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Los Angeles Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The future of theater is immersive. These L.A. artists are creating it in real time
Throughout the evening on Sunday, I was placed in a foreign jail, joined a folk-rock band for a sing-along uprising that involved a killer bear and ran up multiple times against selfish, greedy taskmasters, once in a comedic production in a jazz club and another time in the back room of a seedy dance space. A scene from 'That's Jazz Baby!' from immersive team Spies Among Us. 'Our big goal going in was making a simple, understandable, funny piece and hoping everything else fell into place after that,' says Spies Among Us founder Prescott Gadd. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) And it all felt like freedom, 10 minutes at a time. The Immersive Invitational, now in its fourth year, was presented in collaboration with the LGBT Center and the After Hours Theatre Company, with the support of local group the Immersive Experience Institute. The conceit: Participating companies are given 48 hours to craft a new, 10-minute production and then perform it multiple times on the event's concluding day. Audiences become part of the show — 'immersive theater' denotes the involvement of the ticket buyer, usually by interacting with or following the cast. There's silliness — one production involved a cryogenically frozen Swedish rapper — and the overall tone is one of joviality, the belief that art in the early 21st century should be increasingly interactive and playable. In Dr3am Logikk's 'Bird Is the Word,' participants were thrown in a jail, playing the part of a rock band that made a racket in a nameless foreign land ruled by authoritarianism. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) Immersive is a broad term. It encompasses everything from large-scale theme park lands — Universal Studios' Epic Universe in Florida, which opens May 22, is seen as perhaps the largest immersive happening of the year — to play-focused wonderlands such as the Sloomoo slime museum. Immersive theater tends to lean more niche, but as more generations increasingly grow up surrounded by games and social media apps that rely on gamification techniques, experimenting with ways to merge art and play is seen as vital. '[Participants] have agency,' says Aaron Vanek, co-founder of Spectacular Disaster Factory, one of the troupes in the show. 'I think it's an empowering situation when participants are able to not just immersive themselves in a world but actually affect that world and, in today's current situation, just having a little bit of power to make a significant change to a person, a character or a story is extremely enriching.' At this year's invitational, music was given as a broad topic, but themes often worked their way back toward artistic expression — the emptiness when its taken from us, the messiness when emotions get involved and the power when collaborating with others. The majority of the productions nodded abstractly to world outside the halls of the Los Angeles LGBT Center in Hollywood, seemingly in broad agreement that life for many in 2025 is full of unseen stressors, and yet many also found an uplifting spirit by allowing audience members to join in on the act of creation. The now annual L.A. Immersive Invitational featured eight, 10-minute theatrical performances, all centered on a theme of music. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) Advertisement With the limited time frame, participating theater crews have to quickly establish a place and a sense of purpose, lending the audience, which must immediately contort to their role as actors, a call to action. We are, for instance, to free ourselves from a prison in an unnamed country or find out who killed classical music. The were different levels of interactivity, as one show gave us interview prompts, another had us act as puppeteers of a sort, and elsewhere we were instructed to do some rudimentary bad street dancing. And immersive theater, when it works, breaks down barriers, allowing the act of play to get to know our fellow audience members and explore narratives and emotions with trained actors. 'A season doesn't exist in immersive theater,' says Graham Wetterhahn, the founding artistic director of After Hours, noting that many productions have short runs. They can often sell out quickly. The L.A. Immersive Invitational is a way, hopefully, to expose audiences to various troupes to expand their reach. I had to literally be kicked out of 'Stringed Instruments,' from Spectacular Disaster Factory, as the show appeared to continue long after its final beat. Tonally, it differed from much at the Immersive Invitational, striking a demented, borderline-horror feel as audiences explored the dressing room of an electronic music dance club. There, two bottle girls sat before makeup mirrors. Our only instruction was to look for strings with brightly colored paper dots attached, and these were found after a minute or two on the arms of the actors. 