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How To Deal With Too Much Choice

NoHo - North Hollywood
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How To Deal With Too Much Choice

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Whereas once we might be confined to set roles and expectations, particular locations, and predetermined beliefs, now we strive for individuality in a world of possibility. In these fast and furious times, the real difficulties of life are often based on having too much choice.

What could be wrong with having too much choice? Well, the truth is that often we are left baffled by options; lost in a world of our own fantasies and ‘what ifs’. Many of us strive for contentment and homeliness, yet crave adventure and flights of fancy.

Even our day-to-day lives can become plagued with a sense of doubt and unfettered desire as we struggle to choose what to wear, who to date, where to travel, and how to spend our free time given an infinite realm of entertainment options. 

However, the first thing to consider is that the grass is not always greener on the other side. With the internet, celebrity culture and social media constantly showing us images of the lives we could be living, it is tempting to try to strike out at every impulse and glorify every lifestyle above your own. 

Take a step back, and think about all of the things in your life that you value right now. If you love where you live, then there is really no need to think about other options. If you love your partner, then you don’t need to think about what would happen if you were dating someone else.

Dropping the ‘what ifs’ of life will help you to move forward with your own. Knowing what you enjoy and value right now will give you a strong foundation with which to move forward and make changes. You will never be able to find the elusive happiness that you search for unless you can learn to appreciate what you have.  

It boils down to refining your options. If you imagine that you have all of the options in the world available to you, then you are sadly mistaken. Even if you have vast wealth or plenty of free time, you are still bound by certain situations and responsibilities. Do not be scared of this; it is what gives life a rooted meaning.

Understanding your limitations and boundaries will help you immensely when it comes to making choices. For example, if you have a loving partner and three children, then you will want to be a part of their life. This is a ‘limitation’ that would stop you from backpacking Asia alone for a year. 

Your situation may not allow you to drop everything and leave for a desert island, but you may well be able to take a couple of weeks’ vacation, and this could be enough to satisfy your urge for adventure. By understanding your parameters, you can move closer to actually making something happen. 

Let’s say you decide to take a vacation. Would you rather have a trip to the sunny beaches of Barbados, or would you go further afield and head to Macau? Again, the trick is to think about your own limitations compared to your preferences. Can you comfortably afford the extra air miles, or would you rather stay closer to home and have more cash spare for vacation spends? Are you looking for the entertainment and thrill of a new city, or the laid back atmosphere of a paradise island?   

You must make a choice by understanding your limitations, examining your preferences, and defining your actions. This process can be applied to almost any dilemma in order to refine your options. 

Don’t get caught up in a web of infinite possibilities. Once you know more about what you want (and what is within your reach), go ahead and make a decision. Stay true to your choices, and take positive steps towards your goals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Po-lice

Raleigh Barrett Gallina
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Po-lice

Po-lice

Art can be likened to a bruise. If you touch where the bruise hurts, the pain spreads.

The pain of the bruise becomes more visible. If the bruise gets big enough, people start asking questions about the bruise. People start to talk about the bruise. People start to ask to see the bruise, especially if it’s not going away. Unlike some bruises, we know exactly the bruise Patrick Martinez is holding up for the world to see in his solo exhibition Po-lice.

Po-lice draws on spaces and instantiations of racially motivated police violence throughout America. Po-lice is an art exhibition showing at the Weingart Gallery in Eagle Rock from March 23 – April 16, 2017. Martinez presents us with his All Season Portfolio, “a cross-media portfolio”, a portfolio which spans texturized paintings, Los Angeles-style neon signs, amateur recordings of police in neighborhoods, and even an arrangement of scattered high school desks (complete with white-out inscriptions of student nicknames and signatures under and on top of the desks).

The subject matter Martinez tackles is heavy, and his artist’s explanation of the exhibition is densely packed with the poetry of chronic pain so many communities face.

Patrick Martinez “chose to turn his own artistic dash cam” to highlight the slew of police brutality reports that have emerged in the past few years. This notion of Patrick Martinez calling his artistic platform a “dash cam” becomes not only a novelty woven throughout Martinez’s work, but this notion of Martinez having an artistic dash cam conjoins art and the fabric of history.

Specifically, Martinez turns art into artifact. Each Pee Chee folder depiction delineates an all-too familiar instance of police brutality in the 21st century. Whether the individual’s name is known or not, the scenes of police violence against non-white individuals is an image too many Americans can identify. Through his art, Patrick Martinez seeks to immortalize these violent, contemporary moments in America. Martinez engages the audience with entanglements of life: necessities and endurance, survival and fight.

While Martinez’s intent is to memorialize history, I argue that Patrick Martinez celebrates the new way people document and consume video of police officers viciously interacting with (particularly, non-white) civilians. If filming and viewing these atrocities didn’t come so easily nowadays, these “time stamps” wouldn’t become possible, which would mean progress wouldn’t have a bar to raise.

While some art is like a bruise, good art both motivates and preserves culture. Although Patrick Martinez is using technology to focus his art, technology doesn’t have the soul of history like art does. Human history has been captured and reproduced through art, and ultimately, Patrick Martinez helps to track injury and progress through his very human creations of very human experiences.

Exhibition:     Po-lice

Where:           Weingart Gallery

`           [Located on the Occidental College campus; GPS will take you to the Admissions building – there are maps outside, that will take you the short walk to the Weingart Gallery]

Address:         1600 Campus Road

                        Los Angeles, CA 90041

                        [Hours: Weds: 2-7pm; Thurs; 12 – 5pm; Friday 2-7pm; Sat & Sun: 12 – 5pm]

Artist:             Patrick Martinez

P.S. Weingart Gallery has All Gender bathrooms *clapping hand emojis*

One Animal Lover Can Make a Difference

nohoarts
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One Animal Lover Can Make a Difference

Jake O’Flaherty has a great theatre reputation but I wanted to beam a light on his devotion to animals.  We all can do our part! 

N. How long have you been volunteering at Pet Orphans and in what way have you volunteered?

Jake. I have been volunteering at Pet Orphans for eight years. I volunteer mostly on Saturdays and Sundays during the day, by walking the dogs, doing the laundry, cleaning up after the animals, and showing potential adopters around the facility.

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N.  What made you select Pet Orphans? 

Jake. I selected pet orphans, because my daughter wanted to do something with animals, and I had made the suggestion that we volunteer our time a little bit every week, so we compromised. A friend of ours had volunteered with her son there a couple of years ago, and I reached out to them to get some more information. We went to the orientation weekend after we went online and contacted someone at the front desk. After the two-hour orientation, my daughter and I realized this was going to be the right place to volunteer because everything was so well organized, all the volunteers were very friendly and professional, the facility was very clean and it was a no-kill rescue shelter.   

N. If you could pick two things that are wonderful about Pet Orphans, what would they be?  

Jake. Two things that are really wonderful about Pet Orphans would be first of all, Lee, who a majority of the time, runs the front desk. She answers the phones, helps answer your questions, and greets every single person who arrives there with a friendly face and she remembers everybody’s name. The second really wonderful thing about Pet Orphans is that there are so many volunteers who stay committed to their responsibilities every week and it really makes a difference with all the attention that the animals receive there, and makes it easier for the animals to be adopted.  

N. If you were President of the United States, what laws would you enact regarding animal rights and the care of homeless animals?

Jake.   If I had the opportunity to be in the position of power to create a law regarding animal rights, I would completely outlaw all puppy mills in every city and in every state. I would also make it a requirement that every animal must be spayed or neutered.  

If you wanted to breed animals you would have to acquire a special license and pay a significant amount of money to ensure responsible ownership and distribution of those animals. Homeless animals in cities all across America has become an epidemic. It breaks my heart because it’s completely unnecessary, and stems from irresponsible pet owners. These animals should not have to suffer due to the lack of research on how to take care of pets, outright selfishness, and lack of responsibility on behalf of the pet owner.  

petorphans

Animal rescues can use your help as a volunteer or your financial assistance which goes directly to feeding and caring for the animals and medical care when needed. All the animals are spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption. 

For more information go to www.petorphans.org 

Stop in and take a tour around the facility. Click on the website to get some more information, and see some of the animals that are available to adopt. While you’re there click on the welcome video. That’s me doing all the animal voiceovers. 🙂

Dogs and cats will change your life for the better, and make you a better person in the process. Dogs and cats will give you unconditional love every single day of their lives. 

See you at Pet Orphans.  

Jake O’Flaherty

 

Postmortem @ Archway Theatre

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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“Postmortem” @ Archway Theatre plays through April 30

Written by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Steven Sabel

NoHo theatre is such a delicious jumble of genres.  

We are so lucky to have such a diverse smorgasbord of theatre companies bravely and ambitiously tackling plays with a passionate admiration of the writers and their importance in the theatrical universe.

One such particularly ambitious theatre company is Archway Theatre.  A wonderful group of actors with a consistently impressive artistic director, Steven Sabel, who also directs the plays.  Every single play that I have seen at this theatre is totally different from the last – from Shakespeare to Greek tragedy and now another piece of history, Sherlock Holmes.

I had a lovely Sunday afternoon watching some gifted actors in a revival of the celebrated playwright Ken Ludwig’s fabulous murder mystery “Postmortem.”  It’s a kind of a play within a play, or at least it’s a play about a group of actors in a play on a rare weekend off, and that play is Sherlock Homes.

“Postmortem” is written by the brilliant Ken Ludwig who wrote the multi-award-winning “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Crazy for You” as well as another play about William Gillette’s hugely successful performances of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries on the Broadway stage, “The Game’s Afoot.”

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Mr Gillette was an icon of American theatre in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  His performances as Sherlock Holmes, more that 1,300 of them, were instrumental in creating modern american theatre, using realistic sets, sound effects and props, it really catapulted American theatre into the world stage, as it were.

So Ken Ludwig wrote a play about William Gillete and his company of actors spending a weekend ‘upstate’ together.  In the play, it is a year to the day that Mr Gillette’s wife had died tragically, suicide.  As the cast of players arrive it is clear that things are not exactly as they seem.  Mr Gillete has arranged a seance, and you know how they always turn out!

“Postmortem” is a delightful jaunt through the mystery genre, full of dramatic implications and fellas falling in love with the wrong girl…it’s just brilliant!

Everyone was spectacular of course,  throwing themselves into their roles, all tantrums, scotch, great clothes and flinging hemlines.  The set is a bit of a star too, just enough realism to help out the story, but not enough to get in the way of the performances.  These characters are so much fun and the story is part farce, part period piece, part murder mystery and all class.

It’s a ‘who done it’ in the purest sense of the genre, with heartbreak and hidden agendas, jealousy, deceit and fake identity…just your usual weekend in the country!

Archway Theatre always seem to be living out their deepest fantasies when they pick their plays. It’s such fun to wonder what they will do next. But until then “Postmortem” is definitely well worth your time, I highly recommend it!

