Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 18, 2024
By: Laura Deni
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VALUE OF AN OLYMPIC MEDAL ON THE JOB MARKET

If your resume lists an Olympic medal, what does that do for you on the job market?

You can't run, jump or twist yourself into various positions for the rest of your life. So, now what?

Or, can you?

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is a world leader in live entertainment. In addition to producing world-renowned circus arts shows, the Company brings its creative approach to a large variety of entertainment forms, such as multimedia productions, immersive experiences, and special events.

Since its creation in 1984, more than 378 million people have been inspired on 6 continents and 86 countries. The Canadian company now employs more than 4000 employees, including 1200 artists from 80 different nationalities.

In all, about 40 percent of Cirque's performers come from artistic, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics backgrounds, as well as from trampoline, tumbling, diving and synchronized swimming. At the moment, 21 Olympians perform in eight United States-based Cirque du Soleil shows.

There are auditions and your typing speed or whether you can file doesn't matter.

"Be prepared to showcase your best skills on one or more of the following apparatus: fast track, tumbling, high bar, parallel bars, rings, uneven bars and trampoline," is the way an audition promo reads.

Cirque also sends out talent scouts to major athletic events.

In the stationary show of "O" in Las Vegas, there are about 10 Olympians performing. Suzannah Bianco, who won a gold medal in synchronized swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was a four-time U.S. champion, joined "O" in 1997.

The "Quidam" version features 52 performers from 18 countries, including national champions and Olympians.

Three Russians – who hold between them a total of 16 world medals in Tumbling, seven of them gold – are already performing for Cirque du Solei.

Depending on the country, athletes may receive some form of pension or benefit based on their years of service in the sport. Many athletes will also pursue coaching or other sport-related roles. Others will spend their time doing public speaking or working with non-profit organizations.

Then there are those who pursue what some outsiders refer to as a "real" job.

Gabby Thomas at the Olympics in Paris. Photo: Wikipedia.

Gabby Thomas, 28, a Team USA track and field winner who specialized in the 100 and 200 meter sprint. At the 2024 Olympics, she won the gold medal in the 200 meter race in 21.83. Along with her teammates, she also won gold medals in the 4 × 100 m relay and 4 × 400 m relay.

She began her "real career" by volunteering at an Austin, Texas healthcare clinic for uninsured individuals.

The brainy one graduated from Harvard University where she studied neurobiology and global health. In May 2023, Thomas finished her master of public health degree in epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, at their Austin regional campus.

Her long term goal is to run a hospital or a nonprofit to improve access to health care.

Canadian pistol shooter 5'2" Lynda Kiejko, 43, is a civil engineer at the power transmission company Altalink. She earned a B.Sc Civil Engineering. She also comes from an Olympic family. Her father Bill Hare is a 3-time Olympic champion and her sister, Dorothy Ludwig, is also an Olympian.

Basketball standout Canyon Barry, 30, has a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in nuclear engineering.

When Nic Fink, a six-time World Championship gold medalist, is not in the pool, he works remotely at Quanta Utility Engineering Services from their Dallas home. Fink went on to get a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech after making a splash in swimming at the Tokyo Olympics. His wife, Melanie Margalis Fink, is a 2016 Olympic gold medal swimming champion.

Kerri Strug

Kerri Strug, 46, best known for her 1996 Olympics performance where she vaulted on an injured ankle in order to secure gold for the United States, Strug won two Olympic medals and three world championship medals over the course of her career.

Strug participated in the Ice Capades and Disney's World On Ice, then announced her retirement and enrolled in UCLA wherenthe petite 4'8" sports star was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta women's fraternity. She later transferred to Stanford University where she earned a master's degree in social psychology.

After graduation, Strug worked as an elementary school teacher at Tom Matsumoto Elementary School in San Jose, California, before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2003.

