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Cornerstone On Air – Episode 3

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Venice Storytellers: Fence Wars

From Left to Right: Alvin Christman, Emily Winters, Shoshana Maler, Bahni Turpin, Karen Schwartz, Dan Kwong, José Gonzalez, Lucas Esperanza-Goodman

Bruce Lemon:

Welcome back to Cornerstone Theater Company On Air, our companion podcast, where we share our work, glimpses behind the curtain, and introduce you to our ensemble in the communities we tell stories with, for, and about. I’m your host, Bruce Lemon and ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company. Welcome to episode three of our three part series focused on Venice storytellers. Featuring brand new plays created with the community of Venice, California. We were asked to return after our 2016 production of Ghost Town. As there are always many, many more stories to tell within a community. Now the Venice storytellers project is a fast and furious two day version of our process spread across a few weeks. On day one, we gathered in three groups and spent a few hours talking about Venice as history, Venice as home and Venice as a work of art. Next, our professional playwrights turned those stories into plays on day two, our cast of community actors and cornerstone ensemble met to read and rehearse these plays before sharing them with a live audience. We recorded their performances to share them with you. Our extended family of cast members, patrons, and folks who just weren’t able to join us that day. Well, now you can. The next play in our Venice Storyteller series is Fence Wars by Dan Kwong directed by Juliette Carrillo and Shishir Kurup

Stage Directions:

“Fence Wars” by Dan Kwong. The stage is crowded with a jumble of free standing fence panels. They vary in width and height, 4 to 10 feet tall, fabricated from various materials, RO iron wood plank chain link, white picket, corrugated fiberglass, etcetera. Alvin and Jose sit relaxing in lawn chairs on opposite sides of the stage as if in their yards visible behind their own low fence panels. Emily and Shoshana enter Emily with tape measure Shoshana with clipboard and pen. A team, they roam about the stage measuring the height of various fences and taking notes. Karen enters,

Karen:

Oh my God. Venice. I love it.

Stage Directions:

She walks around waving and merrily greeting people, including audience members, Emily, and Shoshana take notice.

Karen:

Oh, what a magical place? The ocean, the Palm trees. Beauty everywhere. I can’t believe I live here now. Oh honey. Uh, let’s take a break from unpacking. I wanna go check out that cute little cafe that we saw. I live in Venice,

Stage Directions:

Emily, and Shoshana watch as she exits

Emily:

Another newcomer.

Shoshana:

That one is in Lala land. For sure.

Emily:

If only she knew

Shoshana:

She’ll find out soon enough,

Emily:

She moved into a war zone.

Shoshana:

<laugh> Ah,

Emily:

So how many have we measured so far?

Shoshana:

Huh? 23. But my feet are telling me 203. Can we sit down for a minute?

Emily:

Well, how many of them have, uh, have we measured? The fence is not your feet.

Shoshana:

<laugh> out of 23? 18 fences higher than the legal limit. Not good.

Emily:

Well, what’s good is we’re documenting it. It’s one thing to that I learned early in my Venice education, is people need to take action and fight for what they believe is right. Even if it means going against city hall to do that and win, you need to have good data. So let’s keep measuring your feet are serving a righteous cause.

Shoshana:

If you say so.

Stage Directions:

They move onto Alvin’s yard.

Alvin:

Well, well, if it ain’t the Venice fence, police. Hello ladies. How’s it going today?

Shoshana:

We’d be happier. If more people had fences like yours, Alvin.

Alvin:

42 inches. I know the law.

Stage Directions:

Emily measures it.

Emily:

Actually, 41 inches, to be precise.

Alvin:

Hey, things tend to shrink with age. Hell, I used to be a inch taller myself. I respect my neighbors. Not like these new people.

Jose:

Hey! You’re gonna come and measure my fence.

Alvin:

Don’t need to, Jose. Everybody can see you. Ain’t hiding behind no Great Wall of China over there.

Emily:

We counted you, don’t worry. And thanks, your fence makes Venice a little more human. Like it used to be

Jose:

Living in a hundred year old house helps you appreciate how things used to be. I grew up here and so I can remember what it was like. I seen a lot of changes in all not of them good.

Alvin:

And it’s always changing, man.

