Full Vision Arts Foundation, a veteran multi-disciplinary performing, film and new media arts organization along with Cal State Northridge's Neighborhood Partners in Action, West Valley Playhouse and other community partners taught playwriting workshops throughout the community of Canoga Park at diverse locations including Alliance for Community Empowerment High School for transitional age youth, The Boys & Girls Club of the West San Fernando Valley, the VFW center, Canoga Park Senior Center and Canoga Park Improvement Association.

Thirty well-conceived new works featuring local talent and relevant topics designed to engage area residents were subsequently penned, divided equally among three directors (including FVAF Producing Artistic Director Tony Phruishun Spires) were workshopped and presented as stage readings in December 2017. Ten of the 30 initial plays were selected to be produced on March 24th, 2018. Five directors, including Spires, each chose two plays. The plays were then auditioned in January, cast, further-developed and workshopped, produced and presented as the Canoga Park Car Plays Festival on March 24th, 2018 at West Valley Playhouse in conjunction with Canoga Park Farmers Market for a total of 210 performances.

The entire collaborative process was filmed by Full Vision’s New Media Arts Academy under the direction of Tony Spires and shot by President and CEO Rhonda Spires and members of our New Media Arts Academy team for a subsequent documentary film, The Creative Gumbo. The Creative Gumbo: The Car Play Experience, a documentary short film was screened at West Valley Playhouse as a precursor to the theatre presentation.