Velina Hasu Houston News

Playwrights' Arena, the only theater created and dedicated to producing bold new works for the stage written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, will be celebrating its 26th Anniversary with their annual fundraising gala, HOT NIGHT IN THE CITY. The event will be held at Barnsdall Gallery Theater, 4800 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, starting at 7:30 PM (with a VIP reception beginning at 6 PM). For tickets go to www.playwrightsarena.org or call 800-838-3006.

A tale of two Japanese sisters: the elder one living in Tokyo, the younger one living in Los Angeles. The two haven't spoken to each other since the younger sister's marriage to an American soldier shortly after the U.S. Occupation of Japan following World War II.

Playwrights' Arena, the only theater created and dedicated to discovering, nurturing, and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, is presenting the World Premiere of BILLY BOY by Nick Salamone as part of its 25th Anniversary Season.

The Playwrights' Arena production of "The Hotel Play," written by seven female Los Angeles playwrights and directed and conceived by Playwrights' Arena Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera will open this Saturday, April 1 at 8 p.m. "The Hotel Play" will be presented in six different rooms and poolside at the Radisson Hotel Midtown at USC and will run through April 16, 2017. (Specific dates and times are below.) The world premiere marks the 25th anniversary of Playwrights' Arena.

Casting is announced for the Playwrights' Arena production of 'The Hotel Play,' written by seven female Los Angeles playwrights and directed and conceived by Playwrights' Arena Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with the Regional Premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's international comic drama, Calligraphy. Two continents, two cultures, two estranged sisters, and two cousins determined to bridge the gap between them, are all boldly calligraphed in this free-wheeling work set in Los Angeles and Tokyo, past and present. East and West collide as Japanese free-spirit Sayuri and biracial American Hiromi care for their feuding mothers, whom they gamely hope to reunite before it is too late.Directed by TheatreWorks Associate Artistic Director Leslie Martinson, Calligraphy will be presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley March 8-April 2 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For tickets ($31-$86) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with the Regional Premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's international comic drama, Calligraphy. Two continents, two cultures, two estranged sisters, and two cousins determined to bridge the gap between them, are all boldly calligraphed in this free-wheeling work set in Los Angeles and Tokyo, past and present.  East and West collide as Japanese free-spirit Sayuri and biracial American Hiromi care for their feuding mothers, whom they gamely hope to reunite before it is too late. Directed by TheatreWorks Associate Artistic Director Leslie Martinson, Calligraphy will be presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley March 8-April 2 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For tickets ($35-$59) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Playwrights' Arena will celebrate 25 years with the world premiere of "The Hotel Play," written by seven female Los Angeles playwrights and directed and conceived by Playwrights' Arena Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera. "The Hotel Play" will be presented in six different rooms and poolside at the Radisson Hotel Midtown at USC and will run April 1 through 16, 2017. (Specific dates and times are below.)

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with the Regional Premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's international comic drama, Calligraphy. Two continents, two cultures, two estranged sisters, and two cousins determined to bridge the gap between them, are all boldly calligraphed in this free-wheeling work set in Los Angeles and Tokyo, past and present.  East and West collide as Japanese free-spirit Sayuri and biracial American Hiromi care for their feuding mothers, whom they gamely hope to reunite before it is too late. Directed by TheatreWorks Associate Artistic Director Leslie Martinson, Calligraphy will be presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley March 8-April 2 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For tickets ($35-$59) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with the Regional Premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's international comic drama, Calligraphy. Two continents, two cultures, two estranged sisters, and two cousins determined to bridge the gap between them, are all boldly calligraphed in this free-wheeling work set in Los Angeles and Tokyo, past and present.  East and West collide as Japanese free-spirit Sayuri and biracial American Hiromi care for their feuding mothers, whom they gamely hope to reunite before it is too late. Directed by TheatreWorks Associate Artistic Director Leslie Martinson, Calligraphy will be presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley March 8-April 2 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For tickets ($35-$59) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with the Regional Premiere of Velina Hasu Houston's international comic drama, Calligraphy. Set in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Calligraphy explores the collision of East and West as biracial American Hiromi and Japanese free spirit Sayuri confront tradition, prejudice, and their heritage of filial duty in an attempt to reunite their aging mothers.

