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LAPD Update April 2019

Lisa Bianconi
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Update from Senior Lead Officer John Catalano from the LAPD North Hollywood Division.

I wanted to address all the recent inquiries related to this specific location at Chandler and 170 freeway since it falls within the boundaries of my basic car area. The police department is well aware of the issues at this location as well as many of the other similar locations throughout the division.

After several weeks of making complaints concerning the personal property stored on the sidewalk, the city posted signs as required that the area would be cleaned up on Thursday March 21. The Bureau of Sanitation is the lead agency responsible for cleanups across the city. As you know if you live, walk or drive by this area, it does not appear that anything was cleaned up and the area continues to get worse.

This is an area that has our attention and officers are here daily doing what we need to, alegally can do and within our departments policy, prior to issuing citations and making arrests. Some of this does involve outreach and warnings for various infractions such as the tents and encampments.

On March 21, officers responded to the posted areas under the freeway along with the Bureau of Sanitation. Unfortunately, it was raining, and the cleanup did not go as planned. While officers and Sanitation were at the scene, some trash or items that were unwanted were removed but only with the consent of the individuals.

LAPD Update homeless encampment cleaned up via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

During “Rain Protocol” even when areas are posted, the city cannot clear sites previously posted for any scheduled cleanups. The exception to this is if the supervisor for Sanitation observes hazardous material and/or any health and safety violations.

While at scene, three rodents were observed running out from under blankets from one of the many encampments under the bridge. Numerous discarded needles were also observed throughout the overpass area. As a result, these specific issues were cleaned up but not the entire sidewalk area on either side of Chandler Blvd. Here is why no additional action could be completed.

What appears to be a lack of cleanup is a direct result of lawsuits against the City. In this case concerning personal property, it was the Mitchell case against the City of L.A. that prevents police and city workers from confiscating without notice the possessions of homeless residents. Specifically, the US District Court ordered the city to stop seizing items without evidence “that it is abandoned, presents an immediate threat to public health/ safety, is evidence of a crime or is contraband.”

The lack of cleanups does not stop the police from making legal arrests such as people with warrants, narcotic violations or any other open criminal charges that may be observed or reported. We do this on a daily basis at this location. The issue is even when someone is arrested here, there is a good chance that they will return to the area a short time later if not even the same day. Even after an arrest, we are required to only take possession from someone that can fit into a 60-gallon bag and the rest of the items remain at the scene.

We will continue to be at this location and the others as often as time permits us to provide the extra patrol and attention that as needed. We will continue to respond to the many radio calls generated for police response to this location and the many others like this one to decrease criminal behavior and increase the many quality of life issues. We will continue to put in requests for scheduled cleanups and appreciate all the help from our community members.

What can be done to make a difference? My first thought would be to have additional scheduled cleanups by the city more often than every seven weeks on average.

While I do not monitor social media for calls for service or complaints, feel free to email me at 32740@lapd.online if needed. 

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

“Brushes: A Comedy of Hairs”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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“Brushes: A Comedy of Hairs,” written by Cathy Hamilton and Carol Starr Schneider, directed by Kevin Bailey, runs through May 4 at the Whitefire Theatre.

We’ve all had that one (or 10) bad hairdos (the wedge bob with the side shaved, that perm, cheap extensions, frosted tips, those braids, peroxide bangs, big hair, big hair dried out by Aquanet, etc.) and countless bad hair days. Now there’s a play about it! Or is it?

“Brushes: A Comedy of Hairs” does a hilarious job of untangling the complicated, frustrating, annoying, unfair, “Why me?!” relationship between women and their hair, since, well, forever.

This is a series of 17 vignettes that brushes on topics of disaster, envy, vanity, self-doubt, sex, death, potential divorce and even aliens. But what sweeps up, twists and ties all these together into a joyful play is always hair – big hair, no hair, long hair, helmet hair, thin hair and down-there hair.

The fab five cast plays more than a dozen roles. Each vignette is woven seamlessly to the next with vintage hair commercials and a play on words that hints at what’s to come. Yes, you’ll sing the Finesse jingle all night and think that you can pull off Farrah hair.

There are some standout vignettes but we won’t give away their official names.

The “Lady Garden” vignette is one for the true Los Angeleno. It’s a nod to the “OverheardLA” posts. At first there’s nothing amiss with the organic dye vendor played flawlessly by Heidi Appe. But the exaggerations grow and the flowery play on words for one’s lady garden buds, blooms and blossoms. Andrew Villareal weaves in additional laughs as a fruit vendor with an ode to Jeff Spicoli of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

The “People’s Court aka Almost Going to Divorce You Court” vignette was directed superbly by Kevin Bailey. The banter and timing between the couple, Amy Smallman-Winston and Andrew Villareal, was like a ping pong match and their chemistry was like that of a disgruntled couple. We will not look at bobble head figurines the same way.

“Bad Hair Motel” is like “Rocky Horror” meets any TLC make over show. We all can relate to having a day when a hat is the only thing that will help the unruly head of hair. The entire cast comes in this one to make us hoot and dry a tear of laughter.

After several readings, including one at the former NoHo Arts Center, the play is making it’s debut at Whitefire Theatre for their spring season of shows. “Brushes” is directed by Kevin Bailey of MB Artists, which has created and produced more than 50 theatrical productions, three films and dozens of industrials. Co writers Cathy Hamilton and Carol Starr Schneider have done a lovely job of collecting nostalgic hair clips that gel with each vignette theme.

There is something joyful about being entertained live, surrounded by folks laughing at words written by a stranger and then interpreted by others who become our friends for that hour and a half.

The “Brushes” takeaway is simple: we are worth way more than our hair.

WHERE:

Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, 91423

WHEN:

March 30 – May 4
Saturdays at 8PM

TICKETS>>

CAST:

Heidi Appe, Clara Rodriguez, Amy Smallman-Winston, Ashley Taylor and Andrew Villareal.

Go behind the scenes of “Brushes” – follow them on Facebook>>

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. 

“Let Shape Color Form”

Lisa Bianconi
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“Let Shape Color Form” honors Art Director Stan Johnson. Free, public reception with libations and music on Saturday, April 6th from 5-9pm.

Stan Johnson (1907-1995), the legendary Art Director and fine artist, will be honored by the Art Directors Guild Gallery 800 (ADG, IATSE Local 800) in a special exhibit entitled “Let Shape Color Form: A Tribute to Stan Johnson.” Johnson was an architectural and motion picture draftsman, illustrator, actor, and an Art Director for 20th Century Fox for more than 25 years. The exhibit opens with a hosted reception on Saturday, April 6th from 5 – 9pm and will run through June 8, 2019.

Stan Johnson’s art direction in the film industry was evident in many TV productions and motion pictures that included the popular Peyton Place for two years, the TV series Land of the Giants and the film feature Daddy‘s Gone A-Hunting. He began his long prestigious art career as a draftsman and architect, working on some of Los Angeles’ most significant proposed remodels including the Ambassador Hotel, The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Prudential Building and the LA Times building. He had a reputation for his impressive ability to draw and paint in perspective, which is also apparent in his expressionism work.

“The decision to feature Stan Johnson and his tremendous body of work at Gallery 800 was an easy one to make since his art encompasses so much of what the Art Directors Guild is all about,” said Gallery 800 curator Abra Brayman. “Uniquely multi-talented, Johnson was a skilled Art Director, sought-after Architectural Draftsman, Illustrator, Graphic Artist, Title Designer, Actor, and Fine Artist. His fine artwork in particular stands out, it is wonderfully vibrant, colorful and playful. Ahead of his time, Stan was not afraid to experiment and explore with ‘shape, color and form’.”

Stan Johnson art exhibit at Gallery 800 via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Johnson said of his fine art, “To me painting should be fun plus hard work. When starting a painting, I like to approach it with an abstract viewpoint, without restrictions, letting shape, form and color dictate or suggest the subject, which seems to be influenced by background and environment — in my case — architecture and motion pictures.”

Johnson worked in watercolor, acrylic and oil and won many awards in juried shows throughout the country, especially in his watercolors. He died in 1995 at the age of 88.

Gallery 800 Future Exhibits Include (subject to change):
• Fantastic Voyage *A Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Themed Group Show (June 29 – Sept. 7, 2019)
• Art Unites 13 (Oct. 5 – Dec. 14, 2019)

Gallery 800, located in the heart of the Noho Arts District, showcases Guild members’ personal artwork in a series of shows throughout the year. These talented artists are leading art department professionals, who, through a combination of observation, passion and imagination, bring the writer’s words and the director’s vision to life in television and film. When not working as integral creative members of the entertainment community, they contribute to the fine art scene with their personal artwork. Since Gallery 800 opened its doors in March 2009, more than 900 ADG members have shown their artwork in the ongoing exhibitions.

The exhibit organizers are Abra Brayman, Curator; Michael Denering, Fine Arts Committee Chair, and Jackie Thompson, Gallery 800 Staff Coordinator. Gallery 800, located at 5108 Lankershim Blvd. at the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in the heart of North Hollywood, is open Thursday – Friday: 12 – 8pm; Saturday 2 – 8 pm; Sunday 14 – 6pm. For questions about the gallery or artwork, contact Abra at (818)763-8052 or gallery800@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE ART DIRECTORS GUILD: Established in 1937, the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) represents 2,700 members who work throughout the world in film, television and theater as Art Directors; Set Designers and Model Makers; Illustrators and Matte Artists; and Scenic Title and Graphic Artists. The ADG’s ongoing activities include a Film Society screening series, annual “Excellence in Production Design Awards” gala, bimonthly craft magazine (PERSPECTIVE), figure drawing and other creative workshops, extensive technology and craft training programs and year-round Gallery 800 art exhibitions. For the Guild’s online directory and website resources, go to www.adg.org. Connect with the Art Directors Guild on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PREATOREAN LLC Productions Presents “Simpatico”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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PREATOREAN LLC Productions Presents “Simpatico.” Written by Sam Shepard. Directed by Derek Long.

Running March 25 through May 5, Sundays at 8pm @ The Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 91423 

“Simpatico” is a classic.  Written by Sam Shepard and first produced in New York 1994, it’s an American drama set in California and Kentucky. 

It’s centered around three characters, Vinnie, Carter and Rosie, friends who pull off a racing scam and make a lot of money.  When their scam is discovered by a racing official they orchestrate seduction and blackmail to keep him quiet. 

Vinnie and Rosie are married, but after the scam is over Rosie runs off with Carter to Kentucky, leaving Vinnie in California alone and heartbroken…and with all the original evidence of the scam and the blackmail. Over the years he plots his revenge. 

“Simpatico” is a gorgeous piece of theatre – funny, dramatic, twisted and full of heartbreak and loneliness.  Rosie and Carter live in a constant state of regret and fear. Vinnie is obsessed and twisted from years on his own, he befriends a woman from the local grocery store who he hopes will free him from his torment, but she gets caught up in it all and, as the story unfolds, we see the lines blur and the hopes for love and peace evaporate. 

Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? It isn’t.  It’s profound and gorgeously real.  It plays with vulnerability and shame.  It flips the notion that fear rules us and that money cures everything.  The characters are juicy and fascinating and unexpectedly sane.  But it takes bold performances and a love of noire to pull this off, and these wonderful actors do that seemingly effortlessly. 

