Josefina Lopez's CASA 0101 Theater Announces Update On CASA#350 Fundraising Campaign, Staff Updates And The 2019 Season

Josefina López, Founding Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights, CA announced today that her theater will stay open into 2019. Earlier in the year, in January 2018 she announced that her theater was in danger of closing its doors due to financial hardships. Lopez said today, "We are in a better place financially now in December 2018, than we were back at the beginning of the year. We still aren't out of the woods yet, but we are getting there."

Emmanuel Deleage, Executive Director of CASA 0101 Theater said: "We launched our #CASA350 fundraising campaign earlier this year in January 2018 in a effort to secure 350 theater donors giving $25 a month on an annual basis to insure our financial stability to pay our daily operating costs for running the theater and our rent. Since that time the number of our donors has fluctuated up and down, given individual donor's personal circumstances. Presently, as of December 1, 2018, we have 184 donors of the 350 we are ultimately seeking."

Deleage continued, "We are making marked progress, slowly, but surely. We have been recruiting new board members. We held a theater fundraiser in October 2018 where we raised $17,000. Our longtime office staffer, Mark Kraus, has been promoted to Development Director to focus more of his efforts on fundraising, and we have a new Office Administrator, Anaith Indjeian. On August 1, 2018 we transferred our lease of Little CASA 0101 Theater, located at 2009 E. First Street in Boyle Heights, where our theater began on April 1, 2000, to Teatro Luna West, an All Women's Latina Ensemble Theatre Company. By doing so, we have now decreased our monthly overhead. However, we are still retaining our newer facility, a state-of-the-art 99-seat venue, CASA 0101 Theater, located at 2102 E. First Street (at the intersection of St. Louis Street) in Boyle Heights, which opened on September 9, 2011 and we are cautiously optimistic that we can reach our goal of 350 donors. We want to also thank our institutional funders like The California Endowment, the Office of Councilman José Huizar, Supervisor Hilda Solis, The Weingart Foundation, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the LA County Arts Commission, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and The Herb Alpert Foundation for their continued support of CASA 0101 and their belief in our mission."

Alex Meda, the Co-Artistic Director of Teatro Luna West said, "The synergy between our two theater companies will now breathe additional creative life into the community of Boyle Heights."

Josefina López said, "In 2019 we will be presenting numerous, co-productions with other theater companies and self-produced productions to be presented on Fridays and Saturdays evenings and Sunday Matinees." The schedule includes:

• January 4 - 27, 2019: The World Premiere of Free Los Tres (with Stage of the Arts) Written by Miguel Lopez Vigil, Carmelo Alvarez, Alberto Ortiz and Miguel Lopez, Directed by Carmelo Alvarez
• February 8 - 23, 2019: Frida, Stroke of Passion (with Macha Theatre) Written, Starring and Directed by Odalys Nanin, Co-Directed by Corky Dominguez
• March 8 - 30, 2019, no performance March 16th: The World Premiere of Chicanas, Cholas y Chisme VII (There will also be Thursday performances.)
• April 12 - May 19, 2 019: Sister Act - The Musical (with TNH Productions - Teatro Nuevos Horizontes) Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, Book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner with Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane, Directed by Rigo Tejeda
• June 7 - July 7, 2019: The World Premiere of Brown and Out V Theater Festival
• July 19 - August 11, 2019: To Be Dali Written, Starring and Directed by Salvador Benavides
• August 30 - September 22, 2019: The World Premiere of Always Running, based on the Book Written by Los Angeles Poet Laureate, Luis J. Rodriguez, Adapted and Directed by Hector Rodriguez (with Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural)

Additional details for each production will be announced soon. Emmanuel Deleage said, "Our #CASA350 fundraising campaign is still ongoing and we ask theater lovers and supporters of diversity on the American stage to consider helping to support us, so we can continue to bring audiences fun, entertaining, innovative and educational shows and programs. It's very easy to sign up on our website, http://www.casa0101.org/support-us."

In addition, Producer Conrado Terrazas-Cross of TNH Productions, has announced, CASA 0101 Theater, TNH Productions and El Centro Del Pueblo will present the First Annual Brown & Out Theater Film Festival at the Highland Theater, 5604 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042 on Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1, 2019. Additional details will soon be announced.

The Boyle Heights Museum currently has an exhibit, ROYBAL: A Multi-Racial Catalyst for Democracy, Celebrating The Life of Edward Ross ROYBAL, The First Mexican-American To Be Elected to the Los Angeles City Council in the 20th Century, through February 3, 2019, in the Jean Deleage Gallery, located in the lobby of CASA 0101 Theater, 2101 E. First Street (at St. Louis Street), Boyle Heights, CA 90033. Jean Deleage Gallery Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. through February 3, 2019. The Gallery is closed on Mondays. To learn more, please visit www.boyleheightsmuseum.org.

The Boyle Heights Museum was co-founded by Josefina López and Dr. George J. Sanchez, a USC Professor of History and American Studies. The exhibit, ROYBAL: A Multi-Racial Catalyst for Democracy, is curated by Dr. George Sanchez and co-curated by Jimmy Centeno, and made possible through a grant from California Humanities. Please visit www.BoyleHeightsMuseum.org for more details.

For tickets to upcoming shows, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at 323-263-7684, E-mail tickets@casa0101.org, or buy online at www.casa0101.org.

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