(04/28/2021) - The non-profit Kentwood Players, founded more than 70 years ago, is one of the longest-lasting community theatre companies in Los Angeles (and the nation.) Through the decades, Kentwood Players has staged more than 400 productions, touching the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout the region and beyond. It has been a haven for artists, a home for creativity and expression, and a reliable resource for high-quality community theatre in the southland, now showcased on the Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series on You Tube.
(04/19/2021) - Stu James answers questions about his virtual theatre appearance in SLOW FOOD, a tender, uproarious comedy by Wendy MacLeod and directed by Marya Mazor for International City Theatre. In this uproarious comedy, a vacationing couple heads to a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs for their anniversary dinner, only to be confronted with the worst service imaginable by a waiter who knows no limits to his meddling.
(04/16/2021) - Ferrari Sheppard’s solo exhibition at UTA Artist Space is now open through May 15. The ambitious presentation fills all three of the gallery’s exhibition spaces with emotional portraits of influential cultural figures such as Jimi Hendrix and Tupac Shakur, as well as the artist’s friends and family.
(04/16/2021) - LEGENDS AND BRIDGE is a comedy imagining former, silver-screen legend Joan Crawford (matronly, washed-up, and pickled on spiked Pepsi) who invites Judy Garland (recently fired from her CBS TV show) and Bette Davis (bitter at no longer being the “Queen of Hollywood”) up to her Manhattan apartment in 1964 to live with her as they work on a “secret” film project. I find it difficult to believe anyone reading this does not already know about the three screen legends featured in the show. But just to be sure, I decided to interview the three actors portraying them to find out more about what it was like to portray such well-known personalities.
(03/16/2021) - L.A.’s acclaimed IAMA Theatre Company presents a compelling new solo comedy about female identity by an exciting Latinx-American voice. Filmed live at L.A.’s Pico Playhouse, The Oxy Complex, written and performed by Anna LaMadrid and directed by Michelle Bossy, will premiere virtually on March 21 at www.iamatheatre.com, where it will continue streaming through April 18.
(03/16/2021) - L.A.’s acclaimed IAMA Theatre Company presents a compelling new solo comedy about female identity by an exciting Latinx-American voice. Filmed live at L.A.’s Pico Playhouse, Anyone But Me, written and performed by Sheila Carrasco and directed by Margaux Susi, will premiere virtually on March 21 at www.iamatheatre.com, where it will continue streaming through April 18.
(02/25/2021) - Founded in 2002 as an artists' ensemble, Little Fish Theatre presents classic and contemporary plays in an intimate setting on Centre Street in the Arts District of downtown San Pedro. With the pandemic forcing the shutdown of live theatre, Little Fish Theatre’s 2021 Virtual Season offers up a tasty serving of this year’s best short plays with Pick of the Vine.
(02/16/2021) - I recently spoke with writer/performer Mitch Feinstein on this autobiographical journey in FOR LOVE OR MONEY that invites all of us to consider: Can we learn lessons and make changes, or is it too late? Set at the onset of the pandemic, a successful 76-year-old businessman is forced to examine his choices in life, what he thinks he has achieved, and what he feels he has lost. Why did he so fervently quest for money and security at the expense of his own happiness and the trampling of his artistic soul?
(02/15/2021) - Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series Continues in 2021 with “Three Syllables of Shame,” “Surf’s Up,” “State of Independence” and “Happy and Gay.” Also seeking new Zoom-formatted plays and directors interested in helming future VTS plays, as well as graphic artists interested in submitting a new logo design!
(02/12/2021) - International City Theatre opens its 36th season with a virtual presentation of Art, a heady, hilarious look at the bonds of friendship viewed through the prism of modern art.
