Theater Across Borders: Resilient Migrant

IT ALL STARTED WHEN...For over 20 years, TeAda has collaborated with community-based organizations across the country, creating original plays rooted in the experiences of immigrants and refugees.  A leader in their field, TeAda impacts tens of thousands of community members, offering acts of service through transformative theater workshops and performances.TeAda Productions began in 1996 as a nomadic theater, with a commitment to artists of color, and a focus on highlighting marginalized stories for purposes of public discourse. Throughout the years, TeAda vigorously upheld the spirit of its programming, delving into exciting, groundbreaking work rooted in pressing community issues. TeAda Productions' cross‐disciplinary performances have addressed health, education, and social justice issues affecting communities of color from intersecting experiences.

TeAda Productions

Virtual theater performance with TeAda Performing Artist Impact Fellows and community members from The Program for Torture Victims.

TEADA PRODUCTIONS, in collaboration with the Program for Torture Victims, presents Theater Across Borders: Resilient Migrant. Lead Artist Ova Saopeng directs this dynamic ensemble community sharing. This is the culmination of a storytelling circle and theater workshop series intensive. Hear directly from the asylum seeking community in Los Angeles as they share poems and stories inspired by their journeys. The performance will be followed by a Q&amp;A. <blockquote>“The transformative power of TeAda Theater is a place for healing, for community, and for growth. We are so excited to share this process driven outcome that you are about to witness. Today’s work is raw, vulnerable, freeing. We have been working closely together to create an environment where people can inspire each other to share their stories. In doing so, there has been laughter and at times tears, both healthy ways to release trauma and pain from our lives. I hope this presentation can help to open all of our eyes to the struggles of asylum seekers, refugees, and survivors.” -- LEAD ARTIST OVA SAOPENG </blockquote>Admission is FREE. All are welcome. Those who rsvp will receive the zoom link.Performing Artist Impact Fellows ALBAN NGANBOU | ANDRIK OCHOA | CARINA LARIOS | CAROL GOMEZ NGWA JOHNSON | KIROS GEBRAKIRSTOS | KIKI RIVERA | MICHAEL MUGAMBE MILLION SIUM | NICOLE M. SMITH of Neuveausoul ProductionsArtistic TeamDirector | Lead Artist OVA SAOPENG Visual Artist | Producer JADE PUGATeAda Artistic Director LEILANI CHANMAHALO TO OUR FUNDERSThis activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at <a href="https://www.arts.ca.gov" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.arts.ca.gov</a>.This performance and workshop series is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit <a href="https://www.calhum.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.calhum.org</a>.TeAda Productions is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

TeAda Productions is a nomadic theater of color rooted in the stories of immigrants and refugees. We are committed to healing and honoring the lives of the displaced, exploited and overlooked. Our artistic process starts and ends with conscious listening, community building, and creative courage. Through theater workshops and performances, TeAda offers acts of service that are transformative and impactful. <a href="http://www.teada.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://www.teada.org/ </a>The TeAda Performing Artist Impact Fellowship offers immigrant and refugee emerging artists, and activists interested in social justice art the opportunity to train in TeAda’s performing arts methodology. Fellows engage and support community in a space that expands capacity to express personal and collective narratives. A pioneer in social justice theater TeAda has developed various programs and theater productions that seek to empower communities of color.

The Program for Torture Victims (PTV) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that rebuilds the lives of immigrant survivors of torture and persecution from over 70 countries who have stood up for freedom, democracy, and human dignity. The first organization of its kind in the country, PTV has helped heal the wounds of thousands of refugees through holistic health and wellness programs, empowering them to reenter society, reclaim their identities, and work toward a new life in the United States. <a href="https://ptvla.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://ptvla.org/</a>

