Arms Around America | Dan Froot & Company

DF&Co conducted book-length oral histories of families whose lives have been shaped by guns, in South Florida, Montana and Southern California. The ensemble adapted those stories into a podcast and a live theater work that premieres at UCLA's Nimoy Theater on November 15 & 16, 2024, and on tour around the country after that.

The plays are staged as if the audience is watching a radio theater troupe performing a live broadcast. Four actors voice dozens of characters, accompanied by a 3-piece band and a sound effects artist.

By opening a window into families’ lives, DF&CO explore diverse perspectives and foster dialogue around the complex roles that guns play in our society. They hope that this project can help Americans learn how to talk to each other about gun-related issues.

DF&Co feel that guns are a major issue in our country, and that lives depend on learning to listen to each other's experiences and perspectives.

There are plenty of statistics about guns. The ensemble would like to introduce some of the people and stories, behind the facts and figures.

DF&Co believe that telling our own and listening to others' stories decreases fear and increases respect and understanding, and that this can move us toward productive dialogue.

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Dan Froot & Company rehearsing "Arms Around America"

Dan Froot rehearsing "Arms Around America"

Dan Froot & Company rehearsing "Arms Around America"

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Meet the Performers

Photos by Rose Eichenbaum

Justin Alston

Actor/Collaborator

Justin is a Brooklyn-born actor who is thrilled to be... [read more]a part of Arms Around America. Justin got his start studying theatre at Duke university before heading to LA in 2002. He has been nominated twice for an NAACP Theatre Award, and he recently Guest Starred on 9-1-1 Lone Star opposite Rob Lowe and Gina Torres. His most important role to date is Dad to his daughter River who continually shows him the true meaning of love and growth.

Sola Bamis

Actor/Collaborator

SOLA BAMIS (Actor/Collaborator) is an actress, writer, performance artist, and filmmaker. A SAG Award nominee, she has appeared in television shows, regional theatre world premieres, and voiceovers in video games and commercials. She produced and starred in two short films shot in Nigeria. Her next film script Crocodile received awards from the 2021 Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival, Lecture Series Short Narrative Screenplay Competition, the 2018 Film Daily Screenwriting and Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competitions. Her one-woman show The Tutorial incorporates transformative storytelling, performance art, and Revolutionary Theater to deliver a vital prescription for Black women’s self-love and expression. She received her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

Krysta Gonzales

Actor/Collaborator

Krysta Gonzales (she/they) is a TX-born, LA-based performer, writer, and chingona. She earned a BFA with honors in Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Experimental Theatre Wing and has also studied improv at the Groundlings School. Notable credits include Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and Oscar-nominated “Elemental,” in addition to “Cake” on FX. Most of the plays they've written are available to view or listen to online for free, thanks to the support of HowlRound, the VORTEX, Teatro Vivo, the Generic Ensemble Company, and the Distilled Theatre Company. She's excited and grateful for the opportunity to support the artistry of Arms Around America. krystagonzales.com @itsmekrystag

Natalie Camunas

Actor/Collaborator

NATALIE CAMUNAS (Actor/Collaborator) is a native Los Angeleno, USC graduate, queer second-generation Latinx actor, and playwright. Natalie has worked regionally in theatres across the country, favorites include Mother Road at Arena Stage in Washington D.C., Native Gardens at the Cleveland Playhouse and originating the role of “Gabby Orozco” in the World Premiere co-production of American Mariachi at the Old Globe Theatre & Denver Center for the Performing Arts. TV credits: Goliath opposite Billy Bob Thornton on AMAZON & Speechless on ABC. As a playwright, Natalie’s plays have been produced in Los Angeles, New York, and Ireland. nataliecamunas.com

Anthony Rey Perez

ANTHONY REY PEREZ (Actor/Collaborator) is originally from Miami. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida State’s conservatory-style theater program. Over the years in Los Angeles and New York he has worked in various film, television and commercial projects, including significant voice-over work, as well as appearing Off Broadway. He most recently played a young Andy Garcia in the new Latine centered Father Of the Bride. Anthony; the son of immigrants (and loving Husband of one) doesn’t take lightly the opportunity to represent a fuller, more rich representation of Americans in the mainstream narrative for the next generation, including his beautiful daughter Luna.

Actor/Collaborator

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Donna Simone Johnson

Actor/Collaborator

Donna Simone Johnson is a two-time NAACP Award-winning actor, director, choreographer, and educator. In addition to her work with Dan Froot & Co. on Pang! and now Arms Around America, she can be seen (and heard) in a wide range of commercials and audiobooks. Some regional theater credits include Power of Sail (The Geffen Playhouse), Joe Turner's Come and Gone (NY Resident Acting Company), and performances at La Mama, The Guthrie, Virginia Stage Company, Portland Center Stage, The Road Theatre, and The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she is a proud company member. She also serves as Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village Theater Company, which nurtures and produces diaspora-driven work while celebrating the rich history and cultural diversity of South LA. Donna holds an MA in Dance from NYU and an MFA in Acting from CalArts—and carries with her a deep sense of gratitude.

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Dan Froot

Director & Sound Effects

DAN FROOT (Producer/Lead Writer/Director/Foley Artist)

Dan Froot’s work has toured internationally since 1983. Awards include a Bessie (New York Dance & Performance Award), a City of Los Angeles Artist Fellowship, and a Foundation for Jewish Culture Playwriting Fellowship. He has worked with Dan Hurlin, Yoshiko Chuma, Ping Chong, David Dorfman, Mabou Mines, Ralph Lemon, Cornerstone Theater Company, and Victoria Marks, among others. He is a research professor at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. www.danfroot.com

Christopher Rivas

Actor/Collaborator

CHRISTOPHER RIVAS (Actor/Collaborator) is one of the most sought after multi-hyphenates as an actor, author, and storyteller. His book Brown Enough explores what it means to be Brown in America. The book is part memoir and part social commentary. He also developed two shows with SiriusXM's Stitcher: Brown Enough, which explores the parallel themes of his book; and Rubirosa, a 10-episode documentary-style investigation of Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican diplomat who is believed to be the inspiration for the famous character ‘James Bond.' On screen, Rivas is known for his work on the Fox series, Call Me Kat.

Who are our partners for Arms Around America?

Who supports Arms Around America?

Arms Around America is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by The Myrna Loy, Miami Light Project, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information: npnweb.org

This program is made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

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