'Stringed Instruments' from Spectacular Disaster Factory took on an eerie tone, in which audiences controlled actors as if they were puppets. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) The scantily clad performers spoke in monotone — 'lipstick,' 'hairbrush,' 'pencil' — as the audience took turns puppeteering their arms around their desks. Occasionally, a superior would come in and remind them and us of the minutes till opening. It was affecting. We were at once attempting to help the actors in their request but unable to free them from the grips from the occupation that was leaving them dead-eyed. It leant the audience a discerning sense of agency, as we could control the show but only to a point. A diary of one of the actors — splayed open on the desk — read that she was grieving the loss of her future. 'Stringed Instruments' was a work that left the audience without a closing moment of wish fulfillment. There was no uprising, no quitting, and that empty future seemed the way forward. And yet there was a sense of comfort in its monotony, the simple act of hunting for items on a desk and directing an actor creating a sense of calmness that sought to raise questions surrounding the ways in which we unjustly acquiesce. 'We're coming at immersive theater from an opposite edge,' says Spectacular Disaster Factory's co-founder Kirsten Hageleit. 'A lot of people are coming from traditional theater. There's people from escape rooms. We're coming from live-action role-playing and a type of role-play where it's not scripted.' Audience members at the L.A. Immersive Invitational play a piano in 'That's Jazz Baby!' from Spies Among Us. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) 'That's Jazz Baby!' from Spies Among Us, the team behind a long-running Little Tokyo tale of espionage, found similar lifelessness in corporate drudgery, this time in a jazz nightclub. Only here, the goal was more lighthearted and the audience did succeed in freeing the performers from the clutches of a exaggeratedly maniacal owner. Audiences had to liberate a cadre of musicians from hypnosis and do so by concocting scenarios in which the club's proprietor was continually forced to leave the room. We donned wigs and played instruments as we fought for equity in a show that argued the appeal of music wasn't perfectionism or talent but community. Classical music, the genre, was murdered in 'Settling the Score' from Meanwhile ... Netprov Studio. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) Spy Brunch found inspiration in the era of '60s protest music in its 'Ursa Major and the Blue Mountain Hexes,' turning audience members into makeshift musicians in its mischievous show about outwitting a government agent. The story took a metaphorically magical bent, focusing on music's power to unite — and potentially summon a bear. 'Bird Is the Word' from Dr3am Logikk had similar messages but did so via a setting in which rock 'n' roll was outlawed and its Clash-inspired musicians were jailed for making a racket in a foreign land. To fight authoritarianism, we had to craft an inspirational song using no instruments and no animal noises. Both were shows that inspired connections and vulnerability, part of the elation of communal art. Emotional volatility was touched on in 'Frog and Toad: Live in Concert!' from Last Call Theatre, one of the more prolific companies on the immersive scene. It played to the group's choose-your-own-adventure strengths, pairing audience members with an actor in attempt to stop a band from breaking up. The age-old tension between artistic originality and commerce was explored, and our team failed at finding a compromise. The Queen's Fools went a slightly more traditional theater route with 'Devil on My Shoulder,' in which we were fed prompts to actors in a show that argued even more passive productions can find ways to get audiences to lean in. There's occasionally an absurdity in interactive fiction. Cherry Poppins' 'Ismusik' and Meanwhile ... Netprov Studio's 'Settling the Score' each put the emphasis on comedic improvisation, the former presenting to us mini challenges as we saved Swedish hip-hop and the latter tasking us with interviewing personified musical genres in an attempt to solve a murder, in this case classical music. Yet underlying each were subtle statements about fame-chasing in our commodified age. Big messages can go down easy — or even slightly disguised — in immersive entertainment. That's because we're playing, and when we play we're in the moment. We're also slightly out of own headspace and ready to buy into worlds of wonder or even strife. And at the Immersive Invitational, where productions ranged from goofy to heavy, there was an underlying common denominator, and that is that immersive play can inspire radical joy.
