Episode 6 Transcript

OLIVIA SATHER: You're listening to Beyond the Stage from the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach. In each episode, we introduce you to the artists, scholars, students, and arts professionals interpreting our world through the arts. Join us this week and every week this summer as we explore their stories. Let’s get started.

Hello everyone. Thank you for joining us today. I am here today with Mattie Limas a junior at the CSULB Theater Arts Department, Eileen Hope Tran, who is graduating this semester from the theater arts department, and Emily Perez, who is going into her final year at the theater arts department. Thank you all so much for being here today. So I want to jump in right away. If you could each tell us just a little bit about your background and how you ended up at CSULB and if you're focusing in a particular area of study, whether it be performance or general theatre studies, or a different area, if you could share that with us as well. Emily.

EMILY PEREZ: Okay, so I’ve been doing theater since around middle school. I started in crew, but then once I got into high school I started acting so I went to an acting college, I went to American Musical Dramatic Academy for a year, here in Los Angeles. And then I ended up going to community college, because it is very expensive, and in community college I ended up discovering my love for writing plays instead of acting. So after I transferred, I decided on Long Beach, because it was the farthest away from home, and also it's a pretty, like great school for me personally and my stances on certain subjects so I just wanted to get into a new environment and be able to see like what Long Beach could offer me, for writing purposes.

OLIVIA SATHER: Awesome.

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah, so I actually didn't start theatre until I think…okay, so I was like athletic, I did a lot of sports in middle school and then I started theater in eighth grade because there was a musical that everyone always audition for, and it seems super fun and as soon as I did theater and I got cast I was like I dropped every sport. I was like we're gonna we're gonna go straight to the arts, so I did theatre all through high school and I actually iIm not from SoCal at all, I’m from the Bay, and I decided, I wanted to go to school in SoCal and the L.A. area because that's where like I want to be an actor in film and you know Hollywood, that's like the whole space so I kind of, I also love the beach, so what else like it's like yes Long Beach. And oh, I also I’m a performance major, yes, and my emphasis is acting, and yeah, graduating this month, so I hope to start auditioning soon after I graduate and I think that the school is provided me a lot of insight and expertise to prepare me for the future, so yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Wonderful well, congratulations on almost graduating. You'll be at Angel’s Stadium later this month, right. And Mattie.

MATTIE LIMAS: Yeah, um, I’ve done theater since my freshman year of high school, so I was pretty dead-set on pursuing theatre once I was applying for colleges and Long Beach had a really affordable program, really quality program, a lot of good-quality faculty…I’m currently getting my BFA in theater performance, um, and yeah I think that's that's pretty much my journey, it seems pretty straightforward but yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Fantastic. Well, again, thank you all for being here well I’ve invited each of you here today to talk a little bit about a project you did and correct me if I’m wrong, was it earlier this semester with cornerstone theatre company. I caught the recorded version, I missed it live, but your professor sent me the recorded video and I watched it. And so, you created this piece collaboratively with the theater company Cornerstone and with the community is that right? I’m going to give our audience a brief overview of like who Cornerstone Theatre Company is. So Cornerstone Theatre Company makes new plays with and about communities. For over 30 years they've brought together an ensemble of professional artists, with people who would never think of themselves as artists to produce works of excellence based on stories, concerns, and issues of a given community. And they are based in Los Angeles and I’ve seen a few of their shows. From what I I know of them, they go into a community and create a piece of theatre with and for that community, almost like a living history of the community itself. Can you each share a bit about the project and what you worked on, like your role in particular for the project? And whether that was working on like the script or their performance or working with the community. Eileen.

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah, so for me I interviewed a community member because we had target, because we have two different groups so two different communities, basically that we were researching, so I interview someone in my life that I identified with the community that I was we were engaging with, and I also basically, I transcribe the interview and I wrote it, and then we integrated that into the script. Um and I also performed in the piece, as the character that was based off of a person, um and, yeah I think that's it.