(01/24/2021) - Dogs Are Better Than People, written and performed by Sarah Hunter, and developed and directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson, is an eccentric romp through drinking, bad men, and fabulous dogs who each tell Sarah’s story. But why, you may ask, does Sarah Hunter truly believe that Dogs are better than people? I spoke with her to find out
(01/03/2021) - AUDITIONS for STATE OF INDEPENDENCE, a Part of Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series, Written for Zoom by Paul Koster and Directed by Susan Goldman Weisbarth, will be held via Zoom on Saturday, January 23, 2021, from 12pm – 4pm PST, by appointment only or Sunday, January 24, 2021, 7pm-9pm PST, by appointment only
(12/18/2020) - It's going to be a very busy weekend on December 19 and 20 for Kentwood Players with our 8th Annual Coat Drive, Auditions for 'Surf's Up,' Virtual Theater Series plays 'Recipe' and 'Together, Apart' along with our KP Live interview series on the Kentwood Players You Tube channel. Join us at youtube.com/kentwoodplayers
(12/01/2020) - Torrance Theatre Company is completing its first PLAY-AT-HOME series of online theatrical experiences, designed to entertain audiences during the stay-at-home orders. All productions are performed live onstage within the theater while observing all COVID-19 restrictions, and recorded for broadcast. The final three plays presented in December include Beyond Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, and A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play.
(11/29/2020) - Facing the current challenge of how to keep entertaining audiences, the duo’s new online show was broadcast in English (both speak several languages) on Sunday, November 29 with over 100 people from all over the world in the audience. In addition to never before seen tricks, the show features their dog, Mr. Koni Hundini, a Maltipoo who is always with them, whether at home or on the road. “So, most of the time we know what he is thinking and the other way around,” Amelie shared.
(11/20/2020) - ANNAPURNA is driven by the emotionally charged relationship between a husband and wife. What makes the Torrance Theatre Company's Zoom production not like most others is that a real-life married couple is portraying the two characters, taped together on an actual stage with blocking - just without an in-person audience. Emma's good heart and deep-seated love for her ex shines through thanks to Baker-Kreiswirth's open-hearted and soulful character work, not to mention her loving way of making sure he has the supplies he needs to keep going. But it is Wolski who steals every scene with his wildly-intense emotions on his sleeve as well as his face
(11/15/2020) - Tonight I witnessed proof that the new medium of virtual theater is being transformed in the minds and hands of young people whose vision of what could be knows no bounds, thanks to MFA and Undergraduate students at Cal State LA whose production of WAR OF THE WORLDS, adapted by Ben Hernandez based on the novel by H.G. Wells and directed by Stephen Rothman, offered a very modern take on the classic Sci Fi tale of aliens invading the Earth, seemingly with destruction of the human race as their goal.
(11/10/2020) - The Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series, offering new plays free of charge on its You Tube channel at https://youtube.com/c/kentwoodplayers, announces upcoming new plays presented November 2020 through April 2021.
(11/08/2020) - Writer and director Shawn Plunkett wants to fill the void of no theater by taking audiences back to days of live television, just without the in-person studio audience. 'SAFER APART will be performed LIVE so anything can happen, which is one of the major appeals of attending an in-person show. I am aiming to give it a cinematic touch, making sure it is not as static as actors sitting in a chair and just reading a script. We are moving, adjusting, using more than one camera. I will even be walking outside while holding a camera in one scene. And there will be lots of action, made all the more exciting since it is being done live.'
(11/07/2020) - Diana Wyenn's solo show BLOOD/SUGAR takes place at the intersection of public health and performance, focusing on her life as a diabetic. Performed live and broadcast from Wyenn's home, using multimedia effects, original movement, and Wyenn's physical surroundings to create a vivid account of the life-sustaining self-care that diabetes currently demands from one out of every 10 American adults. And since I am also a Type 1 diabetic, I knew I was the perfect person to speak with her about the creation of the show.
(11/02/2020) - The timely nature of the play, given how many seniors are now dealing with living alone in isolation which can lead to loneliness and depression to the point of feeling hopeless, THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN adds in a much-needed dose of how important it is to stay in touch and support our elderly family members who are struggling during our current on-going pandemic.
(11/01/2020) - KRISTINA WONG FOR PUBLIC OFFICE is a 75-minute comedic performance that crosses the aesthetics of campaign rallies, church revivals, and solo theater shows to tell the story of what it means to run for local office, the history of voting, and the impact artists can have on democracy. The subject matter reflects Kristina Wong’s experience as an actual elected representative of Koreatown, Los Angeles. But before she created this raucous show about her current stint in Public Office, Wong was a scrappy performance artist with a bright future in reality television. So which career better suits her talents? Perhaps both!
