Recent Articles by Mas
FRESNO BEE 8/7/11
A Man Comes to Fowler
Sunday, August 7, 2011
By David Mas Masumoto
How does a town tell its story? If a stranger wandered into any of our Valley towns, what would they see, hear and feel?
Cornerstone Theater Company, a nationally recognized theater group based in Los Angeles, arrived in Fowler to do just that: discover life in a small town and create a play to tell its story.
Their approach: community-based theater, a blend of professionals and students but mainly community members. They sought input, collecting information from story circles (small group conversations) and interviews. It's as if the play began with informal conversations that not only could become part of the play, but the average person on the street may find themselves in the final script. Read the complete article . . .
FRESNO BEE
Third Places
Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009
by David Mas Masumoto
I search for Third Places. Coffee shops for farmers. Community centers, small
town cafes. Barber shops, beauty salons. Pubs, gardens, neighborhood restaurants.
Post offices, libraries, farmers markets, the place on the corner.
These are places where people gather, talk face-to-face, trade information, debate and engage. They're called Third Places, a term coined by Ray Oldenburg in his book, "The Great Good Place."
For most of us, we think of our home as the first place and the work setting as our second place. Third Places are those informal meeting sites where we are welcomed, food and drink often available, accessible to the public, comfortable and relaxing; places that bring people together in civic engagement, creative interaction... Read the complete article