Feinstein’s California legacy

S1: Senator Dianne Feinstein announces retirement. What that means for California.

S2: We never gave up. And she was , you know , the force behind it. Without doubt.

S1: I'm Jade Hindman. This is KPBS midday edition. What's behind a proposed ballot measure for marriage equality.

S3: If the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the right to marry , just like it did with the right to abortion , then Prop eight would go back into effect automatically and marriage equality would be prohibited in California.

S1: Plus , an expert on global policy and strategy weighs in on the balloon from China. And a look at the San Diego Symphony's newly renovated venue. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Dianne Feinstein has been a U.S. senator from California for three decades , and before that , she was already a powerful figure in San Francisco politics , including serving as mayor. So the announcement that Feinstein is retiring from office at the end of her current Senate term really does mark the end of an era in California politics and governance. KQED Scott Shafer has this look at Feinstein's political life and legacy.

S4: Early in her career , Dianne Feinstein thought about quitting politics. But her dramatic announcement in 1978 changed everything.

S2: Both Mayor Mosconi and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been shot and killed.

S4: Feinstein became mayor and served for nearly a decade , governing from the center and steering the city through crises , including the AIDS epidemic , which the Reagan administration pretty much ignored. Paul VOLBERDING was a young AIDS doctor in the mid eighties. He often briefed the mayor on what was needed.

S3: I don't recall any moment in the early epidemic when I was told , No , we can't do that because we don't have the resources. And that really goes to her leadership and a.

S4: Great credit to her. In 1990 , Feinstein fell short in a run for governor , but two years later , she got elected to the U.S. Senate , becoming the first woman to serve on the Judiciary Committee. After a panel of all white men questioned Anita Hill's allegation that Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. Feinstein became known as a workhorse , a senator who did the heavy lifting on substantive issues. Former Senator Barbara Boxer recalls that in 1994 , Feinstein helped lead the charge to pass an assault weapons ban. Against all odds , she found the 60 votes to defeat a Republican filibuster.

S2: We never gave up. And she was , you know , the force behind it. Without doubt.

S4: It was one of her biggest accomplishments. But getting the 60 votes required , adding a sunset clause. So the law expired after ten years and hasn't been renewed. In those early years , Boxer recalls how tough it was to get federal funding for California.

S2: When Dianne and I came into the Senate , there was an expression ABC , anybody but California. The colleagues thought that we were the Golden State in the sense that we had no problems , right ? They said , Oh , you've got the entertainment industry , you've got the tech industry , you've got all the defense bases , etc..

S4: A pragmatic , no nonsense Democrat , Senator Feinstein often worked across the aisle , winning support for her causes and co-sponsoring bills with Republican senators. In 2014 , as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee , she shepherded through a comprehensive investigation into torture of prisoners by the CIA. After 911.

S1: Releasing this report is an important step.

S2: To restore.

S1: Our values and show the world that.

S2: We are , in fact , a just and lawful. Society.

S3: Society.

S4: Tom Blanton , who heads the National Security Archive at George Washington University , says the investigation under Feinstein's direction held the intelligence community accountable.

S3: I think the Senate torture report was probably the high point of Senator Feinstein's entire Senate career.

S4: Feinstein also racked up an impressive array of environmental wins , like sponsoring the California Desert Protection Act , which preserved the Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree National Park. Feinstein was seen by some on the left as too conservative , supporting the death penalty and resisting an end to the Senate filibuster. But Democratic consultant Deb Mello says Feinstein's bipartisanship will stand the test of time.

S2: You know , I think at the end of the day , she's a pragmatist. And.

S3: And.

S2: Maybe she seemed to moderate , you know , for some people's taste. But I think that she always has been about getting things done.

S4: Many Democrats wanted Feinstein to retire in 2018. But as she said in a C-SPAN interview years earlier , she was driven to public service.

S1: You have to be a little.

S2: Bit like the Phoenix. You have to come back from your losses. You have to rise from your own ashes. And you have to really care that the government serves the people. And I really believe.

S3: That to my depth.

S4: Pundits may say Feinstein stayed too long in the Senate or was too moderate for her party. But history will likely remember her as a groundbreaker who took political risks to get big things done.