She worked as a staff assistant with the White House Office of Presidential Student Correspondence, moved to a job at the General Counsel in the Treasury Department, and in March 2005, joined the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention staff as a presidential appointee. As of 2020, the mom of two was working as a program manager for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

At the 2020 Olympics in Rio, Maya DiRado splashed her way to taking home four medals, including two golds in the women’s 4x200 meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter backstroke. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the swimmer promptly retired, moving back home to the Bay Area and taking a job with King Philanthropies. In her role on the grants team, DiRado works to find and fund programs that help people living in extreme poverty in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2021, she is enrolled in an MBA program at Stanford University aiming to specialize in climate science.

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Thank you for your interest.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

HIROSHI SUGIMOTO: TIME MACHINE

Time Machine by Hiroshi Sugimoto.Photo Museum of Contempory Art.

the major retrospective, and first solo exhibition in Australia, of internationally celebrated artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.

From visions of prehistoric landscapes to the end of civilization, famous faces and familiar forms, Sugimoto uses the camera to freeze, bend, and capture time in playful and unexpected ways.

This Sydney-exclusive exhibition follows the expansive arc of the renowned artist's 50-year career and features close to 100 works from all of his key photographic series.

Hiroshi Sugimoto was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He reportedly took his earliest photographs in high school, photographing film footage of Audrey Hepburn as it played in a movie theater. In 1970, Sugimoto studied politics and sociology at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In 1974, he retrained as an artist and received his BFA in Fine Arts at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. Afterwards, Sugimoto settled in New York City. He soon started working as a dealer of Japanese antiquities in Soho.

Sugimoto is deeply influenced by the writings and works of Marcel Duchamp, as well as the Dadaist and Surrealist movements as a whole. He has also expressed a great deal of interest in late 20th century modern architecture.

Sugimoto's work is held in numerous public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery, London; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; MACBA, Barcelona; and Tate Gallery, London.

On display at the Museum of Contempory Art in Sydney, Australia.

"The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land and waters upon which the MCA stands."

THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LATIN GRAMMYS will be celebrated with a series of exhibits across the United States. Artifacts from Latin Grammy winners and nominees, along with original artwork, will be displayed at The Paley Museum in New York City, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and the Gary Nader Art Centre in Miami.

On display September 13 - November 3 at The Paley Museum, New York City, the kicks-off the exhibit. Visitors will be able to marvel at priceless artifacts, glamorous costumes, and iconic instruments from music superstars such as Latin Grammy and Grammy winners Ricky Martin, Rosalía, Carlos Santana and Shakira—as well as celebrated New Yorkers like Latin Grammy and Grammy winners Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades—whose influence has left a lasting mark on the world of music. The exhibit will feature some of the most unforgettable moments from the Latin Grammy Awards telecast, chronicle the show’s incredible evolution.

September 19 - December 18 – Grammy Museum, Los Angeles – Hosted on the 2nd floor of the Grammy Museum as part of its permanent Latin Music Gallery, this exhibit will expand upon its extensive Latin aisle, featuring artifacts from Latin global superstars such as Shakira, Carlos Santana, Karol G, and Rosalía, among others. The exhibit will explore the last 25 years of Latin Grammy history, as well as the rich landscape of musical genres and cultures that have graced their stage. At the root of the exhibit is an understanding that Latin music has transformed into a massively successful commercial force in the international music landscape over the last quarter-century, with the Latin Grammys playing a key role in its global development. The exhibit will also survey the history of the institution and its most important moments, while also illustrating Latin music’s creative complexity and enduring cultural impact.

September 26 - December 20 – Gary Nader Art Centre, Miami – Miami will host a first-of-its-kind collection of 25 years of Latin Grammy official art, featuring original paintings by renowned artists including Romero Britto, Walter Goldfarb, Michael V. Rios—who also designed the cover of Carlos Santana’s multi-Grammy-winning album Supernatural—and Patssi Valdez, among others. From mixed media to collage, murals and oil paintings, the collection includes renowned visual artists from several countries. In addition, the Brazilian muralist Aline Bispo, the official artist for the 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, will unveil a new piece to inaugurate the festivities.

