A review by Rachel Flanagan.

Victor Castillo and Tara McPherson take you on a political and intergalactic ride with a childlike wonder in their exhibitions at the MKG Gallery.  Each artists brings out their inner child with work inspired by comics, science fiction and lots of color that reflect a unique spirit.

Victor Castillos'"Born in '73," paintings mix a Dick and Jane style image with Merry Melodies cartoon like humor and sausage noses and toothy grins in a fun and colorful image with a slightly creepy and sociopolitical essence. The children in his paintings may be doing something seemingly innocent and make believe but each image represents a slightly ominous presence of the corrupted social system that Castillo grew up with in Chile. Each of his works reflects the feelings of fear and rebellion with the freedoms that comes through art and colorful imagery.

Tara McPhersons'"The Difference Between Here and There," creates a world of self-discovery in a sort of intergalactic and underwater world of heroines and other creatures.  Each of her characters displays a playful piece of the human spirit from paintings of celestial women with glowing eyes to cuddly polar bears, bunnies, and space cadets.  Her pieces have a colorful pastel hue and take you on a playful and spiritual journey from here to there.

The two worlds of Victor Castillo and Tara McPherson come together from March 5 - April 2, 2016 at the MKG Gallery in Los Angeles.  Be sure to stop by and take your own journey to self-discovery with the alternately colorful worlds created by these two talented artists.

http://www.mkgallery.com/

MERRY KARNOWSKY GALLERY
170 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.933.4408

info@mkgallery.com

ROAD GAMES, ADMIRAL, RISE OF THE LEGEND, SCOUT BEGIN EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS AT ARENA CINEMA HOLLYWOOD ON MARCH 11

            Road Games. Directed and written by Abner Pastoll. Produced by Guillaume Benski and JunyoungJang. From IFC Films. Color, 2016, UK/France, 95 minutes, not rated. Thriller. Starring Andrew Simpson, Barbara Crampton, Josephine de la Baume, Frederic Pierrot, Feodor Atkins and Pierre Boulanger. The sun drenched days of summer turn dark and ominous for hitchhiking duo Jack and Véronique when they become inexplicably entangled with a mysterious married couple and a local road kill collector in rural France.

            "Unnerving horror thriller."---Britflicks

            Originally scheduled to open March 4, Road Games will now open March 11.

            Admiral. Directed by Roel Reine. Written by Lars Bloom and Alex van Galen. Produced by Klaas de Jong. From XLrator Media. Color, 2016, Netherlands, 122 minutes, not rated. Action/Adventure. Starring Rutger Hauer, Charles Dance, Daniel Brocklebank, Frank Lammers, Ella-June Henrard and Barry Atsma. When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France and Germany and the country itself is on the brink of civil war, only one man can lead the county's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet: Michiel de Ruyter.

            "An undeniable amount of fun."---Toronto Film Scene

            Rise of the Legend. Directed by Roy Chow. Written by Chi-long To. Produced by Ivy Ho, Sammo Hung, William Kong and Hugh Simon. Color, 2016, Hong Kong/China, 131 minutes, not rated. From IPA Asia Pacific. Starring Sammo Hung, Eddie Peng, Luodan Wang, Boran Jing, Byron Mann and Angelababy. Action/Adventure. In 1868 in Ghangzhou, an orphan whose father has been killed by dark power attempts to bring justice to the town. This is the beginning of master Wong Fei Hung, an everlasting legend in the world of martial arts.

            Winner- Hong Kong Film Awards; Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers Awards.

            "Visually stunning."---Asian Film Strike

             Scout. Directed by Laurie Weltz. Written by Weltz and India Ennenga. Produced by Beverley Gordon, Dwjuan F. Fox and Nocolas Emiliani. From Breaking Glass Pictures. Color, 2016, USA, 109 minutes, not rated. Starring Jane Seymour, Nikki Reed, Danny Glover, Ellen Burstyn, India Ennenga and Shelley Hennig. A rebellious Goth girl embarks on a road trip across Texas with a suicidal young man in an attempt to find her little sister.

            Winner- PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.

            March 11- March 16, 2016. Contact venue for show times. Admission: $12 each feature.  Information: (323) 306-0676. Online ticketing: http://arenascreen.com

            At Arena Cinema Hollywood, 1625 N. Las Palmas Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. Discounted parking is available with validation at lots adjacent to the venue and across the street. Arena Cinema is Hollywood's new home for independent films, powered by Voltaire Media.  Ranked among Top 5 Indie Movie Theatres in Los Angeles by CBS2.

SOMEONE ELSE, KILL YOUR FRIENDS, BASKIN, PANDEMIC OPEN EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS AT ARENA CINEMA HOLLYWOOD ON APRIL 1

           Someone Else.Directed and written by Nelson Kim. Produced by Brandon Harris and Geoffrey Quan. Color, 2016, USA, 72 minutes, not rated. Romance/Thriller. Starring Aaron Yoo, Leonardo Nam, Jackie Chung, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Paul C. Rush and Steve Park.

A tale of two Korean American cousins. A shy young law student, hungry for a more vivid, risk-taking existence, visits his playboy cousin in New York City. In his quest to emulate his cousin, the law student sheds his old identity and takes a leap into the unknown, where risk, adventure, and a chance at love await. But in a series of surprising twists, his dream of growth and metamorphosis threatens to become a nightmare from which he may never awaken. 

            "A highly intriguing debut."---VCinema

            Kill Your Friends.Directed by Owen Harris. Written by John Niven. Produced by Gregor Cameron and Will Clarke. From Well Go USA Entertainment. Color, 2016, UK, 103 minutes, not rated. Comedy/Thriller. Starring Ed Skrein, Nicholas Hoult, Rosanna Arquette, James Corden, Georgia King and Joseph Mawle. An A&R man working at the height of the Britpop music craze goes to extremes in order to find his next hit.

            "A career-best performance from Nicholas Hoult."---The People's Movies

            Baskin.Directed by Can Evrenol. Written by Evrenol, Ogulcan Eren Akay, Cam Ozuduru and Ercin Sadikoglu. From IFC Midnight. Color, 2016, Turkey/USA, 97 minutes, not rated. Fantasy/Horror. Starring Muharrem Bayrak, Mehmet Akif Budak, Fadik Bulbul, Derin Cankaya, Mehmet Cerrahoglu and Hayati Citaklar. A squad of unsuspecting cops goes through a trapdoor to Hell when they stumble upon a Black Mass in an abandoned building.

            Winner: Fantastic Fest; Morbido Fest.

            "One of the best horror films of the decade."---Shock Till You Drop

           Pandemic.Directed by John Suits. Written by Dustin T. Benson. Produced by Suits, Gabriel Cowan and Michael Tadross Jr. From XLrator Media. Color, 2016, USA, 91 minutes, not rated. Action/Sci-Fi. Starring Rachel Nichols, Missi Pyle, Alfie Allen, Paul Guilfoyle, Mekhi Phifer and Danielle Rose Russell. Pandemic is set in the near future, where a virus of epic proportions has overtaken the planet. There are more infected than uninfected, and humanity is losing its grip on survival. Its only hope is finding a cure and keeping the infected contained. Lauren (Rachel Nichols) is a doctor, who, after the fall of New York, comes to Los Angeles to lead a team to hunt for and rescue uninfected survivors.

            "Pandemic succeeds in keeping its audience invested and entertained."---Shock Till You Drop

            April 1- April 7, 2016. Contact venue for show times. Admission: $12 each feature.  Information:  (323) 306-0676. Online ticketing:  http://arenascreen.com

            At Arena Cinema Hollywood, 1625 N. Las Palmas Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. Discounted parking is available with validation at lots adjacent to the venue and across the street. Arena Cinema is Hollywood's new home for independent films, powered by Voltaire Media.  Ranked among Top 5 Indie Movie Theatres in Los Angeles by CBS2.

STAGE RAW

ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR

THE SECOND ANNUAL

STAGE RAW THEATER AWARDS!

INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.

 (DR. PINCH AND THE PINCHTONES) hosts!

March 10, 2016... The answer to last year's question of whether the digital arts venture STAGE RAWcould bring back its awards ceremony celebrating the best of LA's up-to-99-seat theaters, the answer is YES.  STAGE RAWis pleased to announce the SECOND ANNUAL STAGE RAW LOS ANGELES THEATER AWARDS, championing the best work of 2015 in L.A.'s still-embattled theaters of up to 99-seats.

