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The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts 2022/2023 Season Announcement Event!

2022, Calendar, Events, Press Releases, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announced its 2022/2023 season at a special live event for invited guests in the Bram Goldsmith Theater, on May 31, 2022. We were pleased to be among the honored guests attending this special event!

(L-R) Sid Fish, Co-Publisher & Editor; Steve Zall, Publisher; Joel Hile, Director of Marketing & Communications; Chandra Jackson, Marketing & Communications Content Manager
PHOTO CREDIT: DVR Productions
The staff of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts joins some of the artists who will be appearing at The Wallis during its 2022/2023 season.
PHOTO CREDIT: DVR Productions

THE WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
ANNOUNCES PROGRAMMING FOR 2022/2023 SEASON

Distinctive Range of Performances, Programs, and Events Feature Groundbreaking Produced and Presented Works in Theater, Dance, Music, Film, Cabaret, Conversation, and Family Entertainment

Celebrated Artists Whose Work is Represented Include Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Bradley Bredeweg, Sheldon Epps, Xiang “Sean” Gao, Emma Rice, Kwame Alexander, Lisa Fischer, Thelma Houston, Osvaldo Golijov, Lillias White, Stephanie J. Block,Anthony McGill, Isaac Mizrahi, Ulysses Owens, Jr., J’nNai Bridges, Jeffrey Kahane, John Irving, Reza Aslan, and many others

Extraordinary Dance and Music Companies Featured Range from Mambo Kings, Ballet Hispánico, Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles, andBODYTRAFFIC to Pacifica Quartet, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and more

Sing for Hope, The Wallis’ 2022-2023 Season Company-in-Residence, its Founders, Sopranos Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, Artists-in-Residence, and The Wallis Present U.S. Premiere of THE LAST SORCERER (LE DERNIER SORCIER), an 1867 Masterwork Salon Opera 150 Years Ahead of its Time

Programming also Features Continued Partnerships with Writers Bloc, ASCAP, and Film Independent; Return of the Signature Sorting Room Series; and Sunday Fundays with Free Family Entertainment

The Wallis’ Ninth Season Begins in late September 2022 and Continues into the Summer of 2023

(Beverly Hills, CA, June 1, 2022) – The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has announced a robust and distinctive range of performances, programs, and events for the 2022/2023 season, including two world premieres, one U.S. premiere, one West Coast Premiere, and one Los Angeles Premiere, featuring groundbreaking produced and presented works in theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, conversation, and family entertainment. Among the celebrated artists whose work is represented are Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Bradley Bredeweg, Sheldon Epps, Xiang “Sean” Gao, Emma Rice, Kwame Alexander, Lisa Fischer, Thelma Houston, Osvaldo Golijov, Lillias White, Stephanie J. Block, Anthony McGill, Isaac Mizrahi, Ulysses Owens, Jr., J’Nai Bridges, Jeffrey Kahane, John Irving, Reza Aslan, and many others. Extraordinary dance and music companies featured from around Southern California, the United States, and the world range from Mambo Kings, Ballet Hispánico, Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles, and BODYTRAFFIC to Pacifica Quartet, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and more. Sing for Hope, The Wallis’ 2022-2023 Season Company-in-Residence, and its founders, sopranos Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, Artists-in-Residence, present, with The Wallis, the Sing for Hope Production of The Last Sorcerer (Le Dernier Sorcier), an 1867 masterwork salon opera 150 years ahead of its time. Programming also features continued partnerships with Writers Bloc, ASCAP, and Film Independent; the return of the signature Sorting Room series; and Sunday Fundays with free family entertainment. Under the leadership of Executive Director/CEO Rachel Fine, The Wallis’ ninth season begins in late September 2022 and runs into the summer of 2023.

“The Wallis launches its 2022/2023 stronger than ever,” says The Wallis’ Executive Director and CEO Rachel Fine. “With this full slate of bold, diverse, and ambitious programming, we’re prepared to wow, engage, and move our audiences during a time when we all need to be elevated and nurtured by the performing arts. We are pleased to be operating at full throttle, once again, thanks to the invaluable support of The Wallis’ Board of Directors, the City of Beverly Hills, the Annenberg Foundation, and our loyal community of supporters, artists, staff, and friends.”

“The Wallis’ 2022/23 season provides a place for our communities, our audiences, and our artists to be revived with inventive programming that inspires, entertains, challenges, reflects and uplifts,” says Associate Artistic Director Coy Middlebrook. “The breadth and depth of the work being presented during this season showcases the work of some of LA’s and America’s leading, and emerging, artistic thought-makers in dance, theater, music, film, and literature. Their contemporary perspectives paired with their tremendous creativity generates work that is as fresh and gripping for these times we find ourselves in as it is timelessly poetic and enthralling.”

Theater offerings further broaden The Wallis’ commitment to new work, with two World Premieres, one West Coast Premiere, and one Los Angeles Premiere. From November 22 to December 17, 2022, The Wallis presents INVINCIBLE – THE MUSICAL (World Premiere) FEATURING THE MUSIC OF PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO, which reimagines the timeless story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the 21st century through an intricate weaving of the four-time GRAMMY® Award-winners and 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ legendary catalogue and inspired new songs. With a book by Bradley Bredeweg, music direction and arrangements by Jesse Vargas, and orchestrations and arrangements by Neil Giraldo, Invincible – The Musical is presented by Special Arrangement with Jamie Cesa, Cody Lassen & Bel Chiasso Entertainment.

The pioneering SHANGHAI SONATAS: A NEW MUSICAL IN CONCERT (World Premiere) is presented from March 16 to 18, 2023 by The Wallis in collaboration with the University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series. Concept, music and produced by Xiang “Sean” Gao, one of Musical America‘s Top 30 Professionals of the Year, Shanghai Sonatas brilliantly shows the power of music to build bridges across cultures. With book by Alan Goodson and lyrics by Joyce Hill Stoner, Shanghai Sonatas is directed by Chongren Fan.

Sheldon Epps (Blues in the Night) returns to direct The Wallis Production of MY LORD, WHAT A NIGHT (West Coast Premiere) from May 23 to June 11, 2023, a new drama written by Deborah Brevoort based on the real-life friendship between legendary Black contralto Marian Anderson and physicist Albert Einstein, two icons of the 20th century, who dealt with the injustices of a highly divided era in American history.