I’ve seen a few of PREATOREAN productions now and they make inspired choices.  Each play feels specifically chosen for the actors within the company and it’s a very, very smart way to work.  All these actors are perfect for the roles they inhabit.  They move within the material with comfort and familiarity, and they are perfectly at home in the worlds they create. 

It’s a long play, let’s be honest, close to three hours, which seems like a lot to handle. I did prepare, coffee, snickers bar etc.  But the time seemed to fly by somehow, so intense were the performances and skillful the writing. 

Any time you can seem a Sam Shepard play is a good day in my book and, when it’s given the attention and the love and the grace that this production has, it’s something to celebrate.  Loved it!  Bravo! 

https://simpatico.brownpapertickets.com 

Cast:

VINNIE(Producer)-Fred Mancuso

CARTER-Patrick Holder

CECILIA-Lindsay McDonald

SIMMS-John William Young

ROSIE-Caron Strong

KELLY-Callie Haun 

Production Team:

(Director/Exec-Producer/Production Design)-Derek Long

(Co-Producer/Original Sound/Video/Graphic)-Ryan de Quintal

(Assistant Director/Stage Manager)-Caitlin Lowerre

(Lighting Design/ Board opp)-Derrick McDaniel

(Technical Director)-Brandon Loeser

Film Reviews – Us; Gloria Bell 

Mike Peros
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Film Reviews – Us; Gloria Bell 

Us; Gloria Bell Film Reviews

It would be wise not to miss the first few minutes of Jordan Peele’s Us, his highly anticipated second feature following his 2017 smash Get Out! (Get thee hither to those concession stands early.) In case you do toggle in late, you’ll miss the 1986 prelude to the main action, as well as some key incidents and images that will resonate later. Having said that, the rest of Us is pretty good also—if it isn’t as strong and cohesive as Get Out!, it’s certainly not because of any lack of skill on the part of the filmmaker—but perhaps a preponderance of them.

Us centers on a privileged family (they have a summer house in Santa Cruz, for Pete’s sake) including Winston Duke as “keeping up with the Joneses” Dad Wilson (gotta have that motorboat), Lupito Nyong’o as the concerned, troubled mom Wilson, and Shahadi Wright-Joseph and Evan Alex as the Wilson children. Mama Lupito has certain memories of a traumatizing earlier incident in Santa Cruz, so she’s naturally reluctant to spend much time in public there (The movie never explains why the family has this particular house—despite the mom’s obvious unhappiness.) Elizabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker are their friendly, quirky neighborhood friends and all is good—for a day. And then that very first night, a family dressed in red appears in the driveway that appears to be the spitting image of the Wilsons—and they’re not there to borrow a cup of sugar.

It would be hard to review Us without offering up spoilers, but I will say that the first half is the most successful section. While Peele and the cast keep the audience generally on edge throughout, the movie is far more compelling when the explanations for the terror are kept mysterious.  Peele’s strengths are especially evident when establishing the various threats to hearth and home, and in delineating the gleeful nature of some of the participants—played to perfection by all involved, especially Lupito Nyong’O, Elizabeth Moss, and Shahadi Wright-Joseph. Us has wit, suspense, little character insights and quirks, unnerving moments and unsettling bits of business to spare. It also has a number of ideas and thematic concerns which serve both to clarify earlier events, but also tend to ground the film in a manner not intended. For the most part though, Us is effective and entertaining—especially when it’s not caught up in its own issues.

To call Gloria Bell a romantic comedy would be doing it a disservice, since there is more to Sebastian Lelio’s film than romance (although a romance does play a part). Julianne Moore’s Gloria is an attractive, successful divorcee in her fifties with a good job, friends, well-adjusted grown children, and a caring mother (a terrific Holland Taylor). She also has to contend with an loud upstairs neighbor who is often heard (but not seen) and is frequently in the midst of a breakdown. Gloria also really loves to dance, mostly at a fairly elegant club that seems to specialize in disco and music from the ‘70s and ‘80s, so it’s not a surprise when she connects with fellow dancer Arnold (an excelent John Turturro). Arnold is also divorced, but with far more baggage than he lets on.

Gloria Bell is basically a series of vignettes, several small but many of them revealing, not only about Gloria, but her evolving relationships with friends and family. A family celebration turns into a nostalgic series of reminiscences which enhance one bond while lessening another; a trip to a paint ball range results in a cathartic scene later; a lunch between Gloria and her mother reveals some heretofore untold regrets. There are many poignant, amusing, perceptive moments in the film, and Julianne Moore is superb at embodying every aspect of Gloria, especially her compassion and her capacity for joy. Whether Gloria ends up with Arnold or not isn’t as important as discovering whether Gloria will be able to maintain being at peace with her surroundings and experience the joy in life.  In Julianne Moore’s luminous portrayal, you’ll want to be there for the finish.

Attending the World’s largest Travel Show – ITB Berlin

Jack Witt
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Attending the World’s largest Travel Show – ITB Berlin

Every year in March, the global travel industry goes to Berlin, Germany for the ITB, a five-day mega travel show.

Tour operators, hotels & resorts and visitors bureaus from cities and countries and regions all around the world set up show booths (some which are absolutely spectacular) at the Messe Center – a gigantic complex of several large hanger-type buildings on the edge of Berlin that houses some 100,000 exhibitors who attend the ITB.

Since I’ve been organizing adventure trips for the past six or seven years now around the world with my travel brand Active World Journeys, I decided it would be a good idea to attend this year in order to meet some potential tour operators I could partner with for some of the places that my travel clients want to go to over the next few years. I registered to be part of the what they call “The Buyer’s Circle,” and I was able to pre-schedule several meetings for the first three days of the conference, which wasn’t open to the general public, only for buyers and sellers to network and build relations.

So, for those three days I was attending, I would meet on the hour each hour with a potential tour operator partner to go over some hand-crafted itinerary ideas for my groups and it would literally take me sometimes 20-30 minutes to get from one pavilion to another pavilion for my next meeting, it was such a gigantic expo. It was a rush that I enjoyed, and I had a lot of fun zipping around the mazes of pavilions in each complex. During lunch there was a separate private small building for Buyer’s Circle members like me where we could relax, charge up our phones and consume some of the free drinks and food, which were offered exclusively for us.  Sometimes too, as I was walking from one meeting over to another, I’d stop off randomly in a country’s pavilion… such as Romania, and they would have a chef cooking up a bunch of Romanian food to give out for free sampling. So, I never knew what ethnic type of foods I’d be sampling throughout each day. It was incredible! Some areas even had wine and beer from their region they were giving out as well (yes, I had to research that too you know!). I was really beginning to like learning about other cultures through tastings!

Each evening, one of the countries or regions might sponsor a mixer at a local restaurant/bar or club in Berlin. I went to the China Night, and it was full open bar and lots of delicious free tasty freshly prepared foods. It was held at this swanky nightclub near the Berlin Zoo. I had a great time! Thank you, China!

One evening I broke away from the travel events though to take a tour inside the Berlin Bundestag (Reichstag) building. You have to arrange this in advance online at https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag. It was very fascinating, some of the original walls were left exposed where Russian soldiers were writing their names and the date when they were there after Berlin fell to them in World War Two. Since the Reichstag was badly damaged from allied bombings, the dome has been rebuilt out of glass and symbolizes the reunification of Germany. You can meander all the way round and round up through it with a free audio guide they provide. There’s also a nice restaurant at the top of the dome area with great views of Berlin that serves fine food. Reservations required.  That evening as I was walking from the Reichstag and over to the Brandenburg Gate (which is near it) during twilight when the lights were coming on the structures, I was just in awe of these symbols of Berlin that have endured so much in history.

On one of the days of the expo, I had a longer than usual lunch break and noticed from my Berlin metro map that the Olympic Stadium was only two short stops from the Messe Center. This was the stadium built for the “Nazi Olympics” in 1936 where USA’s Jesse Owens won so many gold medals (much to the chagrin of Hitler!). For about 8 Euros you can take a tour of the stadium. Today it is used for soccer matches and concerts.  The original Olympic flame holder is still there. Interestingly, the 1936 Olympics were the first to have the Olympic flame travel all the way from Greece to the hosting city, a tradition that still holds today.

As a fitness trainer and health coach. I always try to practice what I preach, so one morning before the travel show started, I went over to jog at Tempelhof Airport, made famous by the Berlin Airlift in 1949. The airport was built in the 1920s and then reconstructed in the 1930s by the Nazis. It had stayed functional for many decades and finally closed about 15 years ago. But instead of tearing it down, they decided to re-purpose it into a city park. So now you can jog or ride your bike on the runways, and/or in the summer have cookouts there and just simply have fun.  The main terminal buildings are still there but they are closed; however, there are private tours available of the inside. Check info for that here https://www.thf-berlin.de/fuehrungen/english-guided-tours/  I thought to myself as I was jogging on the runway how fitting that this old Nazi airport is now a symbol of humanity and healthy community.

On my last late afternoon in Berlin I decided to stop off at the East Side Gallery. It’s an original section of the Berlin Wall that features murals and graffiti in an open-air gallery style setting. Many Berliners might agree that walls and division throughout history were never a long-term solution for those who were in power- and it has been the people – through trust and understanding, who always seem to prevail in the end.

All in all, I really enjoyed attending ITB Berlin and got a lot out of it. With so much conflict in the world between governments, it was nice to meet and make friends with so many international people (some from countries who are supposed to be my adversary as an American), who were all there in goodwill for cultural promotion and business development.  I do believe that travel helps to encourage peace.  Besides bringing revenue and jobs into a local area/economy, travel builds cross cultural relations and better understandings of each other. The outcome is we humanize each other more and demonize each other less. The more that countries in our world are connected through travel and economics, the less likely those countries will be aggressive about conflict and waging war or demonizing other races and religions in far-off lands.  The travel industry indeed helps to build bridges of understanding and knock down walls of fear.

If you’d like information on going on my up-coming Active Russia Tour, South Africa Adventure and Safari, Guatemala Trekking and Glamping through Mayan Ruins and/or The Best of Vietnam and Cambodia Culture Tour, please send me an email at jack@activeworldjourneys.com

Cheers,

Jack Witt, MS, CPT
Fitness and Health Coach

Individuals / Groups / Corporate
310.562.5629 Cell / 818.760.3891 Main
Twitter / Instagram /LinkedIn / YouTube 
My new book – “Fitness and Anti-Aging Secrets” Click here
Registration now open – Hadrian’s Wall Walk / England – June 2019  Click here

Fuzzy Bottom Theatre Company Presents “Pandora’s Box”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Fuzzy Bottom Theatre Company Presents “Pandora’s Box”

Fuzzy Bottom Theatre Company Presents “Pandora’s Box.”  Written by April Littlejohn. Directed by April Littlejohn, Karla Davis and Brendan Lynch.

Running March 22 through April 7, Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm

Whitmore Lindley Theatre, 11006 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, 91601 

Yet another fantastical escapade from the slightly twisted mind of April Littlejohn and Fuzzy Bottom Theatre Company. 

Four stories straight from the mind of the mythical character Pandora.  Her ”box” was filled with sickness, death and many other unspecified evils and were released into the world when she opened it, just for a moment. Once closed, all that remained inside was hope. 

