Category: Dance


Leela Dance Collective presents ReSound, a 5-day celebration of kathak dance

Leela Dance Collective presents ReSound, a 5-day celebration of kathak dance, featuring street performances and workshops to educate and inspire audiences of all ages. The Kathak (pronounced cut – tuck) dance form can be traced back to the kathakas from 400 BCE who were the traveling storytellers and artists of ancient India. In modern times, the art form has emerged on the presidium stage and traveled outside of India, finding expression in diasporic communities throughout the US and beyond.

One of kathak’s most notable characteristics is the fast, percussive footwork dancers perform by striking their bare feet on the floor using various techniques. In addition, it is known for swift pirouettes, a dynamic movement vocabulary, and compelling character portrayal. Kathak is typically performed with North Indian classical Hindustani music, which provides an exhilarating soundscape and a very collaborative environment for the artists. Dancers wear a string of 150-200 bells around each ankle to ornament their footwork and movements, and to highlight the rhythmic sophistication of the artform.

 

In Los Angeles, free street performances will take place at such iconic locations as Santa Monica’s 3rd St Promenade, DTLA’s Grand Park, Pasadena’s Memorial Park, Culver City’s Town Plaza, Woodland Hills’ The Village at Topanga, and the Oak Canyon Community Park showcasing kathak dance at its best. The $10 workshops are a great opportunity for individuals to experience kathak first hand, the way that kathak dance can ground the body, focus the mind, and uplift the spirit. Workshops are held at some of LA’s most popular studios including Evolution Studios, Electric Lodge, The Vault, and Diaz Studio of Dance in Culver City.

Culver City performances include a Free Pop-up Performance on Sunday, Sept 26, at 5:30 p.m. in Town Plaza, 9500 Culver Blvd, Culver City; with two $10 Workshops: The Indian Avatars on Sun, Sept 26, 3:00-4:00 p.m., at Diaz Studio of Dance, 3816 Culver Ctr, Culver City, in which kids ages 5 and up are introduced to kathak and learn coordination, movement rhythm, music and dramatic expression as they delve into the rich world of Indian mythology; and Movement, Music & Meditation on Sun, Sept 26, 4:00-5:00 p.m., at Diaz Studio of Dance, 3816 Culver Ctr, Culver City, in which participants discover the beauty and dynamism of kathak by being introduced to the technique, movement, music and poetry of the art form woven together into an experience that is meditation in motion. To register for free events and $10 workshops, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/resound-kathak-in-the-streets-los-angeles-tickets-158038416157

The concept and arrangement of the ReSound repertoire is curated by Rina Mehta, senior disciple of kathak legend Pandit Chitresh Das and cofounder of the critically acclaimed Leela Dance Collective, and showcases Das’ original compositions and choreography, while featuring a new generation of emerging kathak dancers trained in his iconic style: Sonali Toppur, Ahana Mukherjee, Carrie McCune, and Ria DasGupta.

“After more than a year of living in fear and isolation, we are thrilled to see our neighborhoods and communities start to come back to life. To do our part, we are quite literally dancing with joy – on street corners and promenades and at community parks and outdoor malls across Los Angeles and San Francisco,” shares Rina Mehta, whose work is grounded in the belief that kathak dance can be a powerful tool for empowerment and social change.

Founded and led by women, Leela Dance Collective’s central aim is to advance the voices of women artists and choreographers while providing a space for women to lead and create outside the confines of a traditional male-defined framework of leadership, mentorship, and artistic practice. Through their productions they hope to bring together artists and communities across race, ethnicity, and religion. It is through such exchange that Leela Dance Collective continues to engage with their own artistic tradition, remaking it for contemporary audiences.

For more information, watch the ReSound trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS6eyK09TPs and check out their moves on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/LeelaDanceCollective. View the complete ReSound schedule at https://leela.dance/resound/

Performances – Free

– Friday, Sept 24, 12:30 p.m.:  Grand Park, DTLA

– Friday, Sept 24, 6:30 p.m.:  The Village at Topanga, Woodland Hills

– Saturday, Sept 25, 1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.:  3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica

– Saturday, Sept 25, 5:30 p.m.:  Memorial Park, Pasadena
(featuring performance by Los Angeles’ inaugural Leela Youth Dance Company)

– Sunday, Sept 26, 11:30 a.m.: Oak Canyon Community Park, 5600 Hollytree Dr, Oak Park

(part of the Kathak Karnival featuring additional family activities, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.)

– Sunday, Sept 26, 5:30 p.m.: Town Plaza, 9500 Culver Blvd, Culver City

Workshops – $10

– Before Bollywood: Wed, Sept 22, 7:00-8:00 p.m., The Vault Dance Studio, 57 Palmetto Dr, Pasadena Before Bollywood there was kathak,
known for its grandeur, beauty, and elegance. Join us for a workshop that introduces you to the movement, music and expression of this dynamic art form. Students of all levels and backgrounds are welcome.

– Bare Feet Beats: Thurs, Sept 23, 7:00-8:00 p.m., Evolution Dance Studios, 10816 Burbank Blvd, NoHo
Dive into the dynamic world of kathak. Move, groove, jam and slam as you learn how to make rhythm and music with your bare feet. Students of all levels and backgrounds welcome.

– From Sensuality to Spirituality: Sat, Sept 25, 10:00-11:00 a.m., Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave, Venice

Radha is one of India’s most beloved goddesses. Her love, devotion and yearning for Krishna is a metaphor for our relationship to the divine. As we explore Radha’s love for Krishna through the art of kathak, classical dance of North India we explore the eternal human search for the divine. Students of all levels and backgrounds welcome.

