H.O.M.E.S. serves as a bridge between more privileged communities and those who have not benefited from the wealth in our region. Each year, H.O.M.E.S.’ lead artist Jose Cordon works with staff on a general theme. In collaboration with director Nick Garcia, Chair of the Los Medanos College Dramatic Arts Department, a cohort of actors and writers are selected to flesh out the theme and the direction for the script. They meet with Monument Impact’s organizing staff and community members to understand the issues and share their lived experience. After the script and performance concept has been developed, it is cast and rehearsals and public performances are scheduled.
“What a gift you have given to the community! This evening was the third time that I saw Nosotros and it was as touching as ever. Thank you for having the vision to bring it to the community. I look forward to seeing how it and the group evolves.”
Janie Eddleman, Nosotros Audience Member
In the first H.O.M.E.S. cohort, eight writer/actors shared stories of what home means to them, then created, wrote, and performed a moving full-length play called Nosotros that engaged over 300 audience members in Concord and Antioch. Nosotros takes place in a rundown affordable housing complex where tenants discover their true collective power and build the home and community they always needed. As the tenants fight eviction, they discover that home is more than where you sleep, it is the people you surround yourself with and is something you build.
The intersection of housing justice and immigration take center stage in a thought-provoking comedy that lampoons the atrocities of local government and federal policies on housing and immigration through short scenes and multi-media.
In this third year of the program, there will be a new emphasis on weaving music, poetry and satire into individual pieces that can be performed singly or together at rallies and in other settings. Three cohorts are in the process of developing these components:
Performances will begin in August 2024.
In October 2024, H.O.M.E.S. will also host a cultural event called ACTIVATE. Combining the music, poetry and theatre performances with public workshops for high school and community college students, ACTIVATE will culminate in a call to action with opportunities for civic engagement.
Jose Cordon is a poet, entrepreneur, and community organizer who has been performing his poetry for over 10 years. He joined the Monument Impact team in 2020 where he has worked with the day labor program, tenant organizing, and leads the H.O.M.E.S art and culture program. He recently founded his own organization called Grassroots Poetry. His poetry has been commissioned by the Latino Community Foundation, Google, the California Endowment, the Blue Shield of California Foundation, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, and many others. In 2019 he was given the Cesar Chavez Spirit award by a local community college. And most recently, Cordon was named the City of Antioch’s Honorary Poet Laureate, received recognition from the state assembly for his work as a community organizer and poet, and had the opportunity to share his poetry at the US Treasury in Washington D.C.
Nick Garcia, consulting director, is the Chair of the Dramatic Arts Program ad Los Medanos College in Antioch. He has worked extensively across the country as a teacher, actor, director, and designer. Before coming to LMC he was the Artistic Director of Children’s Theatre Programming for the George Daily Auditorium, where he designed and oversaw the curriculum for the drama school as well as directed their summer season. He has performed, directed, and designed for venues such as the National Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco, Alter Theater Company in Marin, Pella Shakespeare Festival in Iowa, The Miner’s Union Theatre in Silverton, Colorado, The George Daily Auditorium in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and both the Iowa New Play and Fringe Festivals. He is a graduate of Adams State College in Colorado where he received his B.A. in Theatre and holds the Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from the University of Iowa.
Are you interested in participating in Monument Impact’s Arts & Culture project?
Contact Jose Cordon, lead artist, jose@monumentimpact.org
