Month: September 2011

Third Wednesdays in Culver City, A Reason to Get Out and Celebrate Midweek!

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Wednesdays are the middle of the week where you are just trying to make it till Friday. Third Wednesdays provide a pick-me-up for those living and visiting in and around Los Angeles near Culver City. Each month new music, new give-aways, and new featured stores offer a variety of things to check out. Downtown Culver City is located just south of the 10 Freeway and east of the 405, between the intersection of Culver and Washington Blvds and Dusquene Ave.  Find updates on: downtownculvercity.com

MERCHANT OFFERS:

Akasha – “Sample Wines While You Dine” – wine specialist from Chambers and Chambers will be sampling 6 to 8 wines – limited availability
Bottle Rock – ‘Rush Hour’ menu and specials
City Tavern – FREE 6oz draft beer sampler with purchase of an entree
Cold Stone Creamery – $1 off any hot dessert item from 5 pm to 10 pm
Culver Hotel – Free “Culver Lemonade” during sunset hour (7pm – 8pm) with purchase of appetizer, music on patio, and raffle at 9pm where 5 lucky guests will get $10 gift certificates
Dr. Heidi Fahringer, Optometrist – 10% off Eye Exams scheduled, Sunglasses, Frames & Lenses, + Snacks & Refreshments
Fraiche – $5 cocktails, $9 specialty cocktails, $5 house white and red wine 50% off all bottle wine (except reserve selection)
Ford’s Filling Station – Paella, tapas, red/white/rose sangria, and wine from a perron, plus live music & dance with Walter Molina Flamenco
Honey’s Kettle – Buy a dinner, get one free (food only)
K – Z O – Complimentary shot of Lychee Fusion cocktail With Dinner
Kabob Bistro – Buy and meal and get samosa free
Kay ‘N Dave’s Cantina – Free margaritas (buy 2, we buy the third) and Oaxacan street food specialties
Kaizuka Sushi – 50% off any beer, sake, or wine including imports
Kirk Douglas Theatre – Sidewalk party featuring ticket giveaways to the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre plus DJ Peter Krouse and free food samples from Mezza Mediterranean Grill
La Rocco’s Pizzeria – 10% off (eat in only), free cheese pizza samples, music on the patio with Frank Sinatra-sound alike and karaoke
Libra – Mention the name “Karina” and get a free dessert or a free glass of wine with purchase of a BBQ dinner
Lundeens – Free cocktails – Prizes every hour – 15% off entire store
Massage Garage – $10 off any future 60-minute or longer massage or facial… hot tea and goodies too
Meet – All you can eat mussels, $22.95, 10 different flavors
Melrose Mac – Vendor display from two top vendors that will do giveaways of iPad/iPhone accessories and external hard drives, 10% off all non-Apple items, and there will be iPads in stock! Free repair diagnostic coupons, water, mousepads and pens
MOKO – Slow roasted pork bao, herbaceous lettuces and smoked chli jang with a glass of Hite Lager – $6
Native Foods – Organic wine samples on our patio
Nextspace – Free Day Pass at the workplace for the new economy – Open house with drinks and nibbles 5pm-8pm, come tour our newly opened coworking space and receive a Day Pass to come back and work a day on us ($30 value)
Novecento Pasta & Grill – Free glass of cabernet or chardonnay with purchase of an entrée
Pacific Theaters – Free 46oz popcorn with every ticket purchased
Royal/T – 50% Off select wines, plus 20% off Baggu and other back to school utems in the shop
Rush Street – SUMMER PRIX FIXE DINNER DOWNSTAIRS – appetizer, entree, dessert – $25. SUMMER HOUSE PARTY UPSTAIRS – $6 House Margaritas & House DJs. Johnny James & Luis Miolaro 9:00pm – close in Rush Lounge
Le Saint Amour – Third Wednesday 3 course/$33 prix fixe special
Tender Greens – Half off bottles of wine
Timeless Treasures – Buy one, get the second free (equal or lesser value on 2nd item excluding Gold Room items)
Ugo An Italian Café – Spend $25 or more and get a free pint of gelato
Vanity Room – 10% off any full price jean
WWA Gallery – Check out the Shades of Ray Show: Color Ink Book’s 3rd Anniversary art show. Come in and sign up for a year subscription to Color Ink Book for a chance to win a $500 gallery gift certificate