<h2>2021 TeAda Performing Artist Impact Fellows</h2>Alban Nganbou (he/him) is an immigrant from Cameroon, living in California. Entrepreneur by profession, he studied Shipping, IT and Management in Africa. He is pursuing Project Management at UCI Irvine and active volunteer with PMI SVC and OC Churches during the pandemic, and member of Program for Torture Victims. He founded a farmers’ association and volunteered with health and environmental protection organizations in Africa, helping inaccessible and vulnerable populations. He believes the Art is the most efficient resource for the community capacity building. TeAda is an amazing opportunity in enhancing my artistic talents.Andrik Ochoa (they/them/their pronouns) is a non-binary actor and advocate, with a degree in performing arts with emphasis in acting from Universidad de Guadalajara and UCLA. They are also an LGBT+ and human rights defender who is passionate about promoting inclusion and diversity through their work. Their unique versatility has allowed them to bring to life both male and female characters across the board in film and theater. Andrik's personal journey of self discovery and understanding their own identity has further inspired their love for storytelling and the desire to give a voice to the people and communities who need it most.Carina Larios (she/her) born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She cares deeply about social justice issues leading to studying psychology and criminology at UC Irvine. Carina worked with children and teenagers in after school programs and a group home. Recently, she spent 20 months is Costa Rica as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Youth Development sector to assist schools and a nonprofit to establish and promote youth programs. Upon her return to California, she has become part of Program for Torture Victims’ team as a Survivor Advocate.Carol Gomez (she/we) was born and raised in Malaysia. Growing up, she trained in dance and studied the piano. After secondary school, she was welcomed into the “Marion D’Cruz and Dancers” company, a contemporary, experimental interdisciplinary and intercultural dance theater that in part challenged and mirrored back the socio-economic-political realities of the nation. Since moving to the US, she has spent her career engaging with community for racial solidarity, immigrant rights and trauma responsive healing work. She founded the Boston-based Matahari: Eye of the Day in 2002, (since renamed Matahari Justice) engaging BIPOCQI communities and allies to end family violence and support immigrant women’s leadership. In California, she continues her work as a community organizer, a trauma responsive therapist and the Clinical Director at the Program for Torture.Kiki Rivera (she/we/ they) is an internationally produced, award-winning theatre artist, educator, and arts activist. Kiki has her BA in Theatre as well as her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Original plays include Puzzy (featuring award-winning New Zealand Playwright Victor Rodger), Faʻalavelave: The Interruption and “Lost Boy” featured in Plantation Plays commissioned by The Leeward Theatre. As an educated gender-queer person of color (Samoan-Filipinx born and raised in Hawaii) that is cis-femme presenting, Kiki acknowledges her privilege and responsibility to those marginalized communities. Her work focuses on cultural and sexual identity and the effects of colonization. Kiki is one of many voices for Pacific Islanders in the diaspora and is published in Samoan Queer Lives edited by Yuki Kihara and Dan Talaupapa McMullin. Kiki believes in self-reflective storytelling from a contemporary indigenous perspective and creating space for marginalized theatre artists of color.Michael Mugambe, MSW (he/him) is a social worker and theatre instructor from Uganda and currently living in Seattle, Washington. He holds a B. A Drama (Hons) degree from Makerere University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington. Throughout his professional life, Michael has used interactive arts-based approaches like participatory theatre to advance social justice, transform conflicts and advocate for human rights. He is a founding member of Rafiki Theatre a non-profit organization using art-based approaches with communities experiencing inter-ethnic violence and conflicts in 5 East African countries. Michael’s simple definition of art is; Life. Million Sium (he/him) Born and raised in Asmara Eritrea/Ethiopia located in north eastern Africa. On course to earn a degree in veterinary his studies and life were dramatically interrupted. After expressing criticism of the current government policies against religion and political freedom which were notorious for brutal treatment of its people, Million was imprisoned and tortured. With help from his father, he was fortunate to flee Eritrea and seek safety in America. Having to start life anew with no social support presented many challenges. Once his asylum was approved he began working and studying simultaneously. Determined to succeed, holds an AA degree from Los Angeles City College, and a BA degree from Cal State LA University. He is currently working on his own business.Ngwa Johnson (he/him)hails from Southern Cameroon. He studied Geography in the university of Yaounde 1 Cameroon. Holds an MA in Community Development and Urban Planning from the University of Babes Bolyai Romania. Prior to coming to the US, he was a Secondary and High School Geography teacher. He loves to explain the Origin, Distribution, Development and impact of the features on the earth's surface to man. Johnson loves watching soccer games. He is a Client of PTV and a volunteer to All Saints Episcopal Church LA, CA.Nicole M. Smith of Neuveausoul Productions (she/her)Radical Healing Artist and Organizer, Nicole M Smith, has experience and expertise in using artistic methods to address trauma, difficult experiences and injustice, to unravel dynamics of disempowerment, oppression, and systemic methods of control. Nicole has crafted her aesthetic by fusing Theatre of the Oppressed, Art of Hosting, Mindfulness, Supportive Listening, and the Amplification of Muted Voice(s). She does this through lecture, performance, teachings, and workshop/residency design and partnership. Her work has been experienced at: the International Federation of Settlement Houses in Berlin, GER; at the Youth Services of America Conference in Houston, TX; at the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America Conference in New Orleans, LA, and more. She has spoken at: Augsburg College, Macalester College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and more; held residency at: Roosevelt High School, Southside Family Charter School, University Settlement in New York City, and more; she is a Partnered Artist with Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools (K-12), is a Graduate of the Creative Community Leadership Institute and HOPE Community’s SPEAC Program, recognized by Intermedia Arts’ as a Changemaking Artist, and more. She has held positions with: Penumbra Theatre (Administrative Intern), YWCA - St. Paul (Youth Specialist) Children’s Theatre Company (Teen Programs Coordinator), Pillsbury House + Theatre (Artistic Associate/Youth Specialist) and Intermedia Arts (Community Engagement Coordinator). In Fall 2016, she was honored to have been invited to the White House (under Obama’s Administration) for her work in the Bisexual/Queer Community. Having spent four years as a member of Central Touring Theatre’s Black Box Program, she still lovingly deems herself a: “Jan Mandell kid.”

This activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at <a href="https://www.arts.ca.gov" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.arts.ca.gov</a>.This performance and workshop series is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit <a href="https://www.calhum.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.calhum.org</a>.TeAda Productions is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

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Theater Across Borders: Resilient Migrant

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