SCOTTSDALE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

"Floating Seeds" by Cybele Lyle. Photo SMoCA.

on August 24 will open the latest iteration of its ongoing Architecture + Art series — the first in the series to feature a woman artist: Cybele Lyle.

Cybele Lyle: Floating Seeds Make Deep Forms is a site-specific installation that responds to deserts in the North American Southwest as non-places — liminal expanses for ambiguity within a regenerative ecosystem. It is the first solo museum exhibition for Lyle, a California-based contemporary artist who explores the relationships between public, private and ecological spaces.

Since 2010, SMoCA’s Architecture + Art series has been a platform for artistic experimentation at an architectural scale.

"As the first female and queer artist in the series, Cybele Lyle brings an alternative perspective to how we view built environments, which are intentionally binary, and natural environments, which are adaptable," said exhibition curator Lauren R. O’Connell, curator of contemporary art at SMoCA.

O’Connell said the exhibition aligns with SMoCA’s vision to mediate creative expression across a wide range of publics and cultivate inclusive dialogue. In the past five years, the curatorial direction has focused on counterbalancing the lack of gender representation in both exhibitions and collections — a common issue being addressed by art institutions in the 21st century.

Incorporating aspects of queer space, Lyle’s multidimensional collage of desert photography, prints, drawings, makeshift structures and video projections create a fluid backdrop for discovery. The installation inverts interior and exterior, man-made and biological structures, to contemplate the impression humans leave on their surrounding environments. Because architecture often determines how people move through space, it can become a power structure, dictating who is allowed in certain spaces or separating people in others. "I want to break the walls apart, and I want to create a space where things can shift; identity and sense of self can be expansive instead of trapped,” Lyle said. “I think that's a kind of queer idea of space. I'm hoping that the space allows whoever comes in to have the power to let that space be theirs."

O’Connell noted that Lyle’s site-specific installation for SMoCA will use makeshift walls with varying cut-outs to disrupt preconceived notions of how a wall, window or space, in general, should function. Additionally, Lyle’s artworks of fragmented desert scenes will metaphorically open portals to nature, suggesting a symbiosis of interior and exterior.

"The disruptions and portals are meant to slow down viewers as they navigate the space with the hope that they might linger, transcending the physical space of the gallery toward generative introspection and self-discovery," O’Connell said.

Lyle received a bachelor of arts in environmental studies from Oberlin College, a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking from California College of Arts and a master of fine arts in painting/combined media from Hunter College. She has participated in residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts, Florida; Recology, California; and Headlands Center for the Arts, California. Her work has been shown at institutions that include Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha; Oakland Museum of California; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; and Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, California. Lyle is a recipient of the Kala Art Institute Fellowship, the Tony Smith Award from Hunter College and the Yozo Hamaguchi Printmedia Award.

Floating Seeds Make Deep Forms is organized by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and curated by Lauren R. O’Connell, curator of contemporary art. Support provided by World Class Partner The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This artwork is commissioned following W.A.G.E. guidelines.

On display through January 19, 2025.

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SWEET CHARITY

MELISSA ETHERIDGE TO HEADLINE WOMEN WHO ROCK BENEFIT CONCERTpresented by Gibson Gives on August 28, 2024 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA.

All proceeds from the Women Who Rock Benefit Concert support understudied and underfunded women’s health research at Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI), the nation’s first and largest research institute dedicated solely to life-saving women’s health research and reproductive biology.

"The Women Who Rock benefit concert is all about raising funds for life-saving women’s health research which is underfunded and understudied,” says Melissa Etheridge. "I went through my own health issue 20 years ago, I’m still cancer free now and I know how important it is for women’s health to be studied specifically and independently."

Music fans that can’t attend the August 28 concert in Pittsburgh, now have the chance to make a charitable donation and walk away with a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history. Though August 28, bids will be open for the auction of a Gibson 1968 Les Paul Custom guitar in Ebony, autographed by Melissa Etheridge (Lot #3000800) on CharityBuzz. All proceeds from the auction of the Les Paul Custom guitar will go to support the important work of the Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation.

