Shari Barrett - Page 7

Facing the current challenge of how to keep entertaining audiences, the duo’s new online show was broadcast in English (both speak several languages) on Sunday, November 29 with over 100 people from all over the world in the audience. In addition to never before seen tricks, the show features their dog, Mr. Koni Hundini, a Maltipoo who is always with them, whether at home or on the road. “So, most of the time we know what he is thinking and the other way around,” Amelie shared.

Torrance Theatre Company is completing its first PLAY-AT-HOME series of online theatrical experiences, designed to entertain audiences during the stay-at-home orders. All productions are performed live onstage within the theater while observing all COVID-19 restrictions, and recorded for broadcast. The final three plays presented in December include Beyond Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, and A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play.

ANNAPURNA is driven by the emotionally charged relationship between a husband and wife. What makes the Torrance Theatre Company's Zoom production not like most others is that a real-life married couple is portraying the two characters, taped together on an actual stage with blocking - just without an in-person audience. Emma's good heart and deep-seated love for her ex shines through thanks to Baker-Kreiswirth's open-hearted and soulful character work, not to mention her loving way of making sure he has the supplies he needs to keep going. But it is Wolski who steals every scene with his wildly-intense emotions on his sleeve as well as his face

Tonight I witnessed proof that the new medium of virtual theater is being transformed in the minds and hands of young people whose vision of what could be knows no bounds, thanks to MFA and Undergraduate students at Cal State LA whose production of WAR OF THE WORLDS, adapted by Ben Hernandez based on the novel by H.G. Wells and directed by Stephen Rothman, offered a very modern take on the classic Sci Fi tale of aliens invading the Earth, seemingly with destruction of the human race as their goal.

The Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series, offering new plays free of charge on its You Tube channel at https://youtube.com/c/kentwoodplayers, announces upcoming new plays presented November 2020 through April 2021.

Writer and director Shawn Plunkett wants to fill the void of no theater by taking audiences back to days of live television, just without the in-person studio audience. 'SAFER APART will be performed LIVE so anything can happen, which is one of the major appeals of attending an in-person show. I am aiming to give it a cinematic touch, making sure it is not as static as actors sitting in a chair and just reading a script. We are moving, adjusting, using more than one camera. I will even be walking outside while holding a camera in one scene. And there will be lots of action, made all the more exciting since it is being done live.'

Diana Wyenn's solo show BLOOD/SUGAR takes place at the intersection of public health and performance, focusing on her life as a diabetic. Performed live and broadcast from Wyenn's home, using multimedia effects, original movement, and Wyenn's physical surroundings to create a vivid account of the life-sustaining self-care that diabetes currently demands from one out of every 10 American adults. And since I am also a Type 1 diabetic, I knew I was the perfect person to speak with her about the creation of the show.

The timely nature of the play, given how many seniors are now dealing with living alone in isolation which can lead to loneliness and depression to the point of feeling hopeless, THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN adds in a much-needed dose of how important it is to stay in touch and support our elderly family members who are struggling during our current on-going pandemic.

KRISTINA WONG FOR PUBLIC OFFICE is a 75-minute comedic performance that crosses the aesthetics of campaign rallies, church revivals, and solo theater shows to tell the story of what it means to run for local office, the history of voting, and the impact artists can have on democracy. The subject matter reflects Kristina Wong’s experience as an actual elected representative of Koreatown, Los Angeles. But before she created this raucous show about her current stint in Public Office, Wong was a scrappy performance artist with a bright future in reality television. So which career better suits her talents? Perhaps both!

Now more than ever is the time to consider what the foundation of democracy means to you, especially with the Presidential election less than a week away with our country so divided it seems there is no middle ground on which to stand. Perhaps it's been more years than you can count, if ever, when you last read the Constitution upon which our democracy is based and our rights as American citizens are outlined. I encourage you to tune in to WE THE PEOPLE streaming through Monday, November 2.