(10/30/2020) - Now more than ever is the time to consider what the foundation of democracy means to you, especially with the Presidential election less than a week away with our country so divided it seems there is no middle ground on which to stand. Perhaps it's been more years than you can count, if ever, when you last read the Constitution upon which our democracy is based and our rights as American citizens are outlined. I encourage you to tune in to WE THE PEOPLE streaming through Monday, November 2.
(10/26/2020) - Based on true events and strikingly relevant today, DAISY explores the moment in TV history when the political attack ad was born. In the autumn of 1964, one year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, bloody turmoil over Civil Rights was spilling onto the streets, a fearful ideology that made the threat of nuclear war palpable was growing from the conservative right, and a skirmish in the far-off nation of Vietnam wouldn't go away. With the presidential election looming, an advertising agency working for Lyndon Johnson unleashed the most devastating political commercial ever conceived, the 'Daisy' ad.
(10/24/2020) - Here is my interview with Jessica Litwak, the playwright and director of THE FEAR PROJECT and Artistic Director of the H.E.A.T. Collective, who shares information about the group, the show, and the actors/collaborators who worked with her on its creation. Then register and tune in on October 25th and/or 30th.
(10/20/2020) - For the past few months, I have been enjoying the PLAY-AT-HOME series of nine plays being presented online by Torrance Theatre Company. What makes their virtual theater series unique from others is that each play is being broadcast live from within the walls of their theater, staged on three pre-set playing areas separated far enough apart to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines for the cast and production team. On Sunday, October 18th, I tuned in for Lauren Gunderson's BAUER which has a 24-hour encore on Sunday, October 25th.
(10/17/2020) - For an inside look at the creation of 'Reach' by Jennie Webb, one of the four plays being streamed on Saturday, October 24 as part of the UNDER CONSTRUCTION Zoom series, I reached out to that play's producer Christine Joëlle, who shared how the short piece was created via a collaboration with the two musicians of firehill and their first song 'Believe.'
(10/14/2020) - CRE Outreach and Rex & Friends are please to present CONCERT FROM THE STARS, a Zoom performance by musicians with disabilities on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 7pm PST. Led by musician Rex-Lewis Clack, the 23-year-old blind and autistic pianist hailed as a musical savant by a?oe60 Minutes,a?? and helmed by Musical Director Laurie Grant, Rex & Friends provides training and performance opportunities for musicians with disabilities, during which participants develop their musical repertoire in an environment that grows friendships, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills while performing for live and virtual audiences.
(10/13/2020) - Imagine being in your last year of college as a theatre major. There are so many things happening: recitals, senior projects, juries and final productions. THE GREEN ROOM musical takes us on a journey of 4 college seniors who are approaching their final days on campus together, wondering and worrying about entering the real world.
(10/13/2020) - As one of the nation's most prominent spoken-word artists, and a three-time national poetry slam champion and a four-time national finalist, Javon Johnson now takes to the Pasadena Playhouse stage in STILL. to share his very personal experience growing up as a Black man in America at a pivotal time in our history.
(10/11/2020) - As one of the lucky October-born people, the celebration of Halloween has always been a very important occasion for me as it is just a handful of days after my birthday. Growing up enjoying playing dress-up at this time of year always brought out my imagination into the realm of spirits, goblins, and how I just assumed they lived together with us in this world. So at this time of year, I have always wanted to attend the annual GHOSTWALK an in the streets production held in Santa Paula which brings to life encounters with local sprits who share the history of unique locations in the lovely quaint town. And now virtually I have - and so should you!
(10/09/2020) - Cherished by audiences and critics alike both in America and abroad, Bernard Slade’s wickedly funny comedy explores a 25-year love affair between two seemingly ordinary people who meet once a year.