OLIVIA SATHER: Mattie.

MATTIE LIMAS: Yeah, so basically, Cornerstone had split up the students into two groups, and each worked on their own separate visions or ideas for what community they were trying to reach. And for my group, all the students conducted interviews with members in our family or people we know of immigrant families cross-generational. And we conducted interviews with them and each of the each of the students, me included, from those interviews wrote a small vignette and we compiled those vignettes into a play. I performed in it, I believe all, most of us performed in it. Yes, so that was my duties in my in my group.

OLIVIA SATHER: Emily.

EMILY PEREZ: Yeah so I was in Mattie’s group, so I actually interviewed my boyfriend and his relationship to his parents who are immigrants, so he's first generation here. In comparison to my experience, because I’m fourth, so I’m very whitewashed and we explored that relationship between us, and so I wrote about that. And then I also directed the pieces alongside the writers, to make sure that their visions were met, and I also played the sound during the performance, while everyone was doing a thing. So like the dial-up tones that were played and everything um we have pulled that and I put it into software and I was basically the…sound designer for that performance.

OLIVIA SATHER: So you all played like a variety of roles in the creation of these these pieces, I do have some follow-up questions, but before we get to those I want to ask for those listening who might not know: What is community-based theater, and I think, maybe like a great place to start would be like what does community-based theater even mean to you.

OLIVIA SATHER: Emily.

EMILY PEREZ: Well, for me personally community theater is just coming together with not only artists, but also people you see on the street or people who, you know that you're able to interview and talk to to discuss events that you may not be completely used to, or even know about to start, bringing up discussions that could be quite difficult to have, and putting them into a play and basically showing the world what these communities go through. And it's it's something that I really want to deep dive into more because my writing specifically does touch on topics that are a little bit more difficult to talk about, but also like I include like a little bit of comedic elements to them so that it's a little bit easier for people to get through. And it's a very vulnerable type of art and I really appreciate appreciate this type of art and I love collaborating with other writers, and such so it's it's just very people-based. To put it short.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah, it's there in the name, it's it's with the community and theatre is people-based itself so it's like double people based yeah. Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: yeah I would say, a complete community-based theaters me is…okay, what are my favorite things it's just like I think it's so cool how everyone has their own story, like no one person's experience is the same as others, and everyone has a story to tell. And so really like going in and like asking questions that maybe aren't like commonly asked of people. And, just like, I feel like when I first think of theatre, a lot of times I’ll think of like productions like this fictional world of just, like the story…but like community-based theater is kind of…diving into like what people have experienced, and what they want to tell the world…like you know, like everyone has a message that they want to put out there and being able to properly represent that and do something that they would be proud to have me or see, and stuff like that. Yeah I think it's really cool, it's very collaborative, and it's not like one person is in charge of anything, it's like all like a group effort so yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah, absolutely. You're collaborating not only with like your fellow theatre makers but with the community that you're making it with. Mattie?

MATTIE LIMAS: I think the best distinction between I guess normal theatre, if you can call it that, and then the community-based leader is I think, with typical theatre, a better word, um there's a prioritization of the playwright of his creative integrity of what he wants, the director what he wants, the actors if it's like a big production them and their…the playbill all these censoring on the artists, and I think with community-based theater, it's like anyone can make and should make theatre and art, and I think there already are systemic issues barring people from entering the theater space, and from entering the artistic space, and so community-based theatre tries its best to connect these two things, so that people who weren't given opportunities or most likely weren't… on a day-to-day basis aren't engaging in this kind of creative thing, they have a space where they can share their story. And I like to think of like our roles, the artist, the facilitators of that. So the priority is really on them and their community, I think and that's what the collaboration, with the interviewing them, if they would like performing with us on stage. Yeah, so I think it's all about collaboration and prioritizing the people we’re interviewing in the communities.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah, it's almost like instead of being called like maybe community-based theater, maybe we should say like community-centered, or yeah. something like that. And I think you hit it right on, Mattie, I mean we hear we learn in theatre history like that the Greek structure was like the playwright at the top and, like, the fact that we're still doing that is very like Western-centered, but there's other ways of making art from all over the world, and I think a little bit of that is what's at practice here is: You know the makers of theater, you’re holders of stories, of oral storytelling, and a different type of storytelling and the making the theater with the communities is keeping their stories alive and keeping them going, I think a little bit. It's my interpretation, yeah. You each talked about this a little bit, but why were you interested in joining this this project, in particular, when the opportunity came up at the theater department, what made you want to join and participate in this? Mattie?