Archway Theatre
10509 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood 91601

April 1 – April 30

Friday & Saturday 8pm, Sunday at 2pm

http://www.archwayla.com

Cast

Tom Betterton, Carlton Totten, Kate Hart, Hillary Weintraub, John Eddings, Steven Sabel, Sally Schaub, Sara Davenport.

Production Staff

Steven Sabel, Garrick LeWinter, John Eddings, Sara Davenport, Hillary Weintraub, Eleonora Palagi, Annie Freeman, Madeleine Heil, Elias McCabe

NoHo News: Jesus + Judas Go to Coachella?, Smile!, Pizza + Paint, Theatre Ticket Giveaway, Easter Time

Lisa Bianconi
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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: Jesus + Judas Go to Coachella?, Smile!, Pizza + Paint, Theatre Ticket Giveaway, Easter Time

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.

 

Great teeth, Great Smile, Great Life!

Lisa Bianconi
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It’s O.K. to Smile. Spotlight on NoHo Smile Center Dentistry.

NoHo has a huge variety of neighborhood businesses tucked in amongst the theatres, dance studios, restaurants and bars. It’s one of the many reasons why NoHo is such a wonderful place to live and work, it’s full of diversity and unique local spots catering to our every need. We take a moment to spotlight local establishments that do good work. As the nohoartsdistrict.com team always says:

“NoHo is only as great as its people.”

NoHo Smile Center Dentistry is one such a gem, snuggled between 24 Hour Fitness and Fish Dish on Chandler Blvd., right across from the Metro. A dentist office with the latest in whitening, veneers, emergency care, implants, dentures and even the dreaded root canal, and all with the care and consideration we all so desperately need from our local dentist.

Dr Penn Soh, a graduate of Columbia University no less, is a vibrant, gentle soft-spoken man with a lovely demeanor and a team of equally sweet natured folk. When he found his NoHo location he was drawn to the area’s neighborhood feel, community spirit and relaxed friendly atmosphere and he still feels lucky to be here.

Dr Soh chose dentistry because he wanted to help people live full and happy lives. He believes that our teeth contribute to our quality of life on a daily basis. Good dental health gives us confidence and can help us stay connected to one another. We all know how we love seeing someone with a bright and cheerful smile. We can all have that if we visit our dentist regularly.

Here are Dr Soh’s top three reasons to keep those annual appointments with your dentist:

1 – Maintaining our teeth keep us social and can help with depression and isolation.
2 – Regular check ups keep on top of periodontal disease – infections in our gums can exacerbate diabetes and hypertension.
3 – Great teeth, great smile, great life!

Dr Soh and the team at NoHo Smile Center Dentistry are open daily, happy to help and ready to make your smile the brightest.

NoHo Smile Center Dentistry www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Lets support all our local businesses, if there’s something you need, you can find it in NoHo – shop local.

5300 Lankershim Blvd. #105
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 505-0106
http://nohosmilecenter.com/

**** 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.

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Pie in the Sky

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Pie in The Sky at The Victory Theatre Center extends through May 28

Written by Lawrence Thelen

Starring K Callan & Laurie O’Brian

Directed by Maria Gobetti

Produced by Tom Ormeny, Katie Witkowski & Co-Produced by Gail Bryson 

There are few things in life more beguiling than the smell of apple pie baking in the oven. So imagine, if you will, a play written around the preparation and baking of a fresh and delicious apple pie.

“A Pie in the Sky” – great drama + great pie is a match made in heaven as it turns out.

Of course, the play is not just about the pie, just as Laura Esquivel’s exquisite book “Like Water for Chocolate” was not just about food.  No, this play is about love, a mother and daughter’s love, and the kind of relationship that can only exist between two people who accept each other, warts and all. Even though they may not always tell each other everything, they will always love the other more than they love themselves…true love then.

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It’s 4am on the morning of the daughter Dory’s 65th birthday and her mother, unable to sleep, is up preparing to bake her an apple pie as a birthday surprise.

Dory is played with perfection and a beautifully dry wit by Laurie O’Brian and, her mother, Mama, is played by the truly splendid K Callan with the kind of sardonic warmth only a mother can know.

The set is a kitchen, the stove is hot, the tea brewing, and the apples are peeled as we watch them pull memories from each other like lint from a sweater.

These two women, one 65 and the other 85, who know each other as only family can, are baking this pie their own reasons, not just for a birthday.  Mama feels her night drawing in and Dory is being swallowed by her grief at the loss of her husband and son years ago and the ever widening distance this grief has put between her and her own daughter.

You get a sense that things have to change now or be set in their spiralling doom forever.   I think Mama has a sense of this more keenly than Dory, but as reluctant as Dory seems to be as her mother attempts to teach her how to bake this perfect pie, she still peels the apples, stirs the flour, and crumbles the topping, somehow knowing that every moment is more important than the last.

I loved this play, not just because I got to taste the amazingly delicious pie after the show but because I felt the rawness of their love.  I felt these two healing together over the brown sugar, the cinnamon and the nutmeg.  I was reminded how I cooked with my own mother as a child and as an adult, and how as we both grew older what we cooked together mattered more and more, and what we learned from each other as we cooked was just as delicious as the food.

pie in the sky

Food plays such an important role in our lives, it ties us to each other, and the memories made surrounding it become so deep that the slightest whiff of vanilla, garlic or burnt butter can stop us in our tracks and take us back through time to moments so etched into our minds and hearts that they ache to be touched.

“Pie in The Sky” is another world premiere from the brilliance that is The Victory Theatre and, as usual, the production is flawlessly presented.  The staging is so intricately wrought that stepping on stage at the end of the show to try a slice of pie was like passing through some invisible barrier into the world of Dory and Mama.  After such an intimate and heartbreaking time spent watching them care for each other, their kitchen and their home felt almost church-like. 

The dialogue was real, raw and unburdened by unnecessary flourish or revelation and, because of this, it was true.  I have a tender spot for mother-daughter fair I must admit, but this wonderful and moving play was so close to what I remember, so close to what we all have known at one point or other in our lives if we are lucky, that it left me quiet, thoughtful and grateful to have seen it.

Maria Gobetti directs with a lightness and a knowing warmth that only makes these brilliant actors’ performances more shiningly true to life and creates a stunning portrait of the deepest of relationships.  Maria and her co-artistic director Tom Ormeny always produce plays of the highest quality about the most important subjects and, again and again, their outstanding choices honors both the work and the actors and the audience.

Go and see this play. I challenge you not to be moved by these two fabulous actors and to not go home with a yearning for your mother and some pie…

The Victory Theatre Center

3324 W Victory Blvd.

Burbank, 91505

http://thevictorytheatrecenter.org/box%20office/little-victory/

March 31 – May 28, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm.

Cast

K Callan – Mama

Laurie O’Brian – Dory

Production

Written by Lawrence Thelen

Directed by Maria Gobetti

Artistic Director – Tom Ormeny

Produced by Tom Ormeny & Katie Witkowski

Set Designer – Evan Bartoletti

Lighting Designer – Carol Doehring

Costume Designer – Becky Parker- Rickon

Sound Designer/Composer – Noah Andrade

Stage Manager/vocalist – Gigi Palacio

ASM – Sean Spencer

Social Media – Chealsea Sutton

It’s a Theatre Giveaway!

Lisa Bianconi
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Panic! Productions and Theatre 68 present two works by John Patrick Shanley, DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA along with the premiere of POISON through April 15.

Theatre 68 has recently moved into their new North Hollywood home and, as a welcome to the neighborhood, they are treating us to a NoHo Ticket Giveaway. Choose which date you’d like to take you and a friend to see the show.
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“DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA” is John Patrick Shanley’s explosive, deeply affecting study of alienation and the redemptive power of love. This provocative play from the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright “is the equivalent of sitting at ringside watching a prize fight that concludes in a loving embrace” (New York Times).

Read the www.nohoartsdistrict.com review>>

Starring Renee Marino (Jersey Boys) and J. Bailey Burcham, directed by Ronnie Marmo.

In “Poison,” a young woman consults a fortuneteller about whether her former boyfriend will ever return to her; on hearing an answer she doesn’t like, she demands a potion to achieve the result she wants. Kenny has seen the depths of Kelly’s self-hatred, and he’ll never date her again—unless he drinks the fortune-teller’s mysterious potion, which will kill his soul as dead as Kelly’s. Can Kelly convince him to drink the potion? Can she convince herself?

Directed by Broadway veteran Kay Cole (A Chorus Life, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar). The show features Nicola Tombacco, Kelsey Flynn, and Heidi Rhodes.

Why did Panic! Productions choose to work with Theatre 68?

We chose Theater 68 because we had meet artistic diretor Ronnie Marmo last year when we were doing Camp Rock The Musical at the NoHo Arts Center and he was also doing a show there. He moved into his new location so we kept in touch and I found out about his passion for Shanley. It seemed like a great marriage and it has worked out to be.

Dates: Extends through April 15
Times: Friday, Saturday @ 8PM and Sunday @ 2PM
Where:5112 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601
Tickets>>

More About Panic! Productions

Panic! Productions is a community theatre troupe committed to presenting professional-level productions of musicals and plays for the enrichment of its participants and the community at large.

We strive to present theatre that challenges expectations, offering actors and other theatre artists, both amateur and professional, the opportunity to take part in shows beyond the limits often found in a community theatre setting. Presenting less-often produced works as well as new interpretations of familiar works, Panic! hopes to enhance the theatre-going experience while educating, and, most of all, entertaining its audiences.

Founded in 2011 by Paul Panico and Robert Weibezahl with a critically acclaimed production of Working: The Musical, Panic! now presents a full season of musicals, plays, and concert performances.

**** 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.

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The Accidental Club @ The Whitefire Theatre

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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The Accidental Club at The Whitefire Theatre playing through April 28

Witten and Performed by Sherrie Scott

Directed by Trace Oakley

Presented by Awareness Media

Executive producer: Chip Frye

Accompanist: Noel Deis

It never ceases to amazing me how incredibly inventive the ‘One Woman Show’ genre can be. 

I’ve seen just about every kind of story represented on stage in this particular form. So when I attended “The Accidental Club’s” opening night I was prepared to see something probably a little like what I had seen before. But boy was I ever wrong.

Sherrie Scott plays Mira Dawson, a fictional rock star with a bad drug and alcohol problem that causes her untimely death.  Ms Dawson finds herself in a kind of limbo, somewhere between here and the afterlife, in the company of several other rock stars whose lives were accidentally ended by the same unfortunate problem…hence the title, “The Accidental Club.” 

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According to her newly found companions, Billie Holiday, Janice Joplin and Amy Winehouse, Mira is allowed one final visit back to the land of the living, to do whatever she feels she must. Mira’s choice is to hold a concert for her friends,  to thank them, to forgive them and to ‘rock out’ one last time. 