From January 11 to 22, 2023, The Wallis Presents Wise Children’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS (Los Angeles Premiere) based on the novel by Emily Brontë and adapted and directed by Emma Rice (Brief Encounter, Tristan & Yseult). Rice returns to The Wallis to transform Brontë’s masterpiece into an intoxicating story of revenge, shot through with music, dance, passion, and hope.

DAHLAK BRATHWAITE: TRY/STEP/TRIP from February 2 to 5, 2023, written and composed by Dahlak Brathwaite, is a spoken word, multi-character musical performed through the language of step dance. Directed by Roberta Uno, it is choreographed by Toran X. Moore, with assistant choreography by Freddy Ramsey, Jr., and orchestrations and additional compositions by Teak Underdue.

The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences On Tour Production of ACOUSTIC ROOSTER’S BARNYARD BOOGIE: STARRING INDIGO BLUME from April 22 to 23, 2023, is a brand-new stage show recommended for ages five and up. Adapted from the books by New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander, it is written by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess with music by Randy Preston, and directed by Lili-Anne Brown.

Among the dynamic blend of dance companies presented during the season are two making their Wallis debuts: BALLET HISPÁNICO, October 7/8, 2022, in celebration of the incomparable company’s 50th Anniversary, and LUMINARIO BALLET OF LOS ANGELES, February 17/18, 2023, a thrilling repertory ballet, aerial, and modern dance company. Returning favorites are BODYTRAFFIC, October 21 to 23, 2022, which has conquered the contemporary dance world with its stunning performers, technical mastery, and a commitment to the most challenging repertoire; BLUE13 DANCE COMPANY, noted for its rhythmic and exuberant genre-bending artistry that blends hip-hop, ballet, modern, and traditional Indian dance, on May 12/13, 2023; and ALONZO KING LINES BALLET, June 9 to 11, 2023, performing a new work featuring Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lisa Fischer set to a score by jazz pianist, composer, and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran.

Additionally, pop, opera, jazz, blues, classical, Broadway, and Latinx artists, many making their Wallis debuts, are among the sweeping and diverse array of music performers.

As part of Sing for Hope’s residency, The Wallis presents the U.S. PREMIERE of the Sing for Hope Production of THE LAST SORCERER (LE DERNIER SORCIER) on March 3, 2023, preceded on March 2 by a Center Stage panel. One hundred fifty years ahead of its time, Pauline Viardot’s 1867 masterwork salon opera was written on a libretto by her lover, the great Russian novelist Turgenev. A feminist eco-fable in operatic form, it premiered to great acclaim with Viardot at the piano in her Baden Baden villa and her students in the roles. After the original piano-voice manuscript was held in a private collection for over a century, it essentially vanished without a trace until acquired several years ago by Harvard Library, which gave Sing for Hope co-founder Monica Yunus permission to publish and produce the recording of the world premiere of the work. New English language narrations take the place of French dialogue that would have come in between each musical number, punctuating the concert story-book-style.

AN EVENING WITH MOTOWN – A Bristol Entertainment Production (October 1, 2022), a uniquely entertaining music experience, features Grammy Award-winning artist Thelma Houston and other remarkable talents.

As part of Sing for Hope’s residency, HAVANA NIGHTS (October 13, 2022) showcases the MAMBO KINGS and star soprano CAMILLE ZAMORA, hailed as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish song by NBC Latino, with a sultry, passionate, and exciting evening of Latin music from Spain and the island of Cuba. Canadian-Trinidadian pianist STEWART GOODYEAR performs in his Wallis debut (October 15, 2022) selections from his latest album, PHOENIX, including original works by Goodyear as well as Debussy, Jennifer Higdon, Anthony David and others that obtain new life by arising from the sound world, past traditions, and gestures of Franz Lizst. FALLING OUT OF TIME (October 27, 2022) is a gripping new song cycle from Grammy-winning composer OSVALDO GOLIJOV with an ensemble of musicians, led by acclaimed violinist Johnny Gandelsman, that finds its roots in David Grossman’s novel of the same name.

BROADWAY @ THE WALLIS & MARK CORTALE PRESENT, the internationally acclaimed concert series, returns with two star-studded evenings. LILLIAS WHITE WITH SETH RUDETSKY, HOST & PIANIST, on November 3, 2022, features Tony, Obie and Emmy Award-winner White (The Life, Fela!, Dreamgirls, Barnum, Once On This Island, Chicago, Disney’s Hercules, Pieces of April, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “The Get Down,” “Russian Doll, “Search Party”) in conversation and performance with SiriusXM Radio star Rudetsky. STEPHANIE J. BLOCK WITH SETH RUDETSKY, HOST & PIANIST (May 4, 2023), is an evening with Tony Award-winner Block (The Cher Show, Falsettos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 9 to 5: The Musical, Boy From Oz, Wicked) revealing behind-the-scenes stories and music from Block’s stellar Broadway career.

The virtuosic LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA makes its Wallis debut with two appearances, the first of which is Baroque Concerti (January 28, 2023), an evening of chamber performances featuring soloists Yura Lee, principal viola, and David Washburn, principal trumpet, performing works by Johan Baptist Georg Neruda, Corelli, Geminiani, Telemann, and Handel. Masterworks for String Orchestra (May 6, 2023) immerses audiences in the majesty of the string orchestra through a program of rich and varied compositions by Bingen, Britten, Mendelssohn, Hindemith, and Greig, curated by LACO Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music Margaret Batjer.

The Grammy Award-winning PACIFICA QUARTET, which has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today, is joined by the brilliantly multifaceted ANTHONY MCGILL, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, on February 23, 2023. Actor, host, writer, acclaimed fashion designer, and producer ISAAC MIZRAHI, whose one-of-a-kind show on March 4, 2023, combines comedy, commentary, and an array of classic and soon-to-be classic songs from Stephen Sondheim to Blondie, from Comden & Green to Madonna. Cellist SETH PARKER WOODS  (March 9, 2023), recipient of the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award and hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace,” performs works by Rachmaninov, Liszt, Kagel, Chinary Ung, Respighi, Lembit Beecher, and Reinaldo Moya. ULYSSES OWENS, JR. & J’NAI BRIDGES in NOTES ON HOPE (April 27, 2023), bring together mezzo-soprano opera star J’Nai Bridges and Grammy-winning jazz trailblazer percussionist Ulysses Owens, Jr., in a program of works by Debussy, Ravel, Duparc, Satie, Poulenc, Ellington, and more. Pianist JEFFREY KAHANE,recognized around the world for his mastery of a diverse repertoire, performs his interpretation of BACH: GOLDBERG VARIATIONS (May 11, 2023), long regarded as the most serious and ambitious work for the keyboard. All of these artists are making their Wallis debuts.