Her four stories, performed by the talented and lovely company of actors,  are modern fables and parables about love, lust, obsession and narcissism, all laced with a wicked sense of humor.  The tales that unfold on stage are as varied as a man who loves deeply but feels physical pain at the slightest touch, to another whose addiction to sex and detachment from love makes him impotent..until he can be unlocked by a dominatrix.  

The show is sprinkled liberally with movement and dance, costumes and fairies and even a faun. There is sauciness, naughtiness and some pretty strong sexual situations, but no nudity.  It’s shocking at times and pushes some boundaries, but all rather delightfully and with a gentle wink. 

The cast are fearless and totally committed and the result of that is a really great show.  Entertaining, unusual and enlightening, wickedly clever and poignant.  They do all this so well at the Fuzzy Bottom Theatre Company.  Giving us a thrill while they remind us to be open hearted, loving, forgiving and human.  Love it!! 

It’s not up for long, so don’t dawdle!! Running March 22 through April 7, Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm 

https://lahorrorstories.com  

Featuring: Nicole A. Craig, Steve Fite, Karla Davis, April Littlejohn, Brendan Lynch, Taylor Carr, Amanda Talamantez, Ben Carr, Ellen Bienenfeld, Max Bowen, Darrius Marcellin, Catie Faye Smith, Jason Galindo, Kirstie McHugh, Heather Boothby, Yisrael Dubov, AJ Gardner, Stephanie Mayer, Dakota West, Cassidy vonKronemann and Michael Geretz.

NoHo News – March 28

Lisa Bianconi
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NoHo News: Singin’ in the Rain. Ugly Sign. Spay+Neuter Vouchers. Art. Music. Dancehall. Theatre! 

Here’s your NoHo arts community update!

We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood. Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

 

NoHo News: Singin' in the Rain. Ugly Sign. Spay+Neuter Vouchers. Art. Music. Dancehall. Theatre!

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

“Singin’ in the Rain”

Lisa Bianconi
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“Singin’ in the Rain” – Umbrellas Optional!

Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Musical Direction by Keith Harrision
Directed and Choreographed by Spencer Liff

Adapted for the stage in 1985 by the film’s legendary creators Betty Comden and Adolph Green, “Singin’ in the Rain” comes to The Soraya thanks to a lavish new production by McCoy Rigby Entertainment. The 1952 MGM song-and-dance classic that immortalized Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds appears on every list of cinema’s greatest. Each unforgettable scene, song and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Knock-‘em-dead dance routines, hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make ”Singin’ in the Rain” the perfect entertainment for any fan of the Golden Age of movie musicals! Umbrellas optional!

“Singin’ in the Rain” will have four performances Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 14 at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya), 18111 Nordhoff Street, in Northridge. Then it transfers to La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada where it performs beginning Friday, April 19, 2019 (with a press opening on Saturday, April 20 at 8pm) and run through Sunday, May 12, 2019.

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About the Creative Team and Cast

SPENCER LIFF (Director/Choreographer) Broadway: “Head Over Heels,” “Falsettos,” “Spring Awakening” (Deaf West revival), “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” He’s best known for his work on the past nine seasons of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” which have earned him two Emmy Award nominations for Best Choreography. Other TV: “Dancing with the Stars,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “One Day at A Time,” (Netflix), “Parks and Recreation,” “Mike and Molly,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Alexa & Katie,” (Netflix), “The Latin Grammy Awards,” “The Emmy Awards,” and “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris” (NBC producer/choreographer) Film: “Speech and Debate.” Other regional theater includes “Little Shop of Horrors” (The Kennedy Center), “Spring Awakening” (The Wallis Annenberg/Ovation Award Winner, Best Choreography), “The Man in the Ceiling” (Bay Street Theater), “Aladdin” (Laguna Playhouse Director/Choreo), “Sleepless in Seattle the musical” (Pasadena Playhouse), “Circus in Winter” (Goodspeed), “Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Rock Opera” (Shakespeare Theatre Company), “Oliver!” (Human Race Theatre) “World of Color” (Disneyland). As a performer he’s been seen on film, TV, and Broadway, winning the 2008 Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer on Broadway.

KEITH HARRISON (Musical Director) is a writer-composer-performer whose credits include: Off-Broadway: “One Day,” “Emojiland” (NYMF). Regional: “The Boys From Syracuse” (Drury Lane Oakbrook, Joseph Jefferson Nomination), “Million Dollar Quartet” (Apollo), “Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion The Musical” (Seattle 5th Avenue), “Carousel” (Long Wharf), “Lythgoe Family Pantos” (Pasadena Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse), “Falling For Make Believe” (Colony). TV/Film: “American Idol,” “Grace & Frankie,” “American Horror Story,” “The Politician,” “Claws,” “Westside,” “9-1-1,” “Daytime Emmy Awards,” “Radio Disney Music Awards,” “Access Hollywood Live,” UglyDolls; Concert: Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center (with Jenifer Lewis), Celebrity Cruises, “An Evening with Jason Alexander” (Baltimore, Atlanta, Louisville, Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix Symphony Orchestras). Commercial: Allstate, Toyota, McDonald’s, Big Lots, and STARS Nashville (Emmy Award Nomination).

The Cast of “Singin’ in the Rain” will feature Michael Starr as Don Lockwood, Kimberly Immanuel as Kathy Selden, Brandon Burks as Cosmo Brown, Sara King as Lina Lamont, Jamie Torcellini as Roscoe Dexter, Peter Van Norden as R.F. Simpson, Kelley Dorney as Dora Bailey and Candace J. Washington as Zelda Zanders. The Ensemble will feature: Ethan Daniel Corbett, Justin Charles Cowden, Maggie Darago, Chaz Feuerstine, Veronica Gutierrez, Grant Hodges, Adam Lendermon, Bruce Merkle, Tayler Mettra, Shanon Mari Mills, Theresa Murray, Cheyenne Omani, Clarice Ordaz, Samuel Shea, DJ Smith, Rodrigo Varandas and Breanne Wilson.

The design team for “Singin’ in the Rain” is as follows: scenic design by John Iacovelli; lighting design by Steven Young; sound design by Julie Ferrin; projection design by David Murakami; costume design by Shon LeBlanc; hair/wig/makeup design by EB Bohks; Properties Design by Kevin Williams. The casting director is Julia Flores and the production stage manager is Jill Gold.

“Singin’ in the Rain”

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)

Dates:

Friday, April 12 at 8:00pm
Saturday, April 13 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm
Sunday, April 14 at 3:00pm

Venue:

18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330

Tickets:

Prices: Starting at $41. Prices subject to change.
Phone: (818) 677-3000
Online: www.thesoraya.org

La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts

Venue:

14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, CA 90638
(Arrive early to find best parking — It’s free!) 

Dates:

Preview Friday, April 19 at 8:00pm
Saturday, April 20 – Sunday, May 12
Performances: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm; Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets:

Tickets range from $20 – $94 (Prices subject to change)
$15 student tickets for the first 15 performances of the production.
Student and Group discounts are available
Phone: (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310
Online: www.lamiradatheatre.com


About Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)

The 2018-19 Season marks the eighth year the award-winning Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, which has quickly become one of the cultural jewels of the greater Los Angeles region. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, The Soraya continues to expand its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances. The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of L.A.’s rich and diverse communities. Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya’s season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as “a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events.” www.thesoraya.org

About La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

The Tony-nominated LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (BT McNicholl, Producing Artistic Director) has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the best Broadway-style houses in Southern California.” This beautiful state-of-the-art theatre has been presenting quality productions since 1977, co-producing several national tours. The recipient of Tony, Emmy and Ovation Award nominations, La Mirada Theatre won the won the 2012-13 L.A. Stage Alliance OVATION AWARD for “Best Season of the Year.” The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, California, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue. Parking is theatre-adjacent and free. For further information call 562-944-9801 or visit www.lamiradatheatre.com

About McCoy Rigby Entertainment

Celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary season at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, McCoy Rigby Entertainment (MRE) is one of the world’s premier theatrical production companies. Headed by executive producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby, MRE has produced over one hundred musicals, plays and concerts featuring some of the biggest stars in the industry today.

In addition, MRE has launched several Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international and national touring productions, including: ASIA- “Dreamgirls” (Japan), “Miss Saigon” (China), “Peter Pan” (China) CANADA- “Peter Pan” (Vancouver) USA- “Seussical the Musical” and “Annie Get Your Gun,” starring Cathy Rigby; “Jesus Christ Superstar” starring Carl Anderson and Sebastian Bach; “Camelot” starring Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips, “Happy Days” written by Gary Marshall and Paul Williams. BROADWAY- ‪Frank Wildhorn‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬’s “Jekyll and Hyde” starring American Idol contestant and Tony Award nominee ‪Constantine Maroulis‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ and Grammy Award nominee Deborah Cox. “Peter Pan” starring Cathy Rigby has made four stops on Broadway and received four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. The A&E TV network premiere of “Peter Pan” received one Emmy Award and four Emmy Award nominations.

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. “Singin’ in the Rain”, The Soraya, Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, CSUN, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, NoHo Arts District, official NoHo Arts District Guide, wwwnohoartsdistrict.com, play readings, Burbank theatres, noho theatre companies, NoHo, noho theatre companies, la theatre companies, la theatre tickets, noho theatre tickets, north Hollywood theatre tickets, noho arts district theatre guide, noho theatre guide, la theatre guide

Spay + Neuter Vouchers

Lisa Bianconi
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LA Animal Services Launches Instant Print-at-Home Spay/Neuter Vouchers.

LA Animal Services has unveiled a new Print-at-Home option for free or reduced cost spay/neuter vouchers, saving community members a trip to the shelter to get a voucher, or waiting to receive one in the mail. With this new process, a voucher will be in your inbox in moments, each with their own individual bar code to be scanned when bringing in your companion animals in for spaying or neutering.

Vouchers may be printed at home and brought into the nearest animal service center or participating veterinary hospitals, spay/neuter clinics and mobile spay/neuter clinics.

“It has never been easier to spay and neuter your pets,” said Brenda Barnette, LA Animal Services General Manager. “With this new innovation, the process of receiving one of these vouchers is easier than ordering movie tickets online!”

LA Animal Shelter free and low-cost spay and neuter vouchers via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

“The new Print-at-Home voucher process is nothing short of a game-changer for current and soon-to-be pet owners of Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Paul Koretz. “This new convenience will make today, and future World Spay Days, easier to take part in for all Los Angeles City residents.”

Free Spay & Neuter Certificates (vouchers) and Discount Spay & Neuter Coupons are available for Los Angeles City residents online, and at all six LA City Animal Services Centers. Each household is eligible for discounts for three dogs and three cats per household. Feral cats and stray dogs do not qualify for this program.

More information about our spay/neuter program, as well as general benefits of the procedure, can be found online at http://www.laanimalservices.com/general-information/spay-neuter.

Click here if you would like to adopt or foster your next furbaby>> 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUQl2cADGx/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvF16gFgbUt/

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. 

 

“An Evening of One Acts: Joan & What Did They Say”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Catworks Productions Presents: “An Evening of One Acts: Joan & What Did They Say”

Written by Wendy Winter & Bernadette Armstrong

Directed by Collette Rutherford & Adam Matalon

Running March 22 through April 6, Friday & Saturday at 8 PM

Theatre Unlimited, 10943 Camarillo St., North Hollywood, 91602 

I love one-act plays, especially when they are thoughtfully curated and thematically connected. 