– The Indian Avatars: Sun, Sept 26, 12:00-1:00pm, Oak Canyon Community Park, 5600 Hollytree Dr, Oak Park

In this workshop, kids are introduced to kathak, classical dance of North India. Kids learn coordination, movement rhythm, music and dramatic expression as they delve into the rich world of Indian mythology. For kids, ages 5 and up. Part of the Kathak Karnival featuring additional family activities.

– The Indian Avatars: Sun, Sept 26, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Diaz Studio of Dance, 3816 Culver Ctr, Culver City

In this workshop, kids are introduced to kathak, classical dance of North India. Kids learn coordination, movement rhythm, music and dramatic expression as they delve into the rich world of Indian mythology. For kids, ages 5 and up.

– Movement, Music & Meditation: Sun, Sept 26, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Diaz Studio of Dance, 3816 Culver Ctr, Culver City

Discover the beauty and dynamism of kathak. Workshop participants are introduced to the technique, movement, music and poetry of the art form woven together into an experience that is meditation in motion.

Family Festival – $10

Kathak Karnival: Sun, Sept 26, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Oak Canyon Community Park, 5600 Hollytree Dr, Oak Park
Enjoy dance, music, food, and fun – $10 admission includes an exclusive performance of ReSound by Leela Dance Collective, with an opening performance by Los Angeles’ inaugural Leela Youth Dance Company, as well as kathak workshops for children, youth, and adults. Register now and get unlimited access to family activities including henna art, face painting, photo booths, gift giveaways, and more. Free parking.


The Troubies Return and Present LIZASTRATA Outdoors at The Getty Villa in Malibu

Troubadour Theater Company (better known as The Troubies) is a free-wheeling, no-holds-barred, Commedia Del Arte-flavored, slapstick-driven, Los Angeles-based ensemble of actors, musicians, and comedians that has been performing for audiences throughout Southern California and beyond since 1995. Over the past 12 years, the Troubies have collaborated with Getty on several occasions. Most recently they presented Getty’s first virtual theater presentation on YouTube with The ODDyssey, a whimsical retelling of Odysseus’s adventure after the Trojan War.

The Troubies fast-paced, laugh-filled, loose adaptations (some of the lines are still there) of classic plays, literature and film, as well as their original productions and hilarious sketch material, make this company a unique and exciting experience for theater-goers of any age, barring their latest show, LIZASTRATA, which is definitely strictly for adult audiences due to subject matter and language.

For those unfamiliar with Aristophanes’s classic Greek comedy Lysistrata, it tells the tale of one woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War by convincing the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands as a means of forcing the men to negotiate a peace. In LIZASTRATA, The Troubies tell the same story in a very modern and bawdy adaptation during which I guarantee you will hear more ways to describe sexual relations than you thought possible, see a wide-range of inflated body parts, and laugh at the outrageously updated lyrics to well-known Liza Minelli songs. To get the general idea, think New York, New York redone as No Pork, No Pork sung by the effervescent Cloie Wyatt Taylor as Lizastrata as she attempts to convince several women from other local SoCal cities to go along with her plan. And what a fun bunch of followers they turn out to be as they offer the men a choice – make war or make whoopie!

Directed and adapted by Matt Walker, who energetically takes to the stage as gender-bending characters the Emcee, Lampito and the Magistrate via quick costume changes by designer Halei Parker, the LIZASTRATA cast also features, along with Walker and Wyatt Taylor as Lizastrata, the multi-talented L.T. Martinez, Rick Batalla, Suzanne Jolie, Amanda Pajer, Jess Coffman, Beth Kennedy (whose puppetry skills will have you roaring with laughter) and Michael Faulkner. Band members who also play several roles include Dave Wright (Banjo), Ryan Whyman (Piano), John Ballinger (Guitar, Clarinet, Banjo & Misc.) and Nick Stone (Percussion). Kudos to the entire production team for such an entertaining and welcome return to in-person theatre by The Troubies!

LIZASTRATA is the 15th annual outdoor theater production in the Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa. Performances, which as of this writing are totally sold out, take place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, September 9 – October 2, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. For all the optimists out there, additional tickets may become available at www.getty.edu/LIZA or by calling (310) 440-7300. No admittance without advance reservation, and a ticket for the play does not include admission to the museum, which must be booked separately. Due to sexual language, situations, and imagery that are not recommended for persons under the age of 15. Run time is 90 minutes, no intermission, with on-site parking available. Masks are optional outdoors, but required in all indoor spaces including the café, elevators and restrooms, and proof of vaccination must be shown for admittance.

Photos by Craig Schwartz


Spotlight Series: Meet Cate Caplin, A Multiple Award-Winning Producer, Director and Choreographer

This Spotlight focuses on Cate Caplin, a multiple award-winning producer, director and choreographer whose talents have ignited productions on television, in films, music videos, commercials, and in theatrical venues worldwide. But of course, her busy schedule was put on hold with the rest of the world, just as she was beginning to direct and choreograph a musical very close to her heart.

While I assume almost everyone in the LA Theatre community knows of Cate and her contributions to the Arts, for those not lucky enough to have worked with her before, I am first sharing a bit of her theatrical background.

Cate Caplin has been devoted to the Arts all of her life, having started her dance training at age 5. She trained with many inspirational teachers and coaches over the years including summers at Interlochen Center for the Arts while continuing at the Washington School of Ballet, the Royal Academy in London, and the Metropolitan Ballet where she was a principal dancer.

Cate went on to dance with two more professional ballet companies before moving to NYC to continue her training, performing career dancing with the American Dance Machine, doing summer stock, performing internationally with the Broadway revival of West Side Story, and regionally with Disney’s Symphonic Fantasy featured as Princess Jasmine for which she enjoyed a 22 city tour starting at the Hollywood Bowl and ending back in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera House. Her amazing talent and charisma on the dance floor led Cate to become a 34-time Regional and International Theatrical Ballroom Dance Champion.