On May 20, 2023, the award-winning MIRÓ QUARTET (Daniel Ching, violin; William Fedkenheuer, violin; John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello), one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, is reunited with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer KEVIN PUTS, who has been hailed as one of the most important composers of his generation. Critically acclaimed for a richly colored, harmonic, and freshly melodic musical voice that has also been described as “emotional, compelling, and relevant,” Puts has had works commissioned, performed, and recorded by leading orchestras, ensembles, and soloists throughout the world.

The season’s music programs conclude on June 1, 2023, with an evening featuring the chamber trio of JORDAN BAK, viola, GENEVA LEWIS, violin, and EVREN OZEL, piano. With myriad colors and sounds spanning two centuries, this evening offers a unique blend of artistic collaboration and instrumental and interpretational distinctiveness between performers and composers, from works by Debussy, Schumann, and Mozart to Max Reger’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B minor, showcasing the young 18-year-old composer’s musical and technical maturity and brimming with bravura, sensitivity, and promise.

The Wallis continues its partnership with WRITERS BLOC for a series of CONVERSATIONS providing insight into the literary process featuring AN EVENING WITH ANTHONY DOERR (September 29, 2022), AN EVENING WITH JOHN IRVING (October 23, 2022), and AN EVENING WITH REZA ASLAN (November 1, 2022). For 26 years, Writers Bloc has fostered the significance and importance of literature as an art form, enhancing the public’s knowledge and awareness of contemporary writers and thinkers who have made a significant impact on the cultural and literary landscape.

The Wallis’ wildly successful SORTING ROOM series, which transforms the Lovelace Studio Theater into an intimate nightclub, returns during the holiday season to offer the best talent from a wide range of genres including the American songbook, spoken word, comedy, classic cabaret, storytelling, dance, contemporary music, and more.

Film presentations in partnership with FILM INDEPENDENT, featuring screening events and conversations with celebrated actors and filmmakers, will be announced.

The ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop and Festival also returns in partnership with the ASCAP Foundation. In addition there will be a special Evening with Stephen Schwartz concert in celebration of his 75th birthday. (Dates and tickets to be announced soon.)

Of particular note, The Wallis continues its beloved free monthly outdoor SUNDAY FUNDAY family series from October 2022 through June 2023 with a variety of engaging programming that includes Debbie Allen & Friends’ Dance Sundays and quality live performances by groups ranging from Parker Bent to Broadway Babies and Spring Groove, plus Holiday Hanukah with Mostly Kosher in December and a bilingual concert in June with Nathalia – all designed to spark young peoples’ imagination and fuel creativity. No reservations or tickets are required for Sunday Funday events.

Subscriptions to The Wallis’ 2022/2023 Season are on sale now. Single tickets will be available at a later date. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase subscriptions and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 6 pm) or visit www.TheWallis.org.

The Wallis is closely monitoring the ever-changing local health and safety environment carefully and addressing known health factors at the moment. Should plans change and any performance be required to be postponed or cancelled or if venue capacity limitations are instituted, ticket holders will be notified immediately with options for their purchased tickets per The Wallis’ ticketing policies.

The health and safety of patrons, our staff, and artists inside and outside the venue are a top priority for The Wallis, which is requiring all patrons to provide, upon entry, proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result within 48 hours or a verifiable Antigen test within 24 hours from your performance date, along with a government issued photo ID. Facial masks, covering both the mouth and nose, are still required at all times while within the venue. The Wallis’ health and safety protocols are also subject to change at the venue’s sole discretion or in accordance with LA County and City of Beverly Hills regulations. Current Health & Safety Protocols and updates may also be accessed at www.TheWallis.org/Safety. Policies are subject to change.

About Sing for Hope

Founded by Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, care facilities, schools, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. Sing for Hope traces its roots to 9/11, when Juilliard sopranos Zamora and Yunus organized fellow musicians to perform for the firehouse at Lincoln Center, which had lost twelve of firefighters that day. In the months that followed, realizing the power of the arts in times of crisis, they continued to reach out across the city to share soothing music and art with communities in need, growing their ranks from dozens of artists to thousands. In 2010, as a symbol and celebration of art for all, they launched New York City’s Sing for Hope Pianos, now one the country’s largest public arts projects. Sing for Hope Pianos is a global arts initiative that produces artist-designed pianos placed in public spaces for anyone and everyone to enjoy then transports and activates them year-round in permanent homes in schools, hospitals, transit hubs, refugee camps, and community-based organizations. Other key programs include Sing for Hope Healing Arts, research-based creative performances, workshops, and curated cultural experiences that promote wellness, connection, and respite in hospitals, vaccination centers, long-term care facilities, hospices, and treatment centers; Sing for Hope Education, dynamic arts workshops and standards-based curricula that inspire civic action and uplift youth, educators, and local communities; and Sing for Hope Global, creative advocacy, leadership, and program design that drive the integration of the arts in policy and at global convenings on social change. Sing for Hope is the official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. As a champion of art for all, Sing for Hope believes the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal.

About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 350 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, conversation, and family entertainment programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Its programming has been nominated for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff and Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.

Like The Wallis on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @thewallisbh

2022/2023 SEASON PROGRAMMING CALENDAR:

THEATER

NOV 22 – DEC 17, 2022
The Wallis Production of INVINCIBLE – THE MUSICAL
FEATURING THE MUSIC OF PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO

JAN 11 – 22, 2023
Wise Children’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS

FEB 2 – 5, 2023
DAHLAK BRATHWAITE: TRY/STEP/TRIP

MAR 16 – 18, 2023
SHANGHAI SONATAS: A NEW MUSICAL IN CONCERT

APR 22 – 23, 2023
The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences On Tour Production of
ACOUSTIC ROOSTER’S BARNYARD BOOGIE STARRING INDIGO BLUME

