John Malpede is the founding Artistic Director for the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD). Begun in 1985, LAPD is a theater collective of homeless and formerly homeless individuals whose purpose is to help create community on Skid Row and to create public awareness about the “real deal” of life on the streets. Working with drug recovery programs, transitional housing and employment programs, LAPD reaches more than 300 Skid Row residents each month through workshops and original performances that speak of the collective hopes, dreams and problems of neighborhood residents.