S1: That was Scott Shafer reporting for the California report. While many of us celebrated Valentine's Day with dinner or flowers , chocolate or cod , a group of California state lawmakers celebrated love by proposing to enshrine marriage equality into the state's constitution. State Senator Scott Wiener is among them and joins me now to talk about this. Welcome.

S3: Thanks for having me.

S1: So many people might hear about this proposed constitutional amendment and think same sex couples already can get married in California.

S3: It's unenforceable. So it has no legal power right now. But if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the right to marry , just like it did with the right to abortion , then Prop eight would go back into effect automatically and marriage equality would be prohibited in California. And that would be a disaster for for people who want to get married and also would create potential uncertainty for people who are already married. So we need to avoid that and get this language out of the Constitution.

S1: And will you remind us about the history of Proposition eight in California and what the Supreme Court decided in 2013 ? Sure.

S3: It was just a really dark chapter in California history of just prejudice against LGBTQ people. And what had happened was , you may recall in 2004 , then Mayor Gavin Newsom started allowing marriages to happen in city hall. The courts put a stop to that , but it put in motion a series of of lawsuits that ultimately resulted in the California Supreme Court ruling that there was a fundamental right to marriage in the California Constitution. So allowing same sex marriage. Prop eight then was a reaction to the Supreme Court ruling. And they collected signatures , right wing groups and put it on the ballot , and it passed 5248. So it was a close vote. Then after that , there was litigation. And the attorney general at the time , Kamala Harris , declined to defend Prop eight and the courts. First Jerry Brown , then Kamala Harris. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately on procedural grounds , basically invalidated Prop eight and then issued a separate ruling granting state or national marriage rights. So that happened in the 2013 to 2015 time range. And then we thought we had peace on Earth and the marriage equality was simply to be taken for granted and assumed. But then we saw the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade , and Clarence Thomas stated that marriage equality should also be overturned. And that's when we decided we need to just get this out of our Constitution.

S1:

S3: This is a court that is extremely conservative , that has shown over and over again that it has no respect for longstanding precedent and has shown with the overturning of row that it has no respect for established precedent protecting people's freedoms and civil rights. And so this is a court that does not seem to have any boundaries , are willing to do anything to achieve its very right wing agenda. And it pains me as a lawyer to say that. But the court is is is really a little bit out of control , opted out of control. And so we need to protect ourselves here in California. We also know that there is a wave around the country in red states of attacks on the LGBTQ community , state legislatures and governors taking extremely homophobic and transphobic positions , passing laws to go after trans children , to go after drag queens , to go after LGBTQ people in general , and demonizing our community. And so the politics have really shifted. And whereas we thought we had solidly achieved so much progress as an LGBTQ community , we are losing ground in a lot of states. And so California needs to be very , very strong.

S1: And that all brings us to this proposed constitutional amendment that you and California Assembly member Evan Lowe and others are proposing.

S3: We are working on the precise language that will go into that bill , and we will it will be removing Prop eight from our Constitution , repealing it , and ensuring that marriage equality is protected in California. We want to just make very , very clear that not only are we not going to prohibit marriage equality , we're going to embrace it.

S1:

S3: So it'll go to the assembly first and the Senate second. Once we put the formal precise language in , probably in the next couple of months , it will go through committee hearings and then votes. That will require a two thirds vote on the floor of the assembly and on the floor of the Senate. I'm optimistic we'll be able to get that vote. We have supermajorities , more than two thirds of Democrats in both houses , and I suspect every Democrat or both supported and maybe even some Republicans. And then it would go to the voters and it would require a majority vote. Our plan is to put it on for the November 2024 ballot. And the polling is really strong for marriage equality. Whereas 15 years ago , when Prop eight passed , it was a 5248 vote to ban marriage equality. The polling now shows that approximately 75% of California voters support marriage equality. We will not take it for granted. We have to run a strong campaign , but I see a solid path to victory.

S1:

S3: And so if we were. He'll probably repass passes constitutional amendment. Then in that terrible situation , California would continue to protect marriage equality. If we don't repeal Prop eight , then if if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns federal protections , then California couples would have to go to travel to other states that allow marriage equality , get married there and come back to California to seek recognition of that of those marriages. And Congress did pass a law late last year to require states to honor same sex marriages performed in other states. Which is good. But , you know , frankly , California couples should be able to get married in California and should not be forced to go to , you know , Massachusetts or somewhere else to get married and then come back and ask for recognition. That's just that's humiliating. And that's not how we should be doing things in California.