Clearly an accomplished performer, Ms Scott has very cleverly entwined the stories of some of the most familiar and most poignant songs about loss and addiction and the frailty of us all with the theme of the play…regret.  Her renditions of some of the most powerful songs ever written and performed by these truly iconic musicians are thoughtful, touching and powerful.  She reminds us that we all have our darkness and our tragedies and that those blessed with gifts as great as these three had must surely carry a heavier load than most.  We only ever get glimpses of artists’ struggles through their lyrics and their recordings, never really knowing them at all. 

The play is certainly a lesson in “judge not lest ye be judged,” and although it is ultimately about death, it’s much lighter than you might expect, and times very moving. 

It’s a one-act play filled with music, laughter and longing…a longing to see what might have been if these incredible artists had been allowed to stay on this earth just a little while longer. 

Ms Scott, with the help of her wonderful accompanist Noel Deis, offers us a window on a life full of the highs of success and the loneliness that comes along with it.  The rock star Mira comes full circle, with the help of her new friends and her old ones and, in the end, she finds some peace in her life, even if she had to die to do it. 

I congratulate Ms Scott on an interesting and well thought out play as well as on her excellent skills as a vocalist. Not many would attempt Joplin, Holiday and Winehouse in a single evening. Bravo! 

If you have some interest in music, meaning and the real purpose of your life, as I do more and more as I get older, then “The Accidental Club” might be exactly what you need. At the very least it’s a very entertaining and thought-provoking piece with some great musical moments…well worth your time!! 

The Whitefire Theatre, 135000 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, 91423

March 31 – April 28, Fridays only at 8pm

http://www.theaccidentalclub.com

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY (abridged)

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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FALCON THEATRE presents    

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY  (abridged)

Since the beginning of time, comedy has guided us through good times and bad times, and all the ups and downs in between.  Well, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY (abridged) playing at Falcon Theatre through April 23 actually begins at the beginning of time with the birth of comedy and continues through each landmark period culminating with The Daily Show.  Whew!!!  It is a laugh a minute, and I mean it.

Comedy Press3

We are treated to comedy in the style of Shakespeare, Moliere, Vaudeville, Groucho, 50’s and 60’s TV, with slapstick, slips, falls, farts and jokes.  And there is something for everybody.  You see, there was this ancient book, the “Chinese Book of Comedy,” but the last chapter is missing.  Our trio of amazing and full of energy performers, Zehra Fazal, Mark Ginsburg and Mark Jacobson are dynamic.  They are on a mission to find this missing chapter, and to “save the world through the art of comedy.”  And they succeed in their mission.  Oh, and pies are thrown folks.  You will have to see the show to find out who gets it. 

Director Jerry Kernion has selected the perfect cast generating energy and entertainment, fun and frolic, giggles and belly laughs.  The props by Warren Casey, scenic design by Stephen Gifford, and the artful costumes by the always wonderful A. Jeffrey Schoenberg are fabulous. 

Comedy Press4

It is said, “If you smile, it is amusing.  If you laugh, it is funny.”  And, in the name of the knock, knock joke, the riddle, and double entendre, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF COMEDY (abridged) will tickle your funny bone.  This is the fifth and final show in the Falcon Theatre’s 2016-2017 Season.  And what a fabulous show it is with laughs and fun.  Isn’t that the way you want to spend an evening of theatre?  Yes, it is!!! 

Enjoy!!!!!!!

Written by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor

Directed by Jerry Kernion

 

Cast:  Zehra Fazal, Mark Ginsburg, and Mark Jacobson

Scenic Designer:  Stephen Gifford

Costume Designer:  A. Jeffrey Schoenberg

Lighting Designer:  Jared A. Sayeg

Sound Designer:  Mark McClain Wilson

Props Designer:  Warren Casey

Casting Director:  Sandi Logan

Stage Manager:  Dale Alan Cooke

Technical Director:  Mike Jespersen

Sound Operator:  Claudio Radocchia

Dresser/Crew:  Ashley Maure Felkner

Scenic Artist:  Orlando de la Paz

“The Birth of Comedy” – Original Music Composed by Peter Bufano and Performed by Cirkestra.

Falcon Theatre

4252 Riverside Dr.

Burbank, CA 91505

Tickets/Info:    818-955-8101  or  falcontheatre.com

Tickets:  $30 – $45;

Runs March 22  –  April 23, 2017

Plays:  Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm;   Sunday at 4pm.

Roar – Rock on American Resurrection

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Roar – Rock on American Resurrection @ Crown City Theatre Company

America has long had a proud tradition and a deep commitment to protest and protest songs. 

Dating back to the 18th century, the colonial period and beyond and the latest play at Crown City Theatre honors that tradition.   In these troubling and intemperate times, gathering together to listen and even to sing along to these iconic, important and rousing odes to the freedoms this country allows us, is perhaps one of the only antidotes to our frustrations.

A play in two acts, ‘Roar’ is hosted by the band leader Davitt Felder, the creator and writer. Together with his band, The 1st Amendments, Mr Felder takes us on a journey through the history of the protest song, from the traditional spiritual “Down by the Riverside,” to Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” and Paul Simon’s “The Sound of Silence,” the songs are introduced and placed in their particular moments in time.  The effect is beguiling.  The live band, who are brilliant, and the passion and talent of Mr Felder keep our toes tapping and our eyes teary with pride.

roar1
Michelle Holmes as Bass/Vocals, Corey Watkins as Keyboards/Vocals, Davitt Felder as Guitar/Vocals

The second act brings us more up to date and focuses on the last forty years or so.  The power songs of the eighties, celebrating gay pride, the falling of the Berlin Wall, the struggles of the failing middle class in America and the difficulties our global responsibility to justice and freedom bring.   All these subjects and many more are encompassed in unforgettable songs from Springsteen, George Micheal, Pink Floyd, and Neil Young, Mr Felder even gives us a couple of his originals, both of which stand up very well indeed in some extremely good company…

It’s a night of love, humor and hope. 

We are reminded of the importance of our connections to each other and how, even in the darkest of times, we need to return to what is fundamental and universal…truth, justice and our innate human ability to believe in one another. Oh, and there is also a space for dancing, which is encouraged, and people actually got up and danced with abandon…which was wonderful…

roar2
Hugh F Brockington III as Vocals, Davitt Felder as Guitar/Vocals, Noah Hernandez as Guitar

It’s a rare occasion lately that I have felt hopeful…it’s mostly doom and gloom and social media fury and I are as guilty as anyone of feeling apathetic.  So I am most grateful to Crown City and ‘Roar’ for shaking me up a little and surrounding me with people who care about our world and each other.  The journey through impassioned resistance in song is a worthy one and with a great band like The 1st Amendments and a great leader like Davitt Felder to guide us, it also becomes a hugely enjoyable one.

If you’ve a penchant for leaning in and a love of music then “Roar” at The Crown City Theater is right up your alley…I highly recommend it!

TICKETS>>

Crown City Theatre Company, 11031 Camarillo St, North Hollywood, 91602

Extends through June 4!

Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm

Directed by Antonia Bogdanovich

FEATURING:

Davitt Felder and the First Amendments

(Michael Anetsberger, Hugh Brockington III, Davitt Felder, Michelle Holmes, Corey Watkins, Hugh F. Brockington III)

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Director – Antonia Bogdanovich

Costume Design – Michael Mullen

Sound Design – Shane Howard

Lighting Design – Zad Potter

Production Stage Manager – Zad Potter

House Manager – Michael Pammit

Producers/Artistic Directors for Crown City – Gary Lamb and Bill Reilly

“The evolution of Evolution”

Luckie
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“The evolution of Evolution”

“The evolution of Evolution”

On March 19th 2017, Evolution Studios opened its doors to the community to host a free dance day celebrating their 10 years in business!

The schedule was packed with a diverse array of classes designed to engage dancers of all levels. It’s a milestone accomplishment that rests on the laurels of personalized assistance and paying close attention to the specific needs of each client.

There’s no shortage of dance studios in North Hollywood. You can take classes in any style with instructors that are known all over the world. Of course where you train is crucial, but for many people like me who appreciate a more incognito rehearsal, it’s equally just as important to have an esoteric space of freedom to create in a peaceful environment. With countless rehearsals and private sessions being scheduled around classes, it’s usually very difficult to book rehearsal space with commercial dance studios.

I discovered Synthesis early in my career by going to an audition that was being held there.

It was located on Lankershim near the Cahuenga split a few blocks north of Universal Studios. The location gave the studio a seemingly exclusive feel since it wasn’t in our central NoHo hub. The brick facade was unassuming. The serene neighborhood of Toluca Lake and casting offices that lined the back lot offered private entry and plenty of parking. It was an oasis that was readily accessible to rent out 24 hours a day. We’d never heard of a 24/7 studio. Most of us used our living room or an empty parking space in the garage of our apartment complex to work on choreography late at night. When you got a rehearsal call time for 11 PM or later, you knew it would be at Synthesis!

Evolution Studios, then Synthesis, is probably one of the most “under-the-radar” studios in NoHo. For years, industry icons, musicians, and movie stars graced the halls and now going into their 10th year, the studio doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. With such a deep rooted history in the community, I thought it would be great to speak with Heather Aued, the studio’s Managing Director about just how far they’ve come and how the studio gained such a highly venerable reputation.

L: When did Evolution open and what was its main objective?  

H: We opened in January 2007.  It was previously a dance academy called Synthesis and the funny reason we bought the business is because the owner’s husband was tired of having her dance company rehearse out of their house. When the business came up for sale they jumped at the opportunity to buy it. We wanted to give the dance community a great space to create. 

In the very beginning, we thought we would just continue with the academy like Synthesis was, but we kept getting calls for rentals and realized there was a big need for that in the community.  So, we decided to drop the academy altogether and just specialize in being a rental facility.  It helped set us apart of the other studios because we were the only one that solely focused on rentals and not an academy.  We allowed teachers to rent the studios from us to teach their own classes which most academies didn’t allow. 

After some time I started rehearsing at other local studios. Because I didn’t have a car at the time, I’d booked very few rehearsals at Evolution. A small part of me was unsure that the nostalgic feeling would be the same. I’d go by on the 224 (bus) as if it were a storage facility of fond memories. I rehearsed the first award show, first music video, and first overseas gig I ever choreographed there. Every room had its own personality. One studio had hanging lanterns and string lights that would shine an amber glow across the room or set a more intimate mood in the studio with a 15-foot, hand-woven tapestry hanging against an off-white painted brick wall.  Having had such a consistent schedule there, I can honestly say, I missed it tremendously. When I got word that Evolution was going to be on Burbank Blvd. it was like an old friend was moving back into town.

H: We moved from the old studio in January 2015.  We had outgrown the old space and were continually turning clients away because we were booked out.  So, when we had the opportunity to lease this large 7000sq ft warehouse and design and build our dream studio, it was a no brainer!  We’re looking forward to continued growth in the arts community in the area and making it even nicer for everyone.

