Spring 2022 Educational And Community Events Coming Up At Pasadena Playhouse

Pasadena Playhouse, The State Theater of California offers an exciting line up of educational and community events this spring.

On April 20, Pasadena Playhouse is proud to host the 6th annual National Jewish Theater Foundation Holocaust Theater International Initiative - Remembrance Readings with The Diary of Anne Frank - a reading by the JFed Players, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. This reading commemorates January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the week of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) April 27-28, which will honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Their collective goal is to keep alive the memories, stories, and must-never-be-forgotten lessons. May the power of live theater serve as a moral compass for future generations.

Educational events offered this spring at the Playhouse include the USC NEW WORKS FESTIVAL 2022 May 20-21, which features plays by the graduating MFA in Dramatic Writing cohort of USC School of Dramatic Arts, presented as concert readings with professional actors and directors. New Works Festival Year 3 features plays by the graduating MFA in Dramatic Writing cohort of the USC School of Dramatic Arts, presented as concert readings with professional actors and directors. NWF Year 3 is a partnership with The Pasadena Playhouse as part of the theater's 100-year commitment to cultivating playwrights and original works. This year's plays include Kept Men by Grafton Doyle, Seven Stage Circle by Zharia O'Neal and Strollin in the Dark by Katrina RiChard.

The Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing (MFADW) at the USC School of Dramatic Arts provides students with the foundation to not only build a fruitful career, but to further discover and develop their own authentic voice.

At the heart of this program, the MFADW teaches playwriting first and foremost, then expands into adaptation, screenwriting, television writing, digital media and beyond. Presentations occur each year as part of a yearly New Works Festival, presented in conjunction with prominent local and national theatres most recently including The Hero Theatre, The Latino Theatre Company, and Pasadena Playhouse.

Opportunities for collaboration with acting students at the graduate and undergraduate levels are also supported - in addition to internships and exposure to a wide array of celebrated guest artists, who have included Suzan-Lori Parks, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Colman Domingo, Paula Vogel, Tony Kushner and many others.

SDA MFADW alumni have found their success on stages throughout the country and internationally, as well as on film and television, and other media. More importantly, they have learned ways of sustaining and finding joy in their dramatic writing, giving them not simply a career but a calling.

ABOUT THE USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS --

At the USC School of Dramatic Arts, we foster the talents of artist-scholars who are dramatically different - who are willing to imagine the future of the entertainment industry and bring it to life. Under the leadership of Dean Emily Roxworthy, we offer students an interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial education that helps them develop the skills necessary to discover their unique voice. The agile nature of our approach exposes students to diverse styles and multiple mediums, and they graduate prepared with the tools necessary for sustainable and thriving careers. Our faculty are working professionals from the stage and from the screen, from Los Angeles, from the nation and from around the world. And USC alumni are part of an unrivaled legacy: spanning every medium and every platform, our creative artists have made their way into the hearts and minds of millions. The School breaks the mold on professional development and career preparation by being the first drama school with a dedicated Career Center devoted to supporting our students and recent graduates. Most importantly, our students develop as compassionate human beings and learn to use their storytelling powers to help address our world's most pressing problems.

Pasadena Playhouse will continue its educational programming with

Scene Study Intensive with Alfred Molina June 27 - July 22, a four-week deep dive into theater scene study and text analysis. Students will work on monologues and scenes from the classic American canon and further develop the tools needed to break down a script and build realism and depth into characters. This course will be focused on process, rather than performance.

Alfred Molina's diverse and lengthy career has moved effortlessly between film, television, and theatre world-wide. In addition to his numerous performance credits, Molina has taught Scene Study & Shakespeare at UCLA for MFA Acting students, Circus Theatricals/ New American Theatre, HB Studio in New York, and Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, his alma mater. Molina has also given Master Classes at Julliard, USC, and Pepperdine University, as well as private coaching and consulting for various productions.

Classes will take place Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 7PM-10PM, and class size will be limited to 12 students, ages 18 and up. Previous acting class experience required. Students will be selected through an application and interview process by the staff of Pasadena Playhouse. The course fee is $650, with scholarship funds available. A scholarship application will be provided to finalists prior to interviews.

For more information, contact Katharine McDonough, Artistic Project Coordinator, at scenestudy@pasadenaplayhouse.org

ALFRED MOLINA is a London-born actor whose diverse and lengthy career has moved effortlessly between film, tv, and theatre world-wide. On film his work includes roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); Prick Up Your Ears (1987); Enchanted April (1992); Maverick (1994); Species and Boogie Nights (1997); Chocolat (2000); Frida (2002); Luther (2003); Spiderman 2 (2004); The Da Vinci Code (2006); An Education (2009); Love is Strange (2014). He has voiced characters in Rango (2011); Monsters University (2013); Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018); Frozen 2 (2019).

Molina rose to prominence in London's West End, earning an Olivier Award nomination for his performance as Jud Fry in Oklahoma! In 1980. He made his Broadway debut in Yasmina Reza's play Art in 1998, gaining the first of three Tony nominations. His other Broadway roles include Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in 2004, and John Logan's Red in 2009.

For his role as Robert Aldrich in Ryan Murphy's Feud, Alfred received both Golden Globe and EMMY nominations. In recent years Alfred has continued to work in all areas of the industry. He appeared in Tom Holloway's play And No More Shall We Part at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2016. He played James Tyrone in Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Geffen Playhouse in 2017, and the title role in the Pasadena Playhouse production of Florian Zeller's The Father at the beginning of 2020.

His recent film and television work includes Showtime's comedy-drama series I'm Dying Up Here (2017); Breakable You (2017) opposite Tony Shalhoub and Holly Hunter; Message From the King (2017) opposite Chadwick Boseman, and Luke Evans; A Family Man (2017) opposite Gerard Butler; Saint Judy (2018) opposite Michelle Monaghan and Alfre Woodard; and The Front Runner (2018) opposite Hugh Jackman. He has also appeared in small uncredited cameos in Vice (2018) for Adam McKay, and Promising Young Woman (2020) for director Emerald Fennell. In 2021 he reprised his iconic of Otto Octavius in Spiderman: No Way Home for Jon Watts.

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ABOUT THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

The Pasadena Playhouse is a place where people have gathered for 100 years to experience bold and important theater. It is one of the most prolific theaters in American history with a legacy of profound theatrical impact and courageous new work. In 1937, the Playhouse was officially recognized as the State Theater of California for its contribution and commitment to the dramatic arts. Today it continues that tradition of excellence under the helm of producing artistic director Danny Feldman. Dedicated to enriching lives through theater, community programs and learning initiatives, Pasadena Playhouse is a living force in the community.

Information: For more information on these events and all productions at Pasadena Playhouse visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

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