Calista Flockhart, Gregory Itzin, JoBeth Williams Launch L.A. Theatre Works Season

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L.A. Theatre Works new venue, great actors for 2011-2012! The head cast of Ibsen’s A Doll House
at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater Sept. 22-25 features renown actor and actresses Calista Flockhart, Gregory Itzin and JoBeth Williams, recording A Doll House for broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. Six performances take place September 22-25, 2011, at James Bridges Theater on the campus of UCLA.

L.A. Theatre Works’ nationally syndicated radio theater series airs locally in Southern California on KPCC 89.3 every Saturday from 10 pm – midnight and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org. Rosalind Ayres directs Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama, translated by Rolf Fjelde, which also features Tony Abatemarco and Jeannie Elias.

Nora Helmer has a delicious secret that saved her husband’s life, but if he finds out what she’s done, it might destroy their marriage. Blackmail and innocence, love and hypocrisy collide in A Doll House, one of the most celebrated plays in theater history. A Doll House was the first successful play of its era to affirm a married woman’s right to her own individuality – although Ibsen insisted that he did not consider himself a campaigner for women’s rights, but rather for human rights Groundbreaking when first published in 1879, A Doll House challenged the conventional norms of playwriting.

It remains one of the most controversial plays about love and marriage ever written, and still retains the power to shock an audience a century after its lead character opened a door to freedom. A 1997 Broadway revival was the winner of four Tony Awards.

Performances of A Doll House take place on Thursday, September 22 @ 8 pm; Friday, September 23 @ 8 pm; Saturday, September 24 @ 3 pm & 8 pm; and Sunday, September 25 @ 2 pm & 7pm. The James Bridges Theater is located in Melnitz Hall on the campus of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television at 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (enter UCLA from Hilgard just south of Sunset Blvd. and park in Lot 3 on the lower level). Tickets are $49; student tickets are $15 at the door. To purchase tickets, call L.A. Theatre Works at 310-827-0889. latw.org.

WHAT:
A Doll House – Calista Flockhart, Gregory Itzin and JoBeth Williams head the cast when L.A. Theatre Works records Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama. Nora Helmer has a delicious secret that saved her husband’s life, but if he finds out what she’s done, it might destroy their marriage. Blackmail and innocence, love and hypocrisy collide in A Doll House, one of the most celebrated plays in theater history. All performances will be recorded to air on L.A. Theatre Works’ syndicated radio theater series, which broadcasts weekly on public radio stations nationwide and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org.

WHO:
Written by Henrik Ibsen
Translated by Rolf Fjelde
Directed by Rosalind Ayres
Featuring Tony Abatemarco, Jeannie Elias, Calista Flockhart, Gregory Itzin, JoBeth Willams
Produced by Susan A. Loewenberg

WHEN:
Thursday, September 22 @ 8 pm
Friday, September 23 @ 8 pm
Saturday, September 24 @ 3 pm & 8 pm
Sunday, September 25 @ 2 pm & 7 pm

WHERE:
James Bridges Theater
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
235 Charles E. Young Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(enter UCLA from Hilgard just south of Sunset Blvd.; park in Lot 3 on the lower level)

HOW:
310-827-0889 or www.latw.org

TICKETS:
$15-$49

Out the Window Art Project on LA Metro Fall 2011

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Artist videos shown on Transit TV on 2,000 LA Metro buses with art throughout October and November  share  artists’  perspectives about Los Angeles. With a different video featured each day in October and November, the project links physical and virtual worlds through digital media.  60 art videos reflect a range of subjects and styles including performances in urban public spaces, background information about LA neighborhoods, animated scenarios, ruminations about nature and investigations of other art forms. The programming tells stories, shares creative impressions and offers critical insights about Los Angeles. out-the-window.org

Fall Concerts in Orange County, Calif. Help Food Bank

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Costa Mesa’s Orange County Market Place has teamed up with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to help stock up local food pantries for yet another year in 2011. The 3rd Annual Fall Concert Series  kicks of Saturday, Sept. 24 and spans seven weekends, offering free admission to the music events with a canned or dried food item donation. An estimated 21% of Orange County residents are at-risk of hunger! 6,384 pounds of food were collected for Second Harvest Food Bank, in the spring 2011, providing 5,320 meals to those in need.

