Paul Stein

In my second year as artistic director of Moving Arts, I was challenged to keep an ensemble company artistically motivated due to the loss of our theater home.  I began looking for ways to produce and self-generate new work regardless of space.

My response was the creation of The Car Plays, an environmental event of 15 short plays simultaneously performed inside of parked cars with actors and patrons sitting side by side in the front or backseats.  I wanted to examine Los Angeles’ car-obsessed culture and present a social commentary on the transient nature of the city and our situation.  Practical reasons aside, I hoped to encourage a skeptical group of resident actors, playwrights and directors to embrace the project, viewed by some as “possibly gimmicky”, as a viable alternative for artistic expression.

I had this “car idea” for quite some time, just germinating inside.  I’m not really sure how or exactly when it began but I did draw inspiration from a few outlets.  A friend told me about a performance art piece he saw in Ireland, a lone car displayed in a wheat field with stationary actors inside.  While walking in Sherman Oaks, I witnessed a couple arguing in sign language inside their parked compact.  I didn’t understand their exchange but I watched intently to the very end.  And, my most influential source comes from the city where I’ve lived the majority of my life – Los Angeles.  I’ve studied its forgotten history, know which street signs are named after actual people and can probably tell you “that used to be a – fill in the blank – there.”

Actors in "Car Play"

Like many Angelenos, I’ve spent far too much of my free time stuck behind the wheel, in traffic, traversing slowly from point to point to get “somewhere”.  But, upon further review, I started recalling countless parked car memories: solitary moments of reflection, long talks with friends, an occasional breakup or two, fooling around with girlfriends, and the endless array of thoughts.  At times, my car was a haven for all that and more—freedom, isolation, comfort and companionship.  I was betting that an audience would have interest and want to engage in those types of moments.  I was curious if patrons might embrace this “performance model”—voyeuristic intimacy due to proximity—even if it were from the backseat of my brother’s 2001 Saturn four-door sedan.

At introductory meetings with company members, the process began with collaboration. Guidelines were created, scenarios outlined, ideas discussed and exchanged between one another.  Many times, I asked playwrights “What’s the event?”  “Why is it taking place in a car? “Will a comedy be funny to an audience of two?”  With the creative side of the project starting to take shape, play selection, casting and rehearsals soon followed — the daunting tasks of production and logistics.  The immense amount of work was handled with great effort and care by an excellent team of producers (Ronnie Clark, Christel Johnson, Lisa Marschall and Michael Shutt), contributors and volunteers.

"Car Play"

The Car Plays became a sold-out hit among audiences and critics alike. The L.A. County Arts Commission rewarded Moving Arts with an artistic grant for ensuing productions.  The initial event resulted in 25 original short plays utilizing more than 60 actors, playwrights and directors.  It led to a subsequent production in 2009 helmed by managing director Steve Lozier and producer Terence Anthony.  Now, we are readying ourselves for RADAR LA with The Car Plays: L.A. Stories.  Current producers Kimberly Glann, Steve Lozier, Cece Tio and I are leading this production of 54 actors, 25 playwrights and 26 directors over four nights in a downtown parking lot.  We are ecstatic and grateful for this theater festival opportunity.   We look forward to sharing our L.A. Stories, the large and small moments, with everyone who attends.

The Car Plays: L.A. Stories is presented as part of RADAR L.A., an international festival of contemporary theater being held June 14-19, 2011 in Los Angeles. For tickets and more information, visit www.radarla.org

DATES & TIMES: June 16-18. Wed.-Sat. 6pm, 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm
TICKETS: $20 ($10 w/ festival flex pass)
RUN TIME: 70 minutes
LOCATION: REDCAT, Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 631 West 2nd Street, LA 90012
PARKING: $9 event parking in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garage off 2nd Street.

Paul Stein is a director and producer who lives and works in Los Angeles.  Directing highlights:  W. Kamau Bell’s The Bell Curve: Ending Racism in about an Hour for soloNova (P.S. 122, NYC); VS Theatre’s The Credeaux Canvas (West Coast premiere); Not Dead Yet (LA Weekly Award); and productions at Summer Works Theatre (Toronto), La Pena Cultural Arts (Berkeley), U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen), among many others. As the former A.D. of Moving Arts, Mr. Stein conceived The Car Plays and produced the world premiere of Sheila Callaghan’s Crumble, Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake.  In 2009, Paul was a semi-finalist for Center Theatre Group’s Sherwood Award. Currently, he is the artistic director of the Comedy Central Stage, a development venue sponsored by the network.  He enjoys teaching his solo performance workshops across the country.  www.paulstein.net