MAY 23 – JUN 11, 2023
MY LORD, WHAT A NIGHT

DANCE

OCT 7 – 8, 2022
BALLET HISPÁNICO 50th Anniversary Celebration – Noche de Oro

OCT 21 – 23, 2022
BODYTRAFFIC

FEB 17 – 18, 2023
LUMINARIO BALLET OF LOS ANGELES

MAY 12 – 13, 2023
BLUE13 DANCE COMPANY

JUN 9 – 11, 2023
ALONZO KING LINES BALLET

MUSIC

OCT 1, 2022
AN EVENING WITH MOTOWN
A Bristol Entertainment Production

OCT 13, 2022
MAMBO KINGS & CAMILLE ZAMORA
HAVANA NIGHTS

OCT 15, 2022
STEWART GOODYEAR
PHOENIX

OCT 27, 2022
OSVALDO GOLIJOV
FALLING OUT OF TIME

NOV 3, 2022
BROADWAY @ THE WALLIS & MARK CORTALE PRESENT
LILLIAS WHITE WITH SETH RUDETSKY, HOST & PIANIST

JAN 28, 2023
LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
Baroque Concerti

FEB 23, 2023
ANTHONY MCGILL & THE PACIFICA QUARTET

MAR 3, 2023
THE LAST SORCERER (LE DERNIER SORCIER)

MAR 4, 2023
AN EVENING WITH ISAAC MIZRAHI

MAR 9, 2023
SETH PARKER WOODS

APR 27, 2023
ULYSSES OWENS, JR. & J’NAI BRIDGES
NOTES ON HOPE

MAY 4, 2023
BROADWAY @ THE WALLIS & MARK CORTALE PRESENT
STEPHANIE J. BLOCK WITH SETH RUDETSKY, HOST & PIANIST

MAY 6, 2023
LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
Masterworks for String Orchestra

MAY 11, 2023
JEFFREY KAHANE, piano
BACH: GOLDBERG VARIATIONS

MAY 20, 2023
MIRÓ QUARTET & SPECIAL GUEST KEVIN PUTS

JUN 1, 2023
JORDAN BAK, GENEVA LEWIS & EVREN OZEL

CONVERSATIONS

SEP 29, 2022
The Wallis & Writers Bloc Present
AN EVENING WITH ANTHONY DOERR

OCT 23, 2022
AN EVENING WITH JOHN IRVING

NOV 1, 2022
AN EVENING WITH REZA ASLAN

TICKET PRICES AND INFORMATION:

Subscriptions to The Wallis’ 2022/2023 Season are on sale now. Single tickets will be available at a later date. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase subscriptions and tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 6 pm) or visit www.TheWallis.org.

(Due to current health and safety variables, performances are subject to change, postponement or cancellation.)

Article by:
Steve Zall, Publisher & Sid Fish, Co-Publisher and Editor
All Beverly Hills Publishing

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Returns for 2018 by Steve Zall and Sid Fish

2018, Press Releases, Theme Parks, , , ,

The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Returns and Introduces a New Lineup of Tasty Boysenberry Treats and Festive Entertainment, March 16- April 8

knotts boyesenberry festival 2018 1

The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is our annual food-inspired event that celebrates the park’s historic roots by highlighting the little berry that started it all, the boysenberry. This year’s festival will feature over 75 new and returning boysenberry-inspired creations crafted by the Knott’s culinary team. Guests will have the opportunity to indulge in a tantalizing line up of dishes ranging from savory foods with a boysenberry twist to refreshingly sweet and tangy drinks and one-of-a-kind specialty desserts that can only be found at Knott’s Berry Farm during this time of the year. In addition to the tasty treats, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival offers a wide selection of daily entertainment, live music and fun activities for guests of all ages to enjoy. This year’s festival has expanded to 24 days, starting March 16 and running daily through April 8.

The historic boysenberry is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry and is named after its originator Rudolf Boysen. The Knott family was the first to successfully harvest and sell the boysenberry on the land that is now known as Knott’s Berry Farm.

Some of the tastiest and most unique food items are rolled out exclusively during the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. This year’s appetizing lineup includes the first ever boysenberry quesadilla made with a boysenberry-infused flour tortilla, prepared with boysenberry salsa, boysenberry sour cream, sprinkled with cotija and mozzarella cheese. Plus, the boysenberry pierogies with onions, bacon and boysenberry sour cream will be bursting with a combination of sweet and savory flavors. Other flavorful items that will be prepared and served to perfection include the slow cooked boysenberry short ribs, the juicy meat is smothered in boysenberry hoisin sauce served over butter basmati rice and complete with chopped green onions will leave guests asking for more. The guest favorite and finger-lickin’ boysenberry chicken wings will be available during the festival; the irresistible wings are smothered in the delicious and popular boysenberry BBQ sauce which is made exclusively at the Farm. The meaty and boysenberry inspired items also include the very filling boysenberry grilled sausage on a bun prepared with a freshly farm-baked roll and topped with boysenberry ketchup, relish and mustard. For guests craving a refreshing drink, Knott’s is offering an all-new boysenberry boba tea which consists of boysenberry milk tea and chewy berry-soaked tapioca balls served over ice. The boysenberry elote is one of the satisfying treats guests will be able to find in the streets of Ghost Town. The lightly grilled corn is smothered in fresh boysenberry butter, mayo and perfectly topped off with cotija cheese. The Festival also offers a variety of sharable snacks for the family including a new vegetarian/vegan option like the highly enjoyable boysenberry hummus served with pita bread and prepared with garden-fresh boysenberries. Sweets and desserts are a key part of the festival and this year the culinary team is introducing the scrumptious, perfectly bite-sized boysenberry coconut macaroons, dipped in a decadent chocolate ganache, which are great to enjoy while strolling through the park. A great option to indulge in a variety of new and returning food items during the festival is by purchasing a tasting card priced at $30 which offers 8 of the new food options per card; guests can select any 8 items of their choice. Returning and other signature boysenberry items will be available for purchase a la carte. Tasting cards are available at Knotts.com or in the theme park.