Jose:

True, but you don’t, but it doesn’t mean that you just let people destroy things you love or divide anything that with the whole big fence,

Stage Directions:

Naomi enters.

Naomi:

We didn’t have tall fences around here when I was growing up. If you had a fence, it was low. So you could talk to your neighbor over it and you could see into each other’s yards. The fence was just to keep your dog or your little kids from running out into the street. But then the new people started coming. That’s what we used to call them. <laugh> “The new people”.

Alvin:

The new people…

Shoshana:

<laugh>

Naomi:

They built these 10 foot high fences with combination locks on their gates. So you couldn’t see a thing inside.

Shoshana:

The fence wars. I’m telling you it was a thing.

Emily:

Still is a thing.

Alvin:

Yeah, but it wasn’t always…

Naomi:

I grew up in Santa Monica in the 1950s, but I’d often come to Venice. Oakwood Recreation Center… back then we just called it “The Park” <laugh> They had a small building smaller than the one here. Now, summertime I’d come for arts and crafts. When I was in high school, we finally moved here. That was 1963.

Emily:

Same year I came to Venice.

Jose:

Same year I was born.

Alvin:

Same year I went to the service.

Naomi:

We had an apartment at six, 10 Westminster avenue.

Alvin:

The same block as me. My family’s been there since 1910. We’re related to the Reese family.

Shoshana:

Reese family? As an Arthur Reese, “The Wizard of Venice”?

Alvin:

Yep. We’re the first cousins.

Shoshana:

Wow! Feels like I’m with real Venice royalty.

Jose:

Dang. I thought 58 years of Venice was long. Your people go way back.

Emily:

You got all the speed for longevity. That’s for sure.

Alvin:

Arthur Reese was the first black person to live in Venice. And it wasn’t easy at first. By 1920 cities all over the country had restrictive housing covenants.

Emily:

Including Venice.

Alvin:

Including Venice! So if we weren’t White Anglo- Sax and Protestant, you couldn’t live any old place you want. People wouldn’t rent or sell to you. Oakwood was the neighborhood in Venice where we could. So when I was growing up, it was the- it was mainly people of color. Mostly black

Naomi:

Westminster Avenue was predominantly black with a few white families over on San Juan, across the street from my aunt, there was a Mexican family with children. I used to play with. Seventh and Broadway was called the corner.

Alvin:

Where Ming’s Market used to be! Little neighborhood store run by Asian family. Man, they sold everything in there!

Naomi:

Back then there wasn’t the same kind racial animosity between people as there is now. I think we kind of understood we were in the same boat and we knew we needed each other.

Alvin:

I agree. It was different.

Emily:

Shoshana, how long have you lived here?

Shoshana:

Well, normally I would say forever, but after listening to you guys, I guess not, I came in the early seventies.

Alvin:

Welcome, Newcomer! <laugh>

Jose:

Need a guy to show you around?

Shoshana:

Oh, thank you. You’re so kind. Can you tell me which way the Pacific Ocean is?

Naomi:

<Laugh>

Shoshana:

It’s that very large body of water.

Alvin:

That way!

Jose:

<Laughs>

Stage Directions:

Karen enters.

Karen:

Hi there. I’m Karen. We just moved here from Michigan. We’re just a couple blocks over. I’m just walking around the neighborhood, exploring things. Nice to meet. Y’all.

Jose:

What kind of fence do you got

Karen:

Pardon?

Jose:

Uh, just kidding.

Shoshana:

No. Seriously. What kind of fence do you have, and how tall is it?

Stage Directions:

Danny peeks out from behind a tacky looking tall fence.

Karen:

Uh, I don’t know exactly. Just like a normal fence, I guess. Why?

Emily:

We’re doing field research on how many fences in the area are taller than the legal limit.

Karen:

Is uh, is that like a big deal?

All:

YES. Yes, yes.

Karen:

Okay! I’ll I’ll make sure to look into that one.

Stage Directions:

Danny emerges. Self-consciously stands by his ugly tall fence. I’ll turn to see the man with the tall fence.

Danny:

This wasn’t my idea actually. My brother owns a house. He bought it as an investment. I just live here. I told him I thought the fence was ugly, which it is. In fact I was gonna tear it down right after I moved in.