BENEFIT FOR MT. WASHINGTON PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL at Ristorane Le Scala in Baltimore with headliners Slim Man and Hit Man Howie Z doing their Rat Pack Duo performance. The event took place last month and the results are in: The two musicians raised over $5,000 for the hospital.

Slim Man is now back home in California and his Rat Pack Duo performs every Wednesday at the Larkspur Grill in the Hotel Paseo in Palm Desert, CA.

NEW YORK CITY OPERA PARTNERS WITH THE MILFORD THEATER to perform as part of a fundraiser for Opera! Pike! Park! on August 24, 2024 at the Milford Theater in Milford, PA.

Cast: Inna Dukach, soprano, Gregory Turay, tenor and Dmitriy Glivinskiy, pianist.

Program: La traviata Medley, Neapolitan Medley, and favorites from Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern.

The following day, August 25, 2024 live opera will once again fill the air in a free Opera! Pike! Park! concert on the lawn of the Ann Street Park in Milford Borough. Classic arias, Neapolitan songs, and Broadway tunes will be performed by singers from the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Opera! Pike! Park! is family friendly and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, snacks, and beverages. Opera! Pike! Park! is free for anyone to attend, however reservations via Eventbrite are required to receive a program. Opera! Pike! Park! is a production of non profit Pike Opera. It is presented by Milford Borough’s Parks and Recreation Committee.

About Milford Theater: Since the 1920s, Milford Theater has served as the community’s moviehouse and sanctuary for performing arts. A staple of the community and historic fixture, Milford Theater is a home for live music, plays, classic film, and more. Located in a vibrant borough with a rich history, the theater provides entertainment that lies at the intersection of modern comfort and nostalgia. Enjoy a classically art deco stage updated to accommodate a wide variety of performances.

About New York City Opera: Founded as "The People’s Opera" by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in 1943, New York City Opera (NYCO) has remained a critical part of the city’s cultural life. Launching the careers of dozens of major artists, presenting engaging productions of both mainstream and lesser-known operas alongside commissions and regional premieres, NYCO has continued to endure as a uniquely American opera company of international stature with a distinct identity and singular mission: affordable ticket prices, a devotion to American works, English-language performances, the promotion of up-and-coming American singers, and seasons of accessible, vibrant and compelling productions intended to introduce new audiences to the art form.

Stars who launched their careers at New York City Opera include Plácido Domingo, Catherine Malfitano, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Beverly Sills, Tatiana Troyanos, Carol Vaness, and Shirley Verrett, among dozens of other great artists. New York City Opera has also presented such talents as Anna Caterina Antonacci and Aprile Millo in concert, as well as its own 75th Anniversary Concert in Bryant Park.

SPREADING THE WORD

JIMMY J J WALKER who once was the highest paid child star on television - but thanks to mismanagement of his earnings - died with less than $75,000 is the subject in the PBS series The Complete Pioneers of n Television series.

Walker is best known for portraying James Evans Jr. (J. J.), the oldest son of Florida and James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times.

Walker moved to Las Vegas in 1976 and remained in Sin City until the last years of his life when he moved to Utah. While he never lived in the neighborhood - at least to the best of my knowledge - he spent a lot of time at what was then a Von's Grocery store located in a neighborhood shopping mall at Desert Inn and Eastern. At the check out lanes he would stand against the back wall - clean and neatly dressed - just standing there, not approaching anyone or making a sound. However, if somebody recognized him, approached him and offered any compliment he would respond, "Would you like to pay for my groceries?"

Customers would be taken aback - I know I was. If you complimented him once, he'd remember you and the next time he saw you in the store he would initiate a conversation by asking,"Would you like to pay for my groceries?"

It got so bad that I'd first peek inside the store to see if I saw him standing by the wall and if I did, I'd leave and come back when he wasn't there.

