From 5 to 7 evenings a week, Latino and African-American residents of the Watts community in Los Angeles rehearse The Central Ave. Chalk Circle, a play based on one by Bertolt Brecht but adapted to address specific issues of their community. This is one of the many plays that citizens throughout the county have written and produced through CornerstoneÌs Community Collaborations. Using a 3 to 4 month-long residency format, Cornerstone collaborates with a community host organization to lead young residents from creation to production. Those who want to join the program must commit to rehearsing 5-7 days a week after an initial 3 day training session. Participants can study any aspect of theater, including acting, directing, producing or designing sets. "After working together, participants have an increased sense of their own community and the diversity of it," explains Managing Director Leslie Tamaribuchi. "Both adults and youth no longer have a sense of alienation from art because they begin to see themselves as artists and believe that they have the right and the ability to participate in the creative process. Nurturing this belief," she notes, "is an explicit goal of the program"