A part of creating from an authentic place comes from being in an environment that allows that type of spiritual candor. We as artists want to feel like we just walked to our own pool house studio and feel the freedom to cultivate our vision. That feeling isn’t easy to accomplish. Over the years Evolution has been known to have a welcoming aura.  You can sense a consistent effort to make the space not only feel comfortable but also particularly practical. Every inch is geared toward the client’s experience and budget. Offering space is just a small part. Dimmable sconces and spacious dressing rooms are some of the more obvious highlights. Walking in you’ll meet young, sophisticated and savvy staff members that always welcome you into the studio with love and excitement; as if it were their own home.

H: Another thing that’s set us apart is our friendly staff.  We’ve continually been told throughout the years that we have the nicest staff and the cleanest studio.  We respect people’s privacy and time and we don’t bump clients for people that we think are “more important.” 

We offer many different things for our clients.  First we have free Wi-Fi throughout the whole building.  We have a large lounge area with a kitchen area, so clients can prepare food while they’re here. In each of the studios, we have an intercom that goes to the office.  So, if they need anything they can buzz us right away and do have to waste any of their rehearsal time, walking to our office to ask for something.  We also have microphones, mic stands, a  keyboard, TV monitor, LED mood lighting, tripods etc that they can rent either free of charge or for a small fee to use during their bookings.  Over the years we’ve taken note of what clients continued to ask for and we tried to make sure we had those amenities available.  We are still working on expanding our amenities for our clients to continue to provide items they might need. 

I’d just finished teaching my Old School Skinny class and as the students stood in the lobby cooling off, I heard one of them gasp! We all turned around to see what was going on. She stood there staring down the hallway at a woman who’d just walked in. We asked if everything was alright and with a gazed look of uncertainty said, “I think I just saw Missy Elliot.” All the other students quickly rubber necked around the corner to confirm but she’d already walked into rehearsal. The group laughed about it and went on with post class conversations. No more than 4 minutes later, Missy Elliot turns the corner, sees us and says, “Y’all in there killing. Do your thing!” It was such a treat for them to see a celebrity, but more so that the encounter wasn’t celebrity to fan; it was artist to artist. She seemed to be happy to come across women of all ages enjoying life and each other through dance. The group replied with a star-struck “Heeeey!!” as she continued toward the exit.

H: We also had some crazy paparazzi moments when Taylor Swift would rehearse at the old studio.  Her security guards would have to call us when she was a few minutes away so we could go outside and make sure there were no paparazzi waiting.  But would always still jump out from the bushes etc to try and get a shot of her. 

L: Tell me a little bit about the dance day that you had and why you decided to do it. 

H: We have had our annual dance day for the last three years once we moved into the new location.  The first year was to celebrate the new location.  The second year was our one-year anniversary of the new location and now this year is our 10-year anniversary of being in business.  We like having it because it gives the community the opportunity to come out and maybe take a class with someone new that they haven’t tried before.  We also feel it helps our clients build up their student base because there are all sorts of dancers trying out the classes.  It’s a way for artists to network with each other and just have a great time.  We are looking for all sorts of people to come out.  Not just our clients but new people who have never been to the studio before and want to see what it’s all about. 

L: You have some pretty epic instructors that’ll be teaching demos. How did you find them?

H: All of our instructors that will be teaching are our clients.  Some teach ongoing classes at the studio and some just rent from us for random projects they have going on.  But we wanted to have a nice variety of classes throughout the day.  So, you will see all different styles from hip hop, to bellydance, to tap and jazz; as well as heels and Old School Skinny. We tried to have a little bit for everyone and hope that people will stay and try a variety of styles and try something new. 

Before I started my demo, I met a woman named Rita who takes FUNKACIZE with Ella Joyce on Fridays.  Even though she’d never heard about OSS, within two minutes she was shaking and moving with the other dancers and stayed until the very end. We ended our groove session with a track from Midnight Star that left us all out of breath. As everyone ran to their water bottles, I looked over to find Rita grinning from ear to ear telling me,” That was so much fun! I’m so glad I was here for this!” She got a chance to meet my wife and mother-in-law which immediately made it feel like family. That’s the power that Evolution posses; bringing people together through the love and connection dance evokes.

Every day there’s something new to experience at Evolution. With their steadily growing following on social media and fully booked weekly schedule, they’re a gem in our neighborhood that shines brighter every day. Generations of artists have counted on them to perfect their craft, but there’s a completely different side to Evolution that lends itself to recreational dancers as well.  These classes offer people in the community a chance to forget about the woes of the world and JUST DANCE!! Now and for years to come, this studio will give birth to innovative choreography and give hope to dance lovers who thrive through movement.

Book space online for a 10% discount and follow @evolutionnoho to join the family!

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

What’s happening on Lankershim Blvd.?

Lisa Bianconi
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What changes do you want to see on Lankershim Blvd.?

From the office of Councilmember Krekorian and the Mayor’s Great Streets Plan.

Dear Friend:

Lankershim Boulevard runs through the heart of the East Valley. It is a major corridor that connects our communities to one another. In 2014, this busy thoroughfare between Magnolia Boulevard and Vanowen Street was one of the first 15 streets to be designated as part of the Mayor’s LA Great Streets Initiative.

The program aims to improve pedestrian safety, enhance streets with improved infrastructure and add green space to areas that lack it. With the help of my office, the Great Streets Initiative and city departments have been reaching out to important businesses, residents and stakeholders on the designated corridor to identify ways that we can increase safety, mobility and economic vitality for the area.

Great Streets Proposal

North Hollywood is already a desirable neighborhood for people who live in the area and, in recent years, has become a destination for anyone looking to experience good food, entertainment and culture. The Great Streets Initiative is looking to take NoHo’s positives and enhance them. I see it as an opportunity to revitalize a section of Lankershim and further beautify the neighborhood, but before we move forward, it is important that the city gets your thoughts on what will be best for our neighborhood.

The Mayor’s Great Streets plan proposes adding street trees and landscaping along the corridor, including a protected bike lane, improving pedestrian crosswalks and much more. You can read the full proposal here: lagreatstreets.org/lankershim.

Come to a Community Meeting

There are four opportunities to share your input about the proposed Great Streets project on Lankershim Boulevard and how it would impact you. You can attend any of the scheduled meetings to learn more about the program and what developments are being proposed.

April 5, 1 pm – 2:30 pm

Robertson Honda
5841 Lankershim Blvd.
NoHo, CA 91601

April 5, 3 pm – 4:30 pm

Roma Deli
6449 Lankershim Blvd.
NoHo, CA 91601

April 12, 10 am

NoHo BID
5026 Lankershim Blvd.
NoHo, CA 91601

April 12, 7 pm

Mid-Town NoHo Neighborhood Council
Senior Citizen Center
5301 Tujunga Blvd.
NoHo, CA 91601

Take the Greet Streets Survey

If you can’t make it to one of the scheduled meetings, visit lagreatstreets.org/lankershim to learn about the project and take an online survey to share your feedback. Again, we can’t do this without your input, so please make your opinion and your voice heard.

Very truly yours,
Councilmember Paul Krekorian
District 2

**** 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.

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Hot Looks for Summer Festivals this Year

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Hot Looks for Summer Festivals this Year

With Coachella looming on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about your summer festival looks. Whether you’re hitting the big name events or keeping it casual at local affairs, you’ll want to update your festival style with this season’s hottest styles. Here are a few fashion ideas to try out this summer.

festical 

In-Your-Face Stripes

If there’s an on-trend style that you should be rushing out to purchase immediately, it’s vertical stripes. Bold, blocky, graphic vertical stripes were all over the runways for the summer season. The good news is that these are supremely flattering, and can be worked into a lot of existing festival styles. How to update a floaty sundress? Look for one in stripes. Ditto for cut-off shorts, crop tops, and any other style staple you could imagine.

See-through Layers

If you love the typical bohemian romance of summer festival fashion, you’re in luck. There are plenty of ruffly, sheer styles out there at the moment. Look for see-through or peek-a-boo pastels in sheer materials like tulle. Stay true to the 90s trend by pairing a sheer slip dress over a white tee, or think ballerina with a floaty skirt.

coachella 

Back to the 1980s

As we’ve noted earlier, the 80s are back, big time. Think shiny fabrics, plenty of volume, and even shoulder pads. If you have some Funidelia 80s fancy dress in your closet, you might be able to work it into your festival style without getting too costume-y. For those who prefer to work this trend into their festival looks with a bit more subtlety, look at accessories. You can wear a simple t-shirt dress, but then add something like a chunky belt, neon earrings, or patent leather stilettoes to vamp it up 80s-style.

Dark Romance

Florals are back in fashion for yet another season, but if you want to keep your festival fashion looking current you should opt for moodier, darker patterns. Jacquard, velvet, and other thick fabrics replace the cold shoulder styles from last year.

mix 

Mix and Match Patterns

Finally, this is the year to go crazy mixing patterns for your festival fashion. You can get a bit more inventive with eclectic textures, colours, and styles. Gingham is a hot fabric for the season, so consider mixing this with breezy linen or cotton for an unexpected twist. Velour is also back in style. Create a base for your outfit with a blend of summery patterns and then add pops of colour with your accessories for a unique, head-turning festival look.

Naturally, the best outfit will depend on the particular event you’re going to – you’d dress differently for Burning Man than Lollapalooza or the local farmer’s market. Even for themed events where you need fancy dress ideas, you can derive inspiration from these current trends. Take a look at this season’s trends and update them for an enviable summer style. 

Celebrate Spring 2017 at NoHo Park!

Lisa Bianconi
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It’s a Spring Egg Hunt at NoHo Park on Saturday, April 8, 2017!

“The Dept. or Parks and Recreation and, more specifically, North Hollywood Park, has been doing egg hunts forever. We do the event to bring the community together and provide a fun and safe environment for the children. I would love to have our neighbors know that we exist, that we are not just a big green space. We offer community events, classes for all ages, pre-k and after school programs, sports leagues for youth and adults and that we are hear to listen to what they would like to see offered.”
– Alfred Tutungi. Senior Recreation Director II

WHEN:

Saturday, April 8, 2017

EGG HUNT SCHEDULE

4 & UNDER -10:45am
5 to 8 yrs. Old -11:30am
9 to 12 yrs. Old-12:15pm

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

10:15am – Bunny Hop

11:45am—Hula Hoop Contest

Arts &Crafts Table.…………… Free!
Face Painting……………………. Free!
Moonbounce ……………$3.00/Wristband
Concession/Snack Bar Available

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**** 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.

Looking for Female Superhero Movies?

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Looking for Female Superhero Movies?

The Independent Filmmaking Hustle – Vintage Female Super Heroes Reimagined 

Part of being a very, very independent filmmaker is supporting other very, very independent filmmakers, especially those who you know,  love, respect and probably need to help you do something at some point.

So let me introduce you to the amazing “Her-POW! New Adventures of Vintage Heroines.”

“Her-POW! New Adventures of Vintage Heroines” brings female superheroes from the 1940s and 50s era comics back to life in film.

Having fallen into the public domain, these heroines of comic books past are now available for modern adventures, and “Her-POW!” brings three of them back to fight another day.