Guests can also take home a taste of the boysenberry festival with limited edition merchandise that can be found throughout the park, such as a new boysenberry bath and body line including soaps, salt soaks, bath bombs, lip balms (introducing three new flavors) and candles. New to the festival this year is Knott’s sugar-free boysenberry concentrate, a low calorie, no sugar version of Knott’s popular drink, a wide selection of boysenberry chocolates including boysenberry versions of milk chocolate bars, truffles, caramel squares, peanut butter and jelly cups. New and exclusive to Knott’s Berry Farm this year is the all-new boysenberry Jelly Belly. The Knott’s Berry Market also features signature boysenberry items like the delicious boysenberry BBQ sauce or the classic jams and preserves. Unique boysenberry inspired products with a homemade twist will also be available as the Craft Fair returns offering a variety of products like boysenberry cashew nut brittle, boysenberry pie shaped homemade accessories and more.

knotts boyesenberry festival 2018 2
Entertainment:

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival offers endless entertainment options for the festival goers who have a hankerin’ for some good ol’ country fun:

  • Tied up in Knott’s! – “Tied Up in Knott’s!” is a tribute art show to the rich history of Knott’s Berry Farm, its beginnings as a farm and its standing as a Southern California institution for millions of visitors during its (almost) 100-year history. More than a dozen artists will be contributing pieces to the show, which pays homage to Knott’s Berry Farm’s past, present and future in various mediums including: oil paintings, illustrations and digital mixed media. These original pieces will be hung on display at the Wilderness Dance Hall during the duration of the Boysenberry Festival and Guests will have the opportunity to purchase many of the pieces, as well as prints of some of the art.
  • Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree! – Guests are invited to join Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts Gang in a show that will have families dancing and playing along at the Calico Mine Stage.
    Old Time Melodrama – Knott’s pays tribute to its past at the Legendary Bird Cage Theatre with a special presentation of the musical comedy melodrama with a surprising boysenberry twist!
  • Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies – A group of krazy talented performers will have guests toe tappin’, vine dancin’ and knee-slappin’ to a comedic country music show at the Wagon Camp stage.
  • Ghost Town Miners – The joy of scrumptious food and country music encompass guests as the Ghost Town Miners take the stage in a fun musical performance.
  • Easter Beagle – Spring has sprung all around the park including in Camp Snoopy where guests can meet everyone’s favorite beagle as he celebrates the season.
  • Ghost Town’s Town Hall- In honor of the famous berry that started it all, guests are invited to learn the history of the boysenberry and how Walter and Cordelia Knott started the Farm.
  • Old MacDonald Petting Zoo – Young ones and young at heart are invited to cozy up to the cutest critters on the farm including horses, sheep, goats and other furry friends.

knotts boyesenberry festival 2018 3

The Boysenberry Festival is included with admission to Knott’s Berry Farm. Additional costs apply for food tasting experiences within the event. Knott’s will have extended hours on select days March 16 – April 8, allowing guests extra time to take advantage of all of the limited-time offerings.

The best way to savor every day of the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival and all of the other Seasons of Fun is with a 2018 Season Pass. A Regular Season Pass includes unlimited admission in 2018 to Knott’s Berry Farm with no blackout dates, and a Gold Season Pass includes unlimited admission in 2018 to both Knott’s Berry Farm and the recently expanded Knott’s Soak City Waterpark with no blackout dates. Regular passes are just $94 or six easy payments of $15.66 and Gold Passes are $113 or six payments of just $18.83. These offers end April 8, 2018. Applicable taxes and fees apply. Payment plans are only available at www.knotts.com.

For more information about Knott’s Berry Farm please visit www.knotts.com or download the Knott’s Berry Farm app for your smart phone. For all current Knott’s Boysenberry assets please visit the event’s electronic press kit. Join the conversation using the hashtag #Boysenberry Festival.

QUINCY JONES & MEL BROOKS TO BE HONORED AT 15th ANNUAL “BACKSTAGE AT THE GEFFEN” FUNDRAISER

2016, Press Releases

Geffen Playhouse’s Exclusive Event Set for Sunday, March 19, 2017; Hosted by Dana Delany

 City National Bank Returns as Title Sponsor, along with Presenting Sponsor Audi of America

LOS ANGELES (December 5, 2016) – The Geffen Playhouse will honor legendary Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-winning artists Quincy Jones and Mel Brooks at its 15th annual Backstage at the Geffen fundraiser, which honors the accomplishments of leaders in the artistic community and supports the theater’s mission to produce original, quality works that inspire thought, evoke conversation, and engage the community in the live arts.

This lighthearted, star-studded event is an unexpected evening of unscripted, surprise performers and storytellers sharing songs and personal tales of life behind-the-scenes. It will be held on Sunday, March 19, 2017 in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse and hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Dana Delany.

“Backstage at the Geffen is a beloved Geffen Playhouse tradition for artists and art-lovers alike. Year after year, the event brings together the artistic community’s most prominent players to share the magic of live performance through funny and heartfelt stories,” said Geffen Playhouse executive director Gil Cates, Jr., who produces the show alongside Geffen Playhouse board member Kevin Bright. “This year, we are pleased to honor Quincy Jones and Mel Brooks, two enormous talents whose artistic contributions are matched only by their philanthropic efforts.”

Quincy Jones, a founding Board Member of the Geffen Playhouse, will be honored with the Distinction in Service Award. Celebrating more than 60 years in music, beginning with the sounds of the post-swing era and continuing through today’s high-technology and international multi-media hybrids, Jones stands as one of the most successful and admired creative artists in the entertainment world. An impresario in the broadest and most creative sense of the word, his career has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, magazine founder, multi-media entrepreneur and humanitarian. As a master inventor of musical hybrids, he has shuffled pop, soul, hip-hop, jazz, classical, African and Brazilian music into many dazzling fusions, traversing virtually every medium, including records, live performance, movies and television.

Jones has earned an Emmy Award, Tony Award, seven Oscar nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, 27 Grammy Awards, N.A.R.A.S.’ prestigious Trustees’ Award, and the Grammy Living Legend Award. He is the all-time most nominated Grammy artist with a total of 79 Grammy nominations. In 2001 Jones was named a Kennedy Center Honoree for his contributions to the cultural fabric of the U.S. He has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, the nation’s highest jazz honor, and was most recently bestowed the National Medal of Arts, our nation’s highest artistic honor.

Director, producer, writer and actor Mel Brooks will be presented with the Distinction in Theater Award. Brooks won his first Oscar in 1964 for writing and narrating the animated short The Critic and his second in 1969 for the screenplay of his first feature film, The Producers. For three successive seasons, Brooks won Emmy Awards for his role as Uncle Phil on the hit sitcom Mad About You. Additionally, his TV specials, including Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen (HBO 2015), have all been nominated for Emmy Awards. He received three 2001 Tony Awards and two Grammy Awards for The Producers: The New Mel Brooks Musical, which ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007. With twelve awards total, The Producers holds the all-time record for the most Tony Awards ever won by a Broadway musical.