S1: We'll be watching to see what happens with this. I've been speaking with State Senator Scott Wiener. Senator , thank you so much.

S3: Thank you.

S1: You're listening to KPBS Midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. On February 4th , the U.S. shot a blimp sized balloon down off the coast of South Carolina. The Pentagon says it was from China and being used for surveillance. In the days since , U.S. jets have shot down three more UFOs , though , their origins remain unclear. Still , the initial surveillance balloon incident has led to a war of words between China and the U.S. , raising new questions about our long term relations. Here to tell us more is Susan Shirk. She is an author and professor with the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and chair of the 21st Century China Center. Her latest book is called Overreach How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise. And Susan , welcome back to Midday Edition.

S3: Thanks so much , Jade.

S1: So this story has had some twists and turns and a lot remains unknown at this point. Can you tell us what we know about this Chinese balloon today at this particular moment ? Because we know it could all change in the next 5 minutes ? Well , according to.

S3: The U.S. government , they are quite convinced that it is a surveillance balloon. It's not a weather balloon. So the Chinese cover story is just that , a cover story. The question is , was it intended to go across the entire United States surveilling a number of military facilities , including nuclear ones in Montana or. And did Xi Jinping know about it ? Did he order it. Or.

S2: Or.

S3: Was it an accident resulting from perhaps the wind and the weather and a combination of that with some internal coordination issues inside China ? So it is all very confusing after the United States shut it down. It was on the eve of Secretary of State Blinken's visit to China. So once it shot it down , the Chinese reaction , which had initially been apologetic publicly , now they started becoming very defensive , claiming that the United States did the same thing over China. And the war of words heated up.

S1:

S3: But we do know that this program of using balloons for surveillance and what they're calling , I think , inner space is something that's been going on in China for quite some time. And these balloons have gone across other countries , as well as other parts of the United States , like Hawaii. In the past , we in these other countries might not have known what they were or paid too much attention to them in the past. But now we certainly are paying a lot more attention to them , which is what probably led to our identifying three other objects in recent days and shooting them down. We just started looking more assiduously that we had in the past. So I think the Chinese develop this capability and supplement. There are other forms of surveillance and they basically using it to track military related activities in various parts of the world , including the United States.

S1: That in mind , you know , there had been media reports that the balloon that was shot down had passed over Coronado , which is home to a naval base.

S3: But is it at risk ? It really doesn't put San Diegans at any risk. These balloons were collecting intelligence just as the United States collects intelligence in various parts of the world and other countries do as well. So the difference is that the United States does not collect intelligence over the territory of China. Now , China has claimed that we do. The US government says , no , we don't. What worries me somewhat is that there are different views over what constitutes Chinese territory and it is China talking about its land mass and just up to 12 nautical miles off the coast , which is what our definition would be. Are they including the South China Sea ? It's certainly conceivable that we have a balloon program and it does operate over the South China Sea. And then we get into this dispute over whether or not that's international waters or belongs to China. And I am watching to see whether or not this balloon controversy ends up elevating the differences over the South China Sea once again.

S1:

S3: I mean , well , there's the satellite collection , overhead collection. Then there's human intelligence sending spies over just as we send spies to China. Then there's the whole question about data. Internet data has now become the focus of a lot of mistrust as the US-China relationship has become more hostile so that there are many members of Congress who think we should completely ban Ticktalk , which is a subsidiary of a Chinese Internet firm because there is data on private American citizens , is that Tik-tok has access to. Then there. Are.

S2: Are.

S3: I'm sure , other modes of intelligence gathering as well.

S1: Given that there are so many ways to collect intelligence and data.

S3: Members of Congress , you know , have really ramped up their rhetoric about this because , of course , people are paying a lot of attention as kind of a funny story about a big balloon. So with everyone paying attention , it's no surprise that politicians want to capitalize on it to show what staunch defenders of American national security they are. I mean , of course , when we see this balloon floating over the United States , it makes everyone more fearful. In a way , though , it's quite similar to the way we felt during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. But in terms of real capabilities , real threat , it really doesn't change the situation in any tangible way.