MATTIE LIMAS: Yeah, so I’m a member of student association of theatre arts, and our group have kind of been talking to the department chair for a while about the main stages. And how they kind of fall into that hierarchy, and like searching for alternatives. And with a new chair, this his first year, like he was open, so he got into contact with Cornerstone and it's it seemed to be like that's like the next step of bringing it from the centering and…the students on campus to communities, and I think that the Zoom format helped a lot. And so I’ve also been working on another show with a similar kind of process, of interviewing people, this time with our own family members for another theater piece, and so I wanted to work with professionals who do on a day to day basis. So that was the biggest driver of me getting into the door and working with Cornerstone.

OLIVIA SATHER: I quickly want to ask a follow up question to that and that is: are you, so you're still wanting to make this type of theater and you're already doing that, is that correct? Is this a piece for the theater department or is it separate?

MATTIE LIMAS: This I mean it was, I think, facilitated and collaboration was was called like between Cornerstone and the department, so I like to think of it as both entities have ownership over it, but I, it was this this was one of the major productions for this semester for our department. So I guess you would say, this would be like our main stage I guess or one of the main stages for this semester, I guess.

OLIVIA SATHER: Very cool, and I mean that's great because maybe this is a tradition that can like start and happen in future years, maybe in different ways, but you know that's that's wonderful that this is like maybe the start of something new that keeps going for future students as well. Very cool. Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah, well, as I already mentioned, I’m graduating this month, so I’ve been in a lot of classes where working professionals in the industry have come in and been giving us advice on how to get us started, because it is so scary like straight going out of graduation, what do you do, everyone's been recommending make your own work, try to work with other artists and make stuff and I have always been a person who has just done already written stuff like okay give it here's a here's a film script read it, I go: okay cool. I haven't really like made work before and so I was kind of scared signing up for it because it was just something that wasn't in my territory, really. Um, but I knew I wanted to like learn more and learn how to collaborate and make work, and I’m like yeah even this year I actually I’ve been managing my own theater company who’s been making a bunch of online work and seeing how we've tried to you know taking like theater virtually and how we've been able to work through that has really inspired me to like try new avenues, and just see what's out there, because you don't like you won't know until you try so. Yeah, and also last year, I had volunteered for one of my classes, a community engagement class and I got into the community and done some theater work there, and it was really fun and it did have to end because of, like, the pandemic had come in, and so we couldn't obviously go in to those partners anymore, but it was super fun, and so I just, it was really just like an exploring exercise and I learned a lot from it and I’m glad I did it, and yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: So this was your first like foray, I feel like I’m saying that word wrong, into writing is that is that right?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah, I don't write pieces ever yeah, this is what is the first time, so was kind of scary, but it was I feel like a the anticipation of like or it's a lot scarier than its than it actually is, it seems a lot scarier so once you're like you get into a really passionate, I remember like reading and just like yes, I so excited all the ideas start popping up, but the idea of it very scary at first, but I don't regret doing it and I’m glad to have that to build off of in the future too, so yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Do you think you will keep writing like did it inspire you to write more pieces yourself?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah I definitely want I want I like being kind of like an artist’s toolkit like being able to talk different things that you can do so, like I love acting, and that is still like I would still say I’m an actor, but I also do want to work with people in the future to write stuff that we could perform it, or others can perform and so yeah it's scary, but I have a lot of ideas so yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: That's fantastic. Emily how about you?

