LAPD Mission: Founded in 1985 by director-performer-activist John Malpede, Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) is a non-profit arts organization, the first performance group in the nation made up principally of homeless people, and the first arts program of any kind for homeless people in Los Angeles. LAPD creates performances and multidisciplinary artworks that connect the…

Cornerstone Theater Company (Los Angeles) is widely regarded as one of the most important community-based theatre companies in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1986, during the first six years of its existence the company was nomadic and specialized in rural residencies around the U.S., deconstructing and rebuilding classical drama texts together with local residents. Early…