The project is led by Dawn “Sam” Alden, founder of the film production company Vicarious Films and a wonderful friend of mine and part of my filmmaking “tribe.”  Alden is also the founder of the Feminist Writers Group within the film collective We Make Movies. Alden issued a writer’s challenge to the group, inspired by Mike Madrid’s book Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics. Choose a female superhero from these Golden Age comics that is now in the public domain and create a short film script featuring her.  

I actually helped out on the promotional video for the project, I shot the whole thing, but Dawn did an amazing job of editing it all together, so you will get a really good idea of how they want the finished films to look.  We had a pretty wild couple of days running around LA, shooting in some spectacular locations – Shakespeare’s Bridge in Los Feliz, The Japanese Gardens in the Valley (Star Trek filmed there and I geeked out pretty hard I can tell you!!).  We also shot in a beautiful mausoleum in Altadena and at the iconic Angels Flight downtown. We spent a couple of memorable hours running up and down steps by the Burbank train station too,  with the “Cloud Factory” in the background, a great example of how locations can really make all the difference!

From more than 75 characters, the writers chose three: The Woman in Red, The Veiled Avenger and Ghost Woman, and have created three short films each featuring one of these characters.  The producers are currently crowdfunding through Seed & Spark for the funding to make the project happen. https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/her-pow 

Although the original comics were predominantly white and male, these new adventures will feature diverse casts that are either gender equal or skew female. This dedication to diversity and inclusion will extend to the crew as well as those in front of the camera. Each short will have a female director and cinematographer and will feature female characters driving the action.

Once the shorts are finished, they will be uploaded to Vicarious Film’s YouTube channel to be shared and enjoyed by all. The group wants to make more shorts featuring these and other little-known heroines and hopes to inspire others to do the same. To learn more about the project and help make it happen, check out their Seed and Spark campaign page here: https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/her-pow

Scripts were written by Stina Pederson (Ghost Woman), Tracy Schmetterer (The Veiled Avenger) and Dawn Alden (The Woman in Red). The project is being produced by Pederson, Schmetterer, Alden, Brendan Weinhold and Angela Acuña.

This is a really wonderful project and one I hope to help out on some more if I can.

It’s inspiring to find fellow filmmakers doing all they can to get something made. The pioneer spirit is strong in this group and we need to support quality and diversity in filmmaking at every level, and where better to start than in our own film universe?

Check out their campaign and if you can’t contribute then please spread the word, let’s get these movies made people!!!

https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/her-pow

VIEWING INFO
Films will be shared on Vicarious Films’ YouTube channel upon completion. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @Vicarious_Films
Instagram: @HerPOWmovies
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicarious-Films 

BIOGRAPHIES
Dawn Alden – Writer/Fearless Leader
Dawn Alden is a mover, a shaker and a Maker. She holds an MFA in Acting and has over 20 years experience in that, stage combat, new work development and producing. She founded and ran an all-female theatre company in Chicago (www.babeswithblades.org), and now acts and runs a film production company in LA (www.vicariousfilms.com). She is working with iWe ( www.joiniwe.com) to make a real and lasting change to the gender disparity in Hollywood. She is dedicated to creating work by and about women, for everyone. dawnalden.com 

Catelin Dziuba – Costume Designer
Catelin is a costume designer with over six years of experience. She has worked in mediums ranging from theater, film, and commercials to music videos, TV, and web series. While her speciality is horror, she loves working with bold colors and recreating looks from the 40s, 60s, and 80s. Part of her talent as a designer is organizing the wardrobe needs for each character, sussing out amazing thrift store finds, sewing and fabricating costumes as needed, and then supervising and maintaining continuity on set. She is based out of Los Angeles, California.

Edgar Landa – Fight Choreographer
Edgar is the resident fight/violence instructor and fight director for the USC School of Dramatic Arts. He is a long-standing member of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA, where he serves on the faculty as a Fight and Text instructor and has worked extensively in their nationally recognized education programs. Edgar creates violence and mayhem for theatres small and big, including The Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre, South Coast Repertory, San Diego Rep, Annenberg PAC, Getty Villa, Cornerstone Theatre, Theatre @ Boston Court and many others. Edgar is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab & the Directors Lab West and is a graduate of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. He most recently directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Thin Air Shakespeare in Jackson Hole, WY and is directing the Loyola Marymount University production of Culture Clash’s Chavez Ravine this fall.

Stina Pederson – Writer
Stina hails from Seattle, WA, where she studied creative writing at the University of Washington. She writes poetry, novels, stage plays, and film scripts. Her most recently produced work was the award nominated play Up Down Stick Stuck, a collaboration by five writers for the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Stina fell in love with film writing after joining LA film collective We Make Movies. She is dedicated to increasing the number of complex and non-sexist film roles for women. stinapederson.com

Tracy Schmetterer – Writer/Actor
After joining SAG at age 11 and spending many years in New York and Los Angeles pursuing the acting dream, Tracy discovered a passion for writing in 2007 and she hasn’t looked back since. One comical blog and four short films later, Tracy was ecstatic to choose a piece that is not only super fun but a true homage to women and comic book heroines. The Veiled Avenger has been such a joy for her to revive, and she hopes everyone will get the chance to enjoy the campiness and power of this super heroine on screen.

Brendan Weinhold – Actor
Brendan works to build community with theatre and film. He’s a big fan of all the things he did at theatre camp when he was a kid, and he cultivates that playfulness within the companies he joins. He’s written sketch comedy for Daily Fiber Films and Second City Hollywood. He’s led workshops for 4-H, First Stage Milwaukee, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Youth Theatre Northwest, and We Make Movies. He is a CSzLA improviser, BookPALS reader, award-nominated Hollywood Fringe actor and writer for Ray Burley Productions, Young Storytellers Foundation mentor, feminist, and Wisconsin farm kid. Brendan has a B.A. in Drama from the University of Washington. BrendanWeinhold.com

Angela Acuna – Producer
Angela is a sometimes stage manager, new producer, and full-time dog personal assistant. Her hobbies include improv, watching old Mexican horror films and LARP. She is currently writing her first play for the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival. 

NoHo News: FREE Ice Cream, Mimosa + Music, Radiohead + Ballet, + A Whole Bunch of Awesome Theatre

Lisa Bianconi
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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!

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**** 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 Accidental Club – “A Highly Addicting Musical”

Lisa Bianconi
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The Accidental Club opens at Whitefire Theatre paying tribute to three female musical legends. 


She had us at Billie then Janice. But then she sings some Amy.

“The Accidental Club” makes its opens at Whitefire Theatre March 31. It’s tauted as “A Highly Addicting Musical” because the song-filled score contains original compositions by show creator Sherrie Scott as well as some classic jazz, blues and rock tunes from three musical talents, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse.

Show synopsis: Mira Dawson, a washed-up rock star, dies of an accidental overdose and finds herself on the other side, hanging out at The Accidental Club, swapping stories, secrets and songs about life, fame, addiction and death with Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse.

Mira wins their Angel of the Month Award. When you win, you get the chance to come back to earth for one night only to spend it however and with whomever you like. Mira chooses one final concert with her faithful fans. Billie warns her not to go, “Get ready for the pain, girl.” Janis tells her, “If it feels good, do it.”

She believes this is all just a crazy dream and that at any moment she’ll wake up. Throughout the concert, discoveries are made, as the clock ticks toward midnight, Mira becomes increasingly anxious as she realizes she’s not waking up—Will she? Will we?

Musical creator Sherrie Scott answered some of our questions.

What made you decide to create this musical?

After many years of composing, performing, writing, directing and collaborating on new plays, it was time for a solo adventure. I also had a story that had been percolating for a while about one of my favorite singers Eva Cassidy. She became famous five years after she died of cancer at age 33. I was curious what she would have to say if she could come back for one final concert. How would she view her sudden fame, life, death and current affairs? I’ve often had people come up after a concert and tell me I sound like her so it felt like a natural. Then I started thinking about some of my other favorite vocalists, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse. They had all died from accidental overdose or drug abuse. What would be their take on it all? Would they know the answer to the current epidemic of heroin overdose? I was inspired to dig deep into their stories, as well as try to find some of the possible answers to the root causes of addiction. The play then began to pour out of me along with the songs, and turned into The Accidental Club.

Do you have a favorite song from the show?

It would be Girl In The Window. I wanted to write a song for Janis about the loneliness and isolation of fame that can sometimes lead to addiction.

Who was the most difficult to sing and why?

I do a tribute song for each of the members of The Accidental Club. I don’t imitate them, but try to evoke the essence of each of these amazing singers. Janis is probably the most difficult because she was so in the moment with every single note. Her performance was so spontaneous and soulful yet intentional at the same time. Actually, the same could be said for all these singers. That’s what made them great.

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Do you have advice to singers just starting out?

Take good care of your voice which means take good care of yourself. There is a line in the play when Billie gives my character Mira some singing advice. “Get out of your head and let your heart do the singing. Jump on in girl. You got to live your song.”

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I think like all of us, the members of the Accidental Club were all searching for that feeling, that place of no self-doubt, no sorrow, no fear…the feeling of freedom. I’ve been there, so I know it exists, but sometimes it takes a while to find it, and sometimes you get lost on the way. Maybe that’s why we’re here…to help each other out before it’s too late. We’re not meant to do this thing alone. We all deserve to feel free.

Speaking of not doing this thing alone…I could not do this show without my incredibly talented team; director Trace Oakley, accompanist Noel Deis and producer Chip Frye. There will be talk backs after each performance and we’re hoping to have some guest speakers. Thank you and hope to see you there!

The leading cause of accidental death in the US is drug overdose with 13,000 Americans having tragically and unnecessarily died from heroine overdose in 2015 alone, nearly a 600 percent increase from 2005. And thisis just the tip of the iceberg.

If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to the National Substance Abuse Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP.

About Sherrie Scott

Sherrie Scott trained at the University of Iowa and was a member of their prestigious Playwrights Actors Ensemble as well as a professional member of The Boston Theater Group. She has acted, written, collaborated on and directed numerous original productions including the highly acclaimed Caught in the Act, Miscalculation of the Heart, Something’s Going On, The Executive’s Sorcerer and Bitten by a Snake. She is also a recording artist, composing for film and television, and has several albums and soundtracks to her credit. She continues to grace stages across the US and abroad.

Tickets>> http://www.theaccidentalclub.com

**** 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.

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NoHo Arts District Community Update

Lisa Bianconi
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LAPD North Hollywood Division Senior Lead Officer Catalano’s NoHo Arts District Community Update

It’s hard not to notice the additional police presence at the North Hollywood -Amelia Earhart Regional Library located at 5211 Tujunga Ave.

As you pass by, two patrol vehicles are usually parked just outside the front doors on the grass area accompanied by two uniformed LAPD officers.

The high visibility is probably something long overdue at this location. Officers are now working this detail during the normal hours of operation seven days a week. At this time it’s a temporary solution that has approval until July 1. Everyone, including myself is hoping the pilot program is extended.