For a career of promoting new plays in Los Angeles at his Skylight Theatre - not to mention his recent mediated discussions with Actors Equity Association, on behalf of the region's smaller theaters, STAGE RAWis pleased to honor GARY GROSSMANwith its Career Achievement Award. This year's Queen of the Angels Award goes to Highways'LEO GARCIA

Meet vaudeville cabaret host Dr. Pinch (Independent Shakespeare Co.'s DAVID MELVILLE) and his bevy of wistful support players, the Pinchtones. Enjoy their nutty, saucy musical stylings as Dr. Pinch and the Pinchtones host the the city's only awards ceremony honoring the best of L.A.'s up-to-99-seat theaters. Monday night April 25 atLos Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, Downtown Los Angeles. VIP reception at 6 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:30 p.m. These awards recognize accomplishment for the 2015 calendar year.  General admission is $25. VIP admission is $100. For more information and to RSVP, visit http://stageraw.com

ABOUT THE AWARDS

THE STAGE RAW THEATER AWARDSare dedicated to honoring the swath of innovative works of theater in Los Angeles County, in venues of up-to-99-seats. These are works that for any number of reasons, can't or don't typically get produced in larger theaters. When they do, it's often because they've been incubated in the smaller theaters; that very incubation is the focus of Stage Raw and its theater awards.

These are harrowing times for artists in our culture. Despite the seeming freedoms of expression provided by social media, the live performing arts, which provide vital and often novel forms of expressing the beauty and discontent of our lives, are being increasingly marginalized and shuttered because they can't be monetized.

For thousands of years, the performing arts have generated works that have survived centuries because of their innate wisdom and relevance, works that have always depended on subsidy and patronage to be born. These works are created in Los Angeles County by artists who see theater as a calling as much as a profession, and these are the artists, and their now embattled system of creating the kind of art they love, that Stage Raw stands behind.   

ABOUT STAGE RAW

STAGE RAWis an evolving digital experiment, a virtual laboratory for what new arts journalism can be.

Its mission is not to restore a model from the past, but to fuse interactive, innovative means to bring new life into the medium. Of course, StageRaw.com reviews arts events, nudging audiences toward the best of them. However, we also create exclusive video and podcast features, documentaries on our most cherished arts institutions, and, with our Citizen Raw section, engage people in their 20s and 30s for content, juxtaposed with contributions by seasoned journalists.

THE NOMINEES:

Fight Choreography

Edgar Landa - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Mike Mahaffey - Rio Hondo - Theatre of NOTE in association with Opiate of the Masses

Nick Mochel - Gus's Fashions & Shoes - VS. Theatre Company  

Nick Mochel - The Homecoming - The Pacific Resident Theatre 

Ned Mochel - A Permanent Image - Rogue Machine Theatre

Video/Projection Design

Anthony Backman - Astro Boy and the God of Comics - Sacred Fools Theater

Dallas Nichols - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble

Tom Ontiveros - Shiv - The Theatre @ Boston Court

Anthony M. Sannazarro - Break of Noon - City Garage

Nick Santiago - A Permanent Image - Rogue Machine Theatre

Keith Skretch - Love and Information - Son of Semele Ensemble

Sound Design

Jack Arky - Shiv - The Theatre @ Boston Court

Danny Echevarria - The Temptation of St. Anthony - Four Larks

Jeff Polunas - Love and Information - Son of Semele Ensemble

Matt Richter - Rio Hondo - Theatre of Note in association with Opiate of the Masses

Ken Sawyer - Hit The Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Stephen Swift - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble

John Zalewski - My Barking Dog - The Theatre @ Boston Court

Lighting Design

Brandon Baruch - The Temptation of St. Anthony - Four Larks

Matthew Brian Denman - Niagara Falls - Theatre of NOTE

Jeff Gardner - A Dog's House - IAMA Theatre Company

Michael Gend - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Matt Richter - Astro Boy and the God of Comics - Sacred Fools Theater

Matt Richter - Hit The Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Matt Richter - Rio Hondo - Theatre of Note in association with Opiate of the Masses

Jared A. Sayeg - Picnic - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Costume Design

E. B. Brook - Hit The Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Jenny Foldenauer - Love and Information- Son of Semele Ensemble

Kimberly Freed - Entropy - Theatre of NOTE

Kerry Hennessy and Lori Meeker - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble

Garry Lennon - The Missing Pages of Lewis Carroll - The Theatre @ Boston Court

Terri A. Lewis - Picnic - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Linda Muggeridge - Astro Boy and the God of Comics - Sacred Fools Theater

Michael Mullen - Sweeney Todd - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal Theatre

Original Music

Andy Cooper - Recorded in Hollywood: The Musical - Jamelle Dolphin, Dolphins of

            Hollywood and Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners

Michael Shaw Fisher - Shakespeare's Last Night Out - Orgasmico Theatre Company

Ellen Warkentine and Mat Sweeney - The Temptation of St. Anthony - Four Larks

Anna Waronker & Charlotte Caffey - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Choreography

Cassie Crump - Recorded in Hollywood: The Musical - Jamelle Dolphin, Dolphins of  

            Hollywood and Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners

Samantha Marie - Sweeney Todd - Kelrick Productions at the El Portal Theatre

Yusuf Nasir - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Sebastian Peters-Lazaro - The Temptation of St. Anthony - Four Larks

Angela Todaro - Jesus Christ Superstar - DOMA Theatre Co at the MET Theatre

Musical Direction

Jake Broder - Miravel - Sacred Fools Theater 

Joe Lawrence - Sweeney Todd - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal Theatre

Anthony Lucca - Assassins - Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions

Chris Raymond - Jesus Christ Superstar - DOMA Theatre Co at the MET Theatre

Ellen Warkantine - The Temptation of St. Anthony - Four Larks  

Set Design

Wilson Chin - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Francois-Pierre Couture - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble 

Desma Murphy - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Robert Salander - Picnic - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Stephanie Kerley Schwartz - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Stephanie Kerley Schwartz - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company

Two Person Performance

Ed F. Martin and Michelle Azar - My Barking Dog - The Theatre @ Boston Court

Leading Female Performance

Angela Bullock - Watching O.J. - Ensemble Studio Theatre, Los Angeles

Anne Gee Byrd - A Permanent Image - Rogue Machine Theatre

Marilyn Fox - Awake and Sing - The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Charlotte Gulezian - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Taylor Gilbert - The Other Place - The Road Theatre

Lily Knight -A Small Fire - Echo Theatre Company

Zoe Perry - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Christine Woods -A Dog's House - IAMA Theatre Company

Supporting Female Performance

Alison England - Sweeney Todd - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal Theatre

Shannon Holt - Picnic - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Kristina Johnson - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Tracie Lockwood - A Permanent Image - Rogue Machine Theatre

Ferrell Marshall - Enron - The Production Company at The Lex Theatre (T L Kolman and August

Viverito)

Suanne Spoke - The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek - The Fountain Theatre

Brenda Strong - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company

Supporting Male Performance

Robert Gossett - Watching O.J. - Ensemble Studio Theatre, Los Angeles

Burt Grinstead - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Kevin McKidd - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Roland Ruiz - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Darrett Sanders -A Small Fire - Echo Theatre Company

Matt Steele - Sweeney Todd - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal Theatre

Blake Young-Fountain - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Leading Male Performance

Matthew Hancock - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Robert Maffia -Gus's Fashion and Shoes - VS. Theatre Company

Jeff Perry - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Graham Sibley - A Dog's House - IAMA Theatre Company

Thomas Silcott -The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek - The Fountain Theatre

Adam Silver -Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

George Villas - Break of Noon - City Garage

Male Comedy Performance

Tim Cummings - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Alex Fernandez - Luka's Room - Rogue Machine Theatre

Darrett Sanders - Rio Hondo - Theatre of Note in association with Opiate of the Masses

Darrett Sanders - The Whiskey Maiden - Theatre of NOTE

Michael Shepperd - Bootycandy - Celebration Theatre

Jimmi Simpson - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company

Female Comedy Performance

Claire Adams - Assassins - Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions

Julanne Chidi Hill - Bootycandy - Celebration Theatre

Corryn Cummins - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Laurie Metcalf - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company

Shoniqua Shandai - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Alina Phelan - Niagara Falls - Theatre of NOTE