“An Evening of One Acts” is a selection of two one-act plays, both written by women writers and both about love.  Everything is really about love, isn’t it?  Every play, every book, every song, every painting, all driven by the need to love and be loved.  But these two plays approach the subject in totally different ways and make conclusions that are odd and unusual and strange…all in the loveliest of senses. 

“Joan” is a play about Joan Crawford.  We meet her as she waits, slightly confused, in what she thinks is a green room, but is actually the bardo, a kind of limbo, after death and before continuing on to whatever is next.  As she waits she tells stories, clarifies a few misconceptions and slowly softens.  Her time there is accompanied by a couple of guides, sort of narrating her passing, posing as radio announcers, hoping that by taking this familiar form it will calm her since she began her career in radio. 

It’s a very sweet piece. Full of humor and irony and the charm of Ms Crawford…and a little of the not so charming.  It’s fascinating to think of those moments between death and whatever comes next and to pose the question of “what if” using one of the most iconic actresses in history.  A very charming and touching play. 

“What Did They Say” is the final play of the evening and it is a study in family dynamics, secrets and discovery.  It’s mothers day and the mother of the family is preparing to feed her now grown flock.  This includes a gay daughter, a gay ex-husband, a straight daughter and her twin who has suddenly realized they are non-binary. 

Quite the setup!  Cleverly written as a classic TV sitcom, with hammy, lit entrances and many a one liner, this play addresses the sometimes confusing and ever moving boundaries of family life.  The characters are beautifully drawn and hilariously portrayed. They are human and ultra human, slightly stereotypical but not in a derivative way.  They are bold and brave and gloriously technicolored.  They make their points and find their place in compelling and tender ways. Really excellent writing! 

So both these plays are well worth seeing.  The complement each other and give a lovely balance to the evening.  I hope to see more from both these excellent and highly original writers.  Bravo!! 

“Joan” Stars:

Goreti de Silva, David Trice & Christine Uhebe 

“What Did They Say” stars:

Anna Garcia, David Garelik, Sue Gerver, Jon Marco, Bryan Porter, Alec Schiff & Marinela Zubovic 

The Thursday Night Theatre Club Presents “The Elephant Man”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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The Thursday Night Theatre Club Presents “The Elephant Man.” Written by Bernard Pomerance.  Directed by Robyn Cohen.

Running March 21 – 23 and April 3 – 14, 2019, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm, some Sundays at 3pm

The El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA. 91601 

The Elephant Man is a sad and sorry tale.  Iconic in British history, it is a story that teaches us that man can be as vile as he can be merciful and as evil, as he can be angelic. 

The hero, Joseph Merrick, was born deformed and, as he grew became more and more so.  His mother abandoned him and he was discovered in a workhouse by a ruthless man who then paraded him around the freak shows of England and Europe.  Once he was done with him and abandoned yet again, Joseph Merrick found his way the Royal London Hospital where he was able to live out the remainder of his life. 

This phenomenal and much-awarded play, with its surreal staging and poignantly chosen moments from the life of its subject, Joseph Merrick, is a brave choice for any theatre company.  The production requires total commitment and complete trust in the content of the story, the precision of the words and an audience’s ability to suspend all disbelief and embrace the vision unfolding onstage. 


Cast (L-R):  Vanessa Vaughn, Jennipher Lewis , Robin Roth, Tom Vitorino, Albert Soratorio, John Sperry, Nathan Wallace

Done well, it’s a breathtaking play and one of the most compelling pieces of theatre created in recent years.  The Thursday Night Theatre Company has taken on this gorgeous work quite fearlessly, which is absolutely the only way to do it justice.  The lovely stage at the El Portal is the perfect setting for such a magically real performance piece and the cast move seamlessly from scene to scene, gracefully spinning this heartbreaking story of a man monstrously deformed on the outside and yet with the soul of an angel.  

The Thursday Night Theatre Club’s presentation of “The Elephant Man” is stylish, bold, funny and profoundly moving.  Each of the roles is played with intensity and brilliance.  Sure, the accents slip slightly from time to time, but the passion and the agony are in every syllable. 


Cast (L-R):  Nathan Wallace, Logan Padilla, Tom Vitorino & John Ralston Craig

The spell of this play is cast in the first few moments, when we are introduced to the story by a sweeping hospital custodian and then the physical nature of Joseph Merrick’s maladies are explained to us by his doctor, as they would have been to an auditorium of Victorian medical students.  As we watch, the actor portraying him astonishingly transforms himself onstage, from man to monster as it were.  The transformation is without prosthetics or makeup, entirely achieved through the actor’s ability to contort and twist himself, to give to us his version of this most unfortunate man.  Tom Vitorino, as Joseph Merrick, performs this task quite spectacularly and maintains his deformation throughout the play with remarkable grace and humanity. 


Cast (L-R):  Tom Vitorino and Alice L Walker

This is a truly excellent production of a play that should be on everyone’s shortlist and I advise you to take full advantage of The Thursday Night Theatre Club’s masterful and heartrending version on “The Elephant Man.” 

Cast:

Skip Pipo, Jon Sperry, Vanessa Vaughn, Nathan Wallace, Robin Roth, Jennifer Lewis, Rovin Roth, Alice L. Walker, Tom Vitorino, Albert Soratorio, Jay Parker, Emily Kellis, David Revaza, Logan Podilla, John Ralston Craig. 

www.ThursdayNightTheaterClub.com 

Very, Very Independent Filmmaking – Finding a Story and Your Film.

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Very, Very Independent Filmmaking – Finding a Story and Your Film.

I’ve just got home from a very exciting film group meeting. 

In my group, we are working towards shooting 12 films in 12 months – a version of my 52 Films 52 Weeks project.  Right now we are pulling together our story ideas and one of the very best exercise I know to help create stories from absolutely nothing is the five-minute stream of conscientiousness exercise. 

Basically, you find a quiet place, choose a sentence from a random book or article or even a song lyric, write it down, and then set your timer for 5 minutes and just write. 

It feels a little awkward at first, which is why you need a quiet place. Using this method, I can guarantee you will write a story of some kind. No one expects miracles, it might not be perfect, but it is an excellent place to start. 

In my group we have each brought in our stories and they are all remarkable.  So varied, so crazy, funny and horrific.  It’s amazing what lurks inside us and pours forth when we give it a little encouragement.  All the films in our 52 Films project were sourced this way.  The stories picked from a year long version of this writing exercise, which is why they were so wildly different.  Each day we are full of something new, a new feeling, a new sadness, a new direction, so it goes without saying that what comes out will be different from one day to the next. 

Our films so far will take us from the beach to the mountains, the meadows to the streets and underground…imaginations are precious things! 

Once we have worked on these stories a little more and then adapted them into screenplays, we will plan out the rest of the year’s filmmaking. It feels so good to be working with such a group of inspiring and creative fellow filmmakers.  I can hardly wait to see what we create together. 

Working in a team, even a small one, can be the difference between dreaming of making films and actually making films.  It’s hard to do it alone, even If you hire crew.  Having your filmmaking family beside you from the start will keep you focused, honest and inspired.  If you don’t have your own group, filmmaking classes can be a great resource, not just college, but online, or local private filmmaking classes.  Google what is in your neighborhood.  

It’s also a great way to share the cost of filmmaking. Even when you have your own equipment there are always cost involved…food mostly.  It all adds up, but shared it’s much easier to handle.  I know everyone wants to crowd source, but honestly, I would avoid that until you have your ultimate dream project to make. Most crowd fund money really comes from friends and family and in my experience that’s a one hit wonder – don’t blow it on something you are not ready for.  Fund everything yourself…for now. 

So, next time I write we will be further along in the project and I will have much more to say about it.  For now I am very happy to be on the way to making movies…they will be brilliant because they will be ours. 

Now get out there and start something!! 

Here’s a reminder of what we created with 52 films/52 weeks…I’m feeling a little nostalgic! 

{vimeo}25138314{/vimeo}

Bitter’s Kiss “The Divorce Party” Album Release

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Bitter’s Kiss “The Divorce Party” Album Release

This album, written and recorded by Chloe Grace Baker or Bitter’s Kiss, is inspired by and written for a movie, “The Divorce Party,” a soon to be released romantic comedy. 

But this is hardly this young singer songwriter’s first foray onto the world stage.

She began writing and recording songs when she was still in high school, having already released an EP, and it’s that naiveté and soulful authenticity that is the center of her musical style.

But there’s a depth and a sophistication in these songs that belies Baker’s youth.  A sweet, poetic irony and a humor to the lyrics and themes that remind me of Fiona Apple or Alanis Morrisette.  Although Baker has a style very different to theirs and a soft, subtle delivery all her own.  Her voice is pure, breathy, but not contrived.  She has a husky edge to her, like she just woke up after a big night out and while the rest of us are barely breathing she can annoyingly sing like a moody angel.

This 11-track album (yes, you read it right, 11 tracks), is quite the ode to love, loss and turning pain into pleasure.  I particularly enjoyed the cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” one of my favorite tracks of all time. She picks at the words in a way so different to the original recording, loving the lyrics, giving them a new life.  Perhaps that’s the story running through all these songs; new life, new hope, a new understanding of oneself.

She has a brilliant way with words, actually. “I already know it’s the end, so why am I clutching the phone in my hand?”  Her take on doomed romance and the ridiculous things we put ourselves through over and over again is more than a little perfect.  Although I should probably tell her that with age, it doesn’t really get any better.

Love this album…

For more information about Bitter’s Kiss:

https://www.bakergrace.com / https://www.facebook.com/bakergracemusic

Twitter and Instagram ‐ @bakergracemusic

For more information about The Divorce Party: https://www.facebook.com/seedivorceparty/

The Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest Presents “Billie – Backstage With Lady Day”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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0

The Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest Presents “Billie – Backstage With Lady Day.” Starring Synthia L. Hardy.  Directed by Bryan Rasmussen.

What a play! What a performance and what a lady.

“Billie – Backstage with Lady Day” is an intimate and revelatory evening with the Lady Day herself, as played by the brilliant Synthia L.Hardy.  We encounter Billie backstage before a performance, her piano man as her sidekick, she holds court to a couple of journalists, and the audience assumes those roles for the duration.  As she changes and primps for the show to come, she drinks a little and then a little more and the stories flow.  Stories about her childhood, her mother, her bouts with depression and love and heartbreak, and the hardships of being a woman on the road and a black woman in any situation in America.

She spins her yarns and laughs through what most of us could barely live through and as she does, we see past the brashness and the toughness and into the heart of a gifted, bruised but not broken poet and songstress the likes of which has never been repeated.

Thanks to the genius of the director and producer Bryan Rasmussen, we are fully transported back to her time and her moment as a star, passed the worst of her drugs and booze into a happier part of her life, surrounded by people who loved her, respected her and paid her.  Ms Hardy embodies Billie so beautifully and with so much warmth and life and humor. She is utterly bewitching.

The second act is a sublime jazz concert of Billie’s greatest hits, performed by Ms Hardy and accompanied by the most magnificent jazz ensemble imaginable.

