Glenn Hopkin's One Act/Film Treatment- a strong show for many generations

A new term "Multi-natural" might describe the new cultural norm of Los Angeles neighborhoods in 2016. Our city is filled with many languages, a megacity that reflects a global lingual mix and offers a wealth of ideas, industries, and food choices.  It shows the wealth of an open society and growth of a sanctuary city. From West Hollywood to Orlando Florida, voices were raised to support the Orlando survivors and to show unity in grief.  Greater LA County is awash with diversity, unity and cultural opportunities whether spices, churches, community halls, or arts centers.

Last week our citizens arose remembrance with unity in diversity, the Interfaith community, LA LGBT memorials, Mayor's remembrance and more throughout the city and Southern California (see B5, and B1, SFVN, LA Times by Emily Alpert, Jason Song and Ben Poston featuring photos with Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, Marwa Balkar, Islamic Center of Southern California, and the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace covering City Hall to San Diego events.  The article published, June 14, Tuesday issue of the LA Times reminds us of the model set for a Universal Bill of Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt in the formation of the United Nations. Pasadena, So Cal, and San Bernardino have large UN/USA chapters and large model UN programs.  Never has the message of Peace at home and the Statue of Liberty embracing new citizens been more chillingly important….democracy depends on us….and we are a varied and capable citizenry….sourced from countries worldwide.  McDonald's signs embrace this, tonight the Iman Center memorial dinner will embrace it.  Even tv comedy sitcoms and dramas are with this multicultural thing.

In the same timeliness and tone, a professional retired ESL instructor and L.A. playwright, Glenn Hopkins is presenting his one act play "Mrs. Roosevelt" the day before Independence Day at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Koreatown.  It reflects our inclusive woman for all times, Eleanor Roosevelt and Los Angeles new demographic described by our last U.S. Census, we are a rich and vibrant culture to be celebrated for its achievements. Whether June-teenth, Ramadan, or 4^th of July, we are a melting pot shaken by the news coming out of the Orlando Shootings, the issues and responses to the the Pulse Club murders and its perpetrator.

Los Angeles is a city that looks to the Arts to engage our hearts and minds and unify and inspire us.  It is diverse by its mix of residents, race, ethnicity, age, preference, and cultural backgrounds  Koreatown and the church provide a terrific backdrop for Hopkin's Mootney Theater 's 40^th anniversary fête featuring a new Korean translation.

Plays inform and assure us of what really matters, how far we've come or where we need to aim. Mrs. Roosevelt touches its audience with a sense of wholeness reviewing our present and national history. Given national events, this play gives new pathos to the national election and embeds in the post-Orlando commentary the value of theatre in celebrating this first lady as a practical and complex peace diplomat as well as a citizen and committed wife.

In another recent LA Times feature from the "California Section" ,"Korean Lesson", covered a professional development program where LAPD officers visited the city's downtown Korean Cultural Center to learn about Korean socio-cultural nuances that will help beat officers to understand and interact with victims and witnesses as a part of the city's community policing policy plan .

As a backdrop to this pluralist icon, Los Angeles is a place where 185 languages are spoken at home (see U.S. Census).

Hopkin's Mootney Theatre, his local church and a citywide nonprofit will follow on this Asian Pacific "frontier grit" by offering a polyglot premiere in two languages act a bilingual show (Korean English reading) reflecting the present character of our Koreatown.

Locale-sensitive policing recognizes the changing demographic face of our City with its District neighborhoods. Signs in English and Korean, services in English, Spanish and Korean, and community policing are responding to the regular need for mutual understanding for commerce and safety. 

Cultural integration reflects not just systematic policing policy changes and the visionary influence of leadership such as our past city planner, Robert Scott, but the nature of California as another "gathering place."

Following the first day of summer and while one indie film festival ends in another part of town, the LA Fringe Festival is about to begin. Because of sponsors, city and county support and new venues, the Fringe will broadly "infiltrate many other neighborhoods with art".  At the end of the Festival, the Mootney Theatre returns July 3^rd one time only with it's "Mrs. Roosevelt" featuring our past first lady once proclaimed the First Lady of the World.

Bo Lebo will return as Mrs. R. paired with actor-reader Ande Kims. The one act will be held in famous Channing Hall, in the 1870 Californian Koreatown church in a in a line by line translation in reading in English and Korean. Buy your tickets now at $5.00 each as the room is limited to 250.

The one time bi-lingual performance starts at 1:00pm on July 3^rd, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 2936 W 8^th  Street at Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90005, presenting Hopkins cameo of one of America's beloved first ladies, just after the church service and luncheon.

Eleanor speaks for herself as President Franklin Roosevelt's wife, and confidant. Through his words we remember her as"Totty" when she morphed from a well heeled New York Victorian to an active citizen whose leadership in the Democratic Party mattered. She rose to prominence as a mother, wife, radio host/columnist, educator, author, and  defender of women and children.  As a humanitarian, she stood for a world peace and diplomacy, and took action on many platforms and initiatives and so much more.

This play is a drawn from Hopkins' film treatment saluting our city's summer cross-cultural momentum while inviting theater goers to purchase early and set up will call for your tickets now.  You can buy the Slim Volume to read along with the Korean in English ($15.00). 

Support this community theatre offering by giving $5 or more beyond your ticket to underwrite an audio spoken word recording for the Public Library or children's enrichment literacy programs through New Education Options who is collaborating with Mootney as fiscal sponsor.  Your donation is tax exempt and deductible.