(10/08/2020) - Broadway and Los Angeles artists join forces in an online workshop of the new musical adventure, the family-friendly GIDEON AND THE BLUNDERSNORP in which Gideon is a stableboy who dreams of being a knight, despite belonging to the wrong social class. Alanna is a young viscountess trapped in the system of royal succession. Together they team up to escape bandits, navigate a treacherous forest, and confront the vicious Blundersnorp, whose dream is simply to eat everyone. Ita??s a musical about aspiration, adventure, and escaping societya??s expectations. (And fighting giant monsters.)
(10/01/2020) - Westa??s play, in which she turned her anger at injustice into witty repartee, tells of a married but closeted high society man who throws a wild drag ball that proves to be a fateful event in more ways than one, given the various degrees of scandal going on around so many of the characters. Written under a pseudonym before she became a blockbuster Hollywood star, THE DRAG scandalized New York audiences in 1927 with its portrayal of homosexuality, transgender characters, and drag queens. The premiere production closed out of town by the authorities after two weeks of sold-out performances to appreciative audiences.
(09/30/2020) - This very personal, one-woman show speaks to that universal truth in all our lives, with each of us fighting to be who we are and struggling to live an independent life as best we can. But like Nancy, sometimes that only leads to loneliness - and just being alone a?" not able to love yourself enough to really love others. But then there are those joyous moments of personal accomplishment when the world is your oyster and you feel your dreams are coming true. Nancy takes along with her on those journeys as well as down into the wells of disappointment when things dona??t work out as she planned, be it trying to please her parents, boyfriend or just her own need to feel loved exactly the way she is, faults and all.
(09/28/2020) - DIVANALYSIS began as Divas themselves begin: in front of the mirror. Stephen Foster and Scott Wilkerson wanted to combine their interests (Diva culture and Deconstruction Theory) into one theatrical experience. Thus, with a rented theater on Santa Monica Boulevard, four dresses, two cast members, and a borrowed lighting kit, DIVANALYSIS arrived as a kind of post-modern drag review with extensive footnotes.
(09/21/2020) - THE PUZZLE WITH THE PIAZZA tells the story of septuagenarian Althea Witlin, who has one jigsaw puzzle among her large collection that shea??s never worked. It contains 3,000 pieces and now she has less than a day to finish it, because poor health has forced her to move in with her younger sister Ina - without being able to take her beloved puzzles with her. But since she lives alone, who will assist her in completing the puzzle in time?
(09/20/2020) - a?oeSherlock Holmes Meets the Bully of Baker Streeta?? offers a new twist on the beloved and brilliant Arthur Conan Doyle tales of London's greatest detective. This time 'round, Holmes is confounded by a mysterious menace lurking very close to his home. But just who is the Bully of Baker Street? And when his/her identity is discovered, can that bully be stopped? Will Sherlock's keen observational and deductive skills foil this scourge or will the stately Holmes of England be stumped, especially since his trusty sidekick Watson is away on an a?oeextendeda?? vacation? And what is Little Orphan Annie doing in the story? And just what role does she play in the disappearance Holmes is attempting to solve?
(09/13/2020) - Opening in São Paulo, Brazil to audiences of as many as 600 viewing devices per night, and followed by an African/European run featuring a cast from three different continents, THE ART OF FACING FEAR has now arrived in the United States and runs Saturdays at 5pm Pacific and Sundays at 3pm Pacific through Sunday, September 27th. This U.S. production features a cast of actors performing from across the U.S., including California, New York, Oregon, Nevada, Georgia, and Alaska, most of whom have never met in person but have managed to create strong connections with each other to the point of connecting down to our basic and universal humanity which unites us all. And that is apparent in every scene of the play with each version of the script tailored to reflect the countries in which it is performed, pushing the boundaries of digital theatre.
(09/11/2020) - Combining her television and stage experience has led Lesley and her husband Ned Mochel to create the podcast, 'Pretty Little Wine Moms,' producing new episodes every Wednesday. Lesley hosts the show along with her 'Pretty Little Liars' co-stars and friends Holly Marie Combs and Nia Peeples. But it isna??t your ordinary podcast. During each installment, the trio break down a complete episode of the fan-favorite TV series for listeners, revealing little-known facts and behind-the-scenes tidbits during each episode, which also includes an in-depth interview with special guests from the series and a quiz show testing everyonea??s knowledge of the episode.