Alina Phelan - Rio Hondo - Theatre of NOTE in association with Opiate of the Masses

Solo Performance

Orson Bean - Safe at Home - Pacific Resident Theatre 

Michael Shaw Fisher - Shakespeare's Last Night Out - Orgasmico Theatre Company

Erica Gimpel - Sister - MPE Productions, Sahara Vision, and The Bootleg Theater

Leah Joki - Prison Boxing - Skylight Theatre Company

Ann Noble - Stanley Ann - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Monica Piper - Not That Jewish - Jewish Women's Theatre and The Braid

Jeanne Syquia - All American Girl - InterACT Theatre Company

Adaptation

Annie Baker - Uncle Vanya - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Charles Duncombe - Hamletmachine - City Garage

Ellen McLaughlin - Oedipus Machina - The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Stephen Sachs - Citizen: An American Lyric - The Fountain Theatre

Chelsea Sutton - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble

Playwriting

Jonathan Caren - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Michael Edwards - Sister - MPE Productions, Sahara Vision and The Bootleg Theater

Wendy Graf - All American Girl - InterACT Theatre Company

Chris Kelley - The Whiskey Maiden - Theatre of NOTE

David McMillan - Watching O.J. - Ensemble Studio Theatre, Los Angeles

Micah Schraft - A Dog's House - IAMA Theatre Company

Tommy Smith - Fugue - Echo Theatre Company

Production Design

Wilson Chin - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Francois-Pierre Couture - Wood Boy Dog Fish - Rogue Artists Ensemble 

Desma Murphy - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Robert Salander - Picnic - The Antaeus Theatre Company

Stephanie Kerley Schwartz - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Stephanie Kerley Schwartz - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company 

Comedy Ensemble

Bootycandy- Celebration Theatre

Entropy- Theatre of NOTE

The Homecoming- Pacific Resident theatre

Need to Know- Rogue Machine Theatre 

Rio Hondo- Theatre of NOTE in association with Opiate of the Masses

Trevor- Circle X Theatre Company

Ensemble

Anna Christie- Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

A Dog's House- IAMA Theatre Company

Hit the Wall- Los Angeles LGBT Center

The Kill-or-Dies- Electric Footlights in association with Moving Arts 

Love and Information- Son of Semele Ensemble

The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek- The Fountain Theatre

Picnic- The Antaeus Theatre Company

Comedy Direction

Ryan Bergmann - Niagara Falls - Theatre of NOTE

Joshua Bitton - Luka's Room - Rogue Machine Theatre

Bart DeLorenzo - Need to Know - Rogue Machine Theatre

Christopher William Johnson -Entropy - Theatre of NOTE

Stella Powell-Jones - Trevor - Circle X Theatre Company

Jaime Robledo - Rio Hondo - Theatre of NOTE in association with Opiate of the Masses 

Alan Shearman - El Grande de Coca Cola - Skylight Theatre Company/Flying Cucumber

            Productions

August Viverito - Enron - The Production Company 

Direction Award

Matthew McCray - Love and Information - Son of Semele Ensemble

Elina de Santos - Awake and Sing - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Ken Sawyer - Hit the Wall - Los Angeles LGBT Center

Yuval Sharon - Hopscotch - The Industry

Jaime Robledo - Astro Boy and the God of Comics - Sacred Fools Theater

Kim Rubinstein - Anna Christie - Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Cameron Watson - Picnic- The Antaeus Theatre Company

Musical of the Year Award

Assassins- Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions

Jesus Christ Superstar- DOMA Theatre Co at the MET Theatre

Recorded in Hollywood: The Musical- Jamelle Dolphin, Dolphin's of Hollywood, LLC and

            Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners

Sweeney Todd- Kelrik Productions at the El Portal Theatre

The Temptation of St. Anthony- Four Larks

Revival Production of The Year Award (of a 20th- or 21st-century work)

Anna Christie- Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Awake and Sing- Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

The Homecoming- The Pacific Resident Theatre 

Picnic- The Antaeus Theatre Company

The Pitchfork Disney- Coeurage Theatre

Uncle Vanya- The Antaeus Theatre Company

Production of The Year Award

Astro Boy and the God of Comics- Sacred Fools Theater

Fugue- Echo Theatre Company

Hit the Wall- Los Angeles LGBT Center

Love and Information- Son of Semele Ensemble

Trevor- Circle X Theatre Company

Watching O.J.- Ensemble Studio Theatre, Los Angeles

SPECIAL AWARDS

Career Achievement

Gary Grossman

Queen of the Angels

Leo Garcia

The STAGE RAWCelebration is Monday, April 25 at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street (VIP reception 6 p.m.; doors Open at 6:30. Awards Program begins at 7:30pm), General Admission Tickets are $25, VIP Tickets $100, available at https://stageraw.com

A review by Rachel Flanagan

La Luz De Jesus Gallery presents Laluzapalooza, their 30^th annual group exhibition. A jury sorted through thousands of submissions from local artists to commercial artists to find some of the hottest most impressive artists and selected over 250 pieces from more than 100 artists for this huge show with no theme.  You will find a little bit of everything from familiar names to emerging undiscovered artists.  The art contains mixed media, sketches, paintings, needle felt, papier Mache and wood carvings among others things.  There is bound to be something for everyone at this show and perhaps you can own a piece of something well known and loved or one of the next great artists. The gallery is open to the public from March 4 ^th through March 27 ^th so stop by and check out the amazing art.

http://laluzdejesus.com/laluzapalooza-2016/

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-7667

Featured Artists:

Donna Abbate, Eric Almanza, Nathan Anderson, Davidd Batalon, Roberto Benavidez, Megan Bennett, Michelle Bickford, BigToe, Andrea Bogdan, Alea Bone, Steven Bradshaw, Katherine Brannock, Hazel Castillo, Adrian Cherry, Christine Cheung, Mary Clark-Camargo, Carol Connett, Tom Connor, Matthew Cooper, Dave Dexter, Randi Drozd, Bruce Eichelberger, Frank Forte, Harold Fox, Don Fritz, Richard Frost,

Christine Fulton, Wendy Lee Gadzuk, Josh Gardner, Diana Georgie, Arthur E Giron, Mark Gleason, Trevor Grabowski, Amy Guidry, Conrad Haberland, Walt Hall, Howard Hallis, Derek Harrison, Annette Hassell, Jack Howe, Karen Hydendahl, Hyun Jung Ji, Jinx, Nagisa Kamae, Kate Kelton, Mariam Keurjikian, Jeffrey R. Kibbe, Randy Kono, Michael Kortez, Craig LaRotonda, Mavis Leahy, Dave Lebow, Gretchen Lewis, Justine Lin, Bob Lizarraga, Sergio A. Lobato, Lizz Lopez, Carl Lozada, Alexiz Lopez, Dion Macellari, Edwin Marin, D. W. Marino, Horacio Martinez, Jason Blue Lake Hawk Martinez, Mary Ancilla Martinez, Aya Masuda, Vincent Mattina,  Patrick McGrath, Mark Melchior, Genie Melisande, Zachary Mendoza, Gram Moore, Melissa Parra Morrow. Click Mort, Pamela Mower-Conner, Michael Murphy, Ron Norman, Daisuke Okamoto, Billy Pacak, Cristina Paulos, Plasticgod, Peca, Olga Ponomarenko, Bunnie Reiss, Lena Rushing, Ken Ruzic, Corey Sandelius, Leonardo Santamaria, Van Saro, Lena Sayadian, Kim Scott, Rusty Sherrill, Dale Sizer, Preston Smith (PMS), Andy Steel, Sean Stepanoff, Adam Strange, Joey Stupor, Deirdre Sullivan-Beeman, David Russell Talbott, Tenderloin Television, Annie Terrazzo, Pol Turgeon, Vakseen, VegA, Edith Waddell, Shawn Waco, Nicole Waszak, Lauren Wilde, Marc Willey, Jasmine Worth, and Natalie Zigal.

Jamie Foxx and daughter with Elemoon owner Jing Zhou.
Photo: Rony Armas

Oscars Week turned Hollywood into a plethora of gifting suites, red carpet interviews and Oscar parties! Celebrity guests who attended the GBK Productions & Lifecell 2016 Pre-Oscar Lounge at The London West Hollywood drank lovely Be Tini cocktails, and received great gifts as they visited with each vendor. 

