Cornerstone Theater Company and The California Endowment, in partnership with The Black Parallel School Board, will bring the community, policy makers, and the media together to dramatize personal stories of school discipline and to discuss alternatives to harsh practices on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.  This bridge building event, Talk it Out: A Community Conversation to Fix School Discipline, will feature a dramatic reading of a new play, Willful, performed by students, community members and professional actors, with a focus on the current debate over the excessive use of “willful defiance” in school suspensions and expulsions.  The event is sponsored by the office of Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento and author of AB 420, a new bill that would restrict the ill-defined and overused “willful defiance” rationale for harsh disciplinary measures. Read the rest of this entry »

The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound (SASSAS) is pleased to announce Blast! [10], the annual SASSAS garden party and fundraiser, on Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.  With food, beverages, and a silent art auction, Blast! [10] will take place at the private home of the Hillenburg family in San Marino, CA. To celebrate its 10-year milestone, Blast! [10] will feature many of the artists and musicians who have made the event so successful over the years.  Works by notable artists such as Louise Lawler, James Welling, and Lari Pittman will be featured in the silent auction.  Live music will be provided by Dani Tull, Dos, and Killsonic.  Read the rest of this entry »

Arts organization Create:Fixate (C:F) presents Constellations on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Lot 613 in Downtown Los Angeles. Beyond C:F’s signature blend of vibrant artwork and music produced by local talent this show captures the mixed-medium spirit that patrons have come to expect from these one-night-only exhibits. The excitement begins at 4:00pm with a three-hour gallery preview. The main event starts at 7:00pm and closes at 2:00am. Admission is $15.00 before 9:00pm and $20.00 for the remainder of the night. Read the rest of this entry »

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater announces that Wyatt Fenner (The Whale, Misalliance, Next Fall) will take over the lead role of Eli in Slipping starting Sunday, April 21, 2013.  Fenner will replace Seth Numrich (Broadway’s War Horse, Golden Boy), who will travel to London to star with Kim Cattrall in the upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic.  Fenner has received rave reviews for his performances, including his most recent role as 19-year-old Mormon missionary Elder Thomas in The Whale, at South Coast Rep.  Slipping, written and directed by Daniel Talbott, runs through Sunday May 5, 2013 at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, CA.  Read the rest of this entry »

Angel City Chorale (ACC) will celebrate its first two decades in song with special reunion concerts on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, 2013, at 7:00 p.m.  The Angel City Chorale 20th Anniversary Concerts will feature the West Coast premiere of Grammy Award-Winning Composer Christopher Tin’s Calling All Dawns.  In addition to performing Tin’s highly acclaimed three-movement piece, which celebrates the circle of life in 12 languages, Angel City Chorale will also perform “The Best of ACC,” highlighting much-loved and crowd-favorite songs from the choir’s 20-year history.  The Greatest Hits portion of the program will include performances of Randy Newman’s Louisiana and Toto’s Africa with a choir-created thunderstorm.  Conducted by ACC Founder and Artistic Director Sue Fink, the concerts will be held at the historic Wilshire United Methodist Church.  The audience is invited to join the performers for a dessert reception after each performance. Read the rest of this entry »

Respected New York-based Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is coming to LA!  Its first Los Angeles production, Slipping, will start previews on Thursday, April 4th and run through Sunday, May 5th at Elephant Stage’s Lillian Theatre.  Written and directed by Daniel Talbott, Slipping follows the emotional trajectory of 17-year old Eli (Seth Numrich [Golden Boy, War Horse]), after the violent suicide of his beloved father.  Seeking a fresh start, he and his mother move from San Francisco to Iowa, where a new relationship with a boy at school exposes Eli again to the possibility of closeness and the danger of being swallowed by it.  The New York production of Slipping was named one of the top ten plays of 2009 by The Advocate. Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the world’s best guitar ensembles will share the stage when Theatre Raymond Kabbaz presents California Guitar Trio (CGT) and Montréal Guitare Trio (MG3) performing together on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 7:30pm.  When these two ensembles join forces, audiences will be treated to a “six by six-string” set of eclectic music, including Baroque fugues, Spaghetti Western movie themes, arena rock, world and surf music, and intricate original compositions.  Featuring six virtuoso guitarists from four countries (Japan, Canada, Belgium, and the U.S.), CGT, on steel-stringed guitars, and MG3, on nylon-stringed guitars, fuse over 40 years of combined performing experience into one unique ‘phenomensemble.’  The event is the Los Angeles stop of a 20+ city tour in the U.S. and Canada and will be the first time the two trios will perform together in the City of Angels. The event is supported by the Quebec Government Office in Los Angeles.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tears of Joy Theatre will perform The Ugliest Duckling, a puppet theatre version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 7:30pm.  Set in Australia and starring a cast of colorful creatures in tabletop rod puppet form, The Ugliest Duckling adds a new twist to the beloved story.  Written by playwright Marc Dunworth, The Ugliest Duckling features a baby platypus that will never grow into a graceful swan. The story is one of self-acceptance and will be performed by Tears of Joy Theatre, known internationally for bringing amazing puppet theatre to audiences young and old.  Read the rest of this entry »

Angel City Chorale (ACC), whose annual holiday concert has been a favorite with Los Angeles audiences since 1993, kicks off the season this year with Making Spirits Bright on Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2, 2012.  Both performances start at 7:00pm.  ACC is Making Spirits Bright at Wilshire United Methodist Church with the broadest selection of holiday music offered in the City of Angels.  From traditional carols to rousing gospel numbers, from humorous takes on familiar Christmas songs to music celebrating the joy of Chanukah, ACC offers something for everyone.  This season’s selections range from a beautiful new Christmas work published just this year to the now-classic work of an American master, with selections from Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.  However you celebrate, Angel City Chorale’s uplifting, jubilant concerts will brighten your spirits and lighten your hearts this holiday season.  Read the rest of this entry »

The performance space at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, with the support of the Québec Government Office in Los Angeles, is pleased to present French-Canadian folk revival quartet Le Vent du Nord as part of its public performing arts series.  The highly-acclaimed band’s traditional Québécois music is heavily influenced by Celtic sounds.  The show will take place at the Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064 on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 7:30pm.  Tickets cost $35 ($25 for students).

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