Emily:

When was that?

Danny:

11 years ago.

Alvin:

Guess you changed your mind!

Danny:

Well, there’ve been some sketchy things going on in the neighborhood, you know? I mean, I hear gunshots, it’s crazy stuff happening in the streets. Welcome to goes down. Actually, it’s not too different from my last neighborhood in Chicago, so I’m okay being here. But after a while having a tall fence kind of gave me a sense of security. I felt safer. So after a while didn’t look so ugly anymore.

Alvin:

No, it’s still ugly.

Karen:

Well, I, I can understand what he means. You know, it’s about peace of mind, right? Huh?

Emily:

Except tall fences hardly brought peace. Just the opposite.

Shoshana:

Oh yeah. We’ve had neighbors turn on each other over these fences. High fence people versus the low fence people. And, oh my God, I’m telling you it was a war. People were calling each other’s fascist. It was really, really awful. And I mean, ugly, ugly wars with our neighbors.

Naomi:

Neighbors, and name only. It was obvious that the new people weren’t coming to be part of the community. I mean, you don’t build a 10 foot fence and lock yourself in and other people out if you wanna be part of a community. Where does that come from? Who are you?

Danny:

Actually it’s it’s not 10 feet. <laugh> I think it’s like seven?

Stage Directions:

Emily and Shoshana go to measure it. Others. Follow to witness the inspection. Karen hurries off to the side and pulls out her phone and hits speed dial.

Karen:

Uh, honey, listen, I need you to go outside and measure how tall our fence is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, now, now! I, I know it sounds crazy, but just text me back as soon as you can. Okay. Just do it

Stage Directions:

Ends the call and puts the phone in her pocket.

Karen:

You know, I have every intention of being part of this community. I mean, I want that. I really do.

Alvin:

Say it loud and say it proud sister.

Emily:

I used to go to the neighborhood meetings where people would complain about burglaries and vandalisms and whatnot. And I would stand up and say “You know, what you need to do is tear down your big fences, sit on your porch and in your yard so you can see what’s going on and you’ll know who belongs, where!”.

Jose:

Yep. You gotta keep your eyes open.

Shoshana:

The police used to come to our meetings and they would say to the high fence people “Do you think this fence makes you secure”?

Alvin:

It doesn’t

Jose:

It doesn’t

Karen:

It doesn’t?

Danny:

It doesn’t. I know.

Shoshana:

In fact it actually kind of makes things worse. Because when the police can’t see what’s going on inside, and if there is trouble, they can’t get in.

Jose:

You know, I lived in this part of town for pretty much all my life, and I always tell people: the best protection is your neighbor. If your neighbor isn’t watching out for you and you’re not watching out for your neighbor, you both got a better chance, cuz if you don’t know, or if the police will come and you don’t, you don’t, you don’t.

Naomi:

When we filed complaints with the police department about these illegal fences, they sided with new people! The police said the big locks and gates were for their security because they were afraid. So then that question was, well, who are you afraid of?

Emily:

The funny thing is: to burglars that tell tall fences, uh, means you’ve got something they want. Mm-hmm.

Naomi:

<affirmative>

Jose:

Big fence must be something valuable inside.

Alvin:

What you hiding from us?

Danny:

I am so not like that. Back in my neighborhood in Chicago, my front door was usually propped open, even at night. And I’m the same here! In fact, half the time I don’t even close the gate.

Karen:

Us too. We have our door open all the time. The neighbor says to us, uh, you’re so stupid. <laugh>

Jose:

Well… you gotta be smart, too.

Shoshana:

Yeah, I would never do that. That’s nuts!

Danny:

Here’s the thing: Generally I’m not worried about safety. Maybe I should be, but I don’t feel in danger and I know it’s totally different for women, okay? But to a certain extent, I feel like security is a state of mind.

Shoshana:

To a certain extent?

Karen:

Well, I think there’s some truth to what he’s saying. You, you know, it’s how you look at things. My husband and I walk all over Venice at night. We’re not scared at all. Oh, uh, and I heard that there’s some special walking streets, like around here, somewhere, that are supposed to be really nice!