Axios
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
SF LGBT Center executive director to step down
Rebecca Rolfe, the longtime executive director of San Francisco's LGBT Center, plans on retiring at the end of the year after serving at the organization for more than two decades. Why it matters: Rolfe, who announced her departure at the center's annual fundraising event Saturday evening, is stepping down at a tumultuous time for the community amid the Trump administration's efforts to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people. Since first opening in 2002, the center has been a crucial hub as the sole organization dedicated to serving the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ people in San Francisco. What they're saying:"I think there's a mistaken belief that in San Francisco, we have somehow magically conquered homophobia and transphobia and racism," Rolfe told Axios ahead of Saturday's event. "The reality is that we continue to see those challenges here as well." By the numbers: The San Francisco metro area is home to the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., per 2021 Williams Institute estimates. More LGBTQ+ people have also moved to San Francisco in recent years in search of acceptance, safety and security, Rolfe said. Between the lines: Discrimination experienced by LGBTQ+ people can lead to increased difficulties accessing resources like housing, employment and health care, Rolfe added. Rolfe spearheaded a number of new initiatives during her tenure, such as housing and employment resource programs, specialized support for youth and trans communities and yoga classes for queer and trans people. The big picture: The center also launched " Unbreakable Pride" two years ago in partnership with other LGBTQ+ organizations across the U.S. to provide support services, advocacy and resources beyond the Bay Area. "We are, for many people, literally the yellow brick road. We're the vision of what might be possible for queer folks," Rolfe said of the organization and the city as a whole. What's next: The center has yet to announce Rolfe's replacement, though she will remain in the role through December. The bottom line:"In spite of the fact that I've been here so long, I'm a believer in change, and I'm really excited to see the direction that the center will continue to grow in," Rolfe said.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Southern California healthcare agencies fear cuts to HIV prevention will cost lives
Statements from the Trump administration that officials are considering cuts to key programs for the prevention of HIV and AIDS are generating outrage among two of the largest LGBTQ+ service organizations in Southern California. Leaders of the LGBT Center in Los Angeles and DAP Health in the Coachella Valley said that a sharp cut in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of HIV Prevention could endanger many lives and potentially drive up the long-term cost to taxpayers, if incidence of the virus that causes AIDS increases. When the Wall Street Journal first broke news of the potential cut in mid-March, a spokesman said no 'final decision' had been made 'on streamlining CDC's HIV Prevention Division.' Asked this week for an update, CDC spokesman Nicholas Spinelli referred questions to the agency's parent organization, the Department of Health and Human Services, which did not respond. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Read more: RFK Jr. makes sweeping cuts in federal health programs, including CDC, FDA Health agencies across the nation have helped drive down the incidence of HIV, largely through testing, counseling and the distribution of medications that prevent the spread of the disease. Much of the funding for that work came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of decline was 12% nationally between 2018 and 2022, with an even sharper 21% in the 50 local areas where the CDC focused its prevention efforts. The LGBT Center in Los Angeles, which provides outreach, testing and HIV-preventative medications, said it has been left in limbo about what will become of its $450,000 CDC grant to support that work. 'We have seen tremendous gains in the fight to end HIV because of the real investments that have been made in prevention and care,' said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the LGBT Center. 'We've even been talking about how, in our lifetime, we could end the HIV epidemic and get to zero new cases.' 'But if we are terminating HIV prevention contracts in the way that we anticipate ... it is not hyperbole to say it's going to cost human lives.' That echoed concerns voiced by DAP Health, which operates 25 clinics in Riverside and San Diego counties, including many in the Coachella Valley, which has a large gay population and where the HIV rate is four times the national average. 'This 'cost-saving' strategy of decimating the CDC's HIV prevention program will only increase costs, both human and financial,' David Brinkman, the CEO of DAP Health, said in a statement. Brinkman pointed to research that showed the average cost of lifetime treatment for a patient who contracts HIV to be about $500,000 a year. The estimated potential 'savings' of $1.8 billion if the federal disease agency eliminates the HIV program would quickly disappear if more than 3,600 Americans were newly infected, Brinkman said, adding: 'And we know the toll of lives impacted by HIV with this slashing will be in the tens of thousands." Read more: Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water An outspoken voice against a possible reduction or elimination of the anti-HIV program is Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert), a former emergency room doctor who represents the Coachella Valley. 'The CDC's Division of HIV Prevention plays a vital role in reducing new infections, saving billions in preventable health care costs, and ensuring that individuals can access life-saving medication,' Ruiz said in a statement. Ruiz noted that the CDC program also plays a central role in responding to viral hepatitis and TB. The congressman joined 100 other Democrats in the House and Senate in sending a letter to President Trump, urging him to reconsider any plan to reduce or eliminate the disease prevention program. The lawmakers reminded Trump that during his first term, in 2019, he declared the goal of ending the HIV epidemic. 'One of the pillars of your initiative, as shown on CDC's website, is prevention,' the letter said. 'It is imperative that you uphold this commitment.' C.J. Tobe, chief transformation officer for DAP Health, said the Trump administration's potential change of course seemed inexplicable. 'It's a 180-degree turn, to threaten to take this away,' Tobe said. 