Watch for our flier, how to order on line, and for now call and get your read a long books (Slim Volume or Ebook) and save your seat by purchasing your block of seats and save a place for you.  Thank you.

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Backgrounder on the Theatre:

Mootney continues to take part in this year's  broad spectrum of summer neighborhood theatrical offerings and celebrates the 40^th anniversary of its bi-coastal theater. Past memorable productions in Los Angeles and Nashville include: Dinosaur published by the California Theatre Council; Mark and Barbara Frog, "A Sergeant Pepper's type musical for all ages"; Robin Hood, narrated by Quentin Crisp; White Bread, Best New Play of 1986- Dramalogue; and up coming comic retelling of First Samuel from the Bible, Meat.

Synopsis of the Reading and Ross Altman's appearance, parking and transportation:

The play focuses the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt period when Social Security was invented and FDR was elected to the White House 4 times (1932-1944). Audiences are invited to come out and enjoy "A Traitor to Her Class" as a musical interlude by its songwriter performer, Ross Altman (links below) and the production promises to not shy about the controversies in Eleanor's day or ours. 

During the production, Mrs. Roosevelt will come alive for a short visit as she has in the past in 11 languages in past productions. 

Come out on the Metro, by car (local street parking and some church underground or parking lot free parking available).

A Taste of the Neighborhood and LA:

Come one and all to see this unique one act that has proven to have an ever-expanding audience.

Eleanor continues to have significance for us today and Glen Hopkins continues to bring drama and comedy to larger and larger audiences winning awards, accolades, and mounting new works responding to today's Los Angeles.

With our city's continuing development and reorganization around languages spoken at home, in neighborhood councils, and international commerce the building reflects a perfect match of this piece and our city's founding. You will enjoy the ethnicity of the surrounding restaurants and businesses, reflecting a community theatre response to reflect "new" American voice. 

Hopkins and Mootney are offering a really contemporary "taste of LA" and a snapshot of our precious and visionary humanitarian, who advocated for the Universal Bill of Human Rights, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Tickets $5.00, Slim Volume $15.00 (read along paperback):

Tickets are now for sale for $5.00 each and an the Slim Edition E-book available for $3.99.

Your ticket or book purchases after costs will result in a donation made to the First Unitarian Church and New Education Options for its educational programs.

A Woman for all Seasons, timely, provocative, insightful, and current:

Unlike Disney's Dory, Eleanor remembers every minute of her adventures which makes the play flow swiftly to entertain, inform and advise those of us who are going on to face a new presidential election, deciding which side that we're on in the process of living.

She was throughout her amazing life actively engaged and met life head on. 

The play is engaging, informative, and even funny.  All proceeds beyond expenses will be partly donated to the nonprofit and to the church.

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Community Policing:

http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/1998/10/talk-of-the-town-policing-in-a-multilingual-community.aspx

Featuring "A Traitor to Her Class"- See him at the Allendale Branch Library, June 25^th in Pasadena:

www.pasadenapubliclibrary.net or www.baseballreliquary.org  or call the 626-744-7260 (The National Pastime Show presented thanks to a grant from the LA County Board of Supervisors, thru the La County Arts Commission)

http://www.ultimate.com/altman/songfighter.html

Culture and Language:

http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/data/language_map.html

History:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreatown,_Los_Angeles

http://www.kccla.org/english/home.asp

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/asianamericans-graphics/koreans/

http://asiamattersforamerica.org/southkorea/data/koreanamericanpopulation

http://chicagokrcc.org/

http://kafsc.org/contact

Neighborhood Councils:

https://empowerla.org/wcknc/

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-koreatown-park-20160415-story.html

Progressive, Historic, Humanitarian:

http://uula.org/

https://www.facebook.com/firstunitarianchurchla

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Unitarian_Church_of_Los_Angeles

Festivals from Santa Monica to community centers to local venues abound:

(http://www.americantowns.com/ca/losangeles/organization/hollywood-fringe-festival)

http://www.findfestival.com/california/

City Plan that recognized neighborhoods of unique natures:

http://civiccenter.com/Media/ScottBioPhotos.htm

Independent Film Festival:

http://www.thewrap.com/film-independent-moves-la-film-festival-to-arclight-cinemas/

www.hollywoodbowl.com

www.laweekly.com/concertguide2016

https://www.facebook.com/culturela

Book Expo title shown at Chicago Frontier Grit:

A book about unlikely true stories of daring pioneer women by Shadow Mountain Publishing ebook or info at http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com

Watch for more innovation coming from the Mootney from Mark and Barbara Frog to Meat:

https://www.goldstar.com/events/los-angeles-ca/mark-and-barbara-frog

http://www.laplaywrights.org/resourceguide.php

Read the play to understand the play along with the players or license it for translation or to exploit the screenplay:

http://www.glennhopkins.o00a.com/1/015a

Diplomat and UN co-founder even if she did not replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill:

http://www.biography.com/people/eleanor-roosevelt-9463366

http://www.firstladies.org/bibliography/results.aspx?firstlady=33

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Watch for Brown bag tickets and call for Reservations or group discounts:

310-478-7379  (35 minute one act play, personal commissions, or book discounts available, please ask)

For more information about the actors, New Education Options school programs, or the next playbill, write us by text at or call 818-742-5099.