of movement.  At 4 pm, 15 minutes of beautiful movement quite surprisingly filled the air, expanding everyone's reality, taking the edge off the city at rush hour.

Read the about the participants visions of Utopia
For more information write to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

An evening of performances and presentations by people who are making "utopian" contributions to life in downtown Los Angeles.  SURPRISE presenters were invited by LAPD members and asked to identify and invite someone "who you think is doing something that is contributing to creating the kind of neighborhood you would like to live in?"  8 inviters and 8 invitees come together to create a kaleidoscopic picture of utopian possibilities downtown. 
"Come Together" is a randomizing concept for structuring events, conceived by 2006 Alpert Award winning artist Harrell Fletcher, a collaborating artist on UTOPIA / dystopia. All events are free and require no reservations.

        
November 16 at 6:00 pm “Glimpses of Utopia: 31 - 37” at The Church of the Nazarene, located at 419 East 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA  90013.
Presenters include: Molly Rysman, of the Skid Row Housing Trust; “Redd”, a long-time member of the Skid Row recovery community; Shannon Murray of LAMP, a housing and social service provider for homeless persons with mental illness; Al Sobl, a member of LA Community Action Network; Ron Crockett, who is developing a community beautification program; Carol Sobel, a civil rights attorney; and Jan Williamson, affordable housing advocate, and executive director of the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.
Download Glimpses of Utopia 31 -37


October 25 at 7:00 pm “Glimpses of Utopia: 24 - 30” at The Red Dot Gallery, located at 500 S. Spring Street.
Participants include: Fridgeir Helgason, a photographer living in a Main Street loft, who will show a short movie he made when he lived at the Midnight Mission; Gordon Turner, Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, will speak on patient dumping on Skid Row; Steve Diaz from LA Community Action Network, who will speak on his work as a housing advocate; Dwight Lewis who will speak on his work at St. Vincent Cardinal Manning Center; Lisa Watson, executive director of the Downtown Women’s Center, who will talk about the development of a 75-unit housing project for low-income women; Deacon Alexander, a board member of the Vernon Main Neighborhood Council, will speak on his work to make sure that more community resources and access to city facilities are available to Skid Row residents.  Neighborhood resident, and professional musician Oscar Harvey will play harmonica and bass guitar.
Download Glimpses of Utopia 24-30

        
Thursday Sept. 20 at 7.00 pm: Glimpses of Utopia: 16-23, a 'Come Together' at the Historic Fire Station Old 23, located 225 E. 5th Street, downtown LA.
Presenters: Daniel Taylor who will talk about his plans for a community center at the Old Fire Station, CHAC;  Wendell Blassingame, Movies on the Nickel;   Mr. Lee, retired UCLA ethnomusicologist, expert on the Bamboo flute, and who, with his wife, runs the D+D deli across from the Weingart Center;  Gordon Turner, Deputy City Attorney for the City of LA who will speak on patient dumping on Skid Row;  Misako Tsuchiya, who teaches Tai Chi in the open air in Little Tokyo and Alexander Technique in an adult school on Skid Row.  She will teach a 10-minute Tai Chi class;  General Dogon, LA CAN;  Ron Chester Taylor, ragtime piano;  Trevor Duberry and Quolesha Elba from Chrysalis, social service provider of jobs and job training.
Download Glimpses 16-23


July 26, at 7:30 pm: “Glimpses of Utopia: 8 - 15” at The Red Dot Gallery, located at 500 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA  90013.
Among the participants are Becky Dennison from LA Community Action Network (LA CAN); Dr. Dennis Bleakley working for JWCH at Skid Row’s clinic the Weingart Center who was featured by LA Times Steve Lopez in his series “Life on the Streets’ about Skid Row; Cellist Mystic Pete will play his music for meditation, yoga, massage, relaxation and sensual union; Rosemary Anaya, Director EconomicDevelopment and Community Outreach, in the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney; Don Bell who sells soda’s and raises his son as a single parent on Skid Row and LAPD Detective II Eric Moore.
Download Glimpses 8-15


June 21, 7.30 p.m.; 7 Glimpses of Utopia at The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.
Among the participants are Adelle Yellin, who with her late husband Ira, developed downtown's landmark Grand Central Market; activist Pete White, co-director of LA Community Action Network; and downtown fashion designer and native of Iceland, Stella Dottir; Henry Procter of The art of Cleaning; Manuel Compito (aka OG Man) a local artist in the downtown Skid Row community; Julie Rico, RedDot Gallery and musicians Hylen Burt and Tony Parker.
Download the 7 Glimpses of Utopia event program
The missing Bio in the program; Adelle Yellin's choise:
Kathryn Welch Howe is a historic preservation specialist. Kathryn will present observations on working in historic preservation and community development in the urban environment.  She will discuss the interplay of architecture, economics, and engagement to generate broad community involvement and quality urban development.

The 'Glimpses of Utopia' newsletters are available for downloading. Download the 7 Glimpses of Utopia event program The first event, (Glimpses 1-7) took place on June 21, 2007, at The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and the second, Glimpses of Utopia 8-15 on July 26, at the Red Dot Gallery. Glimpses of Utopia 16-23 on September 20 at the Historic Fire Station Old 23. Glimpses of Utopia 24-30 on October 25 at Red Dot Gallery and Glimpses of Utopia 31 -37 on Nov. 16 at the Church of Nazarene.