The band is superb. Mark “Panther” Felton playing as Lester Young, Papa Joe Jones as Bobby Wilkerson on drums, on bass, Michael saucier as Gene Ramsey,  and the Piano Man himself is played by Lanny Hartley, who supports Ms Hardy onstage throughout the performance, politely tinkering and accepting the drinks she pours him.

It’s a magical show, a gorgeous homage to all that was good and irreplaceable about Billie Holiday.  It will make you cry I can guarantee it, but boy will it make you glad to know her music and to be touched by it still.

If you get the chance to see “Billie – Backstage With Lady Day” and I believe it may make another appearance next year at the Solofest, then don’t be a dope…buy a ticket and bring a friend…what a way to close 2019 Solofest!!!

https://www.whitefiretheatre.com

The Whitefire Theatre Solofest Presents “Voices”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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0

The Whitefire Theatre Solofest Presents “Voices.” Written and Performed by Carla Delaney. Developed and Directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson.

Carla Delaney is a brilliant mimic. 

In fact, she makes her living out of it. You can hear her voice as various characters as diverse as Bart Simpson and Liza Minnelli all over the world in TV, video games and theme parks.  “Voices” is a rather ironic title for her solo show then, I suppose.  But it is her captivating story that takes irony to a whole new level.

Carla was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Syndrome years ago and was fascinated by the obvious connection between her illness and the center of her work and her creativity…her voice.  

So the play is her discovering why and how her body is battling itself. Hashimoto’s is when your immune system attacks your thyroid and all hell breaks loose, hormonally speaking. Carla gives glorious life to characters drawn from her own body parts, all with opinions and attitudes potential solutions to her troubles.  And all with their own individual and hilarious voices!

Carla Delaney is clearly an absolute master of voices and her ability to impersonate just about anybody is quite remarkable. But it is her journey to find her own strength and her own voice as a woman in an industry so determined to take them both from her that so exquisitely forms this wonderful play.

Carla has brilliant comedic physicality too, twisting and gyrating and pretzeling herself into various parts of her own anatomy in truly original and hilarious ways.  She is a master storyteller.  Able to steer the narrative beautifully in heartfelt and authentic ways, manipulating the audience sweetly and gracefully as she unfolded her story on the stage.  Such a simple theme – finding your voice – but one so relevant, poetically and politically perfect, now more than ever.

This play is solo theatre at the highest of levels.  Funny, smart, inventive and compelling with enormous heart and poignance.  I absolutely loved this show!!  Bravo Carla!!!

Hopefully, it will be in the Hollywood Fringe this year, so get a ticket and grab your relevant other and go!!!!

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2358383/

Miles Kane made his American Television debut on the Late Late Show with James Corden

Caroline McElroy
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Miles Kane made his American Television debut on the Late Late Show with James Corden

Miles Kane made his American television debut on the “Late Late Show with James Corden” a day after his March 17 birthday.

Backing Kane was the Mini Mansions who had opened for the Arctic Monkeys at the Hollywood Bowl on October 16 and October 17, 2018. Both acts have ties to Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner.

Sporting a scruffy head of hair and an unshaven face, Kane was a delight to listen to and watch as his nimble fingers slid on his guitar. It was a good move on the part of the show to showcase Kane’s amazing talents on the guitar by doing an extended close up of his guitar playing. Wearing a black, form-fitting jumpsuit sure didn’t take away from Kane’s sexy image.

It was only apt that Kane selected “Cry On My Guitar” as his American television debut piece as it showcased his talents as a songwriter and as an axeman. The song is off Kane’s new Solo album “Coup de Grace” which has many excellent songs to fill your head with edgy rock riffs as well as a tad bit of Pop and Punk. There are many songs off of “Coup De Grace” on my iPod which always starts off with the song titled after the album. “Coup De Grace” is a Great dance tune and is better than a cup of coffee to get your body up and moving.

I was kind of hoping that he would do “Coup De Grace” for the show, but alas he chose to premiere “Cry On My Guitar” which did an excellent job of getting his musical point across. It is hard to pick out a song as a favorite so I’ll just say go to iTunes and listen to the entire album and choose for yourself if they are iPod worthy. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this album as an 8, which is two down from the highest. Should that be 8 guitars or iPods? This album is not Kane’s first trip to the Rock N’ Roll rodeo. He has a great list of efforts in his catalog of music on iTunes which you will find hard to narrow down. I know that I had a hard time and ended up uploading over a dozen songs onto my iPod by him before the day was done. Kane has three solo albums under his professional belt.

In addition, Kane has done a collaborative effort with Turner called “The Last Shadow Puppets.” This effort has brought much acclaim to both Kane and Turner as an out there piece of work which is dripping with the nuances of an alternative meets theatrical piece of artistic surrealism. Check out “Gas Dance,” “Used To Be My Girl” or “Calm Like You” and hear what I mean. Their three-album work is labeled Baroque Pop by some and the Last Shadow Puppets are hailed a “supergroup.” Pretty impressive pedigree for Kane, if you ask me.

As for Mini Mansions backing Kane at his American television debut, they did an awesome job with just the right amount of panache to keep it all interesting in back of Kane. Admittedly I wasn’t all that impressed with them at the Hollywood Bowl when they opened for the Arctic Monkeys, but maybe being on the road has added to their performance. Then again, maybe when I saw one of Mini Mansions spit on the stage it did gross me out and I lost my perspective. As a former dancer, the thought that someone would spit on the stage and have me dance barefoot right into it was appalling. It remains to be seen if this band has the stuff to last and do their mentor Turner proud.

At the close of the show, James Corden came over and gave Kane two big hugs and said: “This is a star.” I don’t hear him say that very often and I am now wondering if a Carpool Karaoke isn’t out of the question. Corden was very excited with the performance.

As an aside, I am wondering if Kane accompanied the Arctic Monkeys to Joshua Tree Inn, helped write songs with them and recorded with them at the Rancho Del La Luna Recording Studio up the street from the Joshua Tree Inn. Hmmmmmm.

Prior to “The Late Late Show,” I ended up watching “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as it was winding down. The musical guest for this show was Karen O, formerly the vocalist for the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and Danger Mouse. O had a dance troupe to back her up with an Avant-Garde routine while O performed “Woman.” Very artistically done and it had my attention. The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are also in my iPod. I have “Heads Will Roll” and “Gold Lion.”

Coming up September 21 there will be a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Newport Pop Festival 69’ staged at Devonshire Downs. The event is being dubbed “The Lost Love-In” and is being staged by the joint efforts of The Museum of The San Fernando Valley and The San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center. Cal State Northridge is helping out in this huge effort. Devonshire Downs is now their parking lot. The actual event was spread out over a weekend and featured acts such as LOVE, The Grass Roots, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jethro Tull, Eric Burdon, The Byrds and Joe Cocker to name a few. How exciting.

Kevin Thomas Band “A New Heart” Album Release

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Kevin Thomas Band “A New Heart” Album Release

I live in Southern California, L.A. to be exact, so it comes as no surprise to me at all that Kevin Thomas is from San Diego…a mere couple of hours down the freeway. 

His music is classic, laid back California pop/folk/rock.  Sweetly sung and full of the rhythms and references of the life out here.  The ocean, the bars,  the sun, the mountains, the hiking, the wide open blue skies, the politics and the gorgeous variety of the people.

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Kevin’s music is purposeful and uplifting.  He plays every instrument and self produces so what he wanted to give us with this album is surely what we get.  The songs are hopeful even as they are instructive and even a little cautionary, but not at all in a heavy way.   It’s a little Dave Matthews, a little Ben Harper, a little Jackson Browne…all good!

The melodies ebb as the lyrics flow and the result is catchy, lyrical, memorable and powerful musical.  Kevin is a musical academic as well as a seasoned artist, having toured around the world with a huge selection of bands.  He performs his own material regularly and you can feel it in his music.  There’s a confidence in his songs that only comes from experience. He actually teaches songwriting and music composition as well as many different forms of guitar.

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So a well- traveled, career musician with a poet’s heart and a maestro’s musical ability creates an album of beautiful melodies, funky rhythms and thoughtful, inspiring words….love it!!! Perfect timing as the rains finally abate, the air is full of the song of birds, and the scent of the blossoming trees and the California sun is here to stay.

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Artist Links

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Bandcamp  |  Soundcloud  |  Youtube Channel

Versal “Versal” EP Release

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Versal “Versal” EP Release

New Age electronic music can get a bad rap.  I rather like it myself. A glass of wine, a good book and some calming melodic music…lovely!

This might be Versal’s first commercial release, but he is hardly a newbie to music as a whole.  He began composing and playing music as a young child and now works in the world of creative arts.  So he has many years of creativity behind this EP, which is truly great mood music.  It’s very visual, in a classical sense.  The track “Dawn” is particularly descriptive.  If you close your eyes you can really see the sun rising, the birds singing and the world waking up.

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This is not for everyone, of course.  There are no banging drums, no guitar solos, no dance rhythms to get you boogying on the dance floor.  But it has a very real place in your musical collection.  It’s meditative, restorative and quietly soothing. And we all need a bit of that these days, don’t we?

“Versal” is extremely cinematic music too. I wonder if he has scored any movies yet?  He really should. It has a gorgeous sci-fi edge to it, in amongst the French horns and the strings. 

Really interesting, impressive and inspiring stuff!! Bravo!!

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Artist Links

Facebook  |  Soundcloud  |  Youtube Channel

The Road Theatre Presents “Friends With Guns”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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The Road Theatre Presents “Friends With Guns,” Written by Stephanie Alison Walker. Directed by Randee Trabitz.

March 15 through May 11, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm 

Boy, is this a timely play. As usual, the incomparable folks at The Road Theatre Company are taking on subjects firmly out there in our zeitgeist and getting in our face about them. Isn’t that what art does best?

Arianna Ortiz, Christian Telesmar, Brian Graves and Kate Huffman star in the Road Theatre Company’s world premiere production of “FRIENDS WITH GUNS,” by Stephanie Alison Walker and directed by Randee Trabitz and now playing at the Road Theatre on Magnolia.
Arianna Ortiz, Christian Telesmar, Brian Graves and Kate Huffman

“Friends With Guns” tackles a few particularly grotty subjects.  How being a mom can feel isolating and challenging and how we judge ourselves so harshly, the pressures of being perfect are intense.  It also touches on the still seemingly immovable roles of parenting, how we change so drastically as we become older versions of ourselves, at least some of us, and how that can leave people behind, often without them even noticing. 

But really this play is about guns…and friends. How very, very rare it is to find really good friends, especially as we get further and further through our life.  So how much would we compromise our values, our core concepts when faced with something so gorgeous, mythological and yearned for as a real and wonderful friend?

Brian Graves and Kate Huffman star in the Road Theatre Company’s world premiere production of “FRIENDS WITH GUNS,” by Stephanie Alison Walker and directed by Randee Trabitz and now playing at the Road Theatre on Magnolia.
Brian Graves and Kate Huffman 

They play begins when an over-stressed and depressed young mother who totally loses in front of her kids at the neighborhood park one early morning, after several nights of no sleep.  Another mother bears witness to this fit and the play begins to answer the question of who we really are.

The mother, Shannon, is, of course, mortified and ashamed. But the other mother, Leah, is audaciously comforting, understanding and angelic, and a bond between them is formed immediately.  They find one of those unicorn connections and gushingly share this with their spouses and a dinner is instantly planned.

