Green Room Theatre Company Coachella Valley (GRTCCV) presents several staged readings of the new play “Displacement: Stories from Section 14,” a fictionalized account of events taking place in Palm Springs from 1923 to 1973 based on public records. As the final offering of the 2023-2024 season, this innovative theatre reading will address the many complex layers in the history of Section 14, and acting in the play is a Section 14 resident from that time, Alvin Taylor. Taylor founded the Section 14 Survivors committee and now has the opportunity to share his experience with our community.
A team of designers, actors, playwrights, musicians, and directors has worked tirelessly since last summer to research and devise this singular new piece. “Displacement: Stories from Section 14” recounts the forced eviction by the City of Palm Springs of 200 Black, Latino, and Filipino families from Agua Caliente tribal land in 1965, and the subsequent bulldozing and burning of houses, in what is now the commercial heart of downtown Palm Springs. The work is supported by a generous Creative Workforce Development Grant from the California Arts Council. The performance also features high-caliber visual art including three-dimensional pieces and an exceptional LED-wall background.
After June the play will enter a second phase of development, in which GRTCCV plans to expand on the background of this controversial episode of Coachella Valley history from the mid-60s. The Palm Springs City Council today has publicly discussed paying reparations to survivors and descendants, which remain under negotiations.
The readings will take place at United Methodist Church, located in the one-square-mile of Section 14; and to serve the Eastern Coachella Valley readings will take place in the Coachella Community Room in the Library building. The schedule is as follows:
United Methodist Church, 1555 E. Alejo Rd, Palm Springs
- Saturday, June 22 at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m.
Coachella Community Room, Library Building 1500 6th Street, Coachella
- Friday, June 28 at 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, June 29 at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis from $15 to $40. Free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. It is strongly encouraged to book free tickets immediately by visiting grtccv.org/section-14.
About Green Room Theatre Company
Now entering its 16th successful season, Green Room Theatre Company Coachella Valley
(GRTCCV) is the only company in the region that tours professional theatre and ballet folklorico performances to under-resourced neighborhoods throughout the desert. GRTCCV leads the way in producing culturally inclusive theatre, while developing new audiences in East Coachella Valley and beyond. This season, GRTCCV presented a four-week tour of the bilingual play “Maggie Magalita” in North Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, and the City of Coachella. “As You Like It in One Hour” astounded audiences with rapidisimo performances in La Quinta and Palm Desert.
Meanwhile, the company continues to build career pathways for the next generation of desert artists by offering internships, scholarships, and high-quality, small-enrollment classes for hundreds of children and teens in Indio, Coachella, Thermal and Mecca.
A burgeoning 501(c)(3) nonprofit, GRTCCV is on the road to recognition by Actors Equity for a contract as a Small Professional Theatre. For more information, call (442) 215-7039 or visit www.grtccv.org.