NERF BALL QUEEN KATE wonderful to learn that Princess Kate is doing so much better in her road to recovery. The Princess of Wales was able to - not just accompany - but to actively participate with her husband and their three children in a Nerf War at the Gone Wild Festival at Holkham Hall in Norfork, as first reported in The Daily Mail.

The three Wales kids played Nerf Wars and their mother reportedly "grabbed a Nerf gun and ran around and played stuck in the mud with her kids," Norfolk Nerf Parties boss Georgina Barron posted on Facebook.

She added: "My sons Euan Barron, Jenson Barron and Junior Barron had the ultimate honor of playing Nerf Wars with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and the adorable Prince Louis."

Wonderful that Barron didn't permit photographs of the Wales family so they could enjoy the event like an "ordinary" family.

It should come as no surprise that Barron reported that Louis ran around yelling "Nerf or nothing, let's do this!"

THEATER RESOURCES UNLIMITED (TRU) as a part of an ongoing Diversity Initiative, has renewed their commitment to developing and supporting producers of color and will be offering a scholarship to an aspiring BIPOC producer every semester starting in Spring 2025. As a gesture of intention, they will be sponsoring a Native American producing aspirant this semester.

JOB WELL DONE

Charles Fee has announced his retirement as Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater (GLT) in Cleveland, Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) in Boise, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF) in Incline Village. Fee will pass the torch to Sara Bruner, who is poised to uphold and expand the legacy of these dynamic cultural institutions, fostering their ongoing success and growth.

Fee's career at these organizations has spanned three decades and has been marked by visionary leadership and profound impact. Starting at ISF in 1991, he expanded his influence by joining Great Lakes Theater in 2002 and adding LTSF to his portfolio in 2010. Before his illustrious career with these three organizations, Charles was the Artistic Director at Sierra Repertory Theatre in California from 1988 to 1992. His extensive experience includes work with renowned institutions such as The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Missouri Repertory Theater, Actor's Theatre of Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival.

At Great Lakes Theater, Fee's tenure began during a challenging time of financial instability. His strategic approach and innovative solutions were instrumental in stabilizing the organization.

Along with former Executive Director Bob Taylor, Fee ushered in a new era for GLT by heralding the campaign to renovate the Hanna Theatre and provide Great Lakes Theater with its new theatrical home in Playhouse Square.

The three-city strategic alliance connecting Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival stands as the biggest testament to Charles Fee's visionary leadership. As Producing Artistic Director, Fee was instrumental in establishing the original partnership between GLT and ISF, which laid the groundwork for the expansion to include LTSF in 2010.

Fee started with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in 1991 and quickly started working to revitalize it. In 1993, Fee, along with Managing Director Mark Hofflund, began a successful $12 million advancement campaign that included the construction of the amphitheater ISF now calls home in the historic Barber Pool Conservation Area, a riparian wildland home to 300 species located at the foot of the Rockies. With a continued surge in community engagement, attendance grew from 28,000 and peaked at 76,000 (101% capacity) in 2019. Philanthropic support continued to grow and sustain the company in recent years, as it returned to packed houses in Boise and throughout the region, where it visits 150 schools each year in predominantly rural communities, often hundreds of miles distant. Fee is equally proud of the opportunities he provides through a robust "Access Program" for those whose life challenges might otherwise keep them from enjoying the programs of Idaho Shakespeare Festival, for a high school Apprentice Company immersing juniors and seniors in an intensive, full-time, summer experience of being integral to a professional theater company; and for a longtime collaboration with musical theater students from Baldwin Wallace University under the direction of Victoria Bussert. This collaboration with one of the nation's leading undergraduate training programs has significantly contributed to the Festival's growth and success as a producer of not only Shakespeare but also Sondheim and other highlights of world dramatic literature and American musical theater.

Charles Fee's dedication extends beyond the stage. He has been actively involved in community initiatives, serving on the strategic planning committee for the Velma V. Morrison Center, producing the FUNