Have a story about the Lineage fire? CASA 0101 wants to turn it into a play

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Were you affected by the Lineage warehouse fire this summer and have something to say? 

CASA 0101 Theater is calling on community members, regardless of writing experience, to express themselves through storytelling in the wake of environmental disasters on the Eastside.

A free, six-week playwriting workshop will guide participants through writing monologues and formatting short plays about their experiences during the fire or their feelings about the history of other environmental disasters on the Eastside, including the March oil spill in East L.A. and the years of toxicity caused by the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon. 

Ten works will be produced and featured in “Fire in the Eastside,” a short play festival at CASA 0101 Theater in spring 2027.

The idea, by CASA 0101 Artistic Director Josefina López, will focus on the personal experiences of people who lived them, said Ignacio Gonzalez, a stand-up comedian and playwright who will lead the workshops. 

“Rather than just point the finger and say Lineage is bad, the government is bad … we want to tell the stories from the individual people and how they were impacted,” Gonzalez said. “We hope that people can look at these and say, ‘You know what, I never thought about that. I never thought that people would have to take these measures or be impacted in this way.’”

For Gonzalez, there is power in performing a 10-minute play in front of a crowd. Though the performances will be short, participants will have the undivided attention of an audience to share an experience that has deeply impacted them, he said. 

Gonzalez recalls watching the aftermath of the Lineage warehouse fire unfold through news reports and updates on his phone and thinking about the residents living nearby. 

“We can put the phone down and go about our business, and we have clean air, and there are no flies, and everything’s fine. But I just understand there are human beings living there with stories to tell,” Gonzalez said.  

More about the workshops

The free workshops will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14 at CASA 0101 Theater, located at 2102 E. 1st St. 

All levels of experience are welcome. Spanish-speaking participants can also attend and write their work in Spanish. 

How to sign up

To register for the workshops, fill out the form on CASA 0101’s website here.

If you cannot attend the workshops but still want to share your play or monologue, CASA 0101 will be accepting individual submissions. To be considered, submit your work by sending an email to classes@casa0101.org by Dec. 14 at 11:59 p.m. 

Any works that are not chosen can still be performed during a public reading at CASA 0101.