2011 Fall Concert Series
Sept 24 Blues & Harp contest, 3 bands –  noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Sept. 25 Noon & 2 p.m., Rod Piazza and his Mighty Flyers
Oct. 1 Blues & Harp Contes  t3 bands –  noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Oct. 2 Desperado Eagles Tribute band
Oct. 8 Blues & Harp Contest   3 bands –  noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Oct. 9 The Big Squeeze – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Accordion Festival, five stages
Oct. 15  Blues & Harp Finalists
Oct. 16 Abbey Road Beatles Tribute band
Oct. 22 – Blues, Top four bands battle it out at noon, 1 p.m. , 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Oct. 29 Gods of Thunder Tribute to KISS
Nov. 5 The Silver Bullet Band Tribute to Bob Seger with Turn the Page o
Nov. 6 Don’t Stop Believing Journey Tribute

Location: Orange County Market Place, every weekend at the O. C. Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive,  Costa Mesa. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Call: (949) 723-6660.  ocmarketplace.com

Rare revival of Tony-nominated musical The Robber Bridegroom in Long Beach, CA

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Appearing Oct. 14-Nov. 6, 2011, this funny, rowdy and sexy bluegrass fairy tale with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman is performed at International City Theatre. Based on the 1942 Eudora Welty novella, The Robber Bridegroom is a comic, adult fairy tale that’s loaded with symbolism, innuendo and double entendre.

A charming gentleman bandit, the rich plantation owner’s daughter he loves, the wicked, sex-starved stepmother who wants her dead, and an evil thief who carries his brother’s head around in a trunk – all set to an infectious Broadway/bluegrass score, is described as Souther meets Appalachian.

The Robber Bridegroom originated at The Musical Theatre Lab in 1970, pioneering the workshop process during its developmental stages.That production established the career of playwright Alfred Uhry, who would later write the acclaimed Driving Miss Daisy and The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and catapulted the careers of its two stars, Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone, both recent graduates of Juilliard making their professional debuts. Following a successful national tour, a second Broadway run was mounted just one year later, earning Barry Bostwick the Tony Award for lead actor in a musical and another eight Drama Desk nominations.

Todd Nielsen directs the ICT production, and Gerald Sternbach is musical director. Chad Doreck of Off-Broadway’s Altar Boyz stars as Jaime Lockhart with Jamison Lingle as Rosamund. Also in the cast are six-time Helen Hayes Award nominee Michael Stone Forrest, Sue Goodman, Tyler Ledon, Tatiana Mac, Teya Patt, Michael Uribes, and Adam Wylie.

The Robber Bridegroom runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 14 through November 6. Tickets: $37 – $55. Preview performances take place on Tuesday, October 11; Wednesday, October 12; and Thursday, October 13 @ 8 pm. Preview tickets are $29. International City Theatre is the an award-winning Resident Professional Theater at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA. Box Office: (562) 436-4610. InternationalCityTheatre.org.

 

WHAT:
The Robber Bridegroom – A rare revival of the funny, rowdy, sexy Tony Award-nominated musical, a comic adult Southern fairy tale about a charming gentleman bandit, the rich plantation owner’s daughter he loves, the wicked, sex-starved stepmother who wants her dead, and an evil thief who carries his brother’s head around in a trunk – all set to an infectious Broadway/bluegrass score.

