In L.A.’s Boyle Heights Neighborhood, a Theater Provides Space for Community Healing

At Casa 0101, Artists and Residents Come Together to Create—and Let Go of Pain

Community theater never has been a dirty term for me. To me, community theater is about engaging your community and telling its stories. If the actors, writers, or directors get discovered along the way, by other theater companies or Hollywood or whatever, that’s great. That’s sort of what happened to me when my comedy-drama screenplay, Real Women Have Curves, was made into a 2002 feature film starring America Ferrera.

But gaining outside recognition never has been the primary goal of Casa 0101, the 99-seat community theater, art gallery, and learning center …