Cornerstone Theater Company premieres Cafe Vida by Lisa Loomer at Los Angeles Theatre Center, Now through May 20, 2012

LOS ANGELES, April 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Theater Company kicks off The Hunger Cycle (a series of plays exploring hunger, justice, and food equity issues) with the world premiere of Cafe Vida, written by Lisa Loomer, directed by Michael John Garces. Cafe Vida runs now through May 20 and is being presented by Latino Theater Company at Los Angeles Theatre Center.

Cafe Vida is a unique collaboration between Cornerstone Theater, an acknowledged leader in community-engaged theater; Homeboy Industries, renowned for  transformative programs for at-risk and formerly gang-involved youth; and Homegirl Cafe, a division of Homeboy Industries whose purpose is to empower young people through culinary training. Pulitzer-prize nominated writer Lisa Loomer spent 18 months speaking with the men and women of Homeboy Industries and Homegirl Cafe. Imbued with Loomer's biting dialogue and colorful irreverence, Cafe Vida is an unexpected portrayal of this vibrant community.

The play tells the story of Chabela and Luz, rival homegirls ready to leave the life and begin anew at Cafe Vida—the only place in the city that gives young women and their troubled pasts a genuine second chance to start a new life free of violence. But as with all new journeys, the women face obstacles: the scorn of family and friends, the pull of old loyalties, not to mention a persistent singer who provides an entertaining and chaotic soundtrack to Chabela's life. Ultimately, the former enemies choose la vida over la muerte as they learn to compost, tend a garden, julienne an onion, and rock the lunch rush with a smile and a heaping side of transformation.

Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at Los Angeles Theatre Center, Theatre 3, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Tickets are $20 at www.CornerstoneTheater.org and by phone at 866-811-4111. A limited number of Pay-What-You-Can tickets will be available at the door for every performance.

SOURCE Cornerstone Theater Company; Latino Theater Company at Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC)