CHALK LINES Immersive Audio Play Tour Brings Unsung LA Landmarks To Life

The Award-Winning Chalk Repertory Theatre with funding from L.A. City's Department of Cultural Affairs announces the launch of its new audio play series Chalk Lines. Five short plays using immersive audio storytelling will bring to life unsung landmarks in Los Angeles City Council districts 8, 9, and 10 including the Metro Expo Line, Leimert Park, Historic West Adams, and Exposition Park.

Chalk Lines can be experienced online at home or on location at each site with a mobile device for free beginning on June 19, 2021 (through December 19); donations are encouraged. Streaming information and an experience guide are accessible through https://chalkrep.com.

Chalk Lines continues Chalk Rep's 13-year tradition of revealing the spaces and stories of Los Angeles in all its beautiful, complex diversity. The company was founded on principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, anti-racist practices, and identity-conscious casting. Chalk Lines features underexplored communities, BIPOC and LGBTQ perspectives, and a diverse creative team.

Chalk Lines playwrights: Giovanni Adams (actor/playwright; Love is a Dirty Word); Luis Alfaro (award-winning Chicano writer known for his work in poetry, theater, short stories, performance and journalism); Kimrie Lewis (actor/writer/director, currently stars in NBC's new sitcom Kenan); Joseph Guy Maldonado (director/playwright/TV writer; Award-winning Hello Boys and Girls, or The Big Bird Play); and Colette Robert (director/playwright). All writers grew up in Los Angeles and/or live in the neighborhoods where their stories take place.

Chalk Lines actors: Xan Churchwell (actor/writer/creator/ podcast host); Gregg Daniel (accomplished actor/director; Mark Taper Forum's Joe Turner's Come and Gone; Pasadena Playhouse's Jitney); Tonatiuh Elizarraraz (Echo Theater Company's Fixed; IAMA Theatre Company's Species Native to California); Veralyn Jones (Award-winning actress; Ferguson; Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White); Emily Kuroda (Luis Alfaro's Straight as a Line; Red at East West Players); and Emily Stout (founding member of The Associates Theater Ensemble).

The Chalk Lines creative team includes Chalk Rep founding member and award-winning director Jennifer Chang (LADCC Award in Direction for Vietgone, The Clitorish, Bernhardt/Hamlet); Dramaturg Deborah Stein (playwright/screenwriter/director; The Wholehearted, Marginal Loss, Chimera); Sound Designers Justin Asher (composer/audio producer/sound designer) and Colin Wambsgans (creates sounds for concerts/installations/podcasts/films/plays/apps).

- "Mutual Life" written by Giovanni Adams is set in 1992 at the former Carl Bean AIDS Care Center in Historic West Adams. A young Latinx orphan living out his last days in hospice receives a mysterious sales visit for life insurance. Features Tonatiuh Elizarraraz (Arturo) and Xan Churchwell (Dee).

- "March of Time - Time Warp" written by Luis Alfaro follows an unusually frank tour guide through 150 plus years of Los Angeles history and a morphing district from Union Station to Chinatown to the Coliseum and much more. Features Tonatiuh Elizarraraz (Tourist), Emily Kuroda (Tour Guide) and Giovanni Adams (Chorus).

- "8 for 16" written by Kimrie Lewis rides the Expo Metro line from Vermont to Crenshaw and back while a seasoned street vendor and a young college student navigate intricate negotiations. Features Emily Stout (Karly) and Veralyn Jones (Diamond).

- "From Your Homeworld to Mine" written by Joseph Guy Maldonado begins at the Vermont Expo Metro Station where passengers exiting the train encounter a man preaching the word of alien life. But perhaps he has much more to offer and share about history and humankind. Features Gregg Daniel (Rodney).

- "Leimert Park Drum Circle, Sunday Afternoon" written by Colette Robert beckons listeners with the beat of a drum down to Leimert Park Plaza on a journey of time, memory, and self-discovery. Features Veralyn Jones (Parent)

Extending its signature site-specific style to the auditory realm, Chalk Rep combines classic theatrical storytelling with the unique sounds and ambiance of Los Angeles. In response to Covid19 safety protocols, audience members are able to safely enjoy Chalk Lines at home focusing solely on the auditory experience. They also have the option to visually augment the experience by visiting each outdoor location and listen on a mobile device. Chalk Lines is free to stream beginning June 19, 2021; donations are encouraged. Streaming information and an experience guide are accessible through https://chalkrep.com.

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