Shoshana:

Yeah, yeah. I live on one of them. You know, when Abbot Kennedy designed the walk-streets, <laugh> his idea was that if you were at Lincoln, you could look down the walk- street and it would be like one long part for blocks. And they really used to be nice.

Karen:

Used to be? What happened?

Shoshana:

Fences. By the time I moved in, there were already a lot of them, but at least back then they were legal height.

Alvin:

42 inches. That’s what they gotta do.

Jose:

Three and a half feet!

Shoshana:

Right. But now? it’s depressing.

Karen:

Why?

Emily:

Nothing but high fences. Eight foot, 10 foot. It’s like a tunnel.

Shoshana:

Yeah. It’s like walking through a tunnel of fences.

Karen:

Oh no!

Shoshana:

Oh yes, I’m telling you. It’s really depressing.

Karen:

Okay. You guys are just starting to bum me out.

Shoshana:

I know. I’m so sorry.

Karen:

<laugh> You know? In fact, I feel kind of sick now. I mean, I never even look at the fences. All I see is beauty! Whenever I have someone come over and they’ve never been to Venice, I’m like, I live in this magical place and there’s lights, and I walk around at night. I guess I have rose colored glasses.

Shoshana:

You do. And trust me the next time you go walking, you’re gonna be really sad.

Karen:

Okay. I already am. I already am. Thanks. I’m freaking out. Now!

Shoshana:

It’ll be so sad because all of a sudden you’re gonna SEE.

Karen:

Okay, alright. Already rub it in, why don’t you? I am not happy.

Shoshana:

Oh dear. What have I done to this poor woman?

Jose:

She thought she was living in paradise!

Alvin:

<laugh> And you just stepped on her glasses.

Shoshana:

Well, it is still beautiful.

Danny:

Don’t you think these are mixed messages? You kno, like- like don’t hide behind your fences, but watch out it’s dangerous! You know, like- like be careful, but be open and friendly! I think it’s a little crazy making.

Jose:

Well, that’s both true. You gotta watch off for yourself.

Alvin:

Amen to that!

Jose:

And you gotta try to be open.

Emily:

Yeah. Open-hearted Caring about each other.

Shoshana:

Meanwhile, try not to get stabbed.

Karen:

But it’s got to be possible. Right? To be aware and careful without being so paranoid. To be open hearted and welcoming without being naive!

Naomi:

She’s right, you know.

Shoshana:

Easier said than done. I mean, how do you do it?

Naomi:

Well, I don’t have any simple answer. You know, there’s all kinds of fences in our yards and in our hearts. And whether they’re made outta steel and wood or our fear and greed, there’s all kinds of things trying to separate us from each other. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been here 30 years or 30 days. So what guides me is the belief that we can find some common ground. Find our shared humanity and maybe that’ll help us get past the greed and the fear. Get us over these fences.

Karen:

From your lips to God’s ear.

Jose:

So what is it gonna be? You a high fence person or a low fence person?

Danny:

Now I am… still on the fence! I’m sorry.

All:

<Laughs>.

Danny:

In the meantime, you’re all invited for lunch. Okay. Pot luck. Everybody brings something.

Alvin:

I’ll bring a power saw and we can cut… cut off your fence!

Danny:

Actually. I was thinking more like a dessert.

Shoshana:

Oh, I’ll bake a cake.

Danny:

There you go.

Shoshana:

With a power saw in it.

Alvin:

<Laugh>.

Danny:

Okay. Fine.

Stage Directions:

Naomi, Shoshana and Emily exit.

Jose:

Hope we didn’t freak you out too much.

Karen:

Ah, nothing I can’t handle. I’m from Detroit. You know? Right across the lake from Chicago.

Stage Directions:

Danny exits with Jose.

Alvin:

Yeah, you know? Venice is pretty cool without rose colored glasses.

Karen:

Well, I guess I’m gonna find out.

Stage Directions:

Alvin exits. Karen is alone on stage. Her phone buzzes and she reads a text message.

Karen:

Oh shit! <laugh> Siri send text message. “HONEY, DO WE HAVE A POWER SAW”? <Laughs>.

Stage Directions:

Karen pockets are phone and rushes off. Curtain.