'It feels personal and it makes zero sense.' Confusion and turmoil have also enveloped U.S. government-supported research around HIV. CNN reported this week that the National Institutes of Health had eliminated funding for dozens of HIV-related research grants. The news outlet cited a Department of Health and Human Services database and quoted scientists who said the cuts would also deal a crippling blow to the goal of ending HIV. Read more: Deadly, drug-resistant fungus CDC calls 'urgent threat' is spreading in hospitals Among those on the chopping block were grants related to PrEP, the regimen of drugs that can thwart HIV infection, scientists told the New York Times. Funding for intervention against the disease overseas also appeared endangered when the Trump administration froze foreign aid and then all but eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main American agency for delivering assistance to other countries. A study published in the Lancet said that a reduction in support from the U.S. and other major funding countries could lead to 4.4 million to 10.7 million new HIV infections worldwide by 2030, killing 770,000 to nearly 3 million more people. 'Unmitigated funding reductions could significantly reverse progress in the HIV response by 2030, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan African countries and key and vulnerable populations,' the study said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
29-03-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Southern California healthcare agencies fear cuts to HIV prevention will cost lives
Statements from the Trump administration that officials are considering cuts to key programs for the prevention of HIV and AIDS are generating outrage among two of the largest LGBTQ+ service organizations in Southern California. Leaders of the LGBT Center in Los Angeles and DAP Health in the Coachella Valley said that a sharp cut in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of HIV Prevention could endanger many lives and potentially drive up the long-term cost to taxpayers, if incidence of the virus that causes AIDS increases. When the Wall Street Journal first broke news of the potential cut in mid-March, a spokesman said no 'final decision' had been made 'on streamlining CDC's HIV Prevention Division.' Asked this week for an update, CDC spokesman Nicholas Spinelli referred questions to the agency's parent organization, the Department of Health and Human Services, which did not respond. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Health agencies across the nation have helped drive down the incidence of HIV, largely through testing, counseling and the distribution of medications that prevent the spread of the disease. Much of the funding for that work came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of decline was 12% nationally between 2018 and 2022, with an even sharper 21% in the 50 local areas where the CDC focused its prevention efforts. The LGBT Center in Los Angeles, which provides outreach, testing and HIV-preventative medications, said it has been left in limbo about what will become of its $450,000 CDC grant to support that work. 'We have seen tremendous gains in the fight to end HIV because of the real investments that have been made in prevention and care,' said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the LGBT Center. 'We've even been talking about how, in our lifetime, we could end the HIV epidemic and get to zero new cases.' 'But if we are terminating HIV prevention contracts in the way that we anticipate ... it is not hyperbole to say it's going to cost human lives.' That echoed concerns voiced by DAP Health, which operates 25 clinics in Riverside and San Diego counties, including many in the Coachella Valley, which has a large gay population and where the HIV rate is four times the national average. 'This 'cost-saving' strategy of decimating the CDC's HIV prevention program will only increase costs, both human and financial,' David Brinkman, the CEO of DAP Health, said in a statement. Brinkman pointed to research that showed the average cost of lifetime treatment for a patient who contracts HIV to be about $500,000 a year. The estimated potential 'savings' of $1.8 billion if the federal disease agency eliminates the HIV program would quickly disappear if more than 3,600 Americans were newly infected, Brinkman said, adding: 'And we know the toll of lives impacted by HIV with this slashing will be in the tens of thousands.' An outspoken voice against a possible reduction or elimination of the anti-HIV program is Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert), a former emergency room doctor who represents the Coachella Valley. 'The CDC's Division of HIV Prevention plays a vital role in reducing new infections, saving billions in preventable health care costs, and ensuring that individuals can access life-saving medication,' Ruiz said in a statement. Ruiz noted that the CDC program also plays a central role in responding to viral hepatitis and TB. The congressman joined 100 other Democrats in the House and Senate in sending a letter to President Trump, urging him to reconsider any plan to reduce or eliminate the disease prevention program. The lawmakers reminded Trump that during his first term, in 2019, he declared the goal of ending the HIV epidemic. 'One of the pillars of your initiative, as shown on CDC's website, is prevention,' the letter said. 'It is imperative that you uphold this commitment.' C.J. Tobe, chief transformation officer for DAP Health, said the Trump administration's potential change of course seemed inexplicable. 'It's a 180-degree turn, to threaten to take this away,' Tobe said. 'It feels personal and it makes zero sense.' Confusion and turmoil have also enveloped U.S. government-supported research around HIV. CNN reported this week that the National Institutes of Health had eliminated funding for dozens of HIV-related research grants. The news outlet cited a Department of Health and Human Services database and quoted scientists who said the cuts would also deal a crippling blow to the goal of ending HIV. Among those on the chopping block were grants related to PrEP, the regimen of drugs that can thwart HIV infection, scientists told the New York Times. Funding for intervention against the disease overseas also appeared endangered when the Trump administration froze foreign aid and then all but eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main American agency for delivering assistance to other countries. A study published in the Lancet said that a reduction in support from the U.S. and other major funding countries could lead to 4.4 million to 10.7 million new HIV infections worldwide by 2030, killing 770,000 to nearly 3 million more people. 'Unmitigated funding reductions could significantly reverse progress in the HIV response by 2030, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan African countries and key and vulnerable populations,' the study said.
