LA STAGE Alliance Hosts LA STAGE Talks, Now thru 8/6

LA Stage Alliance has announced this year's LA Stage Talks, a series of panel discussions moderated by LA Stage Alliance CEO Terence McFarland, exploring various aspects of the creation of performing arts in the Southern California region. The premiere event, co-hosted by Southern California Public Radio KPCC, will take place tonight, March 19 from 7:00-8:30pm, at the Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena. All events are free, but space is limited. RSVP is required at www.LASTAGEAlliance.com/talks.

The first subject to be explored is What Does Professionalism Mean in the American Theatre? This is the question asked by a new national research study conducted by Yale University. Michael Bateman of Yale University will present the findings of this new study and talk with leaders of the Los Angeles theatre community about its relevance to the L.A. landscape. Audience members will be encouraged to lend their thoughts to the discussion of what it means to be a professional, and how the concept of professionalism is evolving in the arts.

Speakers at the March 19 panel include Yale University researcher Michael Bateman along with a slate of L.A. theatre leaders, including Charles Dillingham (Past Managing Director, Center Theatre Group), Elizabeth Doran (Executive Director, Pasadena Playhouse; past Managing Director, Actor's Gang), Jose Luis Valenzuela (Artistic Director, Latino Theatre Company), Debbie Devine (24th Street Theatre), and Jenny Byrd (Brimmer Street Theatre Company). The Crawford Family Forum is located at 474 S. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena.

The schedule of 2013 LA Stage Talks continues as follows: Artistic Philanthropy in Los Angeles: What Motivates Philanthropists to Support the Theatre? (Monday, April 22 at 7pm, co-hosted by Native Voices at the Autry, at the Autry Museum); Religion and the Arts: What Brings Them Together and Pulls Them Apart? (Monday, June 24 at 7pm), What Am I Hearing? The Aural Life of the Theatre (Monday, July 1 at 7pm, co-hosted by the Geffen Playhouse, at the Geffen); and Choreographic Transformation: Dancing Across Multiple Mediums (Tuesday, August 6 at 7pm, presented in partnership with the Dance Resource Center, and co-hosted by the L.A. County Arts Commission/Ford Theatres at [Inside] the Ford). Terence McFarland will moderate all discussions.

All LA Stage Talks will be livestreamed, and panelists will take questions from online viewers during the events. Information on how to view and how to ask questions will be posted on each event date at www.LASTAGEAlliance.com, where further information on the LA Stage Talks program is available now.

LA Stage Alliance, a non-profit organization empowering artists and engaging audiences since 1975, is dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles by strengthening the sector through community building, collaborative marketing, audience engagement, professional development, and advocacy.

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