To this date, Cate has produced, directed and choreographed over 200 productions with her work seen on television, in films, music videos, commercials, and in theatrical venues worldwide from the Paris Opera House to the Broadway Stage. She wrote and directed her first feature film Mating Dance, which won an Accolade Award and can be found on Amazon.com. Her production company, Night & Day Entertainment, co-founded with her creative partner Vernon Willet, custom designs entertainment for private parties, corporate events and industrial trade shows.

 

For her work in theatre, Cate has been the recipient of a Garland Award, a Women in Theatre Red Carpet Award, multiple LA Stage Alliance Ovation, Eddon and Scenie Awards, and was honored to receive an Award of Excellence from the LA Film Commission for her work as a Writer, Director, Choreographer and Producer. Last year, Playwright’s Arena presented Cate with the Lee Melville Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Los Angeles Theatre Community.

So how has such a talented and totally creative person been able to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic which has sidelined theatre worldwide?  I spoke with Cate to find out.

Shari Barrett (SB): What production were you involved with when word went out it needed to immediately be either postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak? 

Cat Caplin (Cate): We had just cast 32 actors for a production of West Side Story that I was going to direct and choreograph for Inland Valley Repertory Theatre (IVRT) presented at Candlelight Pavilion. The show was officially canceled one day before our first day of rehearsal, same day that Broadway announced it was closing.

(SB): How was the shutdown communicated with the cast and production team? 

(Cate): The producer, Frank Minano, emailed me and then the entire creative team and cast. Hearts were broken, of course, as we were very excited to begin. I had been so looking forward to creating the production since I was cast in the revival of the show when it was finishing its run on Broadway back in the 80’s, and went on a six-month International Tour throughout Italy and at the Paris Opera House for three months. Our production was directed by Jerome Robbins and conducted by Leonard Bernstein! Needless to say, it was a thrill of a lifetime working on that classic show with the original creators.

(SB): Let me know when you write a book about that tour! Are plans in place to present the IVRT production at a future date, or is the cancellation permanent? 

(Cate): I believe the production is canceled completely because IVRT selects their shows based on what Candlelight is producing since they share the backdrop and primary set of what’s being presented in their season. I’m not sure how that will play out, especially since no one really knows when theatre will be officially back in full form anywhere, and West Side Story is a big show with lots of physical contact and bodies interacting and dancing in close quarters. The nature of theatre as we knew it is changing dramatically and only time will tell how and what sort of creative work will be presented over the next few months and years. Many companies are canceling seasons completely and postponing productions into 2021, and even that is an unknown entity at this point.

(SB): What future productions on your schedule are also affected by the shutdown?  

(Cate): I have a production I am scheduled to direct in the fall and we are continuing with pre-production conversations sensitive to health and safety elements that are now part of the overall discussion and approach to creating live theatre. I hope we go forward with the show, but like everyone else, we just have to take it one day at a time…

(SB): How are you keeping the Arts alive while at home by using social media or other online sites?  

(Cate): It’s been interesting…. even though in theory I have more time each day without my usual classes, appointments, rehearsals and run around activities, my days continue to be quite full. I am reading lots of wonderful books, watching movies and some television series and specials I wouldn’t ordinarily take the time to experience.

I have been taking some online classes offered by Yale University, and also tuning in to theatrical podcasts, seminars, and industry panel discussions since our theatrical community is intensely fertile at this time! I decided to jump into the electronic “pool” with everyone else and just signed on to direct my first Zoom staged reading of a new play later in July.

(SB): What thoughts would you like to share with the rest of the L.A. Theatre community while we are all leaving the Ghostlight on and promising to return back to the stage soon?

(Cate): It’s important to keep open to learning, stretching and growing, mentally, emotionally and spiritually during tough times. And now that there’s time for more channels of inspiration, embrace those opportunities. Trust the “bigger plan” and try to navigate these uncharted waters with hope and faith in a most positive outcome: a renaissance of heightened compassion, empathy, inclusiveness, humanity and peace.

(SB): For more information about Cate including future updates about her theatrical schedule, please visit CateCaplin.com, www.MatingDanceTheMovie.com, DanceInFlight.com

This article first appeared on Broadway World.


ASHTON’S AUDIO INTERVIEW: RON SOSSI

Ron Sossi is the Artistic Director of the Odyssey Theatre and also directed The Serpent. This interview discusses the play that explores the biblical Book of Genesis while comparing it to the modern experience.

Enjoy this interview!


Spotlight Series: Meet Janet Miller, a Multi-Talented Theatre Professor, Producer, Director, Choreographer and Tapper

This Spotlight focuses on Janet Miller, a Theater Professor at College of the Desert, Producing Artistic Director at Good People Theater Company, a multi-talented Producer, Director, Choreographer, and Tapper, as well as a lover of all furry friends. I have attended multiple productions in which Janet has contributed her skills, including several hit Hollywood Fringe Festival productions including The Toxic Avenger, Hello Again! The Songs of Allan Sherman, Marry Me a Little, and The Fantasticks just to name a few. Janet is pictured here with Gordon Goodman, the star of Barrymore which she directed, when they attended and won Ovation Awards for the production. Here is the link to my review on Broadway World: https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Reviews-Gordon-Goodman-Channels-John-Barrymore-Into-Reality-Onstage-at-Greenway-Court-20131125

Shari Barrett (SB): What would you like readers to know about your theatrical background? 

Janet Miller (Janet): I am a producer, theatre director, choreographer, and educator.

(SB): What production were you involved with when word went out it needed to immediately be either postponed or cancelled?  

(Janet): We had just opened a production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at College of the Desert. We did 2 out of 6 performances before we had to shut down the production.

(SB):  How was the shutdown communicated with the cast and production team? 

(Janet): We had been waiting to hear that our college was going to shut down as there were a number of emails that went back and forth. When I got the final word, I passed on the information to my co-director Maricela Sandoval, a graduating student, and we contacted everyone. When we arrived at the theatre, I spoke to the cast and crew. It was quite sad for our students at College of the Desert as they worked so diligently, especially the student co-director.

(SB): Are plans in place to present that production at a future date, or is the cancellation permanent? 

(Janet): We would like to remount in the Fall, but we don’t think that is possible, unfortunately.

(SB):  What future productions on your schedule are also affected by the shutdown? 

(Janet): We had been granted the rights to Middletown by Will Enos for our fall production, which I would be directing. We are holding off on making any final plans for that show at this point, as well as holding off on the planning on producing The Fantasticks in Spring 2021. We will decide as the course of the Coronavirus becomes clearer.

(SB): How are you keeping the Arts alive while at home by using social media or other online sites? I am still teaching online.

(Janet): I teach Script Analysis, Introduction to Theatre, Acting I, and Tap. I am also attending many Zoom meetings, reading and posting articles, as well as spending time speaking to my colleagues.

(SB): What thoughts would you like to share with the rest of the LA Theatre community while we are all leaving the Ghostlight on and promising to return back to the stage soon?

(Janet): It WILL happen. Theatre is a survivor and so are we!

Featured photo: Janet Miller and Gordon Goodman at the Ovation Awards

This article first appeared on Broadway World.


Spotlight Series: Meet Costume Designer and Educator Halei Parker Who Makes Art a Part of Her Everyday Life

This Spotlight focuses on Costume Designer and Educator Halei Parker, who I first met in the dressing room at the Clark Library when she showed up with a wonderful variety of cleverly designed costumes for the publicity photo shoot for Lady Windermere’s Fan when I was the publicist for Chalk Repertory Theatre. Halei really opened my eyes to the possibilities for character interpretation that a costume designer can bring to a show.

Shari Barrett (SB): What would you like readers to know about your theatrical background?

“Lady Windermere’s Fan” with Chalk Repertory Theatre and the Clark Rare Book Library

Halei Parker (Halei): I’m a freelance costume designer for theatre, opera, dance, immersive experiences, and film. I’m also an educator, and think of myself as a storyteller and world creator. The projects that excite me the most are deeply collaborative and are usually highly stylized and a little weird, especially since I love mixing ideas from disparate sources to create something magical and new.

(SB): What production(s) were you involved with when word went out it needed to immediately be either postponed or cancelled?

“Gallery Secrets” with Chalk Repertory Theatre and the Los Angeles Natural History Museum

(Halei): I was mentoring students and beginning to source and fabric shop for a production of Sweeney Todd at Cal State LA when we were shut down. I was also beginning the design phase for the Getty Villa summer show. This year the Troubies (Troubadour Theatre Company) were going to be performing our new original musical LIZAstrata (think Los Vegas Liza Minnelli meets Aristophanes’ Lysistrata meets the Troubies). Thankfully I had just wrapped shooting on a film and closed the show Earthquakes In London at Rogue Machine right before the world turned upside down.

“How The Princh Stole Christmas” with Troubadour Theatre Company

(SB): Here is the link to my review of the multimedia “Earthquakes on London” at Rogue Machine which examined the effects of global warming.

How were the shutdowns communicated with the cast and production team?

George Takei in “Allegiance” with East West Players and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center

(Halei): For Sweeney, we heard in our production meeting, two days before the Stay-At-Home order. The Liza news came at the end of March. We all saw it coming, but I was really hoping it would still manage to go on. The world could really use some more Troubie joy about now. It was pretty crushing. At this point, we are looking at postponements for both of those, and thankfully not cancellations.

(SB): I really loved all the outrageous costumes you designed for the Troubies “A Christmas Carole King” which I saw at the El Portal last December.

What future productions on your schedule are also affected by the shutdown?

(Halei): The whole rest of my year is now in flux, since no one really knows when we will be allowed to gather together again to experience live theatre in a group setting. I’m just trying to keep all my fingers and toes crossed that we can make stories for the world again before the year is out.

“Hairy Ape” with Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

(SB): How are you keeping the Arts alive while at home by using social media or other online sites?

(Halei): Art is always alive in my home. More than half of my apartment is actually a costume shop, so I’m surrounded by fabrics and my tools. I’ve been able to keep busy by making hundreds of masks from my eclectic stock of fabrics, and have done a few costume challenges that have proven to be quite fun. I’m trying to curb my use of social media…. somewhat. That is especially true when I am designing and creating costumes for shows.

I’m also feeding my need to make Art for others right now by making a mural for my building on the wall of our little garden.

(SB): What thoughts would you like to share with the rest of the L.A. Theatre community while we are all leaving the Ghostlight on and promising to return back to the stage soon?

(Halei): Chin up, loves. The world is going to need us more than ever when we are allowed to meet again. Just keep that passion alive in your heart.

You can find my work on Instagram HaleiParkerDesign and me at HaleiPie.

This article first appeared on Broadway World.


Save Your Local Arts District – NoHo Arts District

This is a guest post by Lisa Bianconi

I was born and raised in the Valley and have seen North Hollywood transform from a bit scary (but always fun) to an eclectic, vibrant, creative neighborhood – a real one where folks actually know each other. Back in 2000, my mother and I joined forces to run NoHoArtsDistrict.com, and over the years the theatre owners, visiting companies, acting classes and everyone who uses our theatres have become our friends. When we saw the 18 NoHo Theatres struggling to save their creative homes due to the pandemic shut down, we had to figure out some ways to help.

Together we’ve created “Save NoHo Theatres from COVID-19” Go Fund Me campaign. We are going to do whatever is in our power to keep the NoHo Theatres alive.

As with most LA theatres, the NoHo theatres survive month to month in order to create their shows because they’re not government supported and cannot sustain even a short-term shut down. Without shows, classes, rentals and ticket sales theatres cannot survive. This has an effect on the entire community because without the theatre patrons, actors and crew, restaurants, bars, apartments and other local businesses lose revenue. Without NoHo theatres, there will be no NoHo Arts District.

“Why did residents and businesses move into the area? Because it’s an arts district,” says Nancy Bianconi, publisher of NoHoArtsDisrict.com. “If 18 out of 22 theatres close, this area will have to be called North Hollywood again. Theatres have a huge economic impact on restaurants, bars, apartments, hotels, other creative industries, local businesses, etc.”

Here are the owners of Brews Brothers, one of NoHo’s beloved craft beer bars, who chose their location because of the artsy neighborhood vibe.

But what makes NoHo theatres important to the neighborhood is:

  • NoHo has 22 theatres in one square mile.
  • NoHo had the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City.
  • NoHo theatres present more than 500 shows per year, including world premieres.
  • NoHo has 35 acting classes held any given night.
  • More than 20,000 people enjoy NoHo’s shows throughout the year.
  • NoHo theatres are an economic multiplier for local restaurants, bars, local businesses, etc.

Theatre goers spend on average of extra $32 above the theatre ticket price for dinner, drinks, and retail purchases.

But NoHo wasn’t always how it is today. In the 90s, it was the theatres who helped rebuild the blighted and crime-ridden North Hollywood neighborhood that we now call NoHo. Theatres were the impetus for the creation of the NoHo Arts District and attracted other theatres and creative industry folks as well as new developments, restaurants, bars, apartments, and hotels.

Meet The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre. They are one of the founding members and longest-running theatre company in the NoHo Arts District.

“As one of the founders of the NoHo Theatre District, I have witnessed the most incredible blossoming of the entire neighborhood,” said Ed Gaynes, owner of three NoHo theatres. “When a few of us began opening theatres in the many empty storefronts, the area was a wasteland. No foot traffic, no shops, practically no restaurants even. The theatres attracted the people, the crowds flowing into our theatres attracted the restaurants, art galleries and shops. Ultimately, it all attracted the flood of new residents who poured into the district.”

But NoHo theatres are more than a place for shows. It is a place to practice your craft and make friends in a city of 10+ million people.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The goal of raising $108,194 will allow theatres to survive into the summer when the productions and audiences return, and NoHo’s entertainment and nightlife scene will be booming again.

WHERE CONTRIBUTIONS GO:
ACME Comedy Theatre, ACME Comedy Club
Actors Workout Studio, Actors Workout Theater B
Avery Schreiber Playhouse
Brick House Theatre
Group Rep Theatre Main Stage, Group Rep Theatre Upstairs
Loft Ensemble Mainstage, Loft Ensemble Sawyer’s Playhouse
Secret Rose Theatre
Theatre 68 Flex, Theatre 68 Main Stage
The Sherry Theater
Theatre Unlimited (T.U. Studios)
The Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center Theatre #1, Whitmore Lindley Theater Center Theatre #2
Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre

ABOUT THE NOHO ARTS DISTRICT
The NoHo Arts District is one of Los Angeles’ eclectic and walkable neighborhoods – an enclave of all things artistic. This one-square-mile performing arts community is filled with 20+ live, professional theaters, which is the highest concentration outside of New York City. NoHo is also the hip hop dance capital with studios and choreographers that create the moves we see on TV and in film and all over Instagram. NoHo makes a lot of music and boasts the largest amount of recording studios west of the Mississippi with musicians from all genres having recorded in the district. NoHo was the first neighborhood in the Valley, it has become a Metro hub, and attracts new talent, creative businesses and visitors alike. Visit NoHoArtsDistrict.com for more information.


Susan Priver Finds Herself in Her Telling Memoir Dancer Interrupted

Actress Susan Priver is a Los Angeles native and former ballerina. The story of how she started in ballet and finally crossed over to acting is the subject of her new memoir entitled “Dancer Interrupted.” In our conversation she gives us great detail about the devastating ups and downs of her life. Her passion will make you want to rush out and buy the book, which is a great read.

The style of your book is so affecting. It was like reading your personal diary. Your thoughts and emotions jumped out and hit me. I understood.

SP: OMG, that’s what I wanted to do. Let me tell you, it took 8 years. You are a writer by profession, whereas I am an actor.

I am an actor too.

SP: You are an actor too, but you have been writing longer than I. Not all actors can write, but I think actors learn the most important thing is the dialogue, what the person is feeling. I did have diaries from this growing up stage and I remember a lot, not everything, but everything that’s in there I remember very distinctly because of my emotional place. I had a tough, tough time with people that I loved.

I felt so sorry for you spending time on the couch and you didn’t want to leave it. Your father was hard on you, but he was so funny in his approach.

SP: Let me tell you, I hear kids now. How do you raise a kid? My dad was… “You get your ass off that couch”. He was raised a certain way and he was what he was, but…he didn’t understand exactly what I was going through. He didn’t have the empathy, but maybe the empathy would have been bad for me.

He did understand what your mother was doing to you and how that relationship was hurtful to you.

SP: She had empathy. My mom enjoyed being a nurse.

She wanted to keep you dependent on her.

SP: That’s exactly right. She got some kind of enjoyment out of enabling me to sit there and just fall apart. I’ve never been a parent, and will never be a parent obviously, but it must be such a hard thing…to be a parent.

Henry (Olak) …is he your husband?

SP: No, we’ve been together for 17 years …do you know Henry?

No, just from reading about him in the book. I thought he was the best of your boyfriends, so kind and understanding. Gregory, the Russian, I wanted to take him and twist his neck.

SP: I think what I wanted to do with Gregory was contextualize in the way that I was still a bunhead. Dancers…I don’t know if you know that world at all…I think the acting world is a little broader, because you are fencing, you’re dancing, you’re learning great playwrights, you’re learning how to present yourself in a way that isn’t just the veil of ballet, which is extremely difficult. The amount of commitment is more than what actors put in, and it keeps you from many other things. Learning that people take advantage of people. Perhaps my family didn’t prepare me for that. My dad would have known, he was a lawyer. He was used to bad things happening in the world. But, maybe I didn’t listen. I just was hopeful, hopeful that everything would be ok in those early years. Then when I was out in the world, when it was time to meet someone, maybe I wasn’t ready for…I enjoyed being put down. I was a masochist.

Oh yeah, I felt bad for you as I read. I kept thinking, “She’s got to break out of this.”

SP: And I did…eventually. I did work in a workshop for a while about the craft of writing. I got better as I went along. In terms of the book, people want to feel like they are not going to die. It’s not like a Hollywood movie, but I did survive certain things, and a lot of people don’t survive.

One thing I did not quite understand. Why were you fired from the Cleveland Ballet? They said “We have to let you go.” What was the reason?

SP: I don’t know.

Was it a weight thing?

SP: No. I was the skinniest I had ever been. I don’t know exactly what it was, whether it had to do with funding…and they didn’t need my services anymore. I didn’t stay in line with people very well. I was in the corps de ballet. It might have been that. I was not a soloist. Maybe they didn’t need any corps dancers…maybe they needed a soloist but they needed someone better than me. I don’t know, but ballet never had a lot of money in these regional companies. They get grants and they bring people up through the schools. City ballet and American Ballet Theatre in New York have money.
Because it was never explained to me, that made it hard. It makes you question yourself. You just go get another job.

I loved your audition for Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse in New York, where they told you to find a better song. You did “Happy Birthday!” (we both laugh)

SP: I saw people bringing out the sheet music. I didn’t sing and I went to the audition kind of on a dare. Fosse liked tall ballet dancers, but ballet dancers who could sort of sing.

Fosse had an addiction problem. I try to bring that out in the book. I think creatives tend to have that element in them, if they’re any good. We’re addicts. It’s sad but true. A behavioral psychologist who is a professor at USC read my book and said he wants to give it to his addict students. There is a thing… How do you find a self without your addiction? For me it was finding a voice without dance.

I wrote down that the message of your book is learning to love yourself and taking your place in the world via the arts, first as a dancer and lastly, as an actor. In the Forward, you tie them in so well, when you say that ballet is poetry in motion. “I couldn’t live without it.” Later you add, “how will I ever get poetry back in my life?”

SP: I had that in my journal. Ballet is a hard icky sticky world but it does have poetry. Then when I took a job as a secretary, I couldn’t do anything. My dad thought I was kind of an idiot. My dad was really more of an atheist than Jewish, but in Jewish families, education is everything. Being a baller dancer is really not what they do. But I was weird and we had a little bit of a weird family.

Why did you write the book? For many an autobiography is a catharsis, but I think it’s more than that for you. Sum up the various lessons you have learned that have brought you to this current state of bliss.

SP: For me it was to find my particular sensitivity to what had happened to me, in another craft. I always use that sensitivity in the characters that I like to play, particularly in Tennessee Williams…and Pinter. It was a way of creating one full thing that was my own. It was mine. It came directly from my experience. I like to filter that sensitivity into roles that I am capable of playing. I did do Lorraine Sheldon in The Man Who Came to Dinner, which is completely broad and bombastic, but I learned how to use my strength and my kind of witchiness and brought that to it.

So having the experience of doing Blanche in Streetcar and writing this book that has pure emotions in it, pure thoughts in it…I had to shape everything and make it into a craft. I did have an editor, and it’s crafted.

I’m also a yoga teacher, and I love teaching.You’re giving back. As actors we take people into another world. All people are attracted to storytelling. I’m attracted to storytelling through playwrights. Everybody has a story. It’s putting it together and contextualizing why does this relate to this and that. I had to work out my life, that I really didn’t have to be a doormat and be used by men like Gregory, a dark passionate Russian who was also an alcoholic. I also had to work out that not everybody hated me and wanted to hurt me as he did. And…to gain confidence, because when I stopped dancing, I had zero confidence, and that’s why I attracted certain kinds of men in my life.

Dancers do exactly what they’re told to do. It’s manipulation and unless somebody gives them a backbone…and my parents were not really bad people. I just didn’t listen to that. And as far as drug addiction is concerned, I had to say loud. “You did this to yourself. You are going to have to dig yourself out of it.” You cannot isolate yourself. I isolated myself because I was afraid. You learn from your failures. I became a strong human being. I am a survivor, and I hope that the book will help people to realize that you don’t have to join a cult or take antidepressants. You have to dig down and embrace your darkness, embrace the things that make us human that will allow you to rise above that. The dance world taught perfection, Hollywood taught having your face lifted to be beautiful…
no, it’s what comes out of you: that’s what you look like.

There will be signings of Dance Interrupted

on April 13th at Book Soup, Hollywood with John Fleck—Q and A

and on April 27th at Vroman’s, Pasadena with Lian Dolan—Q and A

These events are subject to change depending on the state of the Corona Virus.