Bruce Lemon:

Here to share some reflections from the experience we have community cast members. Shoshana Maler, ensemble member, and one of the directors of Fence Wars Shashir Kurup, and from the audience historian, Allison Rose Jefferson.

Shoshana:

My name is Shoshana. I was in the Fences.

Bruce Lemon:

And how was this experience for you?

Shoshana:

It was very fun because that Karen character and my character actually had those conversations, when we first met. She’s only been here for three months and she really was looking at everything with rose colored glasses. And at our first meeting, I just kept putting down everything she said. And I remember going home and thinking “I think I was rude”. You know, I think it was really rude to this person. So that’s- that’s, that was real <laugh>. Cause I love this company. I mean, I I’ve gone to their things for years and years. So when I knew Cornerstone was came to Venice, I just, I was right on and for the last would. So I love Cornerstone. I think they do amazing things and I’m glad to be able to be part of it.

Shishir Kurup:

My name is Shishir Kurup and, uh, I have been with Cornerstone for over 30 years.

Bruce Lemon:

How does it feel to reconnect with Venice all these years after Ghost Town and after this long hiatus on live performance?

Shishir Kurup:

We’re telling the story of this stuff of what’s going on. It’s got like all these things have like, look at how these houses are growing up. Like they’re like such amazing houses, but they’re also problematic, right? Because they have all these fences and, and it’s, and a lot of what we’re talking about is about the fences, you know? And it, it, it, what it does, it is, it says, stay out, stay out, stay away! Don’t come, don’t be here. You know? And that’s the bad part. That’s the problematic part.

Alison Rose Jefferson:

My name is Alison Rose Jefferson, and I’m a historian. And right now I am a scholar and residence at the Getty, Conservation Institute. And I’m doing actually a research project on the historical African American community in Venice. And I came to the place today because I had heard you guys were creating stories about the Venice neighborhood. I didn’t know what stories were going to be articulated today, but I loved all of the stories! And I particularly loved the stories about the fences because the fences are offensive <laugh> and they need to come down and we would have a much more, uh, copacetic neighborhood where people felt, uh, felt a sense of belonging if the fences weren’t so high in front in the front yard.

Bruce Lemon:

Thank you for listening to Cornerstone Theater Company On Air. Our next episodes will feature interviews with a few of the amazing playwrights who have transformed our community stories into plays. And with that it’s time to celebrate the people who lend their time and talents to this work. John, you know what we need?

Fence Wars was written by Dan Kwong and directed by Juliette Carillo and Shishir Kurup. Featuring Alvin Christman, Lucas, Esperanza- Goodman, José Gonzalez, Dan Kwong, Shoshana Maler, Karen Schwartz, Bahni Turpin, and Emily Winters. With production support by Kamilah Cooper- Charles, Paula Donnelly, Ilana Elroi, Michael John Garcés, Peter Howard, Leo Korf, Bruce Lemon, John Nabori, Curtis Scheu, and Megan Wanlass. With thanks to Sandy Adams, Baja Citizen, Steve Clare, Steve Clark, East Venice Neighborhood Association, Betsy Goldman, Bruno Hernandez, and STP Foundation, Dr. Naomi Nightingale, Keith Rice, Mike Suhd, The Beachhead, Kristina Von Hoffmann, and Venice Heritage Museum Foundation, and Trevor. Special thanks to Carmen Navarro, Jataun Valentine, Sue Kaplan and the Oakwood Recreation Center and their staff. Venice Storytellers is made possible in part by grants from the Annenburg Foundation; the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation; the California Arts Council, a state agency; Capital Group; The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; Los Angeles Regional COVID 19 Recovery Fund; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Muriel Pollia Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, the Katheryn Caine Wanlass Charitable Foundation and individual donors. If you’d like to support our work, hit the link in our liner notes. Our intro music is the song “40 Feet Wide” by Shishir Kurup with song orchestrations by David Markowitz from the play Ghost Town. Everything you heard was recorded on the traditional ancestral and unseated territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples. This podcast was produced by Cornerstone Ensemble members, Michael Garcia, John Nabori and me, Bruce Lemon. Thanks for listening y’all. To the next episode!

All:

Everybody say Venice!


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