In cooperation with the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Center for Art & Public Policy, the Tisch Institute of Performing Arts at NYU, the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at NYU (Anna Deavere Smith, Founding Director), and Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre, NOW AFRICA - a group of New York based African writers, actors, producers and community activists - will present its second annual playwrights festival, conceived to showcase and raise awareness of dramatic works by African writers.   

Skylight Theatre Company is proud to announce that they will be co-producing the World Premiere of Jesse Mu-En Shao's THE END TIMES, in collaboration with Jon Lawrence Rivera's Playwrights' Arena. This marks Jesse's first produced work. The collaboration between the two companies is a longtime in planning. Both companies pride themselves on nurturing and developing new works.

Skylight Theatre Company is proud to announce that they will be co-producing the World Premiere of Jesse Mu-En Shao's THE END TIMES, in collaboration with Jon Lawrence Rivera's Playwrights' Arena. This marks Jesse's first produced work. The collaboration between the two companies is a longtime in planning. Both companies pride themselves on nurturing and developing new works.

Theatre enthusiasts packed the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts tonight to hear Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Managing Director Phil Santora of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley unveil the line-up for the company's 47th season.

The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc is pleased to announce the publication of the November/December issue of The Dramatist. This issue will feature "Why The Count Matters" by Marsha Norman; "The Count" full report by Julia Jordan and Rebecca Stump; "Responses to The Count" by Rehana Lew Mirza, Mario Correa, Maxie Rockymore, Jonathan Reynolds, Velina Hasu Houston, Dana Levinson, and Steven Dietz; "Why Parity?" by Madeleine George and Lisa Kron.

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE, Artistic Directors, Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz present, as part of Greenway's Workshop Series, a Workshop Production of CARDBOARD CAPITAL, written by Gabriel Rivas Gomez, directed by Madeleine Dahm and produced by Ty Donaldson. CARDBOARD CAPITAL will open tonight, May 1 at 8pm for ten performances only through Sunday, May 18 at the Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood.

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE, Artistic Directors, Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz present, as part of Greenway's Workshop Series, a Workshop Production of CARDBOARD CAPITAL, written by Gabriel Rivas Gomez, directed by Madeleine Dahm and produced by Ty Donaldson. CARDBOARD CAPITAL will open on Thursday, May 1 at 8pm for ten performances only through Sunday, May 18 at the Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood.

Playwrights' Arena with Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera, the only theatre dedicated to discovering, nurturing and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, is celebrating its 22st Anniversary with their annual fund-raiser presenting HOT NIGHT IN THE CITY : an evening of songs by local composers and lyricists tonight, April 8, 2014, at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre atop Batnsdall Art Park in Hollywood. The special performance, which benefits the programs of Playwrights' Arena, celebrates the works of Los Angeles' most adventurous resident composers and lyricists writing for the theater today and honors Andrea Cockrum (community leader), Henry Ong (playwright)) and Lisa Wolpe (actor/director and artist director of LA Women's Shakespeare Company) with the *Lee Melville Award for their outstanding contribution to the Los Angeles theatre community.

Playwrights' Arena with Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera, the only theatre dedicated to discovering, nurturing and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights, is celebrating its 22st Anniversary with their annual fund-raiser presenting HOT NIGHT IN THE CITY : an evening of songs by local composers and lyricists on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre atop Batnsdall Art Park in Hollywood. The special performance, which benefits the programs of Playwrights' Arena, celebrates the works of Los Angeles' most adventurous resident composers and lyricists writing for the theater today and honors Andrea Cockrum (community leader), Henry Ong (playwright)) and Lisa Wolpe (actor/director and artist director of LA Women's Shakespeare Company) with the *Lee Melville Award for their outstanding contribution to the Los Angeles theatre community.