Sourced from the press release: Contact: Shawnee Badger
May 7, 2025
Dig Deep Theatre and Santa Clarita Shakespeare present a one-night benefit performance of excerpts from Jose Rivera’s Sonnets for an Old Century to raise money for LA fire relief — at The MAIN in Santa Clarita on Wednesday, June 4 at 8pm. The evening will also include live musical performances of songs celebrating Los Angeles, with a drink and light snacks included with the $25 ticket. All ticket sales/proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund, which provides resources to community-based nonprofit agencies in support of families and individuals in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre directly impacted by the Eaton Fire.
Sonnets for an Old Century is a collection of dramatic monologues from characters in contemporary Los Angeles who answer the challenge to tell their life story in the space of a moment, the length of a sonnet. The play premiered in Los Angeles in January 2000 and had a resurgence across colleges and regional theatres in the time of COVID and George Floyd.
“I was drawn to this play after working on it along with my cohort as an acting student at CalArts in my first year,” says Shawnee Badger, Artistic Director of Dig Deep Theatre which is co-producing the evening. “In each monologue, the characters have the emotional stakes of someone who has one final chance to speak their piece about their life, and out of that moment, through these Los Angelenos, Jose Rivera exposes personal and universal truths.”
Dig Deep Theatre is an actor-focused 501(c)3 nonprofit, creating opportunities for actors in Santa Clarita to bring meaningful and uplifting classic and contemporary plays to life. The Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to engaging the entire community through classic plays, new and reimagined work, and original adaptations that recognize our indelible commonality and celebrate our diversity.
Tickets
Price: $25 + $3.52 Eventbrite ticketing fees
Purchase at:
Date & Time:
Wednesday, June 4 @ 8pm