As people enter, their first assumption is to just assume something is wrong and the police responded to another radio call for service. Now that it has been going for almost eight weeks, noticeable changes are definitely observed. Not only by the library staff and people who utilize the library but also by the Los Angeles Police Department.

As the Senior Lead Officer for the area, I see the complaints, the calls for service and the criminal activity that has been associated in and around the library. In the short time, radio calls have been reduced and measured crime in the area has decreased significantly.

LAPD North Hollywood Division Senior Lead Officer Catalano’s NoHo Arts District Community Update

This added patrol is a direct result of a proposition passed by voters and is coming directly from library funding. As a result, police officers are not being reassigned from patrolling the neighborhood streets for this library assignment but are all working on scheduled days off.

I invite you to come back to your community library. It’s still not perfect but these small changes to date have really made a remarkable difference for everyone. Who knows, you may even catch one of your favorite police officers reading a story to our newest and youngest members of our community who just discovered this great historic building.

John Catalano is a veteran police officer of 21 years currently assigned as the Senior Lead Officer for the NoHo Arts District. Ant questions or comments can be forwarded to 32740@lapd.online or via Facebook at “NoHo SLO.” 

**** 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.

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Entertainment Ideas For The Family

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Entertainment Ideas For The Family

One of the biggest challenges involved with family time is finding things that everyone wants to do. That doesn’t just mean a shared destination where everybody branches out to do their own thing. It means something that the entire family will do together.

That’s a tall order, of course. Finding something with broad appeal to kids of a variety of ages as well as adults is difficult. It needs to be sophisticated enough for adults without being over the kids’ heads, and simple enough for the youngest to enjoy without boring the oldest.

There are a lot of different directions you can go. Things like exercise can be fun for everyone, with varying activities and goals designed to suit each person’s individual tastes.

Bring The Entertainment To You

Many families see technology as the wedge that’s driving them apart. But fortunately, it can also be the glue that binds them together. For everything that cell phones do to isolate family members, other technology can bring them back together.

Movies and television are a perfect example. The improvements in data transmission as well as the upgrades in video and audio equipment have made it possible to enjoy an amazing array of programming with incredible pictures and sounds. Getting started is simple. Find DIRECTV packages that match your tastes–movies, sports, kids’ programming, educational networks, whatever you choose–and start planning time together.

Go Find The Entertainment

Of course, no one wants to spend all night every night at home watching TV. There are still great options for you to enjoy outside the home as well.

It remains an exciting time for Hollywood, with great movies turning out all the time. There’s no doubt that many of today’s leading ladies and gentlemen are headed for legendary status, and with such amazing technology to create entire worlds for these actors to perform in, the offerings at today’s cinemas are like nothing we’ve ever seen.

What’s great about all entertainment is that there are so many historically-driven stories. Before going to see “Hidden Figures”, read up on Dorothy Vaughan and Katherine Johnson, and the space program in general. Give yourselves some context about what you are about to see, so that the story really hits home and connects with you in a real way.

Take Inspiration

TV and movies have a remarkable ability to inspire people to take action. After the movie “Top Gun” was released, the U.S. Navy saw a big surge in enlistment, thanks to the positive portrayal of the pilots in the movie.

Entertainment can make you move in other ways, too. Documentaries spur political change. A movie with an intriguing location can trigger people to travel there. Look at the increased interest in forensics brought on by television shows like the “CSI” and “NCIS” families.

Don’t let the rolling credits end the experience for your family. Follow through on what your entertainment motivates you to do. If your kids ask questions, find a way to answer them. Visit a new city or go to a historic site. Let your kids shadow someone who does the kind of work shown in their favorite shows. Let entertainment change your life for the better.

Creating good quality time with your family isn’t a one-shot deal. You can plan a single event, but it will live far beyond the time you spend directly doing it. A concert could bring attention to a social issue that gets you and your kids thinking about how you can help. A movie can highlight an environmental crisis that hits home with you.

 

Take that and run with it. It not only allows you to do something positive with the time you have with your family, it also builds your relationship as you travel, work, play, or volunteer together. And that makes your entertainment into something far more valuable than just whiling away a few hours.

Bad Jews playing at Dow Arena Theatre

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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“Bad Jews” playing at Dow Arena Theatre

If you are interested in a play about modern Judaism and its affect on four young people, make a beaten path to Joshua Harmon’s “Bad Jews” playing at Dow Arena Theatre at Los Angeles Pierce College Theatre in Woodland Hills, CA through April 2nd.   

This is the story of four young people, three of them Jewish, and their meeting at a studio on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. 

The clash of personalities, opinions and methods underscores a large problem with organized religion. 

Harmon does not merely invite you into the studio to watch and listen to four different points of view about life and existence, he drags your head under a buzz saw and confronts you with a Quartet Tango of religious, political and personal issues that demand a resolution on one long and eventful night. 

And what a resolution it is. 

One that will be hard not only to forget, but not to feel. 

For if it is one thing a playwright of Harmon’s talent can do, it is make the problems and crossword puzzles of his day remain the same ones crossing your desk in the morning. 

The direction by Anna Steers is universal. 

It is what it is because it will not be forgotten 100 years from now nor would it slip from memory 100 years ago. 

Steers has a deep and abiding understanding and comprehension of Harmon’s language and the words falling in between the lines and cracks.

 She helps run a feministic theme or thread throughout the evening that allows the audience the chance to recognize and reward the strength and beauty that is a woman. 

In her brilliance, the veteran teacher, actress and director puts us, the audience, in the middle of the action not only physically, but intellectually and artistically. 

The longtime San Francisco actress (“Angels in America,” “Blue Room,” and “Blind Spot”) asks all the right questions in helping the audience sort through all things Jewish. 

What comes out of the fray and sturm und drang is a deep understanding of the isolation, alienation, suffering and self-consciousness that the Jews have had to endure not only since the days of Jesus Christ, but especially over the last 70 years when you include the Holocaust during WWII and the formation of the country of Israel directly following it.

Simply put, Steers compliments not only Harmon’s instinct and intention, but also what he does not put on the written page and merely asks the audience to take on faith and imagination.     

In so doing, she assembles a gifted cast which fully comprehends the complexities and difficulties of bringing the proceedings to life. 

The sole stand-out is Jeanette Deutsch (Daphna) who steals the show. 

The Bay Area native and CSU Long Beach BA in Theatre Arts gives a startling performance of such presence, depth, strength and sensitivity that the entire play rests in her more-than-capable hands and lungs. 

As the lynchpin of the play, the Shakespearean actress owns the role in such a manner that she is equally adapt at drama and comedy and does not let you forget it. 

She inhabits the character with such ferocity, power and finesse that many male feet in the audience were seen nervously tapping and this critic’s skin had goose bumps during her most important monologue of the evening aimed bitterly yet genuinely at Ryan Phillips (Liam).

 I hope to see Deutsch in many more plays on stages in Los Angeles again soon. 

All in all, “Bad Jews” succeeds because of its honest, authentic and raw depiction of the strong yet often misunderstood relationship between Judaism and America, not despite it. 

The work, which had its World Premiere produced in New York City by Roundabout Theatre Company in October of 2012, cannot seem to decide whether it is a drama or a comedy, so it very skillfully traverses the line between the two. 

In the end, it is the very humanity of these four characters and the language they speak that makes this play so unerringly electric, engrossing and profound. 

Go see it alone or with a friend.  But check it out especially since there is but one more weekend to do so. 

Who knows, it might just change your life. 

By Radomir Vojtech Luza

     Theatre Critic

 

Showtimes:

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.

Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets:

General Ticket: $18

Senior Ticket: $15

Student Ticket: $12

Admission and Information: (818) 719-6488

TICKETS>>

WHERE: Dow Arena Theatre at Los Angeles Pierce College Theatre,

                6201 Winnetka Avenue,

                Woodland Hills, CA 91371 

Bad Jews LAPC Theatre Dow Arena Theatre

How About Some Mimosas and Music?

Lisa Bianconi
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Mimosa Music Series Presents Jimmer Rodrasky & Skylar Gudasz Sunday, April 2

Get ready, NoHo. Gary Calamar’s intimate Mimosa Music Series, which originated out of his Laurel Canyon living room, will return to The Federal Bar in North Hollywood on Sunday, April 2. This month’s free show will feature Jimmer Rodrasky and Skylar Gudasz. Come on down for a bagel, mimosa and some great music! Come on down for Sunday brunch, mimosas and some great music!

WHEN:

Sunday, April 2 at 11:00AM-2:00PM

WHERE:

The Federal Bar
5303 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 980-2555

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Jimmer Podrasky was a member of rock band The Rave-Ups, which gained cult status after being featured in the movie Pretty in Pink. Then, he vanished, opting out of the music industry so he could raise his son Chance. After a 23-year hiatus, he released his strongest work to date, his first solo album The Would-Be Plans in 2013. Chapel Hill-based singer Skylar Gudasz is best known for her expressive voice and distinctive sound. She has toured with Big Star Third and various projects- travelling around the world from Barcelona to Australia. She just released her debut solo album Oleander this past February, delivering a collection of dramatic, honest, and playful alt-country songs. Consequence of Sound acclaims, “Cumulatively, the whole album is a spectacular introduction to a worthy, captivating new voice in Americana.”

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Why did you take the Mimosa Music Series to The Federal?

“I have a friend, Brad Spencer, who worked for the Knitting Factory and The Federal Bar. He would come by the house to see the shows, then told me about The Federal Bar and invited me down to check it out. I loved the room, the vibe and the people who worked there. So when my wife gave us our walking papers, it seemed the perfect place to move the Mimosa Music Series.”

Who is Gary Calamar?

Gary Calamar, president of Go Music, is a five time Grammy-nominated producer and music supervisor who has overseen the music on some of the most acclaimed and popular shows on television including “True Blood,” “Six Feet Under,” “Dexter,” “Entourage,” “Weeds” and “House.” Gary’s current projects include “The Man In The High Castle” (Amazon) , “Good Girls Revolt” (Amazon), “Wayward Pines” (Fox) and the indie films “Tumbledown” and “Carrie Pilby.”

Gary is also a songwriter and co-wrote the song “Let’s Boot and Rally” performed by Iggy Pop and Bethany Cosentino for True Blood. His debut EP as a recording artist, “You Are What You Listen To” was released on Atlantic Records to excellent reviews and airplay. Gary is also the author of “Record Store Days” (with Phil Gallo), and DJ at public radio powerhouse KCRW.

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.

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Here’s what we’ve been up to

Cream

nohoarts
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Cream – 11135 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601 

What is it about ice cream that makes the whole world better? 

The sugar? 

The cream? 

The flavors that make your heart sing? 

cream noho

NoHo has been sadly lacking an ice cream parlor at its heart…but no more! 

Cream is an ice cream store in the tradition of the best ingredients makes the best ice cream. Everything is fresh, made with superior ingredients and impeccably made to order with a lot of love. 

Cream NoHo opens its doors to us, the grateful masses, on April 1 and boy should we be celebrating! 