EMILY PEREZ: Um so I originally went in as a writer. In the semester before, at my community college, I actually was writing a community theater piece on the Black Lives Matter protest and how it affected students in wanting to go to these protests, but not wanting to get COVID, so, I interviewed a lot of students put on that production for their new play festival. So I already kind of dipped my toes a little bit into a community theater a little bit. So when I saw this opportunity, I was like wow: okay, I definitely need to work on how to interview people, so I’m going to do it just to improve my…that skill that I desperately need if I want to do the type of theater that I want to write about so. It was it was kind of like a golden opportunity, like it was just the perfect timing so and I also live by the mantra: you miss 100% of the opportunities you don't take, so if I ever like kind of feel hesitant about opportunity I’m like: well just take it, what you're going to miss out if you don't want and you're gonna feel bad about it later.

OLIVIA SATHER: Absolutely yeah that's that's fantastic and you're you're still writing right? That's like what you would like to do?

EMILY PEREZ: Yeah so with a few of the students that were in our group, I had pitched another kind of collaborative project for us to do, so, hopefully we'll get that ball rolling soon but I also am currently like kind of brainstorming a TV show with my best friend and like just kind of writing my own stuff, I already have a play that I’ve written so it's it's a lot of work and but I love it so.

OLIVIA SATHER: That's fantastic that's so exciting, you know it's just more work you're putting out. How does community-based theater impact the communities that you make these theater pieces with and the communities around them that maybe come see the piece or engage with it in other ways. You each told like at the beginning a personal story about: you know Emily you talked about writing a piece about with your boyfriend in your own story, and Mattie you're you're talking to your family, like: How does this impact you, but also the communities you made this with. Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: Well, I mean, to be honest, when you write something, anything it you're putting yourself out there and in front of everyone else to see. So for me, for me, putting my story, and my relationship out there and really dissecting these conversations that we have about being like, he's a darker-skinned Mexican but I’m a light-skinned Mexican, we don't have the same experiences, it created this opportunity to actually have a deep conversation and ask really hard questions because I have a little like jealousy towards him and he has a little bit of jealousy towards me. Like we feel the same way, because of the system that has created this divide between people within their own communities, and I’m sure you know people within these communities are writing about, feel a little bit scared because they're putting themselves on the line even though they have everything to gain, but they could also have everything to lose if they're not being anonymous about it, so it's a very vulnerable type of theater but the payoff is just so worth it, because even after we finished writing these pieces and we put it all together, we we were just super proud of what we had done and showing it off to everyone, and everyone else, having the same experiences as the people we wrote about, saying that they found it relatable, like it brings the community closer, but it's a very much a high risk, high reward type of theater that not a lot of people would be comfortable with doing, but once you do, and it's a high reward it's it makes it all the more better to put your story out there.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah this isn't safe…we're not doing like Gilbert and Sullivan. Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you. Mattie?