S1: Susan Shirk is a professor at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. She's also author of several books on China. Her most recent is titled Overreach How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise. And Susan , thank you so much for your insight and joining us today. Certainly.

S3: Certainly. It was a pleasure to talk with you , Jade.

S1: This is Black History Month , and we'd like to introduce you to a San Diego scientist and engineer doing important work in his field of expertise. But while doing that work , he discovered a new opportunity to help his curly haired young nephew and ultimately many other children. Neil Thompson wrote a book that tells a familiar story with a scientific twist. He spoke with KPBS education reporter Meg Perez. And here's their conversation.

S3: So let's start with the title of your book , Ask Uncle Neil. Why is My hair Curly ? Clearly you are Uncle Neil. Uncle Neil , why is my hair curly ? Well , M.G. , there are a number of theories that are out. When my nephew asked me that question a number of years ago , I didn't know the answer. So I did some research into it. And when I found that there was no definitive answer , I thought that that was the end of it. But it was actually a friend who said that this was actually an opportunity to talk about scientific consensus and that a lot of times when when things are being discussed among scientists , there is no agreement as to why things are the way they are. And various groups do their own research and try to come up with that answer. So the woke can really tie the bow on the book. One that was I wrote it is that even though there is no definitive answer currently , you can be the one to figure out what that answer is. Tell us a little bit about your background. I went to school for materials engineering and biomedical engineering , and I worked for a number of years in the medical device industry. I worked at spinal implant companies designing implants made out of human cadaver bone. So if anyone listening is an organ donor , your bones can very well be used to make implants for for other people. You approach this question from a scientific perspective , which is not how it's usually approached. Tell us about the science and what you discovered. One of the theories is that the hair is the way it is because of an adaptation based on location. Black people tend to be are descended from Africa for the most part , and being so close to the equator is really hot there. The reason it could be curly is just being able to protect our scalps from the from the sun's rays. And then another theory has to do with the hair that black people have tends to be less oily above the skin , though the reason for the curling this could very well be because of that. Whereas with other people , because their skin can very well be more oily above the skin , that's why it's less curly. So I am of Mexican-American descent. I am also far likely challenged , as they say. But at one point in my life when I was young , I did have an afro , very curly hair. Oh , yeah , my my hair was curly back when I used to have hair. I like you. I'm also a bit follicles challenged at this point , and it's kind of a shame. I remember my back when I did have hair long enough to have an afro. It was never an issue for me really , because I looked around and saw other people in my family , other friends , and they had hair very similar to mine. So it was never going to be my goal to write a book about a kid's hair from the perspective of learning to accept it or loving your hair , because that was never an issue I really had. Or those who haven't had a chance to read the book yet. Tell us how you formatted it. So it starts with my nephew and his mother , my sister getting ready for one of his recitals , and he's imagining what his hair would look like if it wasn't an afro. While he was thinking about his hair being in an afro , he would imagine that it would be difficult to get a comb through it. The call may very well get stuck , and he noted that with classmates at school , maybe it would the comb would go through more easily through their hair. Then he asked his mother why his hair is curly and she didn't know , so she thought to ask me. And so they called me on the phone and he asked me the questions. And then I go to there is Neil in the world that we are living in today. The issue of hair has actually been politicized. We've heard stories in the news of children being told they have to cut their hair because they have dreadlocks , issues like that. How did this become a political issue ? I find it rather unfortunate that it is a political issue because , I mean , it really shouldn't be. For years , especially the women , they would process their hair so that it was straighter. So perhaps non-black people didn't even realize that that the hair that they've seen on black women for many years is not how their hair actually grows. So when they actually see how it actually grows , they might be a guess. It may be startling to them or just surprising to them , and they don't know how to handle it. But ultimately , I don't think people should be discriminated against or judged based on how their hair grows out of their head. Tell us what this does for children who read this book and see themselves in the pages. I think it can be really helpful in just seeing a kid who's inquisitive , asking questions of his uncle and getting answers and not being told. Stop asking. So many questions. Your nephew is named Anthony. How does he get his question answered ? Know at the end of the book. I tell Anthony that even though there is no consensus as to why hair is curly , maybe you could be the scientist to figure it out. So if any kid is reading that book and thinking what it is that he's being told by his uncle that he could be a scientist , well , why can't I be a scientist ? So if they take away that message , then I'm very happy with that. We have to know. What was Anthony's verdict about your book ? Oh , he loved it. And what's funny about it is no one knew that I wrote the book. I actually sent them a copy of it , him and his mother. I sent them a copy of it in the mail. And that's how they found out about it. What would you like to tell people about the book ? You have a book reading that you're doing ? Sure. So I'm doing a reading on the 16th of February at the San Ysidro Library at 11 a.m.. And in addition to that , I'm actually going to be showing an invention that I patented. And it's called the spleen. It's a leash attachment for for dogs. If you have a dog and you don't want to have to stop to give it water , the leash has a cup that's attached to it that you can open up and spray water right into. It's all it's all self-contained. Neil Thompson , engineer.