Brooks has been presented with the Kennedy Center Honors in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to American culture and the AFI Life Achievement Award, which recognizes talents that fundamentally advance the art of film. He is one of only 30 foreigners to be awarded with the prestigious BFI Fellowship for outstanding contributions to film and television by the British Film Institute. In 2016 President Obama presented him with The National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government.

Backstage at the Geffen brings together artistic, entertainment and business leaders and the Los Angeles region’s most prominent philanthropic organizations to raise funds for the Geffen Playhouse’s artistic endeavors, including new play development, playwright commissions, second productions and artistic risks, as well as the theater’s award-winning education and outreach programs, which help bring the excitement of live theater to more than 15,000 disadvantaged youth, seniors and veterans annually. Last year, Backstage at the Geffen raised more than $1 million, allowing the Geffen to expand its literacy, high school, veterans and Lights Up programs.

City National Bank continues for the 8th consecutive year as Title Sponsor. Audi of America is returning as a Presenting Sponsor for the 12th year.

Host Committee memberships / levels of support begin at $5,000. Individual mezzanine tickets are $1,500. For more information, please visit www.geffenplayhouse.org/backstage or call (310) 208-­6500 Ext. 112.

# # #

ABOUT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates, and is currently helmed by Artistic Director Randall Arney, Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., and Co-Chairs of the Board Martha Henderson and Pamela Robinson. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. www.geffenplayhouse.org.

ABOUT CITY NATIONAL
With $42.8 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 73 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $58.3 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 36 other countries. For more information about City National, visit the company’s website at cnb.com.

ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. The Audi Group delivered over 1,800,000 vehicles to customers globally in 2015, and broke all-time company sales records for the 6th straight year in the U.S. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusa.com/newsroom for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

PROSPECT HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW MUSICAL ‘MARILYN!’ FOR ACTRESS’ 90TH BIRTHDAY

2016, Press Releases

Marilyn

 

Prospect House Entertainment, in association with Glendale Arts Productions, presents MARILYN!, a new original musical commemorating Marilyn Monroe’s 90th birthday at the historic 1400 seat Alex Theatre in Glendale. The one evening only July 29 event, celebrates the life of Marilyn Monroe with exclusive interviews featuring Monroe’s former boyfriend Bill Pursel, Monroe’s Bus Stop costar Don Murray, Monroe author, Michelle Morgan, President of ‘Marilyn Remembered’ Greg Schreiner, and Actors Studio classmate, James Karen, among other key figures.

Audience members will be treated to an exclusive collection of Monroe’s artifacts from Schreiner’s personal
collection at a preshow reception. But the highlight of the evening is the world premiere of the full length musical MARILYN!, which chronicles the star’s childhood and tumultuous path to stardom with stirring and emotional songs performed by some of Los Angeles’ brightest musical talents. MARILYN! is directed by Tegan Summer, book and lyrics by Summer, music and additional lyrics by Gregory Nabours, Choreography by Ferly Prado and Victoria Gracie, produced by Prospect House Entertainment in association with Glendale Arts Productions. MARILYN! in previews plays on Friday, July 29; reception at 6:30 PM; curtain at 7:30 PM.

“We are delighted to be showcasing a fresh perspective on Marilyn Monroe’s legacy,” said Summer, CEO of
Prospect House Entertainment, NAACP and Ovation award nominee. “Our musical celebrates the life of one of the greatest icons of all time. We are telling the story of Norma Jeane and Marilyn Monroe two
different women living in one body. The thoughts and feelings that could have led to an altogether different conclusion of Marilyn’s story.”

MARILYN! Is set in the present day Michelle is a young journalist from England researching Marilyn Monroe to
commemorate the actress’ 90th birthday. She visits Charlie Page, one of Marilyn’s drivers, who is now living a life of solitude. Two stories emerge as Charlie bonds with Michelle he recalls Marilyn Monroe’s phenomenal life in flashback and reveals the real reason behind his living as a recluse for over forty years…

MARILYN! stars Kelley Jakle (Universal’s P itch Perfect and P itch Perfect 2, Spring Awakening in Concert ) as
‘Marilyn Monroe’; Kelley Dorney (PBS Concert Special A Tale of Two Cities ) as ‘Norma Jeane’; and Samantha
Stewart (CBS’ Days of Our Lives ) as ‘Michelle Morgan’.

MARILYN! is directed by Tegan Summer (book, lyrics and directed by for musicals Loretta Young’s Centennial
Tribute , The Nicholas Brothers Tribute , feature films The Mystery of Casa Matusita, The Knights of Mary Phagan); book and lyrics by Summer; music and additional lyrics by multiple Ovation award winning composer Gregory Nabours (The Trouble With Words; Musical Direction for In the Heights, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spring Awakening, Rent ); choreography by Ferly Prado (Tina Turner, Beyonce) and Victoria Gracie.
MARILYN! in previews
Friday, July 29, 2016
7:30PM, pre show reception at 6:30PM
At the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif.
Tickets from $45-$65
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit
www.alextheatre.org/event/prospecthouseentpresentsmarilyn
About Prospect House Entertainment
Based in Burbank and Las Vegas, Prospect House Entertainment specializes in high quality stage musicals, feature films, and documentaries. The company’s goal is to produce projects of distinction and innovation that maintain integrity and excellence. The team at Prospect House Entertainment strives for originality, seeking out true and untold stories of social relevance to bring to the stage and screen from around the globe. For more information, please visit www.ProspectHouseEnt.com.

About Glendale Arts
Glendale Arts is a private, nonprofit organization that integrates the arts into the identity, growth and economic
vitality of the City of Glendale by presenting programming and creating partnerships that benefit youth, patrons, artists, organizations and businesses in the community and at the Alex Theatre, a historic performing arts and entertainment center currently celebrating its 90th birthday season. For more information, visit
www.glendalearts.org.

WORLD PREMIERE OF “ELECTRICITY” at Two Roads Theatre in Studio City

2016, April, Press Releases, , , , , ,

TMD PRODUCTIONS

presents

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

ELECTRICITY

Written by Terry Ray

Directed by Steven Rosenbaum

Limited Engagement opens Friday, April 22

at Two Roads Theatre in Studio City!

Four Decades, Two Men, One Highly-Charged Love Story…

 

 ELECTRICITY - ART

March 24, 2016…Studio City, CA…TMD PRODUCTIONS is thrilled to present the World Premiere of ELECTRICITY, written by Terry Ray, produced by Michael Darner and directed by Steven Rosenbaum.  ELECTRICITY will preview on Thursday, April 21 at 8pm; will open on Friday, April 22 at 8pm and run through Sunday, May 22 at the Two Roads Theatre, 4348 Tujunga Blvd. in Studio City.