Go to:  www.susanpriver.com

Updates will be posted.


A Super Scary Movie, Burlesque Meets Queen, and Our Favorite Monster

First up is a film I saw at a press screening this week and was really surprised by how good it was. Actually considering it was written and directed by horror maven Leigh Whannell (‘Insidious: Chapter 2 & 3’, ‘Saw’) I shouldn’t have been that surprised.

The film is The Invisible Man starring the excellent Elizabeth Moss who never makes a wrong move. She’s in practically every scene and absolutely nails it.

I always rate how scary a film is by how many times I jumped out of my seat and grabbed the arm of the stranger sitting next to me. I counted at least five times.

The Invisible Man is a 2020 science fiction horror film and a contemporary adaptation of the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells and a reboot of The Invisible Man film series.

It follows a woman who believes she is being haunted by her brilliant, wealthy, abusive husband, despite the fact that he has died from an apparent suicide.

The film has a couple great twists and scares you won’t see coming, so if that’s what you enjoy, you will not be disappointed. The Invisible Man produced by Universal opens in theaters this Friday, February 28th.

Next up is BURLESQUE RHAPSODY: A QUEEN TRIBUTE which will require you to take a little trip to Harvelle’s in Long Beach.

The title of the show is Dirty Little Secrets and it pays tribute to the musical sounds of one of the most commercially successful bands of all time: QUEEN!.

Dirty Little Secrets brings their very own special touch to the amazing songs that Queen produced and at the same time pays tribute to the incredible talent of Freddie Mercury.

The show is a mix of comedy and brilliant burlesque performers and having seen it before, it’s something you do not want to miss.

Dirty Little Secrets plays at Harvelle’s at 201 East Broadway in Long Beach on Friday, February 28th. For tickets call 562-239-3700 or go to LongBeach.Harvelles.com.

Now if monsters are your thing then this weekend head on over to the Lovelace Studio Theatre at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to see the world premiere of FRANKENSTEIN, an exuberant amalgamation of dynamic physical theatre, live music and experiential design bringing Mary Shelley’s tale to life in a modern take that spotlights the dangers of unregulated technology.

Sourced predominantly after Shelley’s novel the production features a cast of twelve all doubling as musicians . The show is created, staged and composed by Four Larks’ Mat Sweeney with design and choreography by Sebastian Peters-Lazaro and libretto written with Jesse Rasmussen.

This is Shelley’s nightmarish vision of inverted creation and a show you will remember long after the curtain falls.

The remaining performances are Friday, February 28th until Saturday March 7th 2929. To buy tickets and for more information go to TheWallis.org/Frankenstein.

The Wallis is located at 9390 North Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills 90210.

Whatever you choose to do this weekend people, make it a fun one.


JOAN OF ART: The Mormons are Back, A Musical that’s Worth a Trip, A Visit to the Iconic Grand Central Market, and Get Ready to Dance, Dance, Dance

There’s a lot of super fun things going on this weekend and I’m going to try my best to be at every one of them.

First up THE BOOK OF MORMON is opening at the Ahmanson Theatre at 135 North Grand Avenue downtown.

I’ve seen this musical (are you ready?) four times over the last few years. Why do I keep going back? Because it’s hysterically funny, brilliant and super clever on every single level. I absolutely loved every second of this show and I promise you will too.

According to The New York Times…THE BOOK OF MORMON is completely irrelevant, outrageous and ‘the best musical of the century’ and numerous publications more than agree with these sentiments.

This wonderfully offensive, extremely smart show is from the minds of Trey Parker, Richard Lopez and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. Need I say more?

But I will. Briefly it’s the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries they are sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. They start out in Salt Lake City and wind up in a remote Ugandan village. What follows is a sidesplitting story of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church like you’ve never seen before.

THE BOOK OF MORMON opened this week and plays through March 29th.

For more information and for tickets go to CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Next up is a different kind of musical that will have you traveling to downtown Los Angeles to The Los Angeles Theatre Center, which resides in a historic beautiful building that was originally a bank constructed In the late 1930’s and early 1931.

It’s really cool to see that some of the history of the building has been preserved. In fact on the lower floor is the bank’s original vault and if you’re super quiet and have a vivid imagination, you might just see a ghost or two.

Back to the musical which is entitled FOUND. This musical comedy was inspired by scores of surprising and eccentric discarded notes and letters that have been ‘found’ in the real world by every-day people and brought to irreverent theatrical life.

The show is based on the collection curated by Davy Rothbart in his ‘Found’ books and magazines. premiered off Broadway in 2014 and was the ‘Critic’s Pick’ by The New York Times.

This insightful and hilarious musical is a raucous exploration of human connection and the beautiful weirdness in all of us. I personally can’t wait to see it.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 513 South Spring Street, Downtown LA 90013. For tickets go to TheLATC.org/Found or call 213-489-0994.

FOUND opens tonight February 20th at 8pm with performances taking place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 4pm and Mondays at 8pm through March 23rd 2020.

Okay now that you’re downtown, you must visit one of my favorite eating haunts that has always without fail satisfied all of my culinary needs and left me extremely full and happy. I’m talking about THE GRAND CENTRAL MARKET located at 317 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

This is a feasting grounds with a dynamic lineup of vendors that have been here for decades. In fact, the market can be traced back from its days as an open grocery to its modern ‘destination dining’.

Its excellent reputation draws James Beard quality chefs. All of the thirty stalls in GCM are definitely worthy of your attention whether it’s for lunch, dinner or an in between snack. No matter what your food tastes are, you will find it here.

The Market is turning 100 this year and after you visit this place, you will definitely be shouting “HERE’S TO ANOTHER 100!.”

To see everything the GCM offers go to their website at GrandCentralMarket.com.

