If you are a reader of this newsletter, it will be assumed that you are interested in what’s going on in this nation. You are a person that is always informed within the latest news taking place across the county and perhaps around the world. You are someone that wants to know (or perhaps needs to know) on every little matter that occurs, from the important to the trivial. It is very likely that you own a hand held electrical device that is internet connected. You subscribe to a number of news sources (some legit, while others can be a bit questionable) that informs you on the latest scoop on the subjects and topics you find important. This way, if somebody you may encounter holds questions to a topical subject on hand, you can answer that inquiring subject with anything and everything on that matter. You can even win small friendly bets by challenging those by sporting all the headlines and the bylines! In this overly connected society most of us live and dwell in, these factors are not too hard to pass.
No, this isn’t a pitch to advertisers on connecting with us to know what kind of demographic we cater to, although we do like to toot our horn on occasion so to speak! However, we will state a number of things that we wish to do within these electronic pages, along with a few notes we won’t even discuss.
Within the last few days, the media has been saturated upon last Friday’s (January 20th) crowning of the new king of the USA. Within the previous year of ’16, headlines and bylines have been springing around both in print and through pixilated pixels on what might happen once that day of reckoning finally rolls around. Well, that day came on schedule, and just about anyone and everyone that can read and write jotted down their play-by-play coverage on everything and everyone involved, from composing 3000+ word essays enough to fill a journal, or through jotting down a few words that total no more that 140 characters. Many were read and passed around through social media, while other laid dormant, hoping that somebody will discover those notes, even if that discovery came long after the fact!
So you may ask yourself, if you already didn’t ask–”Why isn’t the Accessibly Live Off-Line editorial team giving their two cents over these issues?”
There are a lot of reasons behind these matters, but we will just stick with a very short reply. Here at Accessibly Live Off-Line, we do cater to a few topics on hand. We write reviews on regional theatre shows that take place in the Los Angeles area. We report on some notes and reviews that cater to feature films and television programs. We will present a book review as well. And our opening essay (such as the one you are reading), gives this writer a space to report on things that can be labeled as “the passing scene”. And as much as we wish to cover, we can’t report on everything since that so-called “everything” can be topics that are way out of our scope.
To give you an idea, if one wanted to know about what’s on TV, one can find these bits of news that report of television programming, depending on how deep wants to dive in that subject. The Hollywood Reporter will focus on those behind the scenes details that are more business like, while TV Guide will focus upon the program itself and the stars that appear in these shows. Granted, those two sources may cross one another within the same journalistic field. THR will write a piece on an actor appearing on a TV program, while TVG will make a few entries on a TV network executive. But for the most part, these two news sources will generally stick to what they know and what’s expected by their regular readership.
So with this all being said and done, we here at ALOL will not report on the new king of this nation, even if he’s going to stick around for the next four years assuming that nothing is going to happen that will prevent that leadership, either by choice or through circumstance. We’ll just see these events taking shape as another entry to what’s going on while taking it for what it’s worth. It’s just that simple!
But if you insist on knowing anything and everything, we will recommend that you log on to those news places that you know and know of to get the latest scoop, be it as news and as “news”! Then again, perhaps you know more on what’s going down than we would! And if you want to keep up in the loop, we encourage you to let us know! At least we can’t say we’re always in the dark!
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NEWS AND REVIEWS
Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills presents the American premier of Jordan Tannahill’s LATE COMPANY, a drama where two couples meet along with their teenaged son over dinner, arraigning a closure between them all with the attempt to receive an emotional healing.
Grinnell Morris and Ann Hearn play Michael and Debora Shaun-Hastings. Michael is a regional politician while Debora is a sculpture artist. They have invited Tamara and Bill Dermot (Jennifer Lynn Davis and Todd Johnson) along with their sixteen year old son Curtis (Baker Chase Powell) for dinner at their home located in a well-to-do neighborhood. This dinner party isn’t really a gathering of friends. In fact, Michael and Debora don’t really know the Dermots too well. Their only connection is the notion that Curtis attended the same high school as their late son Joel. The passing of Joel who took his own life, was driven upon the harassment he received due to Joel’s chosen lifestyle; a lifestyle that didn’t bode too well with some of the other kids-Curtis included. This dinner event was created to make some form of peace with one another. However, because of the tempestuous stage all are facing through Joel’s death, things start to go in different directions, leading up toward emotional wounds being torn open rather than healed. Blames to what happened and who’s responsible are tossed around to one another, blurring the conclusion to who is the real bully of them all, and who is the victim.
This one act play by Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill takes its premise upon an actual episode that occurred in Ottawa, Ontario where a 15 year old boy was harassed by his peers just because he was gay, and eventually took his own life. The playwright used that event as his guide, along with the fact that Jordan himself was also bullied because he was gay and wasn’t accepted by the kids he knew. That is what makes this play very emotional; it’s culled through experience! The drama depicted in very tense where at times, the audience that views this show can experience moments where it becomes eerily quiet, adding to the charged responses this production congers up. The cast of five players that appear in this program shows off their dramatic timing very well, from the first lighter (and even comical) moments to its final epilogue. Bruce Gray directs this stage production that speaks upon an issue that isn’t brought into a conscious effort as often as it should, although social media’s power to express this issue plays an important role (both in this play and in real life) for the good or otherwise!
Jeff G. Rack, Theatre 40’s residential set designer, presents a set that consists of a fancy looking polished dining room table set for six along with a backdrop of a matching buffet. The side wings of the stage are barren. This condensed setting was intentionally designed where the audience would focus upon the dinner party around the table where all of the drama (and the lighter moments) takes place.