CEO and Founder of GBK Productions Gavin Keilly and Jimmy Jean-Louis attend the GBK & LifeCell 2016 Pre Oscar Lounge at The London West Hollywood on February 27, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for GBK Productions)

While there was nonstop action, there was also time for pampering! Title sponsor LifeCell gifted celebs like Anthony Anderson, (Blackish), Felicity Huffman, (American Crime), Brian James d'Arcy (Winner: Best Film 'Spotlight'), Tom Yellin (Nominated for Best Documentary "Cartel Land"), Jamie Brewer (American Horror Story), Annet Mahendru ('The Americans, X Files'), Tom McCarthy (Winner - Best Original Screenplay "Spotlight") their Anti-Aging Treatment - a paraben, fragrance, and cruelty-free product that acts as an under eye treatment, firming serum, dark spot corrector, antioxidant serum, wrinkle reduction treatment, sheer moisturizer and primer all in one product. Presenting Sponsor Alessi Institute also offered guests the opportunity to experience SculpSure, the world's first FDA-approved laser treatment for non-invasive lipolysis.

While stopping to talk with participating charity, Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work, actor Jamie Foxx said he appreciated having an open discussion with  his young daughter about equality for all. Foxx also received an elemoon,  the luxury wearable tech bracelet, the world's first smart accessory that lets you change its light designs to match every outfit or occasion and can even help you locate your phone.

.  Presenting Sponsor, Center for Aesthetic Dentistry with Kelsey Scott (2014 Oscar-Winning Picture "12 Years A Slave")

At the 8th annual Valentine Romance Oscar®  Style Lounge & Party at Fig & Olive, in West Hollywood, over 100 of Hollywood's finest turned out to celebrate and honor the television industry's Oscar® Nominated actors, former winners, presenters, stylists and industry VIPS.  This highly anticipated invitation-only event, hosted by The Auto Gallery and presented by Maserati and The Center For Aesthetic Dentistry, featured an array of fashion for him and her including couture gowns, bespoke tuxedos & suits, the finest in beauty, skin & hair care, stunning jewelry collections, gorgeous accessories, sexy lingerie, fabulous fragrance, fashion-forward footwear, chic chapeaus, gourmet cuisine, unique spirits, delectable sweets. Former Oscar Winner, Best Supporting Actor ("West Side Story")

Left: Eva La Rue with Ascend Cleanse

Oscar Nominees Brionne Davis ("Embrace of the Serpent" Best Foreign Film), Cas Anvar ("Room" Best Picture), Director Evgeny Afineevsky ("Winter On Fire" Best Documentary),  Vanessa Cloke ("Spotlight" Best Picture), joined George Chakiris (former Oscar Winner "West Side Story"), former Oscar Nominees Sally Kirkland, Renee Taylor & Joe Bologna, former Golden Globe Nominee Evan Brinkman ("Trainwreck"), former Golden Globe & Grammy Nominee & Frank Stallone ("Stayin' Alive"),  TV Legal Analyst Areva Martin, Multiple Emmy Winners Doris Roberts & Marilu Henner, Maria Conchita Alonso, Naomi Grossman ("American Horror Story"), Robin Givens, Eva La Rue, Ernie Hudson, John Savage, Steven Bauer ("Ray Donovan"), Judy Tenuta, Kelsey Scott ("12 Years A Slave), Adina Porter, Lou Ferrigno, Angela Gots ("Madam Secretary"), Damian Whitewood ("Dancing With The Stars"), Keesha Sharp ("The People vs. O.J. Simpson"), Corey Feldman ("The Lost Boys"),  & Robert Carradine, to name a few, were among the cadre of celebrities and industry VIPS who were treated to the best of the best!

Left: Annet Mahendru ('The Americans, X Files')

In the spirit of giving back, guests & sponsors donated unwrapped gifts for young adults (ages 13-18) for a pre-Holiday Gift Drive benefitting'Wednesday's Child' -- a weekly segment airing on KTTV FOX 11 News, Los Angeles, with Anchor Christine Devine. 'Wednesday's Child' highlights 'harder to place' children in the LA County foster care system who are in need of adoptive families. "In Los Angeles County, alone, there are over 35,000 children receiving child welfare services," says social worker, Professor  William Wong.  Bergman always invites 2 foster children to join in on the festivities and experience what it feels like to be treated as a VIP.

Paul Sorvino, former Oscar Winner Margret O'Brien, Michael Schwibs, Randall Malone with Bill Harrison WW2veteran at ROGER NEAL  STYLE HOLLYWOOD OSCAR VIEWING DINNER

Roger Neal was one busy man during Oscars week-not only did he produce The Ultimate Beauty & Couture Suite, he also created an Oscar viewing dinner at The Hollywood Museum, which houses the largest collection of celebrity memorabilia. Before dinner, catered by Presidential Chef Kurt Ehrlich who has worked under President Reagan, Ford, and Nixon, the numerous celebrities present were able to tour the various exhibits. Neal gave out ICON awards, to George Chakiris, who won his Oscar in 1961 for "West Side Story," Margaret O'Brien, who won her Oscar for "Meet Me St. Louis" and much loved actor Paul Sorvino, who serenaded guests with an impromptu song between Oscar commercials! 

Chocolatier Glamour Bombonier Brazilian Sweets made miniature chocolate award statues covered in edible gold that everyone enjoyed with some taking them home as souvenirs.

Susan L. Hornik
contributor to EtOnline.com, Realtor.com, Industrym.com, HGTV's FrontDoor.com, Complex.com, TheFrisky.com, TravelChannel.com, FiftyistheNewFifty.com, Redbook, Canada's Chatelaine, Daytime Confidential,  UK's Look, Videoage, Brainworld, CSQ, First for Women, Twist, Discover Hollywood, Dish, Maxim, Health, Mademan.com, Match.com's Happenmag.com

A review by Erin Fair.

Ann Marie Wilding, Keri Tombazian, Markus Jorgensen, Tara Battani and Gregory James star in the Actors Co-op production of SUMMER AND SMOKE, now playing at the ACTORS CO-OP David Schall Theatre. 
Photos:  Lindsay Schnebly

Summer and Smoke was written in the mid-1940s, making it an ancillary of  The Glass Menagerie and  A Streetcar Named Desire, but its world feels even more confined than the Wingfields' living room or the Kowalskis' kitchen. Summer and Smoke is set in the early 20th century in the small town of Glorious Hill, Mississippi, where Alma with a minister father and a mentally unstable mother, grows up derisive of carnal desires, giving spiritual inclinations precedence.

Fernanda Rohd and Gregory James

Alma (Melody Hollis) lusts after her neighbor John Buchanan Jr. (Gregory James) the charming debauchee who makes little secret of his affairs with women from outside polite society, notably with Rosa Gonzalez (Fernanda Rohd). During one argument John forces Alma to look at an anatomy chart in his doctors office. "This upper story's the brain, which is hungry for something called truth and doesn't get much but keeps on feeling hungry, this middle's the belly which is hungry for food. This part down here is the sex, which is hungry for love because it is sometimes lonesome. I've fed all three, as much of all three as I could or as much as I wanted--You've fed none." He challenges her to find the soul among the jumble of blood and guts and she can't. By that accord he thinks he has won the argument, but by the end of the play, the tables have turned with a furious guerdon and each follows the path formerly trodden by the other.

(Right) Tara Battani and Gregory James.

Summer and Smoke could easily be categorized as "first world problems" but as a Tennessee Williams play it delves past the surface into the bottom rung of human emotion and strips it bare. Summer and Smoke is about how uncompromising beliefs can often get in the way of love and freedom. Echoing the sentiment of his other works, the sorrow of two people identifying the missing element but failing to grasp it in time is portrayed with keen awareness.

SUMMER AND SMOKE runs through Sunday, April 17 at the Actors Co-op David Schall Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

Tickets may be purchased by phone at (323) 462-8460 or visit www.ActorsCo-op.org.

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:30pm (with Saturday Matinees scheduled for Saturday, March 12 & Saturday, April 16 at 2:30pm). There are no performances over Easter Weekend March 25-27.

Actors Co-op is located at 1760 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, CA 90028, on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, one block north of Hollywood Boulevard, just off the Gower Street exit of the 101 Hollywood Freeway.  Free, well-lit parking is available on Carlos Street (1/2 block east of Gower).

Gregory James and Tara Battani

A review by Rachel Flanagan

One man, one stage, one scene is set for the one-man show written, directed and performed by Rick Segall. Fishers of Men is the story of the final moments of Simon Peter and how those moments changed the life of another.  After the death and resurrection of Christ, the disciples were still spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.  The Roman Empire did not take kindly to these "Christians" On the night of July 18, 64 AD; a fire broke out in one of the Roman chariot racing stadiums and burned for six days and seven nights.  The "Great Fire" as it became known, was the most devastating disasters in the history of Rome and rumors were swirling at who started the fire.  The Christians were blamed, arrested and tortured for their supposed crimes. The Games, reenactments of the public killing of criminals and animals, was set to be the place of their execution the following day.  One of those prisoners was Simon Peter and he was not alone in his cell.

The scene is set in a dark, dank and dreary cell. Simon Peter emerges with nothing but a ratty and dirty piece of cloth and no one else is in sight.  He starts praying and talking to his cellmate.  Rick Segall wrote this play with only one actor, one scene and no props, lighting changes or other distractions.  The intent is for the audience to immerse themselves in the story the same way readers bury themselves in a book.  All that a book provides is limited elements through words that engage the reader's imagination so that they become surrounded by the characters and settings in the story.  Rick Segall uses this same concept to immerse the audience in his story.  He plays multiple characters, changing his voice, his mannerisms and his position on the stage and it seems like there are more than one player on the stage.

Simon Peter and his cellmate share their stories, both of which revolve around the religious beliefs they have grown up to know as the one truth, but neither share the same truth.  When the day of the Games come, Simon Peter is tasked to disavow his Christian believes but refuses, until his very end.  His cellmate, having learned of Simon Peter's story and witness his strength and love for the God that he believes so strongly, sets out to make sure that no one will ever forget who Simon Peter was and what he did for a stranger in a cell the night before his own demise.

This epic tale will not leave a dry eye in the house as the powerful story combined with the captivating performance of Rick Segall come together for a courageous telling of the power of love and the strength of faith. 

Fishers of Menplays Friday and Saturday at 8pm and 3pm on Sundays. The show plays Friday, March 4^th through Sunday March 27^th at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre on Theatre Row.

Hudson Mainstage Theatre 
6539 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

Laura Wolfe and Lukas Bailey. Photo: David P. Johnson.

It's official, Theatre West is the best, particularly, when mounting shows for  STORYBOOK THEATRE.  These captivating players know exactly how to entertain our children and never fail to enthrall.  Their fun-filled version of 'Sleeping Beauty" or "Sleeping Cutie," as my granddaughter, Cynthia, re-named it, was no exception.  Please note: the new name was at the request of His Majesty the King, of course.  Nothing of great importance is allowed to pass without due consideration from the little ones, making this one-hour long show a delight from start to happy ending.

The set design, as always, was simple and functional.  A sunny yellow backcloth, a castle and a chair - for our heavily pregnant Queen; and anyone else who felt the need to sit down.  A little splash of greenery proved a lot more than decorative later on in the proceedings.  

(Right:Bonnie Kalisher)

All credit to the Costume Department for the bright, colourful garb, which suited every bright, colourful character down to the ground.  A princess, looking pretty in pink, seemed just right, although my eldest granddaughter, Stella, did inquire as to what sort of princess would wear tennis shoes?! 

"A princess who enjoys comfort"? I suggested, gently, and as this Cutie/Beauty ended up doing some funky, monkey moves further into the show, we concurred the footwear to be just right.

The tale began with the entrance of 'Morbid' (BONNIE KALISHER).  Kalisher carried off the role with charm and buoyancy throughout.  She arrived, carrying an armful of beautifully wrapped gifts and sang of how she loved receiving presents.  Presents of all shapes and sizes and colours and bows!  Our young audience wholeheartedly agreed with her and were happy to look after a parcel or two. 

The gifts were for a baby shower for a soon expected princess.  Morbid pressed home the importance of saying "Awesome" and "Thank-you" for gifts received, regardless of whether the gift is wanted.  (A worthy message for our young ones!)  She won our hearts and then secreted herself in the audience to await the arrival of the King and Queen.

The King (LUKAS BAILEY) and his Queen -with neat baby bump - (LAURA WOLFE), were in fine form and sang of their joy at the impending birth of their child.  They donned hats and canes and danced out their happiness in style; but 

"I'm having it now!!".  A worried King, ushered her hastily, to a place where babies are made - beyond the bright, yellow curtain.

Seconds later, she emerged to much excitement, pushing a pink stroller with lusty-lunged princess within.  Audience participants, eager to help, willingly stepped up to assist in the changing of the first royal diaper - a smelly affair - a scene not to be sniffed at.

They named her Gertrude Cutie and everyone seemed happy except for Morbid.  She admonished the royal pair for not saying thank you for gifts they received  ... but the King was pacing - and the Queen was having a baby!  Unimpressed by such feeble excuses, Morbid showed them the last gift of all - a banner of ZZZZZZZZZzs.  She proclaimed that when the princess became fifteen years of age, she would learn to spin, and in the process, prick her finger and fall asleep for one hundred years. 

And so time flew and fifteen years passed, as quick as it took a young audience member to walk across the stage with a sign telling us so!  In fact, in no time at all a teenage Princess Gertrude Cutie (KIRA BRANNLUND) took centre stage, and gave a rambunctious display of confidence.  She sang in praise of herself and the King and Queen approved - their adoration knowing no bounds.  

In true fairytale fashion, the bad found the good and a feisty duet was sung out with relish.  Our girl didn't go on to win though and instead, tackled that spinning wheel,  pricked her finger, yawned very widely, and fell sound asleep.  For as long as the intermission allowed.  (15 minutes for Cookies and Apple Juice.  Yay!)

Act Two saw Sleeping Beauty sleep on.  Not even children shouting, tickling and singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Litle Star" could awaken her.  The King and Queen fretted about Morbid finding their sweet girl again and in a very funny scenario attempted to hide her - I won't say where - but suffice to say a slumbering young audience saved the day!

Once again, time flew!  And to our amazement, one hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, and another sign was paraded across the stage, this time by non-other than my two young charges.  To leave us in no doubt that time had indeed gone by, we watched as the greenery grew as tall as the castle, before our very eyes!!  (Sterling work by the Stage HAND!).

In timely fashion came along a handsome prince. (DAVID P JOHNSON).   He rode a friendly steed and sang in mournful tones of being lonely and in desperate need of someone to turn to.  When he eventually did 'turn' to look behind him, he found what he had been looking for.  With noisy encouragement from the crowd, instructions from Morbid and even Cutie Beauty herself (talking in her sleep), he finally managed to plant a smacker on the royal cheek. 

Our heroine came to life with gusto and knocked us dead with some pretty cool monkey business.   The King and Queen and Morbid joined the happy pair with a song of celebration and gratitude.   The couple fell in love at first sight, and naturally, will live happily ever after. (It's all we ever came for!). 

Kira Brannlund and David P. Johnson Photo: Lloyd J. Schwartz

We had a blast, Storybook Theatre, and in the spirit of this fine production, and on behalf of my two granddaughters, Stella and Cynthia (Below),  I offer a huge thank-you for a splendid afternoon's entertainment. 

We wouldn't have missed it for the world and neither should you!

Storybook Theatre at Theatre West

http://theatrewest.org/onstage/storybooktheatre/

Plenty of free parking across the street.

Through July 9, 2016  | Saturdays at 1PM
Adults $12., Children $10
Call (818) 761-2203 |  Buy Tickets On Line

Birthday Parties! School Field Trips!
Discounts Available for School Field Trips During the Week.
Call (818) 761-2203 for details!

3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, LA, CA 90068
Main Office: (323) 851-4839
Box Office: (323) 851-7977
Storybook Box Office: (818) 761-2203
theatrewest@theatrewest.org

DARLING (2016), HAVANA MOTOR CLUB, DADDY, THEORY OF OBSCURITY  BEGIN EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS AT ARENA CINEMA HOLLYWOOD ON APRIL 8

            Darling. Written and directed by Mickey Keating. Produced by Keating, Sean Fowler and Jenn Wexler. From Screen Media Films. Black-and-white, 2016, USA, 78 minutes, not rated. Thriller. Starring Lauren Ashley Carter, Sean Young, Larry Fessenden, Helen Rogers, John Speredakos and Brian Morvant. A lonely young woman, hired to housesit a New York mansion, descends violently into madness. April 8-14, 2016.