All unfolds brilliantly at first; great food, laughs, a few drinks and the puzzle pieces seem to fit together effortlessly until Josh, Shannon’s overly excited husband, begins to go down the political rabbit hole and the subject suddenly comes up of how weird people who have guns must be.

Of course, opposite views are vociferously shared and lines are drawn, hurtful things are said and the evening is over. Men don’t back down easily, women are more subtle with their battles, more prone to compromise and even change.  The two women remain friends and Shannon finds herself drawn into something of an adventure, one that Josh has no intention of taking part in.

Christian Telesmar and Brian Graves star in the Road Theatre Company’s world premiere production of “FRIENDS WITH GUNS,” by Stephanie Alison Walker and directed by Randee Trabitz and now playing at the Road Theatre on Magnolia.
Christian Telesmar and Brian Graves

It’s a complex play, although the ideas seem simple enough.  These days our politics are as much a part of us as our blood type and just as easily changed.  But what we ourselves believe and who we are to others, like our husbands and wives, can get twisted and become immovable.  We change as we grow, we understand ourselves better and sometimes those around us fear that – so connected are they to who and what we once were and how that defines them.

I loved this play. The characters are bold and beautifully written.  The ying and the yang of them all give this piece a simple clear truth and a strikingly honest glimpse into what we really think of each other and how deep the damage can go.

It’s always a joy to sit in the steep seats of the Road Theatre.  I never know what will unfold onstage or where the journey will lead us.  Always revelatory, never boring, pushing us to think more and feel everything. This play is just as good as everything else they produce and the performances are absolutely spectacular. 

Randee Trabitz directs them all with tenderness, heart and heat…bravo!!

As always, get your tickets fast. The Road has a habit of success so they can run out of tickets!  I highly recommend that you go see “Friends With Guns.”

https://roadtheatre.org

The Road on Magnolia, 10747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, 91601

The Cast:

Brian Graves as Josh

Kate Huffman as Shannon

Arianna Ortiz as Leah

Christian Telesmar as Danny

The Design Team:

Set Design by Stephen Gifford; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Sound Design by David B. Marling; Costume Design by Michele Young. Properties Design by Heath Harper; Fight Director/Armorer is Jen Albert. The Production Stage Manager is Erick Marquez. FRIENDS WITH GUNS is produced by Michelle Gillette, Chet Grissom and Susie Lever.

Jae Blaze Is Dancehall Dynamite

Francesca del Console
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Jae Blaze Is Dancehall Dynamite

We’re going to continue our topic of dance bringing us joy. Because why do something if it doesn’t bring you joy? Meet Jae Blaze, an award-winning choreographer, artistic director and creator of @JukGyal and @b2bdancehall. She brings eight counts of pure dance joy.

Do you do things, go places that bring you joy?  Millennium Dance Complex brings me joy on Tuesdays for Back to Basics Dancehall and Fridays for Dancehall Femme Style. I turned 21 a couple  decades ago so I’m not your typical Milllennium patron. But I go, I dance, and I have a fabulous time. Why? Jae Blaze. She’s Dancehall dynamite. Her classes explode with energy, a positive, “you can do this” type of energy. She cares about the authenticity of Dancehall and that her students learn not only the moves but the history of this dance genre. But above all, Jae’s the Dancehall expert, and her resume reads like a best seller.

Jae received the 2017 MTV Winner Best Choreography-Kanye West “Fade,”the 2006 MTV Award Hip Hop Video – Black Eyed Peas “My Humps” and was nominated for the 2003 MTV Best New Artist in a Video – Sean Paul “Get Busy.” She’s choreographed countless music videos for Rihanna, Kanye West, Nikki Minaj, Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Jordin Sparks, Enrique Iglesias, Sean Paul and more. Jae has also choreographed several TV shows like “The Academy Awards,” “The Tonight Show,” “American Music Awards,” “X-Factor,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “BET Hip Hop Awards,” “Teen Choice Awards,” “MTV Video Awards,” “Dancing With The Stars” and too many more to list. She’s choreographed live stage performances and tours as well as film and commercials.

This is the caliber of choreographer we have at Millennium Dance Complex. You don’t have to take our word for it, just ask Vogue. Jae was recently featured on Vogue.com, highlighting the stories of 10 extraordinary groups of women at Millennium Dance Compex.

While we love her resume, we love her classes even more. Here are a few important reasons to take Jae Blaze’s Back to Basics Dancehall class on Tuesdays at Millennium Dance Complex.

1. It’s fun. It’s a welcoming forum for people of all ages, sizes, genders, race, and dance levels to meet new people, laugh for an hour and discover the beauty of Dancehall
2. It’s a great class to discover your weakness in dance. The class focuses on the foundation of Dancehall, how to breathe, your weight distribution, where the movements generate. That within itself tends to pin point weakness in the body and Jae is there to correct or at least help the student become aware of it. 3. The class instruction goes back to the fundamentals of the genre, from creation of Dancehall to the current steps we execute today.

Jae Blaze was the inspiration to get me to start dancing again. The no choreography grooves Dancehall class is special because it goes over moves so you do them correctly, plus it’s a cardio workout surrounded by fun people from all over. But what keeps folks coming back is that Jae gives the history of the moves, the music, and those ingenius folks who create these steps. It’s what we like to call Dancehall history grooves class.

Friday’s Femme Style Dancehall is new and it’s female-inspired moves. It’s “fun hard work,” as our dancer exchange students say. Jae comes around to make sure you’re getting the step, which often times mean you’re down deep and breathing in the correct spots. She teaches the moves pioneered by female Jamaican dancers and choreographers.

Jae and her fabulous assistant Benedetta have organized a trip to Jamaica to give her students first-hand experience of taking dance classes, from the source, where they’re made – from these female Jamaican dancers. It will be from November 10 to 17, 2019. The itinerary is packed full of fun with dance classes, cultural excursions, sampling the cuisine at local restaurants, hitting a few beaches, nightclubs and really embracing the “yard life.” If you’re interested in joining them, drop them an email or DM on Instagram @b2badancehall.

Why did you decide to do the Jamaica trip?

I decided to go to Jamaica for a few reasons. 1. Only so much can be taught in a classroom. I really wanted my students to experience what I talk to them about everyday. The connection of dance and the land, the people, the environment in its totality. They will have a better understanding of where the movement comes from. 2. I wanted to support the female choreographers in Jamaica. Around the world, A-list entertainers are performing moves created by these women. Unfortunately these Jamaican women do not get credit nor financial compensation for their choreography. Unlike their male counterparts who frequently tour Europe and Asia, these women are stunted and remain on the island due to political and structural restrictions. I want my students to see this. I want the world to become aware of their plight. I want to create a global movement that will assist in removing the limitations for these women so they can flourish in the genre and more importantly support their families from their creativity.

Can you tell us more about the female choreographers?

The female choreographers in Jamaica are extremely talented. As I said, they make up moves and choreography that is seen around the world however no one knows where it comes from, nor do people care to find out. Everyone just looks at it and says “Wow, that’s amazing!” Not knowing it comes from a people, a passion and a island full of potential. Many promoters across North America and Europe organize Jamaican trips. Where teachers/ instructors/ dancers/ choreographers take classes from Jamaican choreographers and then go to their hometown and teach the moves. In North America and Europe, we have the luxury of having dance studios, mirrors and overhead speakers meanwhile most of these JA women teach in their front yard. Those instructors who can’t take the trip to Jamaica learn their moves from Instagram. They then teach it in their classes. So again these JA choreographers don’t see that money from those classes. Huge workshops and conventions are held with several male JA choreographers and maybe one female. To add insult to injury, sometimes that one female isn’t even Jamaican but a student from a random country.

Is there a go fund me for the choreographers?

Currently there is no Go Fund me that I know of however I have created an Instagram hashtag called #10PercentChallenge. In this challenge I implore all choreographers/ dancers/ instructors to take 10 percent of their earning and send it to a female choreographer in Jamaica. Basically I contact the JA choreographer on IG for their information, go to Western Union and send them the money from my class. Until we can find a better way to support this initiative, this process will have to do. I am super open to suggestions on how to make this a global movement in support of female dancers everywhere. A young lady in Jamaica by the name of Kaytii Insanity has created an all women’s dance camp called “Yard Vibes” from July 15 to the 19, 2019. It will showcase the finest female talent in Jamaica. I believe its the beginning of a shift and will counteract the one-sided opportunities that are happening abroad. All the information for that camp is on her instagram @_yaadvibez.

Ever since taking your classes we’ve been hyper aware of dancehall music all around us. What are your thoughts on dancehall having more of a presence?

Dancehall has always been there and it will never stop even if America is the last one to acknowledge it on a popular scale. In Toronto, I choreographed Dancehall 3x for So You Think You Can Dance Canada. The first time Dancehall was featured on a North American stage meanwhile Sweden has it as a permanent genre on their version of the show. I choreographed countless videos, movies, commercials, even the Grammy performance of “Jai Ho” for “Slumdog Millionaire” where Dancehall was infused into the choreography. No one knew what it was but they just loved it!! And that’s the beauty of Dancehall. Its fun, its pure, its good vibe and overall feeling for everyone. I wish it had more of a presence in America, but I feel it’s like a sub genre like Krumping at one time. Eventually it will break through. Someone just needs to shoot a Dave Chapelle like movie about it or we need our version of a Madonna.

Do you have three words of advice for dancers new to Los Angeles?

I always advise to take a various classes. If you have been training in Ballet, take Dancehall, if you take African take Tap, Contemporary take Hip Hop. Confuse the body, learn a variety of movement and don’t stick to one style of class. Build your repertoire and be prepared to network because your talent is only half the battle.

Well, we pay attention to her advice. Zuzana, one of our visual artist exchange students, took Jae’s Dancehall class, loved it and continues to go back. Mind you, she’s never danced before coming to Los Angeles. She now takes other dance classes like Jae suggested and has added more to her weekly schedule, also dancing with our more experienced dancer exchange students. We now have a dance convert. We make sure to take all of our students to Dancehall class because Jae has a way of finding and bringing out your inner dancer. The beautiful point of Jae’s classes is that they are filled with all types of dancers – highly trained, new to L.A., experienced Dancehall dancers, all gender types and varying ages. The focus of her classes is on feeling Dancehall. And once you do, you find your joy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvK7WEMgpPU/

Here’s the weekly schedule.

Tuesdays: @B2BDancehall 6:30pm at Millennium Dance Complex (@mdcdance)
Wednesdays: @B2BDancehall “Femme Step” 7pm DanceLineLA (@dancelinela)
Fridays: @B2BDancehall “Femme Step” at 6:30pm Millennium Dance Complex (@mdcdance)
Saturdays: @JukGyal at GTrain Fitness Centre (@GTrainFitness)

What’s Jukgyal? Why did you create this program?

The word JukGyal (pronounced jook-geyal ) has been around forever and has various meanings however I took it from the club setting where it comes from directions given from a DJ on the mic. For example, women would be in a club setting. The Dj would grab the mic and instruct the women on what dances to execute. “Jukking” is a signature dance move in Dancehall which requires the woman to thrust her hips forward. “Gyal” in the Jamaica dialect patois means girl or woman. This is most infamously heard in Jamaican Dancehall artist Elephant Man’s signature song “JukGyal.”

