Press Contact:
Ilka Erren Pardiñas at flypr@flypr.net
Shannon McConnell at buzz@flypr.net
ABOUT…PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
ADOBE PUNK: A PUNK REHEARSAL IN REAL-TIME
PLUS EXHIBIT OF ORIGINAL PUNK PHOTOS
BY THERESA KEREAKES
STARTING MARCH 28 THROUGH APRIL 13, 2025
AT PLAZA DE LA RAZA'S
MARGO ALBERT THEATRE IN EAST L.A.
February 20, 2025 (Los Angeles, California) – About...Productions presents a brand new iteration of the original theaterwork co-written/directed by mother-son team, Theresa Chavez and Gabriel Garza. Performed in real-time with original music, this brand new iteration of
Adobe Punk finds a trio of young musicians squatting in one of L.A.’s oldest adobe homes in early 1980s Bell Gardens. Inspired by the bands X, Bags, and the Minutemen, the group rehearses in preparation for their debut show. Finding respite and repulsion amongst one another, a fire is starting within the group. Will they be able to harness the flame or will it burn them down?
The multi-talented cast features actor/musicians Margarita Brighton, Isaac Cruz, and Sara Bunge.
"Being a part of
Adobe Punk has been one of the most artistically satisfying projects of my life," says actor Isaac Cruz. "Watching the project grow and change has mirrored my own evolution." Actor Sara Bunge adds "I’m beyond stoked to take on the role of Noreen in this iteration of
Adobe Punk. Music as a vehicle for curiosity, change, and connection has always been an area through which I have found strength and meaning. I look forward to further exploring this aspect of my own life, the life of her character, and humanity as a whole during the journey of this show."
Original songs by Nina Diaz (music) and Chavez (lyrics), and an evocative set and soundscape by Dorothy Hoover and Sage Lewis, respectively.
“The creative team behind
Adobe Punk is extremely excited about this brand new version, reinventing the script and designs, and adding new songs to the fictional band’s songbook. We experience the band in full rehearsal mode, creating new songs while debating 'what is punk’ within the confines of a historic adobe. To see Kereakes’ photos within this context expands the production narrative and deepens our audience’s experience of the period,“ says co-writer/co-director Theresa Chavez.
The photo exhibit,
Punk in Place: Concerts and Casuals Shot by Theresa Kereakes, will be on display in the lobby of the Margo Albert Theatre for the duration of the
Adobe Punk run. The exhibit, curated by Gabriel Garza, will feature her historic work chronicling the L.A. punk scene. A special opening prior to the matinee on Sunday, March 30 will include a post-performance Q&A with Kereakes conducted by cultural and urban historian Dr. Jorge Leal.
"Gabriel Garza was a student in one of my Punk Rock 101 guest lectures at a UCLA seminar a few years back," says Theresa Kereakes. "I later learned Theresa Chavez and I were Sunset Strip neighbors, experiencing the punk explosion in real time. I also joined them as panelists for the 2020 work-in-progress reading series responding to the script and providing insight into the period. Being an observer and participant in the
Adobe Punk development process has been immensely gratifying."
“Evoking stage musical, rock show, and performance art, [Adobe Punk] promises something fresh for both theatre lovers and live music fans.”
- Lina Lecaro, LA Weekly Culture Pick
“I was intrigued by the intersecting narratives of architecture, L.A. history and punk. The smart staging gives Adobe Punk an added dimension.”
- Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times
“The musician-actors captured the essence of punk with impressive musicality and subtle nuances.”
- Miguel Costa, Music Connection
EVENT TITLE:
Adobe Punk
: a punk rehearsal in real-time
VENUE:
Plaza de la Raza’s Margo Albert Theatre
3540 N. Mission Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90031
TYPE OF EVENT:
Theater production, and related lobby exhibit titled,
Punk in Place: Concerts and Casuals Shot by Theresa Kereakes (curated by Gabriel Garza)
DATE:
March 28th through April 13th, 2025
TIMES:
Fridays and Saturdays 7:40 PM doors; 8:00 PM show
Sundays 2:40 PM doors; 3:00 PM show
INFORMATION AND TICKETS:
Tickets on sale HERE.
Pricing tiers:
Reserved: $40
(early seating, 1st-2nd rows, center section)
General Admission: $35
Seniors/Veterans/Students: $20 (use code SVS20)
Neighbor Ticket: $18
(for zip codes 90031, 90032, 90033, 90042,
90065, 90012 enter zip code at checkout)
Pay What You Can Fridays: only at box office
HIGH RESOLUTION PRESS PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS:
Adobe Punk: a punk rehearsal in real-time
photos, event graphics available HERE.
ABOUT…PRODUCTIONS:
About…Productions, now in its 36th year, creates original interdisciplinary theaterworks and educational programs that provoke new perspectives on history, humanity, and culture. The award-winning company is dedicated to generating new work through collaboration to create artistic and community dialogue, and believes in the power of theater to enlighten audiences, transform youth, and celebrate the lives of elders.
Los Angeles-based, the itinerant company has toured throughout the U.S., and in Canada, and been featured on national television. Productions have been presented at numerous venues including the Mark Taper Forum, the Getty Museum, Plaza de la Raza, Autry Museum, The Public Theater (NYC), University of Texas, Austin City Limits, National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), the Museum of Pop Culture (Seattle), and the Banff Center for the Arts (Alberta, Canada).
Its theaterworks and educational programs unearth and illuminate cultural histories of Latin America, the Southwest, California, and Los Angeles. Music-driven productions include
By the Hand of the Father featuring the music of Alejandro Escovedo;
Evangeline, the Queen of Make-Believe featuring the songbook of Los Lobos written by David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez; and
They Shoot Mexicans, Don’t They with music written and performed by members of Quetzal including Quetzal Flores and Martha Gonzalez.
This production of Adobe Punk is made possible in part by the National Endowment of Arts, the California Arts Council, the Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
PLAZA DE LA RAZA:
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. Founded in 1970 by prominent labor, business and civic leaders as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, it offers affordable after-school, intergenerational arts education programs to nearly 5,100 children, teens and adults each year. Its mission is to foster enrichment of all cultures bridging the geographic, social, artistic, and cultural boundaries of Los Angeles, and beyond. More info at plazadelaraza.org.
Visit About…Productions online:
aboutpd.org
linktr.ee/aboutpd
facebook.com/aboutpd
instagram.com/aboutpd
threads.net/@aboutpd
youtube.com/user/AboutPD
For press materials, to submit interview requests
or for additional information on
Adobe Punk
please contact Fly PR at buzz@flypr.net or call (323) 667-1344.
Photo credit: Rob Aft. High resolution HERE.