Shari Barrett - Page 8

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.

This very personal, one-woman show speaks to that universal truth in all our lives, with each of us fighting to be who we are and struggling to live an independent life as best we can. But like Nancy, sometimes that only leads to loneliness - and just being alone a?" not able to love yourself enough to really love others. But then there are those joyous moments of personal accomplishment when the world is your oyster and you feel your dreams are coming true. Nancy takes along with her on those journeys as well as down into the wells of disappointment when things dona??t work out as she planned, be it trying to please her parents, boyfriend or just her own need to feel loved exactly the way she is, faults and all.

DIVANALYSIS began as Divas themselves begin: in front of the mirror. Stephen Foster and Scott Wilkerson wanted to combine their interests (Diva culture and Deconstruction Theory) into one theatrical experience. Thus, with a rented theater on Santa Monica Boulevard, four dresses, two cast members, and a borrowed lighting kit, DIVANALYSIS arrived as a kind of post-modern drag review with extensive footnotes.

THE PUZZLE WITH THE PIAZZA tells the story of septuagenarian Althea Witlin, who has one jigsaw puzzle among her large collection that shea??s never worked. It contains 3,000 pieces and now she has less than a day to finish it, because poor health has forced her to move in with her younger sister Ina - without being able to take her beloved puzzles with her. But since she lives alone, who will assist her in completing the puzzle in time?

a?oeSherlock Holmes Meets the Bully of Baker Streeta?? offers a new twist on the beloved and brilliant Arthur Conan Doyle tales of London's greatest detective. This time 'round, Holmes is confounded by a mysterious menace lurking very close to his home. But just who is the Bully of Baker Street? And when his/her identity is discovered, can that bully be stopped? Will Sherlock's keen observational and deductive skills foil this scourge or will the stately Holmes of England be stumped, especially since his trusty sidekick Watson is away on an a?oeextendeda?? vacation? And what is Little Orphan Annie doing in the story? And just what role does she play in the disappearance Holmes is attempting to solve?

Opening in São Paulo, Brazil to audiences of as many as 600 viewing devices per night, and followed by an African/European run featuring a cast from three different continents, THE ART OF FACING FEAR has now arrived in the United States and runs Saturdays at 5pm Pacific and Sundays at 3pm Pacific through Sunday, September 27th. This U.S. production features a cast of actors performing from across the U.S., including California, New York, Oregon, Nevada, Georgia, and Alaska, most of whom have never met in person but have managed to create strong connections with each other to the point of connecting down to our basic and universal humanity which unites us all. And that is apparent in every scene of the play with each version of the script tailored to reflect the countries in which it is performed, pushing the boundaries of digital theatre.

To launch the new Kentwood Players Virtual Theater Series, a sneak preview is scheduled on Wednesday, September 16 following the groupa??s monthly membership meeting, now being held on Zoom. Being presented that evening will be 'Zoom Date,' written and directed by Stanley Brown, featuring Gail Bernardi and Dave Parke as Virginia and Stuart, two single seniors attempting to navigate the mysterious new world of Zoom online dating while living in isolation. The full play will be recorded to be presented on Zoom by the end of September.

Combining her television and stage experience has led Lesley and her husband Ned Mochel to create the podcast, 'Pretty Little Wine Moms,' producing new episodes every Wednesday. Lesley hosts the show along with her 'Pretty Little Liars' co-stars and friends Holly Marie Combs and Nia Peeples. But it isna??t your ordinary podcast. During each installment, the trio break down a complete episode of the fan-favorite TV series for listeners, revealing little-known facts and behind-the-scenes tidbits during each episode, which also includes an in-depth interview with special guests from the series and a quiz show testing everyonea??s knowledge of the episode.

The first play in the series was IT HAD TO BE YOU, written by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna, on Sunday, September 6 at 6pm. This delightful comedy, directed by Gary Kresca, shares a fantasy story created by Theda Blau (Jessica Plotin), a failed actress, health food nut, and would-be playwright who wants to find love and success in New York. After an audition, the totally unprepared Theda meets Vito Pignoli (Steve Oreste), a hugely successful TV commercial director who had been sitting quietly in the booth listening to her jabber uncontrollably, her flighty nature both a turn-on and turn-off.

Part history, part mystery and part ghost story, Bayezaa??s lyrical integration of past, present, fact and legend turns Emmetta??s story into a soaring work of music, poetic language and riveting theatricality, transformed into an online format that breaks the notion of what a virtual performance can be. With the actors seen as cut-outs inserted into backdrops to fit each scene, characters move about each other in cars, on a living room couch, or while riding on a Ferris Wheel as if they really are in the scene together at the same time.

We are taken along with Michael Leoni during his journey with homeless teens in Los Angeles as they learn to trust him with his camera and willingly expose the truth and illuminate the hardcore reality of this American crisis which has no apparent easy or available solutions to get kids off the streets. The teens interviewed have traveled from across the country to converge in Los Angeles with the dream of finding something better, most escaping from abusive family situations at home or timing out of the foster care system at 18 and dropped off on the streets to find their own way, often with no support system except other homeless street kids. Their powerful stories are heartbreaking while their unrelenting hope and determination to create a better life shines through when drugs dona??t get in the way. In this true tale of trust, love, friendship, and the triumph of the human spirit, Leoni shines a beam of light into these kidsa?? lives, showing them that someone cares what happens to them and will do what he can to secure their safety.

With a keen eye for the most well-coordinated staging of any online production I have seen to date, director Carrie Keranen has expertly adapted the blocking from the staged 2018 play to make it appear the socially distancing cast members appearing in individual boxes are actually in the same apartment together. Surrounded by a multitude of moving boxes with the appropriate sistera??s name emblazoned upon them, unpacked items are handed off between blocks, with several props thrown between the squares with perfect aim and timing. Truly this production is at the forefront of a new creative challenge, and I cannot wait to watch as online theatre brings the world closer together through the Arts.

Kentwood Players presented their annual Marcom Masque Awards during this yeara??s ceremony held on Zoom on Saturday, August 15, 2020, honoring the shortened 2019-2020 season of five productions: Pippin, Blithe Spirit, Dial M for Murder, Little Women, and The Giver. It was a wonderful evening of entertainment, filled with the community theater spirit which has fueled Kentwood Players during its 70 years of presenting quality live theatre in Westchester. Here is the complete list of winners.

a?oeAllergic to Walnuts' written by Michelle Kholos Brooks and directed by Jenny Sullivan for Skylight Live features three-time Emmy Award nominated actress and Academy Award nominated director JoBeth Williams stars with Emmy Award winning Broadway actor Joe Spano as an awkward couple who declare their affection for each other and, in the course of conversation on various topics, discover ita??s their first time being loved. But how do they know that for sure? Is love a logical equation or simply about nuts?