How We Got On

by Idris Goodwin
directed by Jaime Robledo

FEBRUARY 4 - FEBRUARY 26, 2022
EXTENDED THROUGH MARCH 12!
March 4-5 performances canceled
Final two shows March 11-12!
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays, Feb. 6 & 20 @ 5pm

Tickets: $15-35 | Buy Tickets Now

Donate-What-You-Can performance:
Monday, Feb. 14 @ 8pm

Proof of full vaccination plus booster required for entry. Masks must be worn over the nose and mouth at all times in the theater.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE! Set in 1988, this highly theatrical play tells the story of three Black teens in a wealthy, midwestern suburb as they struggle with cultural isolation, family pressures, and the elusive adolescent task of discovering, asserting, and valuing themselves. HOW WE GOT ON is simultaneously anthropology, nostalgia, and a feel-good coming-of-age tale. It's for those of us who grew up back in the day and those who never knew.

Performing in the Broadwater Black Box (Entrance at 6322 Santa Monica Blvd.)

"...a smart and enjoyable blast of nostalgia and a welcome return to live theater." -ArtsBeat L.A.

"...effen amazing! ...insightful... breathtaking... intelligent, hilarious and extremely fun. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" -Gia on the Move

"...a wonderful play with music, passion and nostalgia." -Discover Hollywood Magazine

"...a creative show with heart and passion. Sacred Fools actor/playwright/director Jaime Robledo does a phenomenal job executing Goodwin's well told story. It's a fast paced story told in song and it works." -All About the Stage

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Awards

NAACP Theatre Awards Nominations

Best Choreography - Lynn Adrianna
Best Lighting Design - Derrick McDaniel
Best Set Design - Michéal David Ricks
Best Lead Male - Isaac Cruz
Best Lead Female - Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield
Best Music Director - Sean Kantrowitz
Best Supporting Female - Angela Oliver
Best Costume Design - Mylette Nora

LADCC Award Nominations

Musical Score - Sean Kantrowitz

Monday, Feb. 14: DONATE WHAT YOU CAN. It's "Pay What You Can" with a twist! All proceeds for this performance will be donated to L.A.C.E.R. Afterschool Programs, who help young people tell their stories and see them performed in their communities.

Digital Program

DIGITAL PROGRAM | Click the link - or scan the QR code to read the program on your phone!

Photos

Cast

Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield as Selector
E.E. Williams as Hank⁣
Isaac Cruz as Julian⁣
Angela Oliver as Luann
Terry Wayne Jr. - Hank / Julian (Swing)

Crew

Produced for Sacred Fools by Scott Leggett
Assistant Director - Brittney S. Wheeler
Composer / Beat Maker - Sean Kantrowitz
Stage Manager - Daniel Coronel
Assistant Stage Manager - Roella Dellosa
Choreographer - Lynn Adrianna Freedman
Set Designer - Michéal David Ricks
Graphic Designer/Scenic Artist - Zach Brown
Lighting Designer - Derrick McDaniel
Costume Designer - Mylette Nora
Sound Designer - Nayla Hull
Projection Designer - Brian Wallis
Video Programmer - Corwin Evans
Casting Directors - Victoria Hoffmann & Nitzan Levinson
Photography - Jessica Sherman Photography

- Sacred Fools Company Member

Reviews

ArtsBeat L.A.

It's 1998 in midwestern U.S.A, and three rap-loving teens live in a suburb of The City called The Hill. Hank (E.E. Williams) wants to be a rapper but maybe doesn't have the performance chops, and so he studies the production side. Julian (Isaac Cruz), with his persona of "Vic Vicious," has attitude and chops to spare, but he needs somebody to provide him with words. Luann (Angela Oliver) is pushing against the sexism of the era by trying to be a female rapper, although her writing and performance talent is clear. As time goes by, they compete, collaborate and finally support each other as rap music begins to make a huge impact upon American culture.

Williams portrays Hank's combination of intelligence, frustration and persistence with seamless skill, as a character who will get into the world he wants however he can. Cruz excels as Julian, bringing a tightly wound energy and underlying vulnerability to the role. The rap battle between the two wannabe stars is hilarious, consisting mostly of repetitive accusations of being "whack." Oliver is charming as the irrepressible Luann, practicing her rhymes wherever she can, trying to create a working team. Finally, Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield is excellent as the narrating Selector, acting in a myriad of roles, but especially good as Hank and Julian's very different fathers.

Jaime Robledo's tight direction keeps everything percolating nicely, balancing the needs of drama, rap and dance with poise in a small space with the audience on three sides, which is no easy feat. To this end he is greatly aided and abetted by Derrick McDaniel's lighting, which creates new moods and settings from instant to instant, and Lynn Adrianna Freedman's energetic choreography, which provides a visual equivalent to the propulsive music. Robledo's use of ladders to represent the height of a water tower is an inspired touch, a bit of the creative theatre magic that has been a hallmark of his entire career.

Although Idris Goodwin's play is primarily a character study of three young people at the beginning of rap's ascension, it also works very effectively as a primer of rap's mechanics. His descriptions of the essential building blocks of the art form and how to put them into practice are fascinating and clear, from the uses of alliteration and metaphor to the specific strategies inherent to winning a rap battle. His character work is full of endearing detail, from Julian's enthusiastic enjoyment of peach schnapps to Luann's rap being ended by her mother yelling at her to go to bed. My only quibble with the play is that its conclusion is so open-ended it doesn't feel satisfyingly concluded, but this is a very minor issue.

The Sacred Fools Theater Company production of How We Got On is a smart and enjoyable blast of nostalgia and a welcome return to live theater.

Stages of Our City (Stage Raw's podcast)

"...energetic and entertaining." -Terry Morgan

Gia on the Move (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

...effen amazing!

The actors are kinetically empowered. Not with just the enthusiasm of youth but with a real connection to the material. It means something. Everyone on stage registers a natural affinity with Goodwin's words, thoughts, emotions and actions. There is so much at stake for these kids. It is deeply profound.

...intelligent, hilarious and extremely fun... an exciting example of iconic living music culture that continues to evolve today.,, Idris Goodwin's script is so insightful. It is breathtaking in its recall of the time period... a dynamic presentation...

All About the Stage

We�re going up!!
-The mantra of the trio

Hip hop is a culture. It's the music with bombastic beats and explosive lyrics exposing truth on what's going in the world. Multi-winning playwright, instructor and many other well-earned titles, Idris Goodwin [has brought] forth a creative show with heart and passion. Sacred Fools actor/playwright/director Jaime Robledo does a phenomenal job executing Goodwin's well told story. It's a fast paced story told in song and it works.

Somewhere in the Mid-west three hip-hop fans, Hank (E.E. Williams), Julian (Isaac Cruz) and Luann (Angela Oliver) share weakness and strengths to make it in the fast paced genre. They each [have] hurdles to overcome. Hank can rap, but, can't rock the stage. Later, he decides to enter the production side of the business. Good idea since that's where the good money is. Julian is a true lyricist who can't write verses well. Luann is the sole injection of estrogen in this male dominated field. She raps and writes. In hip hop, that is a god-send! She knows she must succeed and soar not only as an artist but as a female artist. No pressure there.

Altogether they journey in hopes of finding answers to their problems. The answer comes in the form of the Selector. Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield does an exceptional [job] as the narrator who slays it on the turntable. It's interesting to see what goes [on] behind closed doors. The trio eventually become a tighter unit who will get to the top, of course, it will take time. Music impresarios Jay-Z and Dame Dash took a long time to perfect their craft and plan for a long career.