WHO:
Book and Lyrics by Alfred Uhry
Music by Robert Waldman
Based on the novella by Eudora Welty
Directed by Todd Nielsen
Musical Direction by Gerald Sternbach
Produced by caryn desai [sic] for International City Theatre

WHEN:
Previews: October 11, 12 & 13 at 8 pm
Performances: October 14 through November 6
Tuesday at 8pm: October 11 (preview)
Wednesday at 8pm: October 12 (preview)
Thursdays at 8 pm: October 13 (preview), 20, 27, November 3
Fridays at 8 pm: October 14 (Opening Night), 21, 28, November 4
Saturdays at 8 pm: October 15, 22, 29, November 5
Sundays at 2 pm: October 16, 23, 30, November 6

WHERE:
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach CA 90802

HOW:
(562) 436-4610 or www.ictlongbeach.org

TICKETS:
Opening Night: $55 (includes reception following the performance)
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: $44
Thursday: $37
Previews: $29

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group 3 New Plays in North Hollywood

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Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group presents their first series of 3 new, full-length plays by 3 extraordinary Los Angeles Playwrights. Each play will run for (4) Sundays at 7:00pm, opening with the first performance of Michael Erger’s “Pescador” on October 2, continuing with Patricia Lamkin’s “Balancing The Moon” on October 30, and closing with the final performance of Luis A. Reyes’ “Richard Holbrooke Saves The World” on December 18.

PESCADOR
A new play by Michael Erger
A dark comedy about an unstable professor with a ticking biological clock, who asks her student’s boyfriend for his sperm.
SUNDAYS @ 7:00pm
OCTOBER 2, 9, 16 & 23

BALANCING THE MOON
A new play by Patricia Lamkin
Love, magic, & mayhem ensue when a psychoanalyst learns his wife is possessed by a sex-crazed Irish love fairy.
SUNDAYS @ 7:00pm
OCTOBER 30, NOVEMBER 6, 13 & 20

RICHARD HOLBROOKE SAVES THE WORLD
A new play by Luis A. Reyes
The vicious cycle of war, death & peace baffles the US special envoy to Afghanistan as he waits to become the next Secretary of State.
SUNDAYS @ 7:00pm
NOVEMBER 27, DECEMBER 4, 11 & 18

All Performances: SUNDAYS @ 7:00pm
OCTOBER 2 – DECEMBER 18, 2011
ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
Reservations: (818) 202- 4120
Tickets: $15
ZombieJoes.com

Inside the Ford 2011-12 Season in Hollywood Features International Line-Up

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Within a 1929 historic structure, [Inside] the Ford is an 87-seat indoor theater space at the Ford Theatres complex that boasts modern lights and sound, comfortable seats, and a decades-long history of nurturing new theater at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. Located off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios, on-site, non-stacked parking is free. Tickets are $25 with a special price of $12 for full-time students and senior citizens. A season subscription for all three plays is $54. call 323-461-3673.   FordTheatres.org

The season opens on November 4 and 5 when PAE Live! presents The Romance of Magno Rubio in English – as well as the world premiere of Ang Romansa ni Magno Rubio, a new translation into Tagalog of Lonnie Carter’s OBIE award-winning play. A high-energy stage adaptation of Carlos Bulosan’s seminal short story about a love struck Filipino migrant worker in 1930s California, The Romance of Magno Rubio uses clever word play, rhymes, rhythms and Philippine love songs (kundimans) to reveal the lives of migrant workers, their struggles and dreams, and their longings for home and a better life. PAE Live! presents five performances each week, three in English and two in Tagalog. The new translation is by renowned Filipino actor Bernardo Bernardo, who also directs. (November 4-December 11)

On January 21, Furious Theatre Company presents the world premiere of No Good Deed, a gritty and savagely humorous live-on-stage action adventure that is part theater and part graphic novel. Dámaso Rodriguez directs resident playwright Matt Pelfrey’s bold exploration of the way junk news and media hype thwart the best efforts of real life heroes. No good deed goes unpunished when teen illustrator Josh Jackson transforms into a superhero – only to face mortal consequences for his actions in an epic battle of good vs. evil. (January 21-February 26)

Circle X Theatre Co. returns to [Inside] the Ford on March 24 with the world premiere of a wild and crazy comedy that examines the stretch marks in the American dream. In Naked Before God by Leo Geter, former adult B-movie queen Kristen Burrows may have hit upon a business plan with potential: she’s going to combine her adult film past with a born again future. Meanwhile, Kristin’s son Duncan is set to launch an entrepreneurial scheme of his own. When a Christian radio talk show host interested in Kristen’s book idea comes to dinner, twisted hilarity ensues. (March 24-April 28)