With its very niche and retro ice cream sandwiches, this bright, cheerful and unapologetically high-calorie establishment oozes with the delectable and the scrumptious. 

The softly delicious cookies, more than a dozen varieties, are baked fresh in the store several times a day and the scent of them wafts about, leaving no room for doubt or excuses. You have simply no chance of escaping without a very large fistful of bliss. 

They have every kind of flavor from your deepest dreams of cold creamy goodness and a few you may never have dared to conjure up…like Churro…and yes it tastes exactly like the most amazing churro you have ever had.  They also have an incredible apple pie ice cream…it tastes just like your grandma’s best.  The Strawberry flavor takes me right back to my childhood and bowls full of English strawberries with lashings of fresh cream and sprinkles of sugar. 

Another favorite of mine was the Green Tea ice cream, fresh and tangy, light and less guilt-ridden…although just as delicious as the more decadent Chocolates, Salty Caramels and the Banana Walnut Fudges… 

There really is something for everyone here.  Coconut, Toasted Almonds, Cookies and Cream and on and on and on… 

And the cookies really are to die for.  Chocolate chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter and the heavenly Snickerdoodle, to name just a few, all warm and ready to envelop whatever your hearts desires. 

You can skip the cookies if you must and opt for a cup. Or if you are feeling frisky, why not grab an ice cream taco on a Tuesday?  The shell is made from waffle cones shaped into tacos…amazing.  You can mimic the lettuce and tomato with cherries and sprinkles and chopped nuts…yum. 

If you have to run and don’t want to risk it all running down your arm in the car, they do the most incredible coffee drinks and floats…sublime. 

cream noho1

They also have gluten free cookies and vegan cookies and soy ice cream, the Soy Blueberry is especially ridiculous.  There are lots of the usual toppings, only they are very high quality, no dusty sprinkles in this store.  They really pride themselves on giving their customers the absolute best.  Best service, best ice cream and the best possible price.  For what you get, which is huge by the way, $4.99 is really amazing. 

When the first store opened in 2010 in Berkley, the founders wanted to recreate their own very special family recipes.  They kept the cost as low as possible while still ensuring that everything was made from the most premium products, and this attention to the authentic and the virtuous is what sets Cream apart from the larger chains of ice cream stores. 

cream noho 2

David, the owner of the NoHo store, was particularly attracted to the fun and relaxed atmosphere the stores allow, with great music playing and really lovely staff happy to be handing out so much joy, it must be a wonderful place to run…all those smiles!! Plus, it’s a great addition to our NoHo neighborhood.  

I can hardly wait for the days to heat up to bring me more excuses to run on over and sit at the counter, or outside on the terrace and people watch while tackling the biggest and most delicious totally customized ice cream sandwich I may ever have.

Oh, and they also do catering. Ice cream sandwiches at your next party?  They make an enormous ice cream sandwich cake, about 10 inches in diameter, from whatever cookie and ice cream combination you can dream up. I can’t even describe the happiness such a thing will undoubtedly bring. I am creating occasions for it as I write…many, many occasions.

Cream opens on April 1st and is giving away FREE sandwiches that day from 12 pm – 7 pm.

So, put an alarm on your phone and save up your calories!!

cream noho

https://www.facebook.com/CREAMNoHo/

Lili Marlene

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Write Act Repertory Theatre Presents “Lili Marlene” Playing March 19 – April 16.    

Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2883213  

“Lili Marlene” is a musical, which is always difficult enough to get right, but add to that the fact that it is set in Nazi Germany during the rise of the Third Reich and you can begin to understand what a stand alone and unique show this really is. 

Janine (Aubrie Alexander) listens to younger brother Jacob’s (Anna Dawahare) story as Kurt (Judd Yort) enjoys the details.
Janine (Aubrie Alexander) listens to younger brother Jacob’s (Anna Dawahare) story as Kurt (Judd Yort) enjoys the details.

Most musicals are light and bright and about love, journeys or misunderstandings and, if they are good, keep you happily tapping your toes and humming along. “Lili Marlene” is not exactly as straightforward as that. 

Of course, the subject matter is dark. 

Of course, the urgency in which our characters find themselves is edge-of-your-seat stuff, and you would imagine then that there is little time for anything else…but you would be wrong. 

“Lili Marlene” is set in one of the most difficult times in our world history, just before World War II when politics shaped our humanity. How timely. But setting all that aside, if we can, really and truly and at its depth this play is about love.

Love found, love hidden, love of family and even love of country.  The songs, and there are many, give the actors the ample chance to express their fears as well as their innermost yearnings and deepest secrets, which is quite a feat in a musical. 

Each of the characters has their own journey, and each seems to have their own personal struggles regardless of a Germany on the brink of disaster. 

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Wife Marlene (LeAnna Sharp) teases her husband Friedrich (Darren Mangler) during a lighter moment.

The story revolves around a nightclub singer, a half Jewish orphan who is courted by a German count.  They fall in love and, while his family welcomes her with open arms, the country around them is changing and, in the end, they are all deeply torn.  Those who can make their escape and the reality of the desperation of those fleeing certain death is a poignant and deeply effective theme. 

The cast is all accomplished singers and quite riveting in their roles, and you can sense the care with which they have all approached this particular subject matter.  The staging is strong yet understated and the care with which they have sourced and recreated the wardrobe and the atmosphere of the time is very apparent.

This is tricky stuff at the best of times but set to music and song there is a real danger of being dismissive or at worse exploitive. Yet the skill with which Mr Antin has shaped this play maintains the grace of a knowledgeable perspective and the tenderness of one who has been touched both by love and by tragedy.

I highly recommend “Lili Marlene.” 

It’s a window on a world long past that still affects every policy in every country in Europe.  A time not far distant enough I’m afraid for every family there to have their own version of its truth…lest we forget.

“Lili Marlene” 

Write Act Repertory Theatre

10950 Peach Grove St., North Hollywood, 91601.  

Playing March 19 – April 16

Friday & Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday 2 PM

Written by Michael Antin

Directed & Choreographed by Mark Bowers

Produced by John Lant and Tamra Pica

Arrangements: Rocco Vitacco, Music Direction: David Kamenir, Dramaturg: Jim Blanchette 

Costume Design: Ava Soltani-Wiltse, Lighting/ AV Design: Tim Secrest, Associate Producers: Anne Mesa, Jonathan Harrison & Write Act Rep, Production Stage Manager: Alonzo Tavares 

Cast Members Include: Aubrie Alexander, Tavis L. Baker, Jessa Campbell, Anna Dawahare, Amy Londyn, Darren Mangler, LeAnna Sharp, Darcy Silveira, Justin Selig, and Judd Yort.

 

Beauties and Beasts: Beauty and the Beast; Kong: Skull Island

Mike Peros
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Beauties and Beasts: Beauty and the Beast; Kong: Skull Island

Beauties and Beasts: Beauty and the Beast; Kong: Skull Island 

It’s a pleasure to report that Beauty and the Beast and Kong: Skull Island are both tremendously entertaining revamps of two beloved classic tales. 

Beauty and the Beast, of course, is a “live-action” retelling of Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast, with a score by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman that incorporates a few new songs (by Menken and Tim Rice, including a Beast solo) to an already memorable soundtrack. Directed by Bill Condon, the adaptation by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos retains the storyline’s basic trajectory, while adding a few fillips of its own—notably in the CGI now utilized or the Prince/Beast and his “staff,” as well as some plot embellishments The Beast (Dan Stevens) is now quite erudite, a former vain prince who is the victim of a curse placed on him by a spurned enchantress (not content turning him into a Beast, she has also turned his household servants into objects). Belle (Emma Watson) is now a headstrong, intelligent tutor who feels like a misfit in her village. She still has an adoring father in Maurice (Kevin Kline) and an arrogant, ardent admirer in Gaston (Luke Evans). Gaston still has a very adoring servant in LeFou (Josh Gad–and  by the by, criticizing the decision to intensify LeFou’s love for gaston seems like a strange quibble in a film which depicts the growing love of a lady for a Beast–but I digress). After Maurice is imprisoned by the Beast (he has offended the Beast by taking a rose), Belle takes his place at the Beast’s remote palace. 

However, this spirited Belle perpetually has escape on the mind, much to the dismay of the Beast’s still-loyal servants, including Lumiere, the candelabra (Ewan McGregor); Mrs. Potts, the teapot (Emma Thompson); Cogsworth, the clock (Ian McKellen); and Madame de Garderobe, the wise wardrobe (Audra McDonald).  After the servants temporarily win Belle over (in the still rousing “Be Our Guest,” delivered with panache by McGregor and company), they go to work convincing the Beast that she is indeed “the one” who could break the spell. After a misbegotten try for freedom lands her in the middle of deadly wolves, both the Beast and Beauty take turns saving each other; needless to say, their mutual affection grows as the Beast comes to the realization that he must release Belle in order for there to be any chance at all of his love being reciprocated, even though it might mean the end for him. Meanwhile, back in the village, a jealous, vengeful, and crazed Gaston convinces the villagers to storm the castle (shades of Frankenstein)…can true love survive? 

While all of this sounds quite hokey (I’m sure it reads that way), this Beauty and the Beast is a triumph of exuberance, charm, humor, and feeling, with its still lilting score beautifully performed by a peerless cast whose humanity is felt through the beasts and objects they portray (and yes, Emma Watson is not the equal of say, the divine Audra McDonald and Emma Thompson, but she acquits herself well in the singing department).  The little additions to the story (or shall I say, backstory) bring a little more depth without detracting from the plot’s forward motion (and grant more screen time and songs to Kevin Kline, who is both amusing and touching as the eccentric but loving Maurice).  Visually, it’s also a delight (I saw it in 3D, and for once, I wasn’t sorry), and when you combine all the elements, including its wit and ever-present heart, you’ll have a pretty joyful experience with this vibrant Beauty and the Beast. 


King Kong is back with a vengeance in the exciting, taut, mordant, and occasionally shocking Kong: Skull Island.  It’s 1973, and an expedition to this remote Skull Island, led by a mercenary (Tom Hiddleston) and a U.S, government agent (John Goodman), accompanied by a squad of Vietnam vets (commanded by Samuel L. Jackson), and a photographer (Brie Larson, the beauty in this version) makes Kong pretty angry and a tad vindictive.  And you might think so too, till you realize his survival, as well as the precarious peace on the island, has been threatened by this invasion of outsiders.  After Kong’s reprisal leaves the interlopers stranded on different parts of the island (in diminished numbers), the rest of the film is akin to a combination of war film, disaster movie and battle against some hostile elements, akin to The Lost Patrol crossed with Alien and Transformers, with a soupcon of Apocalypse Now. 


