More Eyes on "Words"

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — After rehearsals and a weekend of previews, A Thousand Words opens on Friday, June 13th.

The Los Angeles Times also took a look at the series of plays that, according to Padua Artistic Director Guy Zimmerman, is an homage to a creative collaborative spirit of the Arts District.

It may also preview of what will fill an art space that will be on the ground floor of One Santa Fe, the mixed-use building slated for a 2011 completion date. A space for arts was secured in the upcoming development after nearby residents protested the project.

The makeup of A Thousand Words reflects its spirit of Arts District collaboration. One of the playwrights, Rachel Jendrzejewski, is a member of Cornerstone Theater Group. The performance takes place at Art Share, with local groups LARABA and HCNC sponsoring. Master arts event planner Lilli Muller not only provided art that inspired one of the writers, but is overseeing project materials as well.

The project is also a bit of a return. Several members of the cast appeared in past productions with theater companies once based in the Arts District.

That collaboration could extend outside the area as well. Padua will take five of the nine plays, edit each to five minutes and then upload them to a planned website. B-roll footage will be added, and visitors will be alowed to edit performances and create their own interpretation of the works.

All this combines to make the project a visible incarnation of what the Arts District still is: an industrial zone where creativity is developed and manufactured.

“A Thousand Words” opens Friday, June 13th, and continues through June 29th. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm. General admission tickets are $20, with preview tickets only $15.

Art Share L.A. / 801 East 4th Place / Los Angeles, CA 90013 / (213) 625-1766