MATTIE LIMAS: Yeah, I think Emily was like spot on about the vulnerability being like a really big thing. Um, for me, I interviewed a classmate for the piece who I had no previous relation to. She was in my Chicano theater class. I was asking around if anyone wants to talk about their experiences and she was was open. And like I’ve never known her before never talked to her before really, outside of class and…it was like I had the realization that like…before the interview, I was like what if she doesn't say anything, what if, like I seem intrusive, what if…all these things. And then I realized once I asked her like the first question, like people I just think that people are just so eager to tell their stories, but they just need someone to listen and like actually like sit down and like offer that space to them. So like my biggest my biggest fear, maybe this is an generalization because I think there's some communities that are more closed off, but with her and her experience she just seemed so willing, and I think a lot of people I’ve talked to who also conducted interviews have that same experience and kind of being shocked by while people are like not so like afraid to share as long as like you just give them the space to. And also, she’s from L.A., I kind of grew up in L.A., San Bernardino, and I think, though, a lot of L.A. people, L.A. natives just naturally are storytellers, so there's there's that too, um. But yeah I think that was the biggest thing of just like offering them that space, I think. That can benefit a lot of communities, or at least what I saw. Because, I mean, when do you ever really get someone to ask you about your experiences outside of like first-dating questions or interview questions like really honest like vulnerable things that you may not even share with family. Um, and I think that applies to any community interview, giving them that space, I mean it's really you feel seen, I think you feel validated by your experiences, when you when you we kind of go into these communities and interview them.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah that's lovely, thank you. Yeah I think as actors and, as a former actor myself, like we have this this gift of like getting to being vulnerable for for like our job, and getting to experience, like the range of like storytelling and human emotion and so giving somebody else that opportunity is like a gift, a little bit.  I mean how often I think about it, like I’m like how often has somebody asked me about my story, other than like where do you work, like what you know the like basic surface-level questions we don't often dig deep, and so that's really that's really lovely, and I totally agree with you about it, like given that opportunity, people like want to share and want to want to give their gift of their story to someone. Yeah. Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: I feel like they got the best answers I don't know much to add, but um yeah I'd say it's just like I said earlier, like getting to know everyone's stories is just so authentic and being able to just share like everyone, you know everyone has a story to tell, and I feel like I’m just reiterating everything that was already said but um. And I feel like especially like with this project we're all community-center theater you kinda focus on a certain community and so being able to get stories from that community and put it into one collaborative piece, and then I’m seeing it and, like knowing that, like their shared experiences that you like: Okay, this is literally, Emily says it brings people together… Okay I didn't I didn't say anything new in my response um, so just ditto to what has been said. But, um yeah, I just think that there's a lot of there's just so much truth and beauty and just everyone and I think it's just really powerful. I love our community I just I love you know just being part of something kind of bigger than yourself, I guess yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah I think what you said at the end, there is right on. There's there's a lot of beauty in the truth. The truth is a gift and a kindness and you know I think when somebody sees their truth like onstage that's really powerful for them like as an audience member that that's really moving, sitting there and being like that that's me, I’ve experienced that, and you know doing that with theater that's centered on a community especially like, I can't imagine how powerful, it is for people to see like their own stories told about them. So yeah, beauty, is a great way to describe that. I want to ask one more question, I think we could keep talking about the Cornerstone project, but I kind of want to like look at what you all, are doing with your futures and how will this will possibly…you'll take this forward. So was there anything from this process, even a specific thing or just the process overall like what do you want to take forward with you, if anything, from what what you did with the Cornerstone project. Is there anything you'll take forward in your work or, even if even if you're like I don't know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to make community-centered theater again, but this is how I see this playing a role in my future work what what, is that thing? Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Um yes, I, as I mentioned before, I definitely want to continue building on my writing skills, because those were fun, still a little scary, but um I definitely want to continue making community-based theater, but more so, just getting a group of artists together and maybe not centering it towards a community, but just whatever stories like we want to tell and like being able to play even different roles, like you can be a writer and actor or direct and something something, you know. And I also liked just like…before we even started working on our pieces, we really just checked in on who we were and like how we were and the ways in which we could connect and identify each other, and I think that's something that's really important in like… because work is work and creating is great, but there's a lot of…what is the word um there's a lot of magical stuff in just like how we connect as people. So just finding like just really connecting and then like try and create work off of that and our shared experiences, or even how we differ and yeah. So just creating just creating work and writing work and maybe even directing I’m just taking…trying everything really because.

OLIVIA SATHER: It's great it's wonderful when you can wear multiple hats as an artist and kind of shift gears around. Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: Um yeah. Well, I mean I continuously write things. So I also do love to do sound design, directing, acting, of course, so it's it's great to have all these different skills and to be able to really know how to dissect a play and to be able to tell that story accurately, because you've done the work. But from this experience, specifically, what I’ll mostly be taking from is that everyone else is nervous as hell, just like you are, so someone has to break the ice. It takes you out of your shell a little bit because I am kind of like on the more kind of introverted side, but I’ll be extroverted if I need to be so when conducting interviews, you have to like go in there ready to just hype that person up, or like be be ready to have them give a little a little… because it's hard to open up right off the bat when you meet someone new, so that's a really important skill to learn on the on the receiving end of you know, getting interviewed, and on the giving end of the interviews, it's it's hard it's hard to be social. But yeah, that's what I’ll mostly be taking from this experience.