 

In ELECTRICITY, openly gay sex addict Brad hooks up with closeted virgin Gary in a motel room after their 10th high school reunion in 1983.  They form an undeniable connection that draws them back to the same motel room once every ten years.  As the decades fly by, their lives transform and reflect the changes in society around them from that closeted first night in the 80’s to a world where even gay marriage is possible and it’s their time to decide.  Is their connection over, or is it really just beginning.

 

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

 

TERRY RAY (Playwright/Gary) is a veteran actor of over 80 plays along side such stars as Dixie Carter, Elaine Stritch, Patricia Heaton and Matthew Perry.  His numerous television and film acting credits include “In Living Color,” “Ellen,” “7th Heaven,” “The Mullets,” “Kenan & Kel,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh,” “A.N.T. Farm,” “Joe Dirt 2,” and the camp classic “Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark”.  Ray has also co-wrote and starred in several original shows including the multi-award winning short film “Gaydar” with Charles Nelson Reilly and his new comedy series “My Sister Is So Gay” with Loni Anderson as his mother.  Terry Ray is the creator, writer and star of Here! TV’s sitcom “From Here On Out” which also stars Juliet Mills.  He currently writes and co-stars with Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from “Gilligan’s Island”) in a spoof of Dawn’s classic sitcom called “She’s Still On The Freakin‘ Island” on MeTV.  Ray co-created/produced and wrote the new game show “Modd Couples” now airing on Hulu.  He’s also the co-writer of the upcoming TV movie “The Joneses: Unplugged” starring Mischa Barton, David Ogden Stiers and Markie Post.

 

STEVEN ROSENBAUM (Director) as an actor, he has appeared on screen in “Another Day With You,” “Taking Care Of Helen,” “Race To Witch Mountain,” “Kids In America,” “The Tie That Binds,” “Sam And Mike” and the upcoming “Walnuts”. In Los Angeles Steve has worked with respected theater companies such as The Open Fist, The Celebration, The Odyssey, Pacific Resident Theatre and The Actors Forum. His directing credits range from a holiday show starring Amanda Bynes at the venerable Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, to the first AIDS play As Is, to a play he also wrote called Chatter, Chatter, What’s The Matter? starring Andy Warhol muse Holly Woodlawn. Other theater credits include The Memorandum, The Flautist, Marate Sade, Lesbian Seagulls, Pathetica and Awake And Sing. Rosenbaum has won several Los Angeles theater awards for his work.

 

The cast of ELECTRICITY features: Terry Ray and Kevin Scott Allen.

 

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

 

ELECTRICITY will preview on Thursday, April 21 at 8pm; will open on Friday, April 22 at 8pm and run through Sunday, May 22.

 

Performances are Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm. 

 

Ticket prices are $25; Preview is $20.00.

 

For tickets, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information on the play, please visit www.electricitytheplay.com or call 213-265-7972.

The Wallis and the Broadway Dreams Foundation Partner to Present Annual Summer Intensive for Aspiring Musical Theater Artists in Los Angeles

Press Releases

(Beverly Hills, CA March 14) The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills has forged a partnership with the Broadway Dreams Foundation to present “GENERAT10N: The 2016 Summer Intensive Tour” for aspiring musical theater artists from the Los Angeles region from June 19 – 26. The annual weeklong summer intensive at The Wallis invites future stars of the stage to embark on a rigorous week of Broadway-caliber training learning from the brightest and best industry professionals. The intensive culminates in a public concert event that brings together students and their mentors on the stage of the Bram Goldsmith Theater in a performance directed by one of the industry’s finest directors. Ticket information for the public performance is forthcoming.

“We relish the opportunity to celebrate the musical theater art form,” said Mark Slavkin, Director of Education at The Wallis. “This partnership with Broadway Dreams will help cultivate the next generation of musical theater talent. Our focus will be on outreach to underserved communities, where talented youth may not have had access to this level of training.” The Wallis presents professional musical theater productions and has offered a course for teens to create original musicals, but has yet to offer performance training in musical theater. In addition to the summer intensive, The Wallis and the Broadway Dreams Foundation plan to collaborate on additional musical theater classes and workshops at The Wallis throughout the year, including a master class with legendary artist Patti LuPone on March 31, 2016

“We were thrilled to offer our summer intensive at The Wallis in 2015 and are excited to develop this ongoing partnership,” said Annette Tanner, Executive Director at Broadway Dreams Foundation.

“GENERAT10N: The 2016 Summer Intensive Tour” features various weeklong sessions of classes across multiple cities in the U.S. offering first-rate training in acting, dance and vocal performances taught by Broadway performers, directors, and casting directors. Los Angeles-area students of any age will have the opportunity to work with an incredible roster of Broadway professionals. Past participants have included star of stage and screen Taye Diggs (“Private Practice,” Rent, Hedwig and the Angry Inch); choreographer Spencer Liff (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “So You Think Can Dance”); Olivier Award-nominated director Stafford Arima (Allegiance, Carrie); Nick Adams (La Cage aux Folles); Kyle Brown (Priscilla Queen of the Desert); Broadway Dreams Education Director Craig D’Amico (Annie Get Your Gun); Jenny Parsinen (Allegiance); Tesley + Company casting director Rachel Hoffman; Broadway musician Craig Johnson (Something Rotten); Iggy Azalea’s choreographer Victor M. Jackson, III; Nicole Parker (“MadTV,” Wicked); Broadway Dreams Alum Ari Groover (Holler If Ya Hear Me) and more.

More than 100 BDF Summer Intensive students have gone on to book Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours or High-Profile Regional Theatre roles, including roles in such productions as Book of Mormon, Bring It On: The Musical, Evita, Memphis, Spring Awakening, The Addams Family and more.

Registration and applications for scholarships are now open. Entry into the Broadway Dreams Foundation is by audition only. Auditions for the Los Angeles session will be held on Friday, April 1 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm at The Wallis, and is open to anyone who is planning on registering or has registered for the BDF Summer Intensive program. Artists of all ages are welcome, from students to adults.  Pricing varies depending on city. More information about registration, pricing and the audition process can be found at mybroadwaydreams.com/register.

