Shari Barrett - Page 8

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?

As the last reading in their online Play-at-Home series of free online theatrical experiences, all designed to entertain our community during the stay-at-home orders, Torrance Theatre Company presented GOOD PEOPLE, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Sasha Stewart Miller on Sunday, August 9 The production was originally scheduled to be seen onstage in the middle of March 2020 at the groupa??s intimate theater, located at 1316 Cabrillo Ave. in downtown Torrance, until COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the show just prior to its opening. The original as well as the online presentation featured cast members, Danielle Montreal, Melodie S. Rivers, Don Schlossman, Christine Seibert, Johnathan Strand, and Wendy Way.

The long-running Off-Broadway hit a?oeGreater Tunaa?? by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams, and Ed Howard is a tour-de-farce comedy of quick-change artistry, with non-stop costume and character changes that run by faster than a jack rabbit from a coyote in the third smallest town in Texas, named Tuna. Now fans (and those who are destined to become one) can experience the towna??s zany denizens during two streaming performances presented by P3 Theatre Company under the direction of Jon Peterson, who performs all the characters with Philip McBride, on Monday, August 3 and Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 7:00pm.

Performed virtually by invitation to join the National Womena??s Theatre Festival in North Carolina, 'Inside our Time'presents eight selected stories (from a series of 31) performed by four talented and dedicated actors whose only prop is a notebook containing the story being read. Like all JWT Salon series shows, usually performed in homes around the Westside, the story is the focus, told without scenery, props or costumes. And as presented online, I guarantee you wona??t miss those embellishments since the emotional content of each story is presented with such authenticity that you will find yourself identifying with each character as their stories connect all of us, all the time, thanks to the skill of the incredibly talented cast.

For those missing the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year, I encourage you to check out its website at https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/ for information about On the Virtual Fringe performances that are scheduled online during July and August this year. And while ita??s not exactly the same watching plays online as it is sitting in a dark theater as part of a live audience, it certainly allows the directors and performers a more relaxed timeframe to prepare in that there is no rushing to load in and then dismantle a show in less than 10 minutes! And I have found the intimacy of performances in small theaters transfers well to the Zoom and You Tube formats, especially since up close and personal examinations of human emotions appear within inches of the viewera??s eyes and ears. Such is the case during 3 Way Lovve.

Jewish Womena??s Theatre based at The Braid in Santa Monica has been voted one of the a?oeBest Live Theatres on the Westsidea?? three years in a row by readers of The Argonaut. The group presents American Jewish stories, art, and other programming that highlights Jewish contributions to contemporary life. For Goodnessa?? Sake ends the 13th season of JWTa??s' salon series, now being presented online rather than in homes around the city as in previous seasons. The play was created by The NEXT @ The Braid Emerging Artists Fellowship program, a career-training strategy that annually selects a new cohort of aspiring theater professionals to explore how to create meaningful shows from young-adult perspectives, under the guidance and mentorship of JWTa??s experienced staff.

No doubt anyone who has read or seen a production of Shakespeare's tragic love story a?oeRomeo and Julieta?? has wished they could change the ending so that the lovers can be reunited rather than separated by death due to a seemingly split-second decision. And now, thanks to Little Fish Theatre and director Branda Lock, you CAN choose to change things around during a?oeRomeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Endinga?? airing online Saturday, July 25 at 6pm (Pacific) and on Sunday, July 26 at 2pm. But exactly how will it work? I spoke with the production's director, Branda Lock, to find out.

On Sunday, July 12 at 6pm, I tuned in for the third play in the series, KALAMAZOO, written by Michelle Kholos Brooks and Kelly Younger, originally developed in 2014 at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, CA. The Torrance Theatre Company production was directed by Gary Kresca and featured real-life married couple Diana Mann and John Mann as Peg and Irv, two quirky but endearing baby-boomers who bravely venture into the world of modern dating thanks to their children urging them to register on the Silver Fox Dating Service Website. Both have lost their long-term spouses and hope to find someone with whom they can spend the golden years of their lives.