OLIVIA SATHER: Yeah interviewing is definitely an an art in of itself, one I think I’m still figuring out, so um, yeah there's there's a lot to be said for that, like making somebody comfortable in the moment. As they, to echo earlier, like give you their gift of their story. I think you know it also reminds me in a way of like documentary making, like interviewing a subject for a documentary and making sure that they're comfortable or maybe like uncomfortable in a good way, so that you can like receive that gift of their story. Mattie how about you?

MATTIE LIMAS: There are two big things…I think the first one is it was a very small…but it was a big deal for the cornerstone mentors to tell us about making the interviews or connecting them was how to frame the question. So, he wouldn't ask: have you ever found blah blah blah, because then that would be opinion-based and very like present, and what you want is to facilitate them telling a story, so instead of saying have you ever felt sad because of so, and so you would say: tell me a time when and then like give them a prompt and then that just gets the ball rolling, so that they're in like a storytelling mindset. And I’m really interested in this kind of work so that was the biggest thing, I mean it's been night and day the kind of like responses I’ve gotten like before now, before I learned that. Yeah, so that's one, and then the second one is: I think representation is like the buzzword right now in entertainment and like when are you, when are people, when are producers are going to finally look at us or represent us. Yeah and I think, like the smartphone the cameras are getting really good and like I’m really into filmmaking, and like like making your own projects is like you're like it's it's more it's becoming more democratic, I think, especially for students. And I mean it's been legitimized already like directors by like Sean Baker and like Tangerine and, like other directors and I think with this it's like: Wow, like you already have the materials, but they're already all there, you just needed like the guidance of Cornerstone, for them to like teach me how to like really interview them. So then for people who are willing, to me just facilitate space for them to make something that represents them how they like, you know. And that's the thing I’m most excited about I guess, after even after coronavirus, things calm down, is like human contact. I miss it so much. And that's the biggest thing like what am I going to do, like there's, I can hug or I can like film, or I can interview, um and so that's the biggest thing, that's the biggest takeaway of just I have all these feelings all those things I want to do, but I think I can channel it creatively into this and to community-based art. Yeah. That was a lot. I went on a rant. I’ll be quiet now.

OLIVIA SATHER: That's fantastic, you covered a lot there but yeah absolutely um. Yeah I, it's funny I was just talking to a professor in the film department actually earlier this week for the podcast who talked about how global cinema is changing, because of technology and like access to smartphones and drones or and like editing software and just like it's it's making like this, this thing that used to be a barrier, it's it can still be a barrier don't get me wrong, but it's like more people have access to technology so they can create work and put it out into the world. The Internet has changed a lot of things in the last 40 years, hasn't been that long? Yeah so um I think that's that's absolutely right, and this this film Professor was talking about that a lot and I think we're seeing those shifts and those changes are ready, it's not enough, it needs to be more but we're starting to see those things happening and I’m I’m thrilled to hear each of you is interested in making your own work, because I think that's really powerful and we need like a diversity of stories out there in the world for, you know, the world to enjoy and to see. So I’m excited to see what the future holds for each of you. Um, I wish we could keep chatting, but I want to be respectful of your time and I know we're getting to the top of the hour, so I wanted to wrap up with just a few fun questions, and these are what I call the rapid fire rapid questions so just quick like one word answer and then we'll we'll move on. It's just kind of fun and for people to get to know you a bit more. So to get started, do you have, I know we just talked about like you know, destroying the the putting the playwright on top of, but do you have a favorite play or musical. Mattie?