The partnership with the Broadway Dreams Foundation signifies yet another aspect of GRoW @ The Wallis, the center’s arts education program.  For more information about education initiatives offered at The Wallis, please visit TheWallis.org/Education.

For more information about The Broadway Dreams Foundation, please visit mybroadwaydreams.com.

For more information about the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, please visit TheWallis.org.

Like The Wallis on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

BABY OH BABY British Comedy Has World Premiere 3/19 at Whitefire Theatre

Press Releases

Scarpaci/Kelly Productions presents a world premiere British comedy written by Phil Scarpaci and T.L. Shannon, directed by Phil Scarpaci, produced by Pattie Kelly. The play runs Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM, March 19 through June 4, 2016, at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, CA.

In this rollicking romp, half-sisters Bella and Angie share a flat in a house presided over by Weena, their very unique landlord/landlady whose sexual orientation is a matter for continued debate.  Older sister Bella is a hopeless, yet hopeful romantic who lacks the confidence to track down a suitable mate.   On the other hand, Angie has few problems in attracting male bed buddies but keeping them is a whole other matter. Angie’s biological clock has pretty much hit nuclear meltdown, but the prospect of any suitable knight in shining armor riding to her maternal rescue appears to be rather slight.

On this particularly hot, steamy summer day a couple of hours outside of London, Bella and Angie’s lives are about to take a surprising, wacky turn when unexpected guests come knocking.

Baby Oh Baby was born out of Scarpaci and Shannon’s fascination with life’s comedic moments and the stress of dealing with relationships and time sensitive desires in an overcrowded and diverse singles’ world full of guys, girls and everyone in between who are all searching for basically the same thing…..Love.

The cast features the talents of Amy Tolsky, Felicity Wren, Douglas Scott Sorenson, Kaelan Strouse, and Andrew Katers.

 

The design team includes Emmy Weldon (Scenic Designer), Ellen Greenberg (Costume Designer), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Design) and David Svengalis (Graphic Design, Stage Manager/Technical Director).

 

Show Listing

BABY OH BABY

 

March 19 – June 4, 2016

 

Saturdays at 8:00 PM

 

Q & A Talkbacks after show: March 26 & April 16

 

Adult humor appropriate for ages 18+

Mature audiences only

The play contains sexually charged dialogue and subject matter.

 

Running time: 80 minutes; no intermission

 

Advance purchase tickets: $20

Tickets at the door: $25

 

Discount Tickets Students/Seniors with ID; Groups of 10 or more: $15

 

Buy advance tickets babyohbaby.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006

 

For information please call 747-263-9858

 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Baby-Oh-Baby-139596616380784/

 

Twitter – @babyohbabyshow

 

Website: www.babyohbaby.net

 

The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks 91423.

 

Theatre has AC/Heat and is wheelchair accessible.

 

Metered parking on Ventura Blvd. until

8pm, and also just a few spaces available just

north and south of Ventura Blvd. also metered

until 8pm.

 

There is free parking on Moorpark and an

Dixie Canyon.

 

There is also Valet Parking available for customers

at Boneyard Bistro, and also at Augustine Wine

Bar just east of Sunnyslope near the theatre.

Cars must be picked up no later than

11pm.

 

Hollywood Fringe Heavyweights to Face Off in “TILT” A Dark Comedy Two-Hander Making its World Premiere At Second Stage: Sacred Fools Theatre

Press Releases, ,

Los Angeles (March 10, 2016) – The World Premiere of award winning playwright and actor Ben Moroski’s new dark comedy Tilt opens Friday, June 10 at 11:00 p.m. as part of the 2016 Hollywood Fringe. Tilt stars Ben Moroski and Michael Shaw Fisher (Shakespeare’s Last Night Out, Doomsday Cabaret) directed Nick Massouh (This Vicious Minute, The Wake). Tilt is the first Hollywood Fringe production to sign with the new Second Stage at Sacred Fools Theater (1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038).

 

In Tilt two strangers’ carpool to Sacramento gets derailed when they decide to try to extort money from a DMV bribery scheme headquartered in Bakersfield.

 

Ben Moroski (Playwright/Actor/Producer): Tilt will be Ben’s third world premiere in six years at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. His first was This Vicious Minute (2012), a solo play which chronicled his struggle with self-injury (Winner: Best of Fringe, Nominee: Best Solo Show). His second, The Wake (2014), won Best Solo Show at the festival, Best Solo Performance at the 2014 Stage Raw L.A. Theatre Awards and garnered an unprecedented nomination for Best Solo Performance at the 2014 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

 

Michael Shaw Fisher (Actor): Michael is an actor and writer of musicals in Los Angeles. His latest, Shakespeare’s Last Night Out, won the Top of Fringe and Best Solo Show awards at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe. As Artistic Director of Orgasmico Theatre Company, Michael penned and performed in the Ovation-nominated, Best Fringe Musical-winning Doomsday Cabaret (2012) and the Best Fringe Musical-winning Exorcistic: the Rock Musical Parody Experiment (2013). His latest musical, Skulduggery: The Musical Prequel to Hamlet, will premiere at Sacred Fools Theater Company this fall.

 

Nick Massouh (Director): Nick is an actor, improviser and director. He previously directed both of Ben Moroski’s award-winning solo plays, This Vicious Minute and The Wake. Nick is also a founding company member of the critically acclaimed improv theatre company, Impro Theatre.

 

“Michael and I have wanted to work together since we met following the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival. We’ve followed each other’s careers with much interest over the intervening years, so collaborating on Tilt is the culmination of an artistic dream. And now, after both having produced successful solo plays, the opportunity to face off in a world premiere two-hander at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is an incredibly exciting proposition for both of us. If that wasn’t enough, being one of the very first productions staged in Sacred Fools Theater Company’s new home on Theatre Row in the heart of Hollywood is equally as exciting. Sacred Fools has been a Los Angeles theatre mainstay for nearly two decades, so to be a part of their first year in their new location is an honor and a thrill.” – Ben Moroski

 

There will be a preview Monday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m. Opening night: Friday, June 10 at 11:00 p.m. Run performances: Saturday, 6/11 at 5:30 p.m., Friday, 6/17 at 10:00 p.m., Saturday, 6/18 at 5:30 p.m., Friday, 6/24 at 9:30 p.m. Closing night: Saturday, 6/25 at 5:30 p.m. Running time: 60 minutes. Tickets: $12 at the door (cash only) and online (hff16.org/3396). Advanced purchase is highly recommended.