The annual Cultural Affairs Commission Town Hall is a chance for all the arts groups in the city to come and discuss the work they have done throughout the year and their plans moving forward.
Among those in attendance was actor Tim Robbins, who is also the artistic director of the Culver City-base theatre company The Actors’ Gang. He was welcomed as a special guest and given the opportunity to speak first.
“I’m delighted to be here,” Robbins said. “The most significant change in our organization has to do with our relationship with Culver City and its willingness to provide opportunities to expand our educational outreach.”
Robbins said the theatre has taken the energy, commitment and vision of Culver City and “we feel like you guys have provided us with a wonderful opportunity.”
The Actors’ Gang is the recipient of a 2012 grant from the commission and Robbins spoke about the company’s plans to expand its educational outreach in the coming year by providing after school theatrical training for students. He also touched on the company’s current programs including a teenage poetry program called Get Lit that teaches classical poetry to inner city youth; the company’s outreach programs in the prison system; and upcoming shows including a mid-February production of George Orwell’s 1984.
“We’re here to serve this community, we’re excited to serve this community,” Robbins said.
Briefly addressing the problems that the city will now face with the abolition of the Redevelopment Agency (which funded many Culver City arts projects), Robbins said, “[The Actors’ Gang] had a meeting two and a half years ago when the economy started to sour and we talked about how to get through this. We realize there are budget cuts in California but we believe the only way to survive a crisis is to expand and grow. I’m here to say that what you have done in the past 10 years here has reinvigorated the community, and that’s a rare thing. Thank you for including us in that vision.”
Robbins did stay for a part of the meeting but apologized in advance for his early departure, stating that he had to get to 1984 rehearsals.
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