MATTIE LIMAS: Yeah right now, I have a lot, but right now it's Octet by David Malloy, musical.

OLIVIA SATHER: Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: Sweeney Todd. I mean.

OLIVIA SATHER: Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Favorite musical and show ever, it’s never change and it's what got me into theater it was Phantom of the Opera.

OLIVIA SATHER: Awesome, um did you have a live stream or virtual performance you saw over the pandemic that you enjoyed, if you watched one, if not a TV show you enjoyed. Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: I don't know if virtual raves count, but I have been to a couple, so I have had those to get me by until festival season comes back.

OLIVIA SATHER: Right on, that's awesome. Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: I have a couple, okay kind of along the lines of what Emily just said, I saw a music festival actually put on by members of our theater department, and it was so well edited and I love seeing everyone's different talents and stuff and also just all the other shows that have been put on by my theatre company, but that's kind of biased because it's my theater company, anyway, yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Absolutely. Mattie.

MATTIE LIMAS: It was a live… it wasn't live it was edited together, but it was I don't know what it's called but it's Chris Fleming he does these like performances, it was livestream there that's what it was yeah I don't know what it's called but Chris Fleming…

OLIVIA SATHER: Fantastic. What are each of you looking forward to as we're coming out of the pandemic and reopening possibly events coming back at some point soon, what is the thing you're most looking forward to/

MATTIE LIMAS: This is so mundane: hugging my friends, making my friends food that's it.

OLIVIA SATHER: That’s not mundane. That’s very important.

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Traveling. I love seeing the world, I love going on adventures, I think there's so much out there. So yeah, I see the world and also hugging my friends, I miss my friends and um, yeah but just going and seeing the world, super excited.

OLIVIA SATHER: Absolutely. Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: As someone who listens to music 24/7 and can't go to sleep without listening to music: music festivals. I have, I just like a whole sense of euphoria, and I could go on a whole tangent about that, but…

OLIVIA SATHER: Absolutely, gathering with people to watch theater, listen to music, see a performance—I’m right there with you. So, thank you so much for being here today, all of you, I want to give you, I want to give our audience an opportunity to follow you if you have a public social media or a website that you would like to direct people to so they can, can you continue to follow you and follow your work. So if you want to share either your social media handle or your website, please do that now Mattie.

MATTIE LIMAS: Yes. So you can follow me on my instagram I’m @matty_limas. I’m also a member of feminist theatre makers and we have a blog, and so I write for the blog and so does Eileen, Eileen writes for the for the group: @feministtheatremakers on Instagram. Those are my big things.

OLIVIA SATHER: Awesome, thank you. Eileen?

EILEEN HOPE TRAN: Yeah, I’ll plug my own instagram is @eileenhtran. And if you also want to follow the theater company that I am not going to be working for because I’m graduating still follow it up at @csulbtheatrehub, yeah.

OLIVIA SATHER: Emily?

EMILY PEREZ: Yeah, so um, if you like entertainment and just like fun conversations my best friends and I actually have a podcast called Oh Fudge pod. You could follow us on Spotify or Apple, wherever you can listen to podcasts and we also have an instagram under the same name and for a website, I actually own a small business, I make art so it's just msticksco at Big Cartel, where you'll find the art, if you want some cool stuff made.

OLIVIA SATHER: Awesome. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much we'll link to each of those in the show notes for the podcast. Thank you all for being here and have a wonderful day.

ALL: Thank you.

OLIVIA SATHER: Beyond the Stage is produced by the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach. Views expressed by guests of the show or the hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the University. A special thanks to today's guest and the entire staff of the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, including our Executive Director Megan Kline Crockett. Audio engineering is provided by Ken Beaupre. Graphic design by Patti Laurrell. Digital Communications by Franz Neumann, and additional marketing and media assistance by Amber Legaspi-Valdez. Our theme music is by Ken Beaupre. If you'd like to support Beyond the Stage or the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, please donate online at Carpenterarts.org. Thank you for joining us today and we'll see you next time.