S4: Inventor and now. Author.

S3: Author. Thank you so much for your time , Neil. Thank you , M.G..

S1: That was KPBS education reporter Meg Perez speaking with children's author Neil Thompson. Thompson will be at the San Ysidro Library this Thursday , February 16th at 11 a.m.. To read his book , Ask Uncle Neil Why is My hair curly ? The event is free. You're listening to KPBS Midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Now , in its 123rd year , the San Diego Symphony is the oldest symphony in California. Its home has been Copley Symphony Hall at the Jacobs Music Center since 1984. In 2010 , it was named a Tier one orchestra by the League of American Orchestras. And now , as KPBS reporter John Carroll tells us , its historic home will soon be what you might call a tier one venue.

S5: The historic Fox Theatre was transformed in the mid eighties into the home of the San Diego Symphony. It has been the headquarters of the symphony since then. Two years ago , at the onset of COVID , the symphony pulled up stakes and moved to their beautiful outdoor venue. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park , a landmark venue like no other with a price tag of $85 million. But come November , the symphony will return to their main home , Copley Symphony Hall. And if you thought 85 million was expensive for the shell , well , the renovations here are being done to the tune of $125 million. It's a noisy , dusty scene inside right now with lots of exposed concrete and no seats. But the symphony's vice president of operations , Travis Leininger , says it will all be worth it.

S6: The end result is going to be wonderful , both visually and acoustically.

S5: If you want to know anything about the changes happening inside this magnificent space , Leininger is the go to guy. He can tell you all about the modernisation and improvements that are being done. Those that you will see and those you won't.

S6: Bring in the rear wall of the hall in by about eight rows of seats. We had a really deep balcony overhang before and acoustically those seats all the way in the back of that , that balcony under balcony level weren't that great.

S5: Each row of seats that remains under the balcony will be stepped up as you go back to improve lines of sight. Another change improves aesthetics and sound.

S6: Removing a valance , a wall that used to cut off the top of the proscenium. And we were able to do some structural moves to remove that and to open the proscenium up to the full height of this arch that you see behind us. So that's going to give a lot more acoustic breathing room. We decided to build a permanent orchestra shell that will surround the stage. And that allows us now around the stage to have a coral Terrace level.

S5: As its name suggests , the Coral Terrace will allow large choirs to sing with the orchestra. And when no chorus is involved , it will be opened up to audience seating. Of course , all the ornate plaster work is being refreshed and cleaned. And then there are those changes you won't see. But that will make a big difference , like the building's heating and air conditioning systems.

S6: We've suspended all of those units from the parking structure above us so that none of the vibration or the noise from those units will transfer into the space.

S5: A renovated symphony hall and a spectacular outdoor venue with the Rady Shell. You'd think that would make the San Diego Symphony a very attractive orchestra for the world's top musicians. It's a question we put to director of artistic Planning A.J. Benson , in a much quieter meeting room at Symphony Hall.

S4: I think San Diego has a number of elements that are attractive to musicians. The fact that we are performing in two different venues , we have great soloists and collaborators that we work with. The executive leadership has really been a huge force propelling the orchestra forward.

S5: And Benson points out the Jacobs gift $120 million given in 2000 to that , he says , has resulted in a financially sound organization , especially when combined with other large gifts and significant support from the community in general. Now , Benson , along with symphony leadership , look to the future.

S4: We want to have people feel that it's comfortable.

S3: It's safe , it's welcoming , it's. Warm.

