by William Ruiz Morales
We are thrilled to announce an inspiring collaboration between Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) and YoungArts as we join forces to produce the L.A. LAB.
L.A. LAB brings together 50 of the 2024 YoungArts award winners from a cohort of nearly 700 of the most accomplished young artists from every discipline and across the country, heralding the next generation of artists to watch. This program is designed to cultivate interdependent collaboration skills for interpretative and generative artists across various disciplines.
About L.A. LAB:
Embracing the spirit of exploration, L.A. LAB offers a unique opportunity for young artists to delve into the world of devising multidisciplinary work. L.A. LAB prioritizes collaboration, urging artists to venture into new creative territories. Participants, guided by experienced leaders breaking disciplinary boundaries, will explore methodologies for generating innovative work and gain insights from seasoned artists.
Participants will join three working groups guided by distinguished local creative leaders from Los Angeles. Each Lead Artist has a rich background in interdisciplinary practices and will be exploring three different but deeply interconnected themes: Bruce Lemon will be exploring the impact of environmental and climate changes on artistic practices, Kristina Wong will investigate ways to position artists as essential workers and contributors to public discourse, and Scarlett Kim will delve into how emerging technologies are influencing how artists generate and appreciate work.
More information about the Lead Artists can be found below.
We are excited about the possibilities that L.A. LAB holds for the next generation of artists, and we can’t wait to witness the collaborations that will emerge from this program. We are also excited to partner with Plaza de la Raza as the venue that will host the LAB. Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center for the Arts & Education is the only multidisciplinary community arts venue dedicated to serving the Eastside neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Since 1970, Plaza de la Raza (Place of the People) has provided year-round programs in arts education and a space for cultural enrichment.
Stay tuned for updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the creative journey on our website and social media channels. Let the interdisciplinary adventure begin! #LALAB #ArtisticInnovation #CollaborativeCreativity
Bruce Lemon Bruce A Lemon, Jr. (he/him) is a storyteller born and raised in Watts, CA. As a child, his father made him write stories and read them aloud in the hallway as punishment for lies and mischief. He’s still in trouble. Host of 89.3 KPCC In-Persons UnheardLA. Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village. Associate Artistic Director/Ensemble with Cornerstone Theater Company. 2016 Princess Grace. 2014 BroadwayWorld LA. @BALemonJr
Kristina Wong (she/her) is a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama. She’s a performance artist, comedian, actor and writer who has been presented internationally across North America, the UK, Hong Kong and Africa. She’s been a guest on late night shows on NBC, Comedy Central and FX. She’s created and directed original theater works with residents of LA’s Skid Row, the Bus Riders Union, undocumented immigrants, and most recently the formerly incarcerated Asian Pacific Islanders members of API Rise. Kristina founded Auntie Sewing Squad, a national mutual aid network of volunteers that sewed cloth masks for vulnerable communities during the Covid pandemic. Her role in the Auntie Sewing Squad is the subject of her currently touring “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord”— a “New York Times Critics Pick” that premiered off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop. The show won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for “Outstanding Solo Performance.”
Scarlett Kim (she/her) is a diasporic Korean creative producer and artist committed to radical paradigm shifts and unclassifiable experiences at the intersection of live performance and immersive technology. Scarlett recently completed her tenure as the inaugural Director of Innovation & Strategy at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and was honored with a Telly Award for Quills Fest. Recently, Scarlett collaborated with ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center to produce Worlds in Play, a gathering of play practitioners—game and theatre artists—exploring new forms of agency in participatory forms, and produced the tenth anniversary edition of the Live Arts Exchange [LAX] Festival with Los Angeles Performance Practice.