Based on true events and strikingly relevant today, DAISY explores the moment in TV history when the political attack ad was born. In the autumn of 1964, one year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, bloody turmoil over Civil Rights was spilling onto the streets, a fearful ideology that made the threat of nuclear war palpable was growing from the conservative right, and a skirmish in the far-off nation of Vietnam wouldn't go away. With the presidential election looming, an advertising agency working for Lyndon Johnson unleashed the most devastating political commercial ever conceived, the 'Daisy' ad.

Here is my interview with Jessica Litwak, the playwright and director of THE FEAR PROJECT and Artistic Director of the H.E.A.T. Collective, who shares information about the group, the show, and the actors/collaborators who worked with her on its creation. Then register and tune in on October 25th and/or 30th.

For the past few months, I have been enjoying the PLAY-AT-HOME series of nine plays being presented online by Torrance Theatre Company. What makes their virtual theater series unique from others is that each play is being broadcast live from within the walls of their theater, staged on three pre-set playing areas separated far enough apart to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines for the cast and production team. On Sunday, October 18th, I tuned in for Lauren Gunderson's BAUER which has a 24-hour encore on Sunday, October 25th.

For an inside look at the creation of 'Reach' by Jennie Webb, one of the four plays being streamed on Saturday, October 24 as part of the UNDER CONSTRUCTION Zoom series, I reached out to that play's producer Christine Joëlle, who shared how the short piece was created via a collaboration with the two musicians of firehill and their first song 'Believe.'

CRE Outreach and Rex & Friends are please to present CONCERT FROM THE STARS, a Zoom performance by musicians with disabilities on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 7pm PST. Led by musician Rex-Lewis Clack, the 23-year-old blind and autistic pianist hailed as a musical savant by a?oe60 Minutes,a?? and helmed by Musical Director Laurie Grant, Rex & Friends provides training and performance opportunities for musicians with disabilities, during which participants develop their musical repertoire in an environment that grows friendships, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills while performing for live and virtual audiences.

As one of the nation's most prominent spoken-word artists, and a three-time national poetry slam champion and a four-time national finalist, Javon Johnson now takes to the Pasadena Playhouse stage in STILL. to share his very personal experience growing up as a Black man in America at a pivotal time in our history.

Imagine being in your last year of college as a theatre major. There are so many things happening: recitals, senior projects, juries and final productions. THE GREEN ROOM musical takes us on a journey of 4 college seniors who are approaching their final days on campus together, wondering and worrying about entering the real world.

As one of the lucky October-born people, the celebration of Halloween has always been a very important occasion for me as it is just a handful of days after my birthday. Growing up enjoying playing dress-up at this time of year always brought out my imagination into the realm of spirits, goblins, and how I just assumed they lived together with us in this world. So at this time of year, I have always wanted to attend the annual GHOSTWALK an in the streets production held in Santa Paula which brings to life encounters with local sprits who share the history of unique locations in the lovely quaint town. And now virtually I have - and so should you!

Broadway and Los Angeles artists join forces in an online workshop of the new musical adventure, the family-friendly GIDEON AND THE BLUNDERSNORP in which Gideon is a stableboy who dreams of being a knight, despite belonging to the wrong social class. Alanna is a young viscountess trapped in the system of royal succession. Together they team up to escape bandits, navigate a treacherous forest, and confront the vicious Blundersnorp, whose dream is simply to eat everyone. Ita??s a musical about aspiration, adventure, and escaping societya??s expectations. (And fighting giant monsters.)

Westa??s play, in which she turned her anger at injustice into witty repartee, tells of a married but closeted high society man who throws a wild drag ball that proves to be a fateful event in more ways than one, given the various degrees of scandal going on around so many of the characters. Written under a pseudonym before she became a blockbuster Hollywood star, THE DRAG scandalized New York audiences in 1927 with its portrayal of homosexuality, transgender characters, and drag queens. The premiere production closed out of town by the authorities after two weeks of sold-out performances to appreciative audiences.