The Cast of 2005 In Review: A Living Newspaper. (L to R) Randy Taylor, Anthony Hamm, Nathan Busch, Janette Gomez, Richard Lau, Mia Guild, Jess Johnson & Lisa Ferrez Wright.
Before there was a theatre company there was The Living Newspaper. We produced our first one ten years ago, and we’ve never looked back (until now)…
It was the Bush years and I was sick and tired of yelling at the television. I needed an outlet, and I knew I couldn’t be the only one. In college I had taken a course entitled “Theatre for Social Change” and I was hooked. Combining theatre and politics seemed like a perfect fit for me, and I soon began to understand what my role as an artist could be. It was in this class that I learned about the Federal Theatre Project’s Living Newspaper Unit. I was instantly drawn to the idea of using theatre to discuss current events and using journalists to write the material. I realized that this could be the perfect vehicle for drawing attention to the issues I wanted to discuss.
I knew that the perfect partner in crime for this would be the extremely talented, Jeremiah LaFleur. After lots of research (and lots of drinks) we came up with the groundwork for our show. Inspired by the Living Newspaper Unit’s show, “1935” we decided on a collection of scenes that would highlight the events of the year. Jeremiah was the one who suggested we work at The Hole, which is how we started working in a bar/pub setting. We knew the bar was the perfect place for our audiences to gather after the shows and discuss the material they had scene. Together with an amazing group of writers and designers we created a piece to be proud of.
While a few things have changed our mission has not. I hope you’ll enjoy looking back at these pictures as much as I have. Thanks to an unending source of material, with a little luck and your support we’ll be around another ten years- educating, enlightening and entertaining our audiences.
Cheers, Kats!
2005 In Review: A Living Newspaper
Written by Scott Boehm, Lisa Ferrez, Jess Johnson, Jeremiah LaFleur & Tisha Tumangan
Directed by Jeremiah LaFleur & Tisha Tumangan
Costume Design by Jyothi Doughman
Light Design by Crystal Watts
Slide Design & Photography by Tina Liebelt
Set Design by Grey Hubbard
Sound Design by Tammy Enjaian
Stage Manager, Jessica Plautz
Featuring Nathan Busch, Lisa Ferrez, Janette Gomez, Mia Guild, Anthony Hamm, Jess Johnson, Richard Lau and Randy Taylor.
Performed at The Hole, January 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 & 14 2006.