Rising Stars: Meet Joan Lynch of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joan Lynch.

Hi Joan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
TRF, The Temporal Refugee Foundation, is a new type of theatre company that my cousin (Alaska Lynch) and I created out of a necessity to provide live art in a town predominantly dominated by celluloid and pop culture. We found that there was a space missing for our local theatre artists, not only for showcasing original material, but also one that platformed the value of timelessness. A temporal refugee is defined as: “A person who has absorbed an excess of media from the past and thereby suffers displacement from the present.” Thus, TRF was born; a new home for those in search of human connection and meaning long since forgotten within the digital age.

TRF takes place every other month at an outdoor venue in Silverlake, showcasing the best of LA’s unknown talent, ranging from writers, actors, directors, etc. Our ultimate goal is to uplift our local theatre artists by giving them a stage within a unique, one-of-a-kind format.

Our work is based around the concept of archetypes. Archetypes are defined as inborn models of distinct aspects of identity that play a role in influencing human behavior. In Jungian psychology, there are a total of 12, representing universal patterns and images that are part of the collective unconscious. In the spirit of bringing our colorful community together, we chose the 12 Jungian Archetypes to serve as the guiding material that ties all of our shows together––a cohesive backbone of sorts. At the end of each performance, a wheel labeled with all the archetypes will be spun in front of a live audience to determine the theme for the next show; writers within our community will then be tasked to create a piece(s) based off of whatever archetype the spinner lands on.

We will be turning 1 year old this March and are thrilled to be carving out a brand new space for theatre lovers in the city.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have been very fortunate to experience steady, uphill growth ever since we started. Our community is extremely supportive and a consistent social media presence as well as frequency of shows has helped us maintain public interest.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an actor, director, and theatre producer born and raised here in Los Angeles. I am most proud of co-founding my very own theatre company that is completely free to the public.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
1. A strong instinct for taste and talent.

2. A unique, recognizable brand.

3. An event format that keeps the public engaged / returning.

4. Work ethic.

5. A mission that uplifts up-and-coming artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @temporalrefugeefoundation

Image Credits
Carina Tautu, Alaska Lynch, and Guzel Khos