I created this program because I used to do privates with women who would comment how great a workout Dancehall is. These clients actually hate to workout so this was a way for them to get their cardio in. They would leave the class sweaty but invigorated. So I thought how can I make it challenging and really something new and distinctive. That’s where the idea of incorporating resistance bands and weights came in. I love doing High Intensity Interval Training so I thought it would be an awesome workout to mesh it all together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9cZgCAV5X/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=id6tq71r95zp

Keep dancing, it’s good for you.

Lankershim School and Endemol Shine

Lisa Bianconi
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Did you know? The Lankershim School is the first school in the Valley. It was established back in 1889. North Hollywood was the first neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region and was originally called Lankershim. NoHo is a historical and artistic neighborhood!

The Lankershim School recently got a garden makeover from some unlikely gardeners.

“The team at Endemol Shine North America continued its outreach efforts in their North Hollywood, California neighborhood on February 22. A group of employees helped transform the grounds at Lankershim Elementary School, which sits just across the street from ESNA’s offices. Employees cleaned out and removed weeds from neglected garden areas in the school’s courtyard and planted dozens of new plants, shrubs and flowers. The beautification project, which was spearheaded by ESNA’s internal comms team, got a helping hand from a group of 5th grade student volunteers.” – Denise Rodine, Endemol Shine

Endemol Shine North America Helps Bring Back the Lankershim School Garden

“Endemol Shine North America’s “Act of Kindness” event at Lankershim School was a perfect example of local businesses supporting our school, which has been educating North Hollywood’s children since 1889! With all of the problems public schools are facing today, it’s great to get a helping hand. Our new garden adds a burst of beauty to our school, and the students and staff are thrilled with this new area.“ – Christopher Clarke, Principal, Lankershim School

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuMlvvRFwWb/

The Lankershim School chose the garden project because “we had the beginnings of a garden in place; it just needed a jump-start to make it ideal,” said school principal Christopher Clarke. They had planted shrubs and flowers, but because of an irrigation problem, most had died. 

The School Beautification Committee is planning a School Beautification Event on Saturday, April 27. Their TKE (Transitional Kindergarten Expanded) students will be involved. “They are our youngest students, and are studying the seasons,” stated principal Christopher Clarke. “They will be planting flowers in various locations around campus.”

The April 27 beautification event would be a great time for North Hollywood neighborhood folks to get involved in making the Lankershim School a greener place for our local kids. Stay tuned for more information!

Principal Christopher Clarke puts us in the NoHo Time Machine with a look back at Lankershim School.

“Lankershim School is one of the oldest schools in the San Fernando Valley. The original schoolhouse was built in 1889, and until 1923 was situated on Lankershim Blvd., (which was at that time a dirt road) near where “Vicious Dogs” is today. The present school site was the Weddington family barnyard (the Weddington home was where El Portal Theater sits today). The town did an even exchange of property – the old school location on Lankershim became part of the Weddington Investment Company, and 40 men worked for 50 days to drag the schoolhouse to the current school location, next to the Auditorium Building which had been constructed in 1912, and is still in use today.

Our most notable alumni is Norma Jean Baker, who attended 6th grade at Lankershim School in the 1936-1937 school year. I have heard she excelled in track and field, and was known as “Norma Jean the Jumping Bean.” Today we remember her as Marilyn Monroe.

One of the early principals at Lankershim was R.M. Killion, who served from 1909-1932. Perhaps North Hollywood’s Killion Street was named after him. .

Much of my information about the history of Lankershim School is from reading issues of the old newspaper the Lankershim Laconic, available at the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, and from a history of the school written by Principal C.L. Johns in 1948 for an article in the Valley Times.”

NoHo Time Machine look at Lankershim School

Lankershim School Primary Building 1934
Lankershim School Primary Building 1934

Lankershim School Primary Building 2019 via www.nohoartsdistrict.com
Lankershim School Primary Building 2019. Photo by Lankershim School.

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. Endemol Shine North America, Lankershim School, school garden, NoHo News, NoHo Arts District, official NoHo Arts District Guide, www.nohoartsdistrict.com, NoHo Calendar, NoHo businesses, NoHo schools

Play Reading vs Staged Reading

Fran Montano
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Play Reading vs Staged Reading

Play readings (and screenplay readings) are very important for writers, directors, actors, and producers. 

It’s an opportunity to hear the material so it can be evaluated, timed, and as a way to attract potential investors. I’ve attended several readings lately and would like to discuss the difference between a reading and a staged reading. Some people are confused between the two and  if you google the subject you might find different interpretations. This month I’ll talk about a play reading and how we do them at the Actors Workout Studio.  Next month I’ll address staged readings.

A Play Reading (or Screenplay reading)

A reading is just that. Actors sit at a table (or in our case in a semicircle on the stage with their scripts) They remain seated the entire time and the performances are done through their voices. They may or may not even look at the other actors while reading. All stage directions are read by someone (a stage manager or script supervisor in the case of a screenplay). There is no physical action. Any physical actions are read by the person reading the stage directions. Think of it as a radio play, or something that you are listening to with your eyes closed. (sometimes people attending readings do just that, listen with their eyes closed) Think radio play. If you’ve had the opportunity to watch a radio play being recorded, you’ll see the actors each standing at a mike, and the performances are performed through their voices and emotions, and then sound effects are used.

This is the best way to “hear” the writers words. It’s how you listen to every word, and find what works with the material and what doesn’t. It’s all audio, not visual.

In a play reading there are no entrances and exits. If a character enters and sits down, the actor is sitting in his seat and the stage manager will read that action with a stage direction.

Here’s an example of how a reading might go:

Stage manager (reading from stage directions in the script) A living room, a couch is in the center, left of the couch is a table with 4 chairs. There are dirty dishes on the table as well as 5 empty bottles of beer.  Jim enters the front door, walks into the room. He is a young handsome man around 30, wearing a baseball cap, heavy coat and scarf.  He takes off his coat and scarf, looks at the table with disgust, then looks around for his dog. He doesn’t see him. He walks into the bedroom, then walks back to the living room, he looks scared.

Jim:  Max! Here boy, Max where are you?

Stage manager: from the couch we see an older woman Marta sit up. Marta is Jim’s mother, approximately 60 years old. She had a blanket over her so we couldn’t see her. She is in a bathrobe and looks upset.

Marta: Will you please stop yelling!

Stage manager: Marta throws a set of keys to Jim.

Marta: Max is next door. I couldn’t sleep, he was making so much noise running around the room.

Stage Manager: Jim looks at Marta with an angry look and walks out the door.

Marta: I tell you I get no respect.

Stage manager: Marta goes back down on the couch and throws the blanket over her.

By just hearing this you can get a feel of the energy, the writing, and characters.  You could listen to this with your eyes closed. The performances come from the emotion, energy and voice of the actors. I like to think even the stage manager is a character as that person can and should set the tone with their pace and emotion.

Actors need to be good at readings. They need to be able to act their role from their voice, emotion and passion by just sitting at a table with the script in their hand. I remember many times I worked on TV sitcoms. The first day would be a table read. Just like above we would do a reading for the executive producer, producers, director, and writer. They would all be in the room. We would all read the script (in character! They need to hear the characters voice!). We would be dismissed for the day so they could all meet and evaluate the material and do any necessary rewrites.  I would show up on Tuesday and there would be a different actor in one of the roles. What happened is at the reading on Monday they didn’t feel that actor was right any more, not strong enough. That actor just read the part, didn’t read and perform it in character.  I’ve seen that happen many times.

I like to have readings done at my studio for two reasons: 1) we are constantly evaluating and working with writers on their material. The writers need to hear their words and get feedback and, 2) it is a great opportunity for our actors to train their skills at readings.

Read the above scene to a friend. Read all the parts. Tell the story and act the parts, all from sitting in your chair. It’s a form of our work that actors need to be masters at. With good actors, a reading can be done with just one rehearsal, usually with the writer.  I’ve seen great readings by great actors with no rehearsals, just meeting each other for the first time on that day. If you think about it, that’s what a table reading is on a television show or film, you meet the cast on the first day and do a reading. Be great at it, know how to do readings well, and don’t lose the job.

Next month I’ll talk about staged readings and how we use them at the Actors Workout Studio.

Till next time.

Fran Montano

Let’s Sing!

Lisa Bianconi
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We need more song and dance in our lives. How can we do that? Well, North Hollywood is filled with dance studios and folks making and recording music. But what if you want to get out, meet new people and just sing? Now’s your chance to sing!

Join the Valley Villager’s Choir!

First rehearsal:

Saturday, April 6 from 3-5PM

How to join?

Drop co-artistic director Jeff Rizzo an email: andristrizzo@aol.com  

How did this idea come about to create Valley Villager’s Choir?

My partner, Jeff Rizzo, and I have worked in the musical theater world for several decades, and he still does. I gave up my career to care for my elderly mom and disabled sister who both died from medical errors. I now volunteer full time as a patient safety advocate, which can get pretty depressing. I really miss the entertainment business and even though I worked on the technical end, I’ve always loved singing. I thought it would be a great idea to gather other people in the area and form a choir, just for the fun of it. We’ve also always wanted to have a Holiday Block Party and it actually came to be this past Christmas so we were able to combine the two efforts, and the choir had their first concert for our neighborhood right before Christmas. Actress JoAnne Worley came over and sang “We Need A Little Christmas” with the choir.

What’s your and the other artistic directors background?

See above for me. Jeff Rizzo has worked as a musical director/conductor/composer ever since he was a little kid. He’s traveled the country doing musicals and even went to China to do “42nd Street.” Connie Woodson is an awesome singer and choir director who has performed all over the Los Angeles area. She used to sing at the very popular Maldonado’s supper club in Pasadena and currently directs several other choirs in the southland. 

What’s the criteria to join?

Age, location, ability to not sound like a crying car, etc.? Right now our criteria is 1) You have to love to sing, 2) You need to be comfortable singing harmony parts 3) you need to commit to being at as many rehearsals as you can and 4) make time to practice your music at home, as we only have 2 hours a week to rehearse together. We don’t really have an age limit right now and would love to have some young people join us as long as they are adept at singing harmonies. Right now we’re rehearsing in our living room, but if we get much bigger we’re going to need a new rehearsal space. If this takes off and we have enough people to really make a go of this, we’d like to get our nonprofit status and really go legit. So right now, everyone just volunteers their time, and everyone pitches in to cover any costs. I hate to discourage any “crying car” singers, but people need to realize that when you’re singing tight harmonies with others in close proximity, you need to sound good and be on pitch. When and if we become a legit choir, we might need to start auditioning singers.

What’s the rehearsal schedule like and where?

We will be rehearsing every Saturday from 3-5 in Valley Village (until we get a better rehearsal space). If anyone has a free rehearsal space, let us know!

Valley Villagers Choir via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Where will you perform?

So as I mentioned, our first concert was this past December at the very first Valley Village Holiday Block Party. We don’t have anything else scheduled at the moment as we want to make sure we get a good group together and sound good. We hope that we’ll be able to eventually perform for all of the local Neighborhood council events, possibly local church functions, etc. We’d even be open to learning special material for private functions.

Is there something you’d like to highlight?