Last on my list, but definitely not least is the BLUE 13 DANCE COMPANY noted for its rhythmic and charged performances that blend hip-hop, ballet and modern and traditional Indian dance.

This incredibly talented company showcases its exuberant genre bending artistry at one of my favorite theatres, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, which is located at 9390 North Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills 90210.

BLUE 13 DANCE COMPANY is L.A. based and has been influencing the modern dance landscape through their reimagining of the classical forms from India with an American contemporary aesthetic.

They’ve performed on stages around the world, from Paris and Morocco to New York using dance as a vehicle for storytelling and I for one can’t wait to see them.

The BLUE 13 DANCE COMPANY will be performing on February 21st through February 22nd at 7:30.

For tickets and more information go to TheWallis.org.

Whatever you do this weekend people, make it a super fun one.


JOAN OF ART: Three Musicals and a Tango

Yes, this week it’s all about music and in particular three musical icons who created music and who will always be remembered.

First up is BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL playing at the Fred Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.

Long before she was Carole King, this chart topping music legend was Carole Klein, a girl from Brooklyn New York with a passion and lots of chutzpah.

She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. It wasn’t until her personal life began to crack that she finally managed to find her real voice.

BEAUTIFUL is the inspiring true story of Carole King’s remarkable rise to stardom from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann ultimately becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history.

The show continues to dazzle in New York and to packed houses world wide with its wit, charm and soul featuring a stunning array of beloved songs including ‘I Feel The Earth Move,’ ‘One Fine Day,’ ‘You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman,’ ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ and of course the title song.

I’ve seen the show in New York and I can’t wait to see it again this weekend. Performances are February 13th at 7:30, February 14 at 8pm, February 15th at 2pm and 8pm, and February 16th at 1pm and 6:30pm.

The Fred Kavli Theatre is located at The Thousand Oaks Bank Of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks, 91362.

For tickets and more information go to bapacthousandoaks.com. or call (800) 745-3000.

Now for a musical about one of the biggest musical icons. The show is called JUST IMAGINE: A TRIBUTE TO JOHN LENNON.

The premise is simple. Imagine John Lennon returns for one last concert and you are there. ‘Just Imagine’ transports you to another place and time putting you ‘one on one’ with the musical legend who shook the world.

You will experience Lennon’s timeless musical genius through Tim Piper who takes us through John’s life from his tumultuous childhood to becoming a worldwide music superstar as well as a groundbreaking social icon that influenced generations.

The show promises to tell us the stories behind the songs and will reveal insights about the birth of the Beatles, the pressures of super stardom, and John’s relationships with his lovers and fellow Beatles.

Backed by the rock band WORKING CLASS HERO Piper channels Lennon in this critically acclaimed tribute.

The show is playing at Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, located at 3050 Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley, 93065. For tickets go to Unsigned-Records.com or call the box office at (805) 583-7900.

The third musical on my ‘must see’ list this week has us traveling further back into the past. LADY DAY at EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL is a play with music recounting several events in the life of the one and only Billie Holiday.

The play premiered in 1986 in Atlanta Georgia and soon played off -Broadway and then it made its Broadway debut in 2014.

You can now see this wonderful and important production at the Ebony Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles.

The drama with music examines and explores the life of the legendary Billie Holiday during one of her final performances in Philadelphia in March 1959 four months shy of her death age the age of 44. Billie Holiday used everything that happened in her life to inform her art.

According to director Wren T. Brown, sixty years after her death, at a time in America when race, gender, and the opioid crisis are being discussed loudly on a daily basis, Miss Holiday’s life and career are a great example of what it means to not just survive but triumph in the face of lifelong abuse and struggle.

The super talented Karole Foreman stars in the title role along with music director Stephan Terry.

The limited engagement began February 6th and plays through March 1st. I’m a big fan of Miss Holiday and I guarantee, after you see this show, you will be one too.

For tickets and more information go to EbonyRep.org. The Ebony Repertory Theatre is located at 4718 West Washington Blvd, Los Angeles 90018.

Lastly I recommend a show that explores one of my personal favorites – the Tango. In particular the Argentine Tango. No dance is more sensual nor expresses the man-woman relationship than this one. It’s also known as the Authentic Tango.

The show is called ONCE UPON A TANGO and it is is the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day.

On February 16th at 6pm, Once Upon a Tango – Valentines Day Show will be playing at The Colony Theatre at 555 North 3rd Street in Burbank 91503.

After making their debut in Santa Barbara and San Diego in their #onceuponatangotour, GD Tango presents an all new version of the show that will be full of surprises. Not to mention their latest addition – master tango dancers brought to you from Argentina.

Guillermo Salvat and Miriam Lea brings romance and passion to each of their performances. Their dances are based on real people and events that the audience can enjoy and relate to. Through their movements thay tell an enchanting original tale that you will remember long after the curtain falls.

I’ve seen the show and I promise you will absolutely love it.

For tickets and more information go to GDTango.com.

Whatever you do this weekend people, make it a fun one. Oh and a romantic one.


Now Registered on the Better Lemons Calendar – January 27 – February 3, 2020

Theatrical, One-Person, Musicals, and Comedy shows, Music, Dance, and Cabaret now registered on the Better Lemons calendar!

For shows with a LemonMeter rating, visit our LemonMeter page.

Sugar Houses

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Looking for Leroy

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Cafe Vida

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The Andrews Brothers

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Taming the Lion

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Birthday Wish

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Uncle Vanya

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Matt & Ben

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The Secret Comedy of Women

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Our Man in Santiago

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Shades of War The play

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Melinda Doolittle – The Great American Soul Book

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The World is My Home: The Life of Paul Robeson

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A Good Day to Fly

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