With fiery passion, offbeat humor and heartbreaking song, Demeter in the City summons the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone to enact a timeless ritual of separation, abandonment, reunion and emancipation. Pulitzer-Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl has created a poetic adaptation inspired by real-life stories of young mothers, political activists, army recruits, social workers and undergraduate students, and Shishir Kurup directs a cast of professional actors and community members. In this high-spirited collaboration, Demeter is 20 years old and on drugs, the state has taken away her baby, and someone’s gonna pay. Flash forward 20 years and her daughter Persephone meets a man who’s taking her straight to Hell.

Founded in 1986, nationally renowned Cornerstone Theater Company is a multi-ethnic, ensemble-based theater company that commissions and produces new plays, both original works and contemporary adaptations of classics, which combine the artistry of professional and community collaborators. By making theater with and for people of many ages, cultures and levels of theatrical experience, Cornerstone builds bridges between and within diverse communities in our home city of Los Angeles and nationwide.