The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company Celebrates 30 Years Of Empowering Youth Through The Arts

The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company has announced its 30th Anniversary Fundraiser Gala, a landmark celebration of three decades supporting, educating and transforming young lives through the power of theater and storytelling. The gala event will take place on Friday, October 27 at The Ebell Los Angeles, and promises to be an unforgettable evening filled with entertainment, inspiration, and community spirit.

For 30 years, The Unusual Suspects, founded by actress Laura Leigh Hughes, has been dedicated to providing underrepresented youth from underserved communities in Los Angeles with a safe space to explore their creativity, build self-confidence, and develop critical life skills. Through theater and storytelling, the organization has empowered thousands of young people to find their voices and share their unique stories. The Unusual Suspects introduces youth to writing, directing, acting and producing original content, and provides access to live theatre performances.

The 30th Anniversary Fundraiser Gala will feature a red carpet, auction, live music, and most importantly, celebrity actors Paola Lázaro (The Walking Dead), Shakira Barrera (Glow), Gabriela Ortega (Huella) and Jorge Diaz (Paranormal Activity), will perform a play composed from a series of four monologues written by The Unusual Suspects Theater Company students and will be directed by Academy Award nominee Carlos Lopez Estrada (Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon).

The event will also reveal The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company's exciting new project, DEVISE, a magazine produced in editorial partnership with Stage Raw which showcases articles, interviews, and advertisements geared toward the nurturing and support of the next generation of artists. With a projected circulation of 30,000+ per issue both digital and in-print, DEVISE aims to bridge the generational gap between theatre-makers and audiences, distributing it free to spaces for all youth interested in the theatre scene in Los Angeles.

The evening will be hosted by actress/comedian Veronica Osorio (The Laundromat) and actor/comedian Erik Escobar (Last Comic Standing). The 30th Anniversary Gala is brought together by The Unusual Suspects Theater and their Board of Directors and is being produced by Edward Enriquez-Cohen of Olive Productions and Publicity.

Honorees include actor and activist Diego Tinoco (On My Block, Netflix; Knight of the Zodiac, Sony), who will be receiving the The Future Generation Impact Award; activist and philanthropist power couple Olga Segura (Co-founder of The Latinx House and Poderistas) and Ryan Gall (Co-founder of Global Citizen Festival) will be honored with The Humanitarian Impact Award; and The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company's Chair of their Board of Directors, Sara Scott will be receiving the Outstanding Community Advocate Award.

Abiram Brizuela, Executive Director of The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, shared, "I'm truly so honored as the new executive director of The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company to come together with our USTC family and board of directors as we celebrate this extraordinary 30 year milestone. This is not just a celebration of our organization's legacy, but an exciting look into our ambitious future through the lens of our young artists' work"

All proceeds from the 30th Anniversary Fundraiser Gala will directly support The Unusual Suspects' programming, allowing them to reach even more young people and make a lasting impact.

For more information about The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company and to purchase tickets for the 30th Anniversary Fundraiser Gala, please visit https://theunusualsuspects.org.

The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company is a 501-c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underserved youth through the transformative power of theater and storytelling. For 30 years, The Unusual Suspects has provided a creative outlet for young people, helping them build self-confidence, communication skills, and resilience. The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company embraces theatre as a vehicle for social empowerment. Providing free access to dozens of year-long youth theatre residencies focused on the creation and performance of original plays as well as exposure to professional theatre performances, The Unusual Suspects has evolved from a local program serving roughly 50 participants in Van Nuys in 1993 into a robust program that served over 3,500 youth in over 20 communities of Los Angeles in 2023 alone.

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