The title of this play, LATE COMPANY, expresses the fact that whatever happened in the past is being resolved, but long after the fact–much too late to do anything except to learn, understand, and accept. A teen’s life is never easy to live through, no matter when or in what era one experienced that moment of existance. It all depends upon acceptance, and how one tolerates another person’s personal lifestyle of choice. This play proves its point in a sufficient and though provoking manor.
LATE COMPANY, presented by Theatre 40 and performs at the Reuben Cordova Theatre, located within the campus of Beverly Hills High School, 241 South Moreno Drive (off little Santa Monica Blvd.) Beverly Hills, until February 19th. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM.
For ticket reservations or for more information, call (310) 364-0535, or via online at http://www.Theatre40.com
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Performing at the Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood is the West Coast premier of ROSE AND THE RIME, a tale about a young girl’s search to find the source that placed her community into an icy curse.
The setting is Radio Falls, a hamlet that can be like any other, except it’s winter all of the time! Rose (Amy Rapp), is a young girl who lives in this town with her uncle Roger (Andy Hirsch). They dwell within this year-round winter as set through the Rime Witch, a mysterious supernatural being. She hears stories when once a summertime was present when the sun was warn and shining, people went to the beach, and ate hot dogs rather than drink hot chocolate. She keeps this beverage in a thermos bottle inside of her backpack along with a two-way radio so she and her uncle can communicate with each other, and so Roger can warn Rose not to be out after dark when it is at its coldest. When Rose learns about what became of her true parents from her uncle, she makes a journey to find this witch and to get a magic coin that can break the winter spell. And when it’s broken, then the sun will be out and summertime arrives. But can Rose learn about what’s ahead for her, and will those days of the beach and hot dogs really mean something? Is it any different than the state of where and how she exists?
This one act play, written by Nathan Allen, Chris Mathews, & Jake Minton, plays as a form of a modern fair tale, or a kid’s theatre production geared toward adults–or those that sport an adult method of thought! This Sacred Fools Theatre production uses as illustration, a staging set of three video projected screen space panels placed one next to the other a few feet apart as part of the scenic design as created by Chris Hutchings. (Hillary Bauman created the physical sets and staging that take up most of the performance space!) Those panels shows off animated segments that become part of Radio Falls, the seasons it lives in, as well as the other forms of life as experienced by Rose and company. The drama expressed is more of the whimsical kind that adds to the fantasy aspect of what this play holds. And in the tradition of kid’s theatre for adults (and vice versa), it has some dancing (as choreographed by Sierra Taylor), a few musical elements performed (not real songs per se, but enough to be heard as musical “bits”), and even puppetry! (Miles Taber created the puppets!) The storyline never speaks “down” to its audience as a kid’s show might do. But then again, this “kid’s show” are for those who are far from their childhood years!
Jacob Sidney directs a well rounded cast of players that also include Desiree Mee Jung, Brian Brennan, Sean Faye, Mandi Moss, Corinne Chooey, Allison Reeves, Aaron Mendelson, and Bart Tangredi. These performers make up the community of Radio Falls as a winter wonderland and a place in the sun.
Overall, ROSE AND THE RIME is a production that is suitable for all. Again, this isn’t a play for youth in mind since the storyline, as easy it may seem for those grown-ups out there, may be a little above the knowledge for anyone under the age of ten. Unless one takes advantage of a matinee performance (performed only twice in its run), then the kids will have to see this show in the evening hours. Then again, it never performs on a “school night”. Nevertheless, it’s still choice family-style entertainment for kids or otherwise!
ROSE AND THE RIME, presented by the Sacred Fools Theatre company, and performs at the Sacred Fools Mainstage theatre, 1076 Lillian Way (one block west of the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. and Vine Street), Hollywood, until February 25th. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, with Sunday afternoon performances on February 12th and 19th at 3:00 PM.
For ticket reservations or for more information, call (310) 281-8337, or online at http://www.SacredFools.org
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LA Stage Alliance presented the 27th annual OVATION AWARDS, declaring kudos for the best in stage theatre found in the Los Angeles region. The ceremony took place on January 17th at the Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, located in the downtown LA region.
Alexandra Billings served as host for the awards event that presented a selection of citations that involved the various crafts that were seen on stage, as well as off stage as “behind the scenes” elements within theatre programs that performed between August 31st, 2015 through August 28th, 2016.
Among the many awards presented, The Geffen Playhouse’s Guards At The Taj won for best production of a play in a large theatre, Dry Land, presented by the Echo Theatre Company won for best production of a play in an intimate theatre, HAM: A Musical Memoir won for best musical production in a large theatre, Celebration Theatre’s The Boy From Oz won best musical in an intimate theatre, and for the best theatre season (large or intimate) was presented to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for their three shows: Fool For Love, HAM: A Musical Memoir, and Hit The Wall.
Pablo Santiago, a theatre lighting director, was this year’s recipient of the Richard E. Sherwood Award for his commitment in LA Theatre production. A special tribute for Gordon Davidson, the founding artistic director for the Center Theatre Group who passed away on October 2nd, 2016 was acknowledged and dedicated.
In addition, the newly designed Ovation Award was presented in its debut. The previous award piece was a blue colored glass figurine of a human likeness standing in a side arching stance raising its arms in an upward position. Starting this year and continuing onward, this figurine is now is made of an alloy of silver colored polished metal. This new construction will avoids any breakage when dropped on a hard surface!
A theme that was presented within the award show spoke for the notion that theatre is an art form that promotes joy, love, acceptance, and diversity. These elements of emotion was expressed by Alexandra Billings, as she as a transgender, told about an encountered experience at the Cal State school facility where she teaches the art of theatre. Her students within her classes, as well as the rest of student body, expressed her mutual feelings toward the diversity aspects that make up part of the populace of Los Angeles–both as a theatre community and as a bonded city.
For an entire list of all nominees and winners, visit the LA Stage Alliance website at http://www.LAStageAlliance.com
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