When Kevin Zambrano first dreamed of the Ghost Light Residency, he was back home in Los Angeles after Broadway’s abrupt shutdown in 2020. He could feel the community around him growing restless, just as he was.
“I didn’t like sitting around at home,” he told me. “And I knew that the theaters were empty. So I was like, why not allow at least one person to be in there?”
Tom Tsai in Warner Grand Theatre – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
In conceptualizing a residency built on safely activating empty Los Angeles theaters, Zambrano carried a special understanding of Los Angeles dance artists. He’s been here for years, growing up nearby and attending CalArts, then freelancing locally until he booked the West Side Story revival in New York. He felt the community’s need to move, but he also felt a resistance to the pressure of making product in a time of extreme stress. He wanted to create an atmosphere free of that pressure.
“And they don’t have to make anything. They can just be in there, have fun, explore,” he said.
Jasmine Orpilla – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
He brought the idea to now co-founder Bret Easterling, and they worked quickly to realize these conditions with the help of Dimitri Chamblas, dean of dance at CalArts, and CalArts faculty member Rosanna Gamson. The Ghost Light Residency became a non-profit organization, brought on expert producer Loni Rodgers, and used a nonhierarchical lottery system to place local artists in local theaters for a safe creative process.
Jul Wiggins – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
The first round of applicants totaled almost a hundred artists, and three underrepresented voices were selected at random for residencies at the Warner Grand Theater and the Madrid Theatre. The goal: to facilitate the creative endeavors of dance theater artists affected by the instability of the pandemic, and to activate Los Angeles’ beloved proscenium venues and the technical staff who keep them vibrant.
“We’ve really enjoyed seeing different processes,” Ghost Light co-founder Kevin Zambrano said of the residency’s first season. “It’s more about the experience, and the theater…a big incubation experiment.”
Tom Tsai – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
The Ghost Light’s successful first round supported both artists and technical theater staff during residencies for Jasmine Orpilla, Tom Tsai, and Jul Wiggins. Each Ghost Light artist was awarded a $1000 honorarium for investing in their own artistic practice — no deliverable required at the end of the week.
“I feel like we learned a lot along the way,” Easterling said of the first round. “Even from Jasmine to Jul, there was some shifting…for them to get every single minute that they possibly can in the space, because obviously, I think our goal would be to offer more time.”
For documentation, they brought on collaborators Josh S. Rose, a local and prolific director of photography; and RYBG, a production house specializing in media for movement. Artists worked with Rose and RYBG in separate sessions, yielding visual materials that could serve as portfolio material and proof of concept in the future, or even just as high-quality archival footage. RYBG also documented a culminating sit-down interview with producer Sadie Wilking to log the artistic process. Since the first round of residencies, Wilking has joined the Ghost Light team as a producer.
Jul Wiggins – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
“It has been my deepest honour to witness such an intimate and rare experience where an individual artist is personally and wholly supported outside of a traditional institution,” Wilking said. “From beginning to end, each participant’s process has seemed to exceed what they set out for themselves.”
Ghost Light residency applications are open now for a second round of artists to participate in residencies this year. All Los Angeles-based solo dance-theater artists who identify as underrepresented inside of proscenium theater venues are eligible. Past applicants may update their applications, and new artists may apply to be chosen via the lottery selection process.
Ghost Light, a program of BEMOVING, is seeking theatre/proscenium venues willing to donate space, as well as financial support for this round of residencies. To inquire, email ghostlightresidency@gmail.com. To donate directly, visit the Ghostlight Residency 2022 GoFundMe page.
To learn more about the Ghost Light Residency, please visit their website.
Written by Celine Kiner for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Jasmine Orpilla – Ghost Light Residency – Photo by Josh S. Rose