We really want to encourage people to take some time for themselves in this hectically paced and often hateful world, and there’s few things more relaxing and enjoyable than singing and music. The Valley is full of people working in the entertainment industry, so we know there’s people out there who would benefit from something like this. OK, it’s not a paying job, but it’s so rewarding to learn the harmonies and hear them blend so beautifully, and then see people enjoy the performance. We know so few people in our neighborhood, and ever since we started this up this past fall, it’s been great to meet neighbors we never would have met otherwise. Our next-door neighbors, Tom and Judy Urich are veteran musical theater performers, both having performed on Broadway…both amazing singers. Tom’s brother was the late actor, Robert Urich. We also have 3 local realtors in our group, so if anyone is looking for a house….

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. 

 

Aya Nakamura “DjaDja”

Lisa Bianconi
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Aya Nakamura “DjaDja”

We’re listening to Aya Nakamura’s “DjaDja” single from her album “Nakamura.”

What do we listen to that’s not in English? A lot, actually. Maybe it’s because we work with international young artists that we’re exposed to an eclectic mix of music. (Thanks, students). We wanted to surprise our precious Parisian dancer Ines with some French music. We found the infectious French singer Aya Nakamura and have been non stop listening to her ever since.

They dub Aya’s music as Afropop. She comes from a long line of griotte, traditional Malian poets, storytellers or singers, so the influence is organic. Her album “Nakamura” has the Afro rthyms, but also hints of dancehall (Jamaica) and Soca (Trinidad and Tobago). On a side note, you’ll hear a lot of African influences in French music, and dancers also pull from the dancehall moves pioneered by Jamaican dancers.

Our team speaks three words of French combined. So what grabbed us with “DjaDja” was the melody. It starts slow with her singing and synthesized, soft steel drums in the background pushing her along. The song is guided by this specific drum beat. Aya switches back and forth from singing to soft style rap, changing her vocal range to give us little surprises.

Aya Nakamura – Djadja (Clip officiel) from Georgi Kovachev on Vimeo.

When they say “Anything in French sounds beautiful.” It’s true. “DjaDja” is actually a name of a dude, a low-life liar dude at that. Aya is putting him in check for spreading rumors about romantic liaisons that just never happened.

“There’s no way Djadja
I’m not your whore Djadja
As if you ever had sex with me”

We picked the song this month in particular, Women’s History Month, because her song was used as a protest anthem at women’s marches in France. It’s simply an anthem to not tolerate being degraded, belittled or put down because you’re better than that. Well that’s a message we all can get behind.

There are all winners on Aya’s album, and not one “meh” song to be found.

“La Dot” is another favorite and a love song…and the video has English subtitles.

Some other favorites are the nonstop dance track “Pookie” pushed by the snaps and deep beat. Then “Oula” because the song gives us a warm hug with the soft piano that accompanies her pretty voice.

Slowly, too slowly in our opinion, the U.S. musical tastes are growing up and out. The U.S. market is huge and we can handle (good) music from all over the universe. We’ll leave cracking the US music market to the experts and just tell you about some awesome new music we’re listening to.

Photo via https://facebook.com/AyaNakamuraa93 

Follow Aya on her socials for some slices of musical treats.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter

Keep making music that makes us move.

What do you think we should be listening to? Here’s our L.A. Cultural Exchange Spotify Playlist.

Inspirational Quotes For Tough Times

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Sometimes, life seems to be testing you.

When you are down in the dumps, and dreams are shattered, it is easy to lose hope. Whatever hardships you face, remember that all the ordeals you endure will eventually become memories. But where should you seek the strength to walk on?

Here are a few words of wisdom and advice from those who once overcame life’s challenges. These famous inspirational quotes may help you carry on when the going gets tough. After all, at moments like these, the tough get going, as Joseph Kennedy once said. Do not be disheartened.

Timeless Messages

  1. Never give up

Consider these words spoken by Dale Carnegie: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” When a crisis hits and all your plans start crumbling down, losing hope is a surefire way to losing everything.

As pastor Robert H. Schuller said, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” Sometimes you just need to grit your teeth and keep on going.
In the words of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Do not surrender too easily. Famous inventor Thomas Edison suffered numerous failures before finally achieving his goal. As he said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

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A matter of perspective

Everything is relative. At times, we should remember that it is our mind that may create a hell out of heaven and heaven out of hell. But if no comparisons with situations encountered by others cheer you up, consider the value of troubles.

As the famous French writer Alexandre Dumas once said, “There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is merely the comparison of one state to the other. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.”

Centuries later, American author Gail Sheehy phrased a similar message as “To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.”

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It is all temporary 

However bad you may feel, all life experiences finally pass and turn into memories. What they leave us with is wisdom. Haruki Murakami found a wonderful way to express it when he wrote, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

No matter what problems you face and how many defeats you encounter, do not be discouraged. Sooner or later, the dark times will end. Find the motivation to emerge from your battles as a stronger and wiser individual. 

NoHo News – March 21

Lisa Bianconi
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Here’s your NoHo arts community update! NoHo News: NoHo Time Machine. Sorry to Bother You. Music!Music!Music! Dancehall. Theatre Brings Us Joy.

We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood. Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

NoHo Time Machine. Sorry to Bother You. Music!Music!Music! Dancehall. Theatre Brings Us Joy.

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

The 6th Act Presents “Hamlet”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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The 6th Act presents “Hamlet” written by William Shakespear and directed by Matthew Leavitt.

Running March 21 through March 31, Fridays 7 Saturdays at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm

The New American Theatre, 1312 North Wilton Place, Los Angeles, CA 90028

It’s tough to put a new spin on any Shakespeare play. 

By now, unless you open a theatre on the moon and the cast is made up entirely of moon-mans, it’s all been done before. At least, I thought it had…

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Desiree Mee Jung and Luke McClure star in THE 6TH ACT production of William Shakespeare’s “HAMLET”

The 6th Act have indeed found something new and it’s not just a gimmick, it’s a revelation.  Hamlet is played by an entirely different actor in every act.  With four women and two men in the cast, they all jump genders, each of them playing other roles, and morph into Hamlet as easily as putting on a different hat. 

Of course it takes some nerve and some exceptional skills to pull this off and this brilliant company of actors have those in bucket loads.  I saw their version of “Betrayal” last year and was astonished at their utterly sublime production.

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Jonathan Medina, Luke McClure and June Carryl star in THE 6TH ACT production of William Shakespeare’s “HAMLET”

“Hamlet” is a play that most actors would point to as being the pinnacle of perfection – full of roles to revel in and the most magnificent monologues to trip off the tongue.  But so many actors have forged the role of Hamlet in their own image that it becomes a very interesting choice to experiment with like this.  Perhaps our minds have been so warped by Branagh, Gibson, Olivier, Redgrave, Whishaw, Tennant, Law and Kinnear, Rylance, Peake, Scott and Cumberbatch that we need to separate the role from the man…or woman.  Whatever it is, Hamlet is such a unique part in that it truly and completely becomes the actor.  Hamlet is elusive and ephemeral, a character whose deepest thoughts and fears are spoken only to us, the audience,and to the rest of the characters in the play he is only a lover, son, friend and madman. To us the audience he is bereft and angry and sadly understood.  How ingenious to give him to us in five such different people, in five such different souls.

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Luke McClure and Jonathan Medina star in THE 6TH ACT production of William Shakespeare’s “HAMLET”

Matthew Leavitt directs and to him I will be eternally grateful for this beautiful piece of theatre. 

Somehow I saw Hamlet so much more clearly than I had before.  Through five lenses, through five sets of eyes and five beating hearts.

The players are absolutely wonderful and all their roles truthfully, fiercely and impeccably played, with humor, tenderness, soulfulness and brevity.  If Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s love, then Hamlet is his loss and isn’t life so completely composed of those two things?

I highly recommend The 6th Act’s “Hamlet.” This gorgeous production, so simply staged and yet so rich and full, gives the actors the space and the time they need to be all they can in every role.  This play breathes, it feels, it moves through the story with grace and intelligence and total acceptance of the world created by Shakespeare. Good lord, where would we be without him…Bravo!!!

Miss this at your peril…

https://www.the6thact.com

Cast

Janet Greaves, Jonathan Medina, Luke McClure, June Carryl, Desiree Mee Jung, Cindy Nguyen

Production Team

Director – Matthew Leavitt

Producers – Liza Seneca and Matthew Leavitt

Scenic Design – Gary Lee Reed

Costume Design – Ashphord Jacoway

Sound Design – Nick Neidorf

Fight Director – Jesse James Thomas

Graphic Design – Mila Sterling, Sterling Visuals

Stage Manager – Josie Austin

Publicity – David Elzer

Assistant Director/Dramaturg – Cam Deaver

Assistant Stage Manager – Megan Donahue

My top three design elements

Christopher Porikos
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My top three design elements

When designing a new space there are three main things I take into consideration.

The first is the most obvious; space.  Secondly is the furniture, mainly the sofa.  And lastly, lighting.  All three are key components when you’re designing any space.  Let’s explore each one in a bit more depth.

1. The Space

The space.  It should be the first thing you think about when designing any room.  It dictates what you can do with your space.  It allows for how little or how much you can put into any room.  Planning is a key factor in design.  Map out your room.  Make careful measurements regarding the space and any furniture going in to create a cohesive plan.

2.  The Sofa

For some, the sofa is the most important item for a room as it can certainly be the most costly.  Typically it does take a large part of one’s budget.  I would definitely invest wisely when choosing one as it usually sets the design style and tone.  Find one that speaks to your design soul. The right lines, curves, legs, fabric and style leads you to the other supporting pieces of the space.  It starts the story.

3.  Lighting

Lastly, the lighting.  It sets the mood and helps the ambiance.  But remember there are three types of lighting that most rooms need to be lit successfully. They are task, ambient and accent lighting.

  1. Ambient lighting provides even, overall lighting for any room.
  2. Accent lighting is used to create various focal points.
  3. Task lighting is used in performing specific tasks such as on a desk, etc

Once you’ve considered and planned out each of the above items, you’re on the way to a successfully designed space that you’ll hopefully enjoy for many years.

Enjoy!

NoHo News

Lisa Bianconi
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Here’s your NoHo arts community update!
We’re Getting Bikes! Elephant Man Comes to NoHo. Wine Plant. Theatre Brings Us Joy! Sorry to Bother You. Wine Plant.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood. Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

NoHo Life: fun in one square mile of Los Angeles via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

 

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

What are you doing in NoHo this weekend? Here’s the NoHo News, your guide to what’s going on in the NoHo Arts District. www.nohoartsdistrict.com noho news February 2019, Free noho event, free things to do in north Hollywood, free things to do in los angeles, free things to do in noho arts district, road theatre, dance, noho plays, , noho news 2018, la theatre tickets, noho theatre tickets north hollywood theatre tickets, noho card app things to do in noho arts district, noho theatre tickets, north hollywood theatre tickets, www.nohoartsdistrict.com, noho news, north hollywood news, noho calendar, north Hollywood calendar, events in noho, events in north Hollywood, things to do in noho, things to do in north Hollywood, noho arts district, noho events, north Hollywood events, north hollywood theatres, theatre reviews, l.a. theatre tickets, north hollywood plays, noho plays, noho musicals, north hollywood musicals, theatre in los angeles, l.a. theatre district

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