In 1988, four collaborators — all fresh out of school at CalArts — endeavored to form a professional creative partnership that would give voice to unique, untold stories and cultural perspectives. Over the next 30 years, About...Productions has built a reputation for innovative, award-winning theatrical productions and educational programs.

OUR HISTORY

Now entering our 39th year, our itinerant company’s critically acclaimed interdisciplinary theaterworks have been seen extensively in Greater L.A., in the U.S. and Canada, and on national TV. We collaboratively create and present innovative original theaterworks with many of the region’s leading performing and visual artists to unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California, and L.A. We are one of the few companies that brings affordable theater to low-income, under-served communities by mining seldom-tapped regional histories that address relevant issues and under-represented voices. Our major focus has been re-envisioning buried or misunderstood histories of local and regional Latino, Native American, inter-generational and gender-based communities. We build organizational, educational, and artistic partnerships based on shared programmatic missions, targeted audiences, and outreach efforts. We invite feedback through audience surveys, as well as free “works-in-progress” performances in local venues. To ensure that our theaterworks are relevant to our audiences, we are intentional in where we present our work, carefully matching each production to a venue that reflects and engages its surrounding community. We also pursue institutional collaborations that fulfill the missions of all partners.

Since our inception in 1988, About… Productions has produced 30+ original theaterworks and 6 remounts of original productions. Some of our best known works include Evangeline, the Queen of Make-Believe; They Shoot Mexicans, Don’t They?; Properties of Silence; By the Hand of the Father; and L.A. Real. For more information on all of these theaterworks, please visit past productions. One of our original theaterworks, Adobe Punk, explores the relationship between neighborhood and personal history to provide unique perspectives on seldom-tapped regional histories and underrepresented voices that can inform and engage with local audiences. This project provides a younger generation of artists opportunities to lead, and collaborate on, the development and realization of original theaterworks.

Original theaterworks

Click through the slideshow for a visual history of our original theaterworks.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

For nearly 40 years About…Productions has been dedicated to the collaborative process and creating artistic and community dialogue.

Cultural First responders

First Responder Tales was a free four-part symposia series in 2014/2015 that was created out of an intent to spark conversation in our community. We invited fellow theater practitioners of all disciplines: advocates, policy makers, journalists, funders, activists, and educators to come to the table and join in a conversation about the work of cultural first responders and their place in the greater L.A. landscape

Cultural first responders are experimenters, inventors, and trendsetters who often blur the lines between art, education, and activism; they provide essential services and vital programs that sustain their particular community and contribute to its welfare. First responders also provide safe spaces for the creation of human connections through the exploration and representation of the stories, histories, and frontline issues that are deemed important by the community itself.

young theaterworks

Established in 2001, our Young Theaterworks program is celebrating almost three decades of success serving greatest-risk youth in high schools throughout L.A. County, primarily in Continuation/Options schools in East L.A and Pasadena. Our innovative residencies improve literacy, communication, and collaboration skills, while integrating and exploring the content from, and collaborative processes used, in our professional productions. See more of our history on the Young Theaterworks page.