            Opening Night pre-screening reception with the filmmakers.

            "Unsettling, distressing and mesmerizing."---Fangoria

Havana Motor Club. Written and directed by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt. Produced by Perlmutt, Magnus Andersson and Zelmira Gainza. From Samuel Goldwyn Films. Color, 2016, USA/Cuba, 80 minutes, not rated. Documentary. With Armando "Pity" Lorenzo Munnet, Reynaldo Lopez, Ernesto Dobarganes, "Tito" Lopez, Carlos Alvarez and Milton Diaz Canter.- Reforms have offered opportunity in Cuba but the children of the Revolution are unsure of the best route forward. For a half-dozen drag racers, this means last-minute changes to their beloved American muscle cars, as they prepare for the first sanctioned race in Cuba since 1960. Punctuated by a lively Cuban soundtrack, Havana Motor Club offers a fascinating glimpse at the resilience and ingenuity of the competitive spirit. April 8-14, 2016.

"Mirrors the Cuban population's hope and tenacity."---Screen Comment

            Daddy. Directed by Gerald McCullouch. Written by Dan Via. Produced by McCullouch, Via and Allison Venore. From Breaking Glass Pictures. Color, 2016, USA, 89 minutes, not rated. Comedy/Mystery. Starring Gerald McCullouch, Dan Via, Mackenzie Astin, Leslie Easterbrook, Richard Riehle and Tamlyn Tomita. Colin is a stud. Stew, not so much. They've been virtually inseparable since college. But now Colin has fallen for a much younger man. April 8- 14, 2016.

            Winner: Out on Film, Atlanta; California Independent Film Festival.

            "Amazing performances."---The Film Reel

Theory of Obscurity. Written and directed by Don Hardy Jr. Produced by Hardy, Barton Bishoff and Josh Keppel. From Film Movement. Color, 2016, USA/Austria/Germany, 87 minutes, not rated. Starring The Residents, Penn Jillette, Matt Groening, Les Claypool, Gary Panter and Jon Fishman. Documentary. Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents.. The Residents have released more than 60 albums, performed all over the world and inspired many people to be weird, take chances and find their own voice. Now, this film will introduce The Residents to a whole new generation. April 8- 10, 2016.

Opening Night special appearance with Don Hardy Jr.and special guests

"Pays tribute where tribute is due."---Way Too Indie

            Contact venue for show times. Admission: $12 each feature.  Information: (323) 306-0676. Online ticketing: http://arenascreen.com

            At Arena Cinema Hollywood, 1625 N. Las Palmas Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. Discounted parking is available with validation at lots adjacent to the venue and across the street. Arena Cinema is Hollywood's new home for independent films, powered by Voltaire Media.  Ranked among Top 5 Indie Movie Theatres in Los Angeles by CBS2.

A review by Rachel Flanagan

At some point in time we will grieve the loss of someone close to us, perhaps we are currently grieving a loss and perhaps that grief will grow with each loss as it comes. Death Play is how Lisa Dring decided to deal with her grief.  After losing her father, her mother and her grandmother, Dring explored the echoes that those leave behind and challenged the concept of time with this deeply personal performance. Death Play can barely be considered a typical play, as it is a one person dancing and screeching wildly around a white set filled with paper cranes. One minute it appears as if Dring is talking to herself or no one at all and another she engages fully with the audience. A play about death could be quite dark but there is a sense of light at the end of the tunnel and Dring takes the audience there on a ride complete with well-timed laughter.

Dring speaks of her father, who was nothing more than a myth of a man, and how he died and she found out a few years later, never really having the opportunity to grieve for a man she never really knew. Then there was her grandmother, who she only ever knew as an iron pants old woman who lived through internment against Japanese Americans. She never knew her grandmother as a mother, as a maiden, or as a young girl. Dring also shares the story of finding out her mother had cancer and waiting by the hospital bed making paper cranes with her sister for the last few weeks of her mother's life.  She shares the anger and confusion she felt at her mother being afraid of old age and not actually getting to experience it.

Death is always a painful experience and grief is very confusing, painful, and personal.  No one can tell anyone how he or she will or how he or she should grieve, as everyone will grieve in the only way that he or she knows how.  Death Play explores one personal story of grief with slight weirdness and lightheartedness that not everyone may fully connect. However, the audience can became a part of the performance by sharing their own personal grief and having that turned into a paper crane for later performances.  Dring encourages both the personal sharing and asks that audience members feel free to take a crane at the end of the performance, as this is one of the ways that she celebrates her (half) Japanese heritage. 

Death Play

written & performed by Lisa Dring. 
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Performances through April 23.
Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m.
Special performance Monday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Running time: One Hour, five minutes with no intermission.
www.circlextheatre.org

A review by Suzanne Birrell

Barbara Tarbuck. Photos by Brian Drillinger

Christine and Charley were a loving married older couple with an adult son and a generally normal life.  That is until one morning when they were making love and Charley suddenly could not see clearly anymore. It was not because the lovemaking was so extraordinary that Charley was seeing Picasso artwork, but instead that he was having a stroke. This was only the beginning of a new life adventure for Christine.

Stopping By, written and performed by Barbara Tarbuck is the story of Christine's adventures from Charley's bedside to Charley' passing and then to the ultimate gathering of dreamers and doers: Burning Man. The story unfolds in a series of painful flashbacks, loving memories and present day experiences all connecting to the day that Christine arrives as a virgin to Burning Man. As Christine is overwhelmed with talk about what to do with Charley when his insurance runs out or when his untimely passing eventually happens, she decides to go on an impromptu trip to spread her deceased husband's ashes and the metropolis of artists. With her mentally impaired brother, her sons' girlfriend behind the wheel and Charley's ashes at her feet, they journey to Burning Man.  She was not prepared for the wide-open space, excruciating heat and violent dust storms or the thousands of people all on their own uninhibited adventures but once she is there, she knows this is the perfect place to say goodbye to Charley and start her life again.

This one person performance is almost like an over enthusiastic book reading with Barbara acting out certain parts of the story and changing her voices to sound like each new character she encounters.  Through her expressive storytelling, Barbara is able to take the audience on this ride as Christine experiences it, through her memories as she remembers them and leaves them feeling the same awe and joy that she experiences in this metropolis created seemingly overnight by thousands of people who just want their chance to be a part of Burning Man history.

Stopping By written and performed by Barbara Tarbuck at the Echo Theater Company Wednesdays through April 13, 2016 at 8pm.

The Echo Theatre Company
3269 Casitas Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90039
echotheatercompany.com

A review by Suzanne Birrell.

 
Lily Nicksay (L) and Hannah Prichard. Photos: Anne E. McGrath

A Singular They, written by Aliza Goldstein and now playing at The Blank Theatre is a story of self: doubt and acceptance. The story centers around Bu

rbank, a typical high school student - worried about new haircuts, biology exams, losing one's virginity, and whether to take the estrogen the doctors keep prescribing. The main issue at hand though is Burbank was born intersexed- biologically neither entirely male nor female and "They" as he/she has decided to be referred to just wants to be loved for who they is.

Lily Nicksay (right) gives a powerful and intense performance as the confused and searching Burbank, wanting to be touched and wanting to be loved as is-without surgical alterations. An equally powerful performance is given by Hanna Prichard, (left)the very pregnant best friend who wants to help while at the same time worries that anyone will ever love her for who she is.

Nick Ballard (below, right) is totally believable as the teacher, Mr. Mazer, who provides reading literature for Burbank to see that intersex is normal though not very common and that it is society which has the hang ups. He crosses the line between teacher and friend in a very tastefully but uncomfortable scene and the result is that Mr. Mazer no longer knows who he is.

Director Christopher J. Raymond is to be congratulated on his tasteful and sensitive direction. The costumes, stage design, lighting and sound were all very nicely done. The story was a bit repetitive in that the character Burbank continually repeated the same complaints stated above. However, the message that no one really feels accepted for who they are was powerfully made and in that, male, female, intersex- all had the same hang-ups.

This is a great show. I highly recommend it.

.

 Plays through May 1 at the Blank Theatre

Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm

ADMISSION: $30

TICKET INFO: Available online at www.TheBlank.com, or by calling

(323) 661-9827.

LOCATION: The Blank's 2nd Stage Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard

(on Theatre Row at Wilcox), Hollywood, 90038.

Street Parking.

