Update Title: 828C1238-33B0-475D-B0B4-4A9A49B42C61

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My original idea for  A Place to Call Home was to create an updated version of an ancient Aztec legend, replacing the obstacles faced by a young man on his mythic journey with those faced by young people immigrating to modern-day Los Angeles.  In researching the opera, I spoke with Guatamalean and Salvadoran refugees at the Central American Refugee Center near downtown L.A., with Chinese, Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Korean students at Belmont High School, and witht he people of my neighborhood -- the Cambodian woman who runs the donut shop on Sunset near my house; the Iranian man who repairs bicycles on Fountain Avenue; and the Vietnamese man who cuts my hair.  As I listened to their stories, one thing became apparent: While all of thes people shared certain factors in their immigration and /or refugee experiences, they had each made very different choices and changes in their lives as a result of their journeys.  I decided to throw out the Aztec myth and instead write a contemporary ensemble show with a lot of stories and different points of view -- one that would reflect the tapestry of life I'd discovered in the immigrant community.

The first version of A Place to Call Home was a forty-minute work designed to introduce high school students to opera.  At each of fifteen different schools, a different group of high school students -- untrained in the performing arts -- performed as the chorus alongside professional opera singers.  Before each performance, those of us involved in that first L.A. Opera production last March would wait nervously as hundreds of screaming teenagers filled the auditoriums for a fourth-period assembly.  Rival gang members were separated to minimize tensions; principals demanded silence.  The lights went down; the music started.  Would we survive? Much to our surprise, we did.  And...the audience liked it.

With these performances, A Place to Call Home continues on its travels.  From Aztec myth to  urban high school auditoriums, we've now arrived at the outdoor John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in a brand new production.  I spent part of my summer reworking and expanding A Place to Call Home to include roles for students at the L.A. County High School for the aRts, and adapting the work to make use of the large outdoor space.  Faced with a whole new set of challenges, I took actions similar to those taken by the characters in the show: I made some choices, took some chances, and set the changes in motion.  Finding "home"  for A Place to Call Home has been an unusual journey.  But, as the lyric in the show says, "Home isn't where you're from but where you've made it to." -- Edward Barnes

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