While there isn’t much depth to most of the characters, capable actors like Hiddleston, Larson, Jackson and Goodman manage to stand up pretty well in the face of scene-stealing, malevolent creatures.  Kong, with the aid of some CGI handiwork and a motion-capture performance by Terry Notary manages to be both murderous (when provoked) and anguished.  However the real heart of the film lies not in the Beauty and the Beast scenario between Larson and Kong, but the performance of John C. Reilly as a grizzled World War II vet (who resembles Santa Claus).  Stuck in time though he may be (the character is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan who has never heard of the Cold War), Reilly’s wise veteran might just hold the key to survival and escape—more importantly he is the one you’ll wind up rooting for (next to Kong, of course).  

Nope, It’s Never Too Late to Start

Lisa Bianconi
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Art: It’s Never Too Late to Start

We love stories of people finding their passion no matter when or at what age.

The NoHo Arts District is lucky to have the NoHo Senior Arts Colony, a place where folks can explore the arts at a later stage in life. One of their residents, Larry Blecha, will have his first art show on Tuesday, March 28. He is in his 60s and only started to experiment with paint a couple years ago after an injury. This is why the name of the show is “Art: It’s Never Too Late to Start…” 

The art show will feature the work of residents Alvin Fels, Bert Sanders, Deborah Holzel and Caroline McElroy.

When:

Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30PM

Where:

10747 W Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Larry Blecha was born October 8, 1952 in a small town in Southwest Nebraska. He grew up on a farm, attended a small one room country school through grade school and graduated high school in 1970. During his high school years, the country was in turmoil over the Vietnam War, his parents both became ill leaving the teenager and his two teen siblings to care for the family farm. Shortly after graduation he went into the US Army. These experiences would influence the remainder of his life and his art. Larry’s education and early career were heavily influenced by his mother and later his brother developing mental illness. He spent many years in the field of substance abuse and mental health treatment as a provider and as an administrator. His art is also heavily influenced by those experiences.

Larry is a “self-taught” artist. He began painting by accident, the result of a badly broken leg and subsequent recovery as a way to pass time. Early works were in Acrylic medium on paper, canvas, wood and nearly anything that would hold paint. His current medium of choice is oil on canvas, although some sketches are done in acrylic. Painting has moved from a pass time to a passion with a simple driving principle of displaying visually what moves him on the inside.

Larry Blecha Art: It's Never Too Late to Start... art show www.nohoartsdistrict.com
Larry Belcha

The process of developing his artwork comes from his desire to express his inner thoughts and memories, long standing personal relationships and his drive to constantly improve his technique. Larry says “If art is an expression of one’s inner self, then my art is about the things I love. I have found I am in a process of discovery with my art in that each painting, sketch or drawing is about seeking a way to properly represent the people, places and things in my life that matter the most to me. Each piece represents a memory, a feeling or a sense of desire to reflect meaning visually. Often the ability to say what I want to say is limited by my skillset, which drives me to improve my ability to express myself with my chosen medium of oil paint on canvas. Each color choice, brush choice, composition, shape and ultimately, brush stroke is about how to represent the things I love and care most about. “

“The title of our show “Art: It’s Never too Late To Start…” really demonstrates what we at EngAGE stand for. We support and encourage lifelong learning through creativity therefore contributing to individual, community and public life,” says EngAGE program director and show curator Sara Debevec. “It has been very rewarding to watch Larry’s development even over the past couple of months in preparation for the show. It simply shows that through learning and discovering new passions, we never really grow old. The residents of the NoHo Senior Arts Colony embody this philosophy and demonstrate their active participation in creative expression through the artworks included in this exhibit. Some, of these artists have experienced a lifelong pursuit of creativity; others have discovered their artistic passions late in life. All are vibrant and engaged seniors who are empowered to share their artwork with the public, some for the first time.”

Alvin Fels has enjoyed the good fortune of being both an influential and visionary as a globally renowned footwear designer for 65 years. During that time, his talent as a fine artist grew as his love of shoe design blossomed. He has found the most fun painting Pop Art Footwear expressing how silly some women might be when purchasing shoes that really don’t fit and wearing them anyway.

Bert Sanders discovered painting literally “by accident.” When she was away with her daughter at a Bungalow Colony in Catskills, she fell and hurt her left wrist and ankle. An art teacher at the colony encouraged her to start painting which she continued to do through her injury. More than 40 years later, you can still find her painting in the studio of the NoHo Senior Arts Colony.

Deborah Holzel decided in her 50ss that she wanted to be an artist, having not taken drawing pencil to paper since the age of eleven. At that time her favorite subject was pretty ladies, but her current wish was to bring animals to life. She dabbled in every available medium before finding her passion in Sumi-e, the art of Asian brush painting.

Caroline McElroy grew her penchant for collaging and began to collage furniture, lamps, and walls and also continued to hone her instincts regarding form and function as it applied to creating collages from items that she collected during her travels. Some of Caroline’s accomplishment highlights are working with Joel Wachs, president of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, on a few projects in Los Angeles, California; staged art shows each spring for several years at The Southwest Museum as an instructor for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Indian Education Program; held art shows in Montecito and Santa Barbara, California. She’s also published her book “Gallerie de Street Art: Paris.” Caroline is also a music maven and is a music blogger for www.nohoartsdistrict.com.

Larry Blecha Art: It's Never Too Late to Start... art show www.nohoartsdistrict.com

**** 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.

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What are the Top 5 Sleeping Aids and the Best Protein Powders

NoHo - North Hollywood
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What are the Top 5 Sleeping Aids and the Best Protein Powders

The Top 5 Sleeping Aid Supplements of 2017 

Not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep is one of the worst feelings. 

Whether you had too much caffeine that day or a stressful upcoming task had you tossing in bed, we can all think of a recent time when we had trouble falling asleep.

If you have difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep, you should consider a sleeping aid supplement. 

Many times they are taken to treat sleeping disorders such as sleep apnea, a common condition that affects how much and how well you sleep. 

Most sleeping aid supplements are considered sedative hypnotics (1). These kind of supplements contain ingredients that are used to chemically induce and maintain healthy sleep sessions. 

Below is a list of the best sleeping aid supplements on the market according to price, customer reviews, and product quality. Then, we broke down what exactly sleeping aid supplements are and how they work. 

So what’s the best sleeping aid on the market? 

read more…http://healthranks.org/sleeping-aids/


Best protein powder of 2017 

We reviewed the best whey protein so you don’t have to Protein is a no-brainer. 

Not just for athletes, but for people who just wanna live healthy lives. Even starting your day with 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes after waking up has been well-documented to keep you lean. 

Pick a protein that matches your goals.

Looking for a great pre or post workout shake? Or an all-around effective protein? Try whey isolate or whey concentrate. 

 Looking for a pre-bedtime protein or meal replacement? Try casein or a protein blend.

Full expert review 

Whenever I step foot into a gym these days, I always see people religiously downing protein shakes. 

Protein supplements are so ingrained in gym culture that it’s difficult to justify ending a workout without one. True story. 

The short story? Protein powders work. So let’s strip the hype, science and nebulous terminology that surrounds protein powder. 

If anything, read this so you can stunt on hulky “gym guy” at your local Golds Gym. 

read more…https://healthtrends.com/protein-powder

From Staten Island and Italian Bred.

Lisa Bianconi
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Candice Guardino’s “Italian Bred” – The critically acclaimed, hugely successful one-women show comes to The Colony Theatre, Burbank.

After sold-out shows Off Broadway and rave reviews, and back in L.A. after last year’s sold out shows at The Hudson, Candice Guardino is bringing her one-women show “Italian Bred” to the Colony Theatre in beautiful downtown Burbank.

Born in Brooklyn, raised in Staten Island, Candice has taken stories from her own life and created a heartwarming and candid glimpse into what it feels like to be a little girl growing up Italian in Staten Island.

Candice Guardino’s “Italian Bred” www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Candice is an accomplished writer having worked on “The Guiding Light,” “All My Children,” “Max Bickford” and “Law & Order,” as well as her own hit show in New York “S.O.S,” which ran at Stage 72 and the Laurie Beechman.

Having written down everything her loving and outspoken grandmother ever uttered, Candice slips in and out of multiple characters while sharing the stage with virtual cameos of Emmy winner Leslie Jordan (“Will and Grace”), Mario Cantone (“Sex & the City”), Steve Schirripa (“The Sopranos”), and Vic DiBitetto (“Mall Cop 2.”)

Candice Guardino shared:

“Each time my parents see the show my mother says: ‘I was good tonight Candice.’”

Clearly she loves Candice’s interpretation of her!

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We all have hilarious and embarrassing moments from our childhood, some of us more than others, but Candice has turned hers into a spectacular memory-fest full of the comedy of our lives. With musical accompaniment she fearlessly lays bare her familiar, horrifying and hilarious adolescent journey and welcomes us with open arms into her eccentric, loud and loving Staten Island Italian world.

I’m not sure my family would be thrilled to see themselves and their lives on stage, but then it seems Ms Guardino’s big Italian family revel in their ‘fame’ and are fully supportive of her touring the US with this hugely popular show, to sold out crowds no less!

Candice has taken the advice all writers are given – to write what you know – to new heights of humor and dramatic daring and reminds us all how, even though sometimes we wish them away, family is always the most important thing in our lives.

After successful runs Off Broadway, L.A. became the natural next step for the Guardino story, especially since there are plans in the works for TV and Film versions. So you should probably take in the ‘live’ version before it becomes cinematic history! After Los Angeles the show moves to Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Jersey and then stays on the West Coast.

Candice Guardino's Italian Bred show www.nohoartsdistrict.com

SCHEDULE & PRICING

The Colony Theatre – ($25 – $45)
Friday, March 17th – 8pm Saturday, March 18th – 8pm
Sunday, March 19th – 3pm
Friday, March 24th – 8pm
Saturday, March 25th – 8pm
Sunday, March 26th – 3pm

**** 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.

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NoHo Neighborhood Council Clean Up

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Midtown North Hollywood Neighborhood Council Clean Up

Saturday, February 25th, the Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council’s Beautification Committee with participation and cooperation from Westwood Financial Corporation Management held a cleanup project at the North Hollywood Ralph’s Complex at Vineland and Magnolia. The crew of 14 volunteers came together and cleaned the entire complex, removing 15 bags of trash.  

A big thank you to all the volunteers who came out; our community is now a little cleaner thanks to your generous efforts. 

MTNHNC cleanup people

On April 15, the neighborhood council will also be participating in LA City Council Member Paul Krekorian’s tree planting project at the Vineland Median (just south of Magnolia.)

Additionally, the council will also be participating in Lankershim Elementary’s Earth Day Celebration on April 22th at 8-11AM.

If you have an idea for a future project or are interested in helping or becoming more involved, please contact the Chair of the Beautification Committee James Askew at jamesaskewfornoho@gmail.com or connect with us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/MidTownNoHoNC.

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ABOUT US

The NoHo Arts District is a one-square-mile community in North Hollywood that is home to live, professional theatres, dance studios, art galleries, public art, music recording venues, acting and art workshops, international dining options, clothing and specialty shops, and businesses that create a myriad of art forms. NoHo is "Where the Arts Are Made." - "NoHoArtsDistrict.com"

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