A review by Suzanne Birrell

I you have a hunger for a good solid evening of theatre with a great story and arc then do make your reservations for Red Velvet now playing at  the Atwater Playhouse (not to be confused as I did with the Atwater Theatre a couple of blocks away)

Red Velvet is based on the life of Ira Aldridge, an American actor who became one of the highest paid actors of his time in Europe. The story opens with an elderly Mr Aldridge, (magnificently played by Paul Outlaw-left) sporting a cute pot belly, in his dressing room with a very persistent Polish Reporter (Kailena Mai-left). Through her questions we are quickly provided insight into the life of this astonishing man. The second scene goes back 34 years old to behind the scenes at the highly esteemed Covent Garden in London on the night after the great Edmund Kean collapsed on stage. Ira Aldridge is being proposed as his replacement and the troupe has very mixed feelings. Mr Aldridge makes his appearance to the troupe and the drama - and the comedy - really begin. Have I failed to point out that Mr. Aldridge was black? The character Ellen Tree states, "I thought black was describing his temperament." That night Ira Aldridge became the first black actor to play a principal role in a Shakespearean Tragedy of the legitimate stage in London. That he was playing the role of a Moor and the press could not fathom it is irony in itself.

Red Velvet totally satisfies with rich performances all around. Paul Outlaw gets to play several parts. That of an old and young Ira Aldridge as well as on the stage and in the dressing room rehearsing the part of Othello and in the final scene going white face to play Lear. Ben Warner (right) is very strong as Charles Kean , the son of Edmond Kean and who thinks the theatre should go dark rather than have a black man play the part of the Moor, and furthermore, he doesn't like his fiancée being "pawed." Ellen Tree (right) is marvelous as Nicola Bertram, the fiancée who argues that "they said the same thing about woman playing the parts of women in Shakespeare." The Theatre Manager Pierre Laporte whom we discover is a good friend of Aldridge is played with vim, vigor and passion by Colin Laporte.  Amanda Charney plays the part of Betty the servant with quiet dignity until her moment to shin and shine she does. Betty gives us words that still ring true: People sees what they want to see. Erin Elizabeth Reed gives much depth to the character of Margaret Aldridge, wife of Ira. Sean C Dwyer a, Adam Chacon, and Amanda Charney round out the very talented cast.

The director Benjamin Pohlmeier is to be much congratulated. The full two hour show seem to fly by even with beautifully painted silences. The moments when Aldridge was reading the reviews was especially rich. And when he was putting on his white grease paint was almost heartbreaking. The costumes by Kristina Moore were rich in texture and color. The Stage manager was kept busy with the thoughtful changes in the set. The writing by Lolita Chakrabarti was exquisite. Lots of witty dialogue. The audiences collectively responded to some of the well-crafted insults.

Red Velvet presented by the Junction theatre offers a wonderful night of theatre. A great story well directed and exquisitely acted. Definitely go see this one. A large free parking lot leaves no excuses.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., March 26 - April 30, 2016.  Tickets can be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at 1-800-838-3006, or online at http://redvelvet.brownpapertickets.com.  General Admission is $25 per person; Students, Seniors and Veterans are $20 per person; and Groups of 10 or more $15 per person.  To learn more, please visit www.thejunctiontheatre.organd http://atwaterplayhouse.com/

                        Network with us at https://www.facebook.com/The-Junction-Theatre-122366181136069/

                        The running time of the show is 120 minutes.

Large gated free parking lot

L.A. Atomic Age Cinema Fest

Los Angeles: International Uranium Film Festival, The Atomic Age Cinema Fest cordially invite to Atomic Film Screenings, a Nuclear Power Panel of Speakers and a Gala Event at Raleigh Studios Hollywood / Charlie Chaplin Theater,  Wednesday, April 27, 2016.

12 pm

Hot Water

USA, 2015, Documentary, Drama,1h 20min by Liz Rogers and Kevin Flint, Executive producer Elizabeth Kucinich. The Uranium Industry's Dirty Little Secret: When you were growing up, how many people did you know who had cancer? How many do you know today? Filmmakers Lizabeth Rogers and Kevin Flint travel to South Dakota following a story about uranium contamination-only to discover that the problem flows much farther and runs much deeper than they could have imagined.  Hot Water tells the story of those impacted by uranium mining, atomic testing, nuclear energy and the subsequent contamination that runs through our air, soil and-even more dramatically - our water. www.zerohotwater.com(link is external) - Directors and Producers will be present for Q & A with the Audience.

2:00 pm

NUCLEAR SAVAGE: THE ISLANDS OF SECRET PROJECT 4.1

USA, 2012, 87 min, Documentary, Director: Adam Jonas Horowitz, Marshallese & English. http://www.nuclearsavage.com(link is external) - Featuring recently declassified U.S. government documents, survivor testimony, and unseen archival footage, Nuclear Savage uncovers one of the most troubling chapters in modern American history: how Marshall islanders, considered an uncivilized culture, were deliberately used as human guinea pigs to study the effects of nuclear fallout on human beings.  (Winner of the Yellow Archives Award 2013). Director Adam Horowity will be present for Q & A with the audience.

4:15 pm

Final Picture

Germany, 2013, Fiction, Drama, 92 min, German with English subtitles, director Michael von Hohenberg, with Nadine Badewitz, Julian Bayer, Hubert Burczek, Michael Schwarzmaier. Producer White-Lake-City Filmproduction, www.white-lake-city.de(link is external) -  A movie about the senselessness of atomic war.  Iran used an atomic bomb against Israel. In a short period of time America, Russia and China take part of the conflict. The war escalates and America starts his atomic rockets. In a small town in the middle of Europe, Caroline, Frank and Peter try to get save in an old military bunker. The people have a civil bunker, but not for all residents. The head of the district has to decide between saving some lives or dying of all.  The movie is shot in original bunkers at a landscape region in Germany. In team and cast are many young people, shooting their first professional movie.  (Winner of the Yellow Archives Award 2014) - Director Michael von Hohenberg will be present for Q & A with the audience.

6:30 pm - Red Carpet

7:30 pm  

The Man Who Saved the World

Denmark, 2014, documentary, 105 min, with Kevin Costner, Stanislav Petrov, Walter Cronkite, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Director Peter Anthony, Produced by Jakob Staberg, Christian D. Bruun, Mark Romeo, Raphael Avigdor,  Svilen Kamburov -  The Man Who Saved the World tells the gripping true story of Stanislav Petrov - a man who single-handedly averted a Nuclear World War.  "Few people know of Stanislav Petrov, yet hundreds of millions of people are alive because of him." http://themanwhosavedtheworldmovie.com(link is external)

9:20 pm

Nuclear Power Panel of speakers

Harvey Wasserman - Co-Moderator: Journalist, author, and "No Nukes" strategist and organizer for over 30 years. He teaches history and cultural & ethnic diversity at two central Ohio colleges, and works primarily for the permanent shutdown of the nuclear power industry and the birth of Solartopia, a democratic and socially just green-powered Earth free of all fossil and nuclear fuels. http://solartopia.org 

Kat Kramer - Co-Moderator: Founder of "Films That Change The World." Daughter of legendary film producer, Stanley Kramer.  Kat Kramer is an actress and producer, was Miss Golden Globe for The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and recorded an album of Mick Jagger solo covers. 

Esai Morales: Award-winning actor and activist is a graduate of New York's High School for the Performing Arts. Describing himself as an "actorvist", Morales has combined art and activism to build bridges of understanding. He is involved in a bevy of charities and non-profit organizations that span everything from social to environmental issues. 

Mimi Kennedy: The 3 career woman, actress, author and activist, well known for her  performances in television dramas and comedies. www.mimikennedy.org

Libbe HaLevy: She produces and hosts Nuclear Hotseat, the weekly international news magazine on all things anti-nuclear.  She is also the co-creator of Radiation Awareness Protection Talk, or RAPT (www.RAPTawareness.com), an audio series on how to best protect from the negative impact of radioactivity on our health. http://nuclearhotseat.com

10:00 pm

After party with live entertainment and Cachaça Magnífica, a speciality from Rio de Janeiro.

Festival venue: Raleigh Studios Hollywood, (5300 Melrose Ave., LA, 90038)

Festival contact

www.uraniumfilmfestival.org
info@uraniumfilmfestival.org

Although the deluge may arrive with April flowers, it seems that El Nino was a bust at least in Southern California.  Thankfully, northern reservoirs are filling and the High Sierra snowpack will guarantee that we won't dry up and blow away any time soon.