The winter play series at [Inside] the Ford, supported by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Ford Theatre Foundation, has presented Los Angeles, West Coast, and world premiere productions from companies including Moving Arts, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA, Circle X Theatre Co., TheSpyAnts, Ghost Road Company, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Neo Theatre Ensemble and Vs. Theatre Company since 2008. Plays produced as part of the series have garnered awards and recognition from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association, LA Weekly and Back Stage. “A big plus for the decade came from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, whose funding of various companies at [Inside] the Ford has given us some of the richest programming of the seasons,” wrote Steven Leigh Morris in the LA Weekly.

 

Peace in Our Time, Noel Coward Play in LA Oct. 20 – Dec. 11, 2011

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Set in a London pub during the 1940s, Peace In Our Time imagines English life under Nazi occupation. Complacency or freedom – which would you choose? Coward conceived the idea while in Paris shortly after the Liberation.

Musical direction for Peace In Our Time is by Richard Levinson; set design is by Tom Buderwitz; lighting design is by Jeremy Pivnick; costume design is by Jessica Olson; sound design is by John Zalewski; properties design is by Heather Ho; and the production stage manager is Cate Cundiff.

The Antaeus Company strives to keep classical theater vibrantly alive by presenting professional productions with a top-flight ensemble company of actors.

Performances take place October 20 through December 11, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays @ 8 pm and on Sundays @ 2:30 pm except Sunday, October 23 which will be at 4 pm. There will be no performance, on Thursday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving). Tickets are $30 on Thursdays and Fridays and $34 on Saturdays and Sundays, except opening weekend performances, which are $40 (Oct. 20 & 21) and $75 (Oct. 22 & 23) and include pre- and post-show receptions. Preview performances take place Oct. 13-19 on the same schedule; tickets to previews are $15.

The Antaeus Company is located at 5112 Lankershim Blvd (inside Deaf West Theatre) in North Hollywood, CA 91601. Free parking is available in the uncovered Citibank lot on Lankershim Blvd. just south of Otsego St. The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call (818) 506-1983 or antaeus.org.

Details for Calendar Listings
Peace In Our Time

WHAT:
Peace In Our Time – The U.S. premiere of Noël Coward’s drama poses a most intriguing and terrifying question: What if the Nazis had successfully invaded and occupied Britain? Set in a London Pub during the 1940s, this new adaptation by Antaeus company member Barry Creyton incorporates 9 of Coward’s lesser-known songs.

WHO:
Written by Noël Coward
Adapted by Barry Creyton
Directed by Casey Stangl
Musical Direction by Richard Levinson

WHEN:
Previews: Oct. 13 -19
Performances: Oct. 20 – Dec. 11:
Tuesday @ 8 pm: Oct. 18 only (preview)
Wednesday @ 8 pm: Oct. 19 only (preview)
Thursdays @ 8 pm: Oct. 13 (preview), 20 (Press Opening), 27; Nov. 3, 10, 17; Dec. 1, 8 (dark Nov. 24)
Fridays @ 8 pm: Oct. 14 (preview), 21 (Press Opening), 28; Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25; Dec. 2, 9
Saturdays @ 8 pm: Oct. 15 (preview), 22 (Gala Opening), 29; Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26; Dec. 3, 10
Sundays @ 2:30 pm: Oct. 16 (preview). 30; Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27; Dec. 4, 11 (no. 2:30 perf. on Oct. 23)
Sunday @ 4 pm: Oct. 23 only (Gala Opening)

WHERE:
THE ANTAEUS COMPANY@ Deaf West Theatre
5112 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood CA 91601
(one block south of Magnolia; free parking available in Citibank lot on Lankershim Blvd. South of Otsego St.)

HOW:
(818) 506-1983 or www.Antaeus.org

TICKETS:
Thursdays and Fridays: $30
Saturdays and Sundays: $34
Press Openings (All press openings include a post-show reception with the actors):
Friends and Family Openings (October 20 & 21): $40
Gala Openings (October 22 & 23): $75
Previews: $15