S4: Warm. And this new acoustic and this environment. So I think there is a real element of , you know , top shelf , incredible music making great artistry happening right at everyone's doorstep. You don't have to go to L.A.. You don't have to go to New York City. There's a lot happening right here.

S5: And soon happening in a concert hall that will take its place among the finest in the world. John Carroll , KPBS news.

S1: The Outsiders is a new musical , with its world premiere opening soon at the La Hoya Playhouse. The show is directed by Danya Taymor , who spoke with KPBS arts producer Julia Dixon Evans. Here's their conversation.

S2: Hi , Dania. Thanks for being here. Oh , it's my pleasure. So , so many of us read The Outsiders book in school. It's still being read in school. And the eighties movie took the story even further into the mainstream. But for those of us not very familiar with it , can you fill us in what it's about ? Sure. The Outsiders follows Ponyboy Curtis and his best friend , Johnny Cade , to 114 year old and 115 year old trying to get by in Tulsa , Oklahoma. It's a story about class warfare. It's a story about chosen family and belonging. And it's also a story about masculinity in all its forms and its tenderness , in its aggression and rage and its love. And at its heart , I think it is about friendship and belonging. And what's it like carrying the legacy of such a beloved story ? Does it feel like you have a responsibility to the original material and its fans , or is there a feeling of freedom with this new platform on stage ? Honestly , it's both. I mean , a sense of responsibility , like for me is what drives me to do justice to the story. I was lucky enough to go to Tulsa and get to meet Suzy Hinton , who wrote the book. She still lives in Tulsa. She is such an incredible , grounded person. And so always when I've been working on the musical , I've used the book as a touchstone. That's what I return to. It's the core. It's got all the clues we need to make this adaptation. But something that Suzy said to me when I was there is she said , Make your version. Mine already exists. And that was extremely freeing to get the blessing from the author to make a version that speaks to today. So I guess my answer would be both. It's a tremendous responsibility , but I love that responsibility and the ability to tell a story that could impact a lot of kinds of people , but especially young people at a formative time in their lives in such a visceral form as theater. It's such a privilege and an honor and something I'm really enjoying doing. Wow , that's great. And you can't talk about the Outsiders without talking about these these gangs , the greasers and the socials. Can you talk a bit about some of these primary characters and who they are ? Definitely. I mean , you know , it's a story about have and have nots. And we talk a lot in our process about how class is something that divides us all and that poverty is a great equalizer until it isn't. So in our version , we are exploring class warfare in America through like the very particular not of class and race as well. There are some incredible characters in the story. On the greaser side , you've got Johnny Cade , one of the youngest greasers who kind of is the heart of the greasers. He is everybody's little brother. He's kind of the glue. And you've got his best friend , Ponyboy Curtis , who are just getting initiated into the gang. So you see these young ones and how they become part of it. You've got two oppositional characters like Dallas Winston , who is reckless and wild and so damaged. And you've also got Darrell Curtis , his kind of opposite , who's the oldest Curtis brother whose parents were killed in a train accident , who's also so damaged and trying to do the best that they can. And then on the social side , you've got extremely privileged characters like Cherry Valance , homecoming Queen , like the girl who has everything. You've got her boyfriend , Bob , who nobody will ever say no to. One thing I really admire about the way Susie wrote the book is she has incredible compassion for every character , even the characters that she presents. So honestly , she's not afraid to show faults in every character. So there's nobody who's only virtuous and there's no character who's only evil , which I find so honest to the world. I'm wondering if in the adaptation there have been changes or kind of updates to characters to bring in diversity , to bring in stronger female characters , for example. Sure. So one thing that felt really important to all of us was to tell a story that could be true to the time. You know , one of the first lyrics you hear in the musical is This is Tulsa , 1967 , which is such a particular time in this country. So that felt really interesting to us to explore. And I've been collaborating with Dr. Michael Ralph , who's the chair of Afro-American Studies at Howard , and he's been on our project as an anthropologist , helping us stay true to what Tulsa could have been like and bring a different lens to the story , but one that is still true to the time. So in our production , the Sociaux are the privileged kids are all white. They go to Will Rogers High School , which was still a segregated high school. And on the greaser side , the Curtis boys in our production are white because they go to school , the socials and. Some of the other greasers come from different backgrounds. So Dallas Winston , a character who's from New York , is mixed. Johnny Cade , the actor who's playing that role , is Half Native American , Half black , which is so true to what Tulsa was like in terms of gender. You know , there's something interesting when you build a musical and you try to build it in a way that the characters can be inhabited by any actor who could fully bring themselves to the role. There's a character named Ace that's played by Tillie Evans Krieger , who's our associate dance captain , and they have created this incredible track , and it shows sort of like what it could have been like to be a girl , but a girl who feels like they're part of a gang and we're exploring their sexuality , their identity. And so that feels really powerful in the story because the outsiders are like outsiders. Among outsiders , there are people , for whatever reason , they don't fit in the group that society has slotted them into. And so that's been really fruitful in how we've been trying to build that group of folks. And can you talk about how you have brought some of the action and and the violence to life on stage ? Absolutely. I'm working with this incredible choreography team led by Rick and Jeff Kuperman. They are brothers. They're 13 months apart. They grew up dancing together. They grew up fighting together. And something that was so important to me was that the language of dance and the language of fight and the language of scene all felt like one. You know , fighting can be as intimate as making love. And I think that you can see that in some of the ways that we're exploring choreography. The fighting is visceral , As Adam Rapp says in the book , it said , You should want to run up on stage and save these kids. And so the violence , you know , is hyper realistic at times. And then when we have thought , like the audience can't take that kind of hyper realism or they might get numb to it , it goes into an expressive place , which I think is as powerful as the hyper real stuff. So the show is incredibly physical. It climaxes at a huge rumble that all 19 members of the cast are in. It's raining , it's muddy , and by the end of that fight , the characters are indistinguishable from one another , which I think is part of the point that Suzy was trying to make , which is at the end of the day , we're all people who are molded by our circumstance , who are molded by society. And if we don't judge one another on those superficial aspects , we get a lot farther as a as a society. Next , I want to talk about the music the production team brought on both Justin Levine and James Tan revival to write the music. What can you tell us real quick about the sound of this show ? I mean , the sound of the music is what pulled me in first. I remember getting the script and the demos and turning on the first song Cool Hand Luke and Just Groovin. But , you know , the band has been rehearsing for the first time , so I've been able to hear kind of the sound with its nine piece orchestra , and it's funky and it's so good and it's so from the heart and it's so visceral. And so that's something that I find really unique to the musical theater world. It does what it needs to do storytelling wise , but it feels like going home. You know , there's a ton of Bill Withers influence in it. There's some Bonnie Raitt , there's the band. It just feels like America to me in all of its chaos and beauty and. And so that feels really special to me. And , you know , the musicians have been with us in our rehearsal process and in the process the whole time , really tailoring every song to what's happening on stage. So there are certain songs when I just hear the music start , Make Me Want to cry , You know , the music has that power and I can't wait for people to hear it. So I'm hearing a lot of buzz that this will be the next Jersey Boys. That was another world premiere musical that skyrocketed from the Playhouse , its original producer , to Broadway back in 2005. We should also mention the Who's Tommy , which also originated the play house , or more recently , come from away. I don't know if you're hearing that also , but is that something that you just kind of have to tuck in the back of your mind as as a cast , as a creative team ? Definitely. You know , I am trying to be so present. Working on this adaptation of The Outsiders has been something that has given me like the most joy I've ever experienced in my life. It's such an incredible story that I'm trying to focus on making it now for La Jolla Playhouse and for this audience. So we are making it the best version we possibly can , and I definitely can't think too far in the future , even though , of course , I hope this goes everywhere and even more than Broadway. I hope this goes into high schools all over the country and all over the world. Part of what so struck me about the book is that it affects people in all countries , too. So I just imagine what it could be like to be a high schooler working on this material and what it allows young people to investigate and expose in themselves and how healthy that could be. So that's my real dream , is for young people to get their hands on this and make their own versions of this and sing their hearts out and explore feelings and emotions and ways of being that society tells them not to do. That's my real dream. I love that. Thank you so much , Danya. Absolutely.

S1: That was Danya Taymor , the director of the new musical The Outsiders at the La Hoya Playhouse. Speaking with KPBS , arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. The Outsiders is in low cost preview performances beginning February 19th and officially opens March 4th. It's on stage through April 2nd.