Does it seem that we're always boom or bust, wet or dry, high or low? I'd like a little more of somewhere in the middle for a change.

If there's one thing that I've learned in over 35 years of community involvement is that in this community of Hollywood, there is never a dull moment,

Reading Rachel Flanagan's Max Factor article, I was awed by all of his accomplishments, his inventions and, most of all, that he coined the term "make-up."  Thankfully, Donelle Dadigan has lovingly preserved the elegance of his salon complete with his kissing machine and beauty calibrator inventions. Not only that, she's filled two floors above with a treasure trove of film and television memorabilia.

Speaking of treasure, this year the Hollywood Farmers Market celebrates its 25^th Anniversary. This is THE place to see the face of our community, buy great produce and other food items.  It didn't take 25 years, though, for the market to become a Hollywood community tradition and a Sunday gathering place. Kim Sudhalter takes us on a tour of the market, past and present.

Crossroads of the World is home base for Discover Hollywood, but we are only one of many tenants who enjoy the ambiance and beautiful courtyards of this landmark complex.  Three fashion businesses, Grau, Hats by Montez, and SOL Los Angeles work in three separate fashion genres but all are inspired by this oasis on bustling Sunset Boulevard. Crossroads is one of the creative centers of Hollywood.

It seems there's never a dull moment in this industry town. Actors coming and going, buildings going up and going down. Real estate is our second industry from new creative office space and multi-storied apartment buildings to hillside homes such as Michal C. Hall's Los Feliz L.A. home now awaiting a new owner.

The only thing we lack is a bit more rain.  Maybe next year... Meanwhile enjoy the ups and downs of the Hollywood Merry-go-round.  Put Spring in your step and get out and enjoy all we have to offer.

Hollywood is at the forefront of providing creative office spaces for the new generations of technology-based businesses and a new Hollywood is emerging on the shoulders of the legendary giants who originally built it.

     Los Angeles-based real estate developer Robert Herscu, founder of HQ Creative Office,  has transformed a former prop house at 720 North Cahuenga into such a space. Originally built in 1923 and once the location of a well-known prop company in the Hollywood Media District, it's nestled between Hollywood and Larchmont Village. The 33,173 square foot space features skylights, a 30-foot water feature at the entrance, landscaped indoor/outdoor areas, socializing and conferencing areas, two kitchens and top of the line A/V.

     Also, at Columbia Square, in the space where the I Love Lucy pilot was shot and the Beach boys recorded "Good Vibrations," NeueHouse Hollywood has moved into 70,000 square feet of industrial-but-relaxed aesthetic, heavy on white marble and silver-toned metals which is meant to foster both creativity and interaction. Instead of traditional offices, there are open spaces where interaction and collaboration are the watchwords.

As Joshua Abram, one of the founders of NeueHouse Hollywood, said recently, "It's a rethinking of the experience around work, an essay on the new way to work." DH   

A review by Rachel Flanagan

It is the last night of summer camp and four preteen girls sit around the fire recalling the time that they had that summer.  All four girls vow to stay friends forever and never miss a single important part of each other's lives. They take this vow as the S'mores, swearing on their toasted marshmallows that their friendships will stay strong as they grow up, meet boys, go to college and live their lives.  Only, as each girl experiences that defining moment in life that will shape them and make them the woman that they will become, their friendships are each put to the test.

Campfire Stories follows four these four girls as they become four women with each defining moment told as a "campfire story" revealing the secrets that they kept from one another creating both the ties that bind them and the strings that are tearing them apart.  The audience will meet Amber is a gorgeous twelve year old who, after the girls part ways as the S'mores on the last night of summer camp, makes a decision to go visit the tent of a much older camp counselor.  That night shapes the girl that Amber will become but she does not share her experience with the girls she had just vowed to stay connected with for the rest of her life.  Amber does not end up in college but does end up happily married with twin boys.  While each of the girls try to stick together, Amber and Shania seem to keep a strong bond together as Amber shares her last night at camp with Shania, but not the other girls.  Shania is the matriarch of the group but the one who keeps herself physically the farthest away from the other girls. Shania, or Shay as her friends call her, is a loving wile child who does not leave the people she loves, regardless of what they may do to her.  As she grows up, she finds herself in one abusive relationship after another until one lover takes it too far.

Trudy and Tess fulfilled their college dreams where they not only went to the same college but also stayed in the same room, only this was not the only thing that they shared.  Tess was smart but other than her campfire friends, was always kind of a loner so when that one guy in college finally asked her out, she thought she had finally met the man of her dreams that she would marry and have babies together.  Only Trudy, the beautiful and experienced girl who gets what she wants also has eyes for the same college boyfriend.  Instead of facing the obvious between the two friends, they choose to pretend as if it is not there and to hide their true feelings from one another, in order to protect and maintain their friendship.  Tess ends up falling in love with someone else and getting the marriage she expected and Trudy, she kept the college boyfriend because he was not just another guy but he was her soulmate, it was just unfortunate that Trudy had not found him first.

When tragedy strikes and the S'mores girls finally have to face each other in person, all their secrets, fears, and regrets come out in a tearful and heartbreaking reunion. It seems as if the melted marshmallows that keep campfire S'mores together was not strong enough to hold their secrets together. Honesty and communication would have been a stronger glue than the secrets they failed to keep sharing as they did the night that they first met as young, innocent preteen girls with the whole wide world and unknown future ahead of them.  

Campfire Stories is Written by Rachel Burcham and directed by J. Bailey Burcham, While a few of the character stories, particularly Shania's descriptive, yet slightly confusing campfire story , could have used a little more depth and characters like Trudy could have benefited from a little more realization, this is a story that will resonate with anyone with lifelong friendships.   Each actress embodies their characters completely and establishes each new place in time as their characters grow and change at each defining moment in their life.   A meaningful tale of growing and friendship, Campfire Stories is shore to delight the dreamy young preteen in us all as we recall the defining moments that made each of us who came to be the friends that helped us through it all.

Campfire Stories
Friday and Saturday at 8pm March 25 - April 16, 2016
Studio C Artists
6448 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038
studiocartists.com

A review by Rachel Flanagan.

Irvin D. Yalom is a world-famous psychiatrist, a prolific author, a speaker on psychotherapy and existentialism, and one of the most influential psychotherapists in the United States.  His first book, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy is considered one of the most definitive texts on the topic of psychotherapy having sold hundreds of thousands of copies. He has a handful of teaching novels and creative non-fiction stories; Irvin D. Yalom has inspired millions to understand and accept their faults and to fall in love with the practice of psychotherapy. Sabine Gisiger's, Yalom's Cure, is an intimate look at the life of Irvin D. Yalom told through his own words and those who know him best, his family.

Yalom's Cure will not introduce those who are unfamiliar with the work of Yalom but for those the vast population of shrinks, patients, and others familiar with his work will find this biography an enjoyable one getting to spend time with him and his family. In a relaxed and deep voice, Yalom guides us through his relationships with his mother and father, recalls his aspirations of pairing psychoanalysis with literary techniques, and his discovery on the benefits of group therapy to both the terminally ill and the healthy. A majority of the film focuses on Yalom as a teenager trying to woo his future wife Marilyn.  They both recount how their successful marriage cast an unfortunate shadow over the marriages of their children, whose marriages were the opposite of their parents' nuptials ending in divorce.  Their children reveal how one of the secrets to a successful marriage seemed to be putting their marriage first over their children.  Yet, fans of Yalom get to see the person he is outside of his successes as one of his grandchildren recalls the fun he has with his grandfather who is not a successful psychotherapist at home but just his fun loving grandfather.

Yalom's guides the audience through the fear and terror of death and the pain and loneliness of life.  He speaks of how these fears are universal to everyone and how we need to face these fears in order to make peace with life and we learn that Yalom himself has seems to have conquered these fears in order to make peace with himself.  Sabine Gisiger's, Yalom's Cure, offers a fascinating dichotomy between Yaloms' professional image and his private life.  For those familiar with his work, they may find this film a sense of psychoanalysis through cinema and find themselves looking deeper into themselves yearning for answers to our own existential uncertainties.  For those unfamiliar with the Irvin D. Yalom, they may find themselves on a journey to discover who he is and perhaps, look into picking up a book or two to create their own excursion through existentialism and psychotherapy.