The Ebell of Los Angeles Presents a Women’s History Month World Premiere of ‘The Everywhere of Her’ for Local Elementary Students

The Ebell of Los Angeles, the 129-year-old organization founded by women, for women, presents the world premiere of “The Everywhere of Her,” by librettist Velina Hasu Houston and composer Carla Lucero, an imaginative and musical celebration of three women who each helped shape Los Angeles and women’s history.

“The Everywhere of Her” is a musical play that speaks to the history and specific struggles of women of color and their work in Los Angeles and beyond.

Set in Los Angeles in 1932 at an event celebrating Amelia Earhart as the first woman to complete a solo trans-Atlantic flight, Charlotta Bass (the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in Los Angeles), Katharine Cheung (the first Chinese woman to earn a private pilot’s license in the United States), and Dolores del Río (the famous Mexican film actress credited with challenging hurtful stereotypes and establishing the Mexican film industry) meet for the first time, share their struggles with one another and confront whether they will be remembered and the importance of recognizing the diverse history and ancestry they represent.

“The written historical record underreports women’s history generally, but also the history of women of color specifically,” said Stacy Brightman, executive director of The Ebell of Los Angeles, who conceived of the concept of this educational program for students. “We’re working to change all of this moving forward. This year we’re highlighting the incredible stories of three women of color who have made major contributions to their industries and deserve to be honored and remembered, with an imaginative and enlightening presentation created by smart, talented and inspirational female artists. These performances were produced specifically for elementary-aged audiences so that we can ensure the younger generations are aware of these wonderful stories and are inspired to take part in celebrating and making more HERstory in the future.”

The program, funded with generous support from The California Arts Council and Inner City Art Scholarship Fund, will be seen by more than 2,000 LA-area elementary school students from 33 schools. Students will enjoy the free performances taking place on the stage of the Wilshire Ebell Theater through March 20. Following the performances, the students will also participate in hands-on sessions where they will dive deeper into the lives of the women they learn about on stage and complete an array of activities such as writing a news article, creating a movie poster, planning a flight map and fashioning their own public monuments to honor women and their contributions to history in their own hometown.

The creative team behind the creation if “The Everywhere of Her” is entirely female:

Book & Lyrics – Velina Hasu Houston
Composer – Carla Lucero
Director – Judy Louise Johnson
Music Director – Mercedes Juan Musotto
Stage Manager – Kira Robbins
Dolores del Río – Maria Elena Altany
Katharine Cheung – I-chin “Betty” Feinblatt
Charlotta Bass – Regan Carrington
Cellist – X. Helen Altenbach

At this time, there are no planned, public performances of “The Everywhere of Her.” Student performances will take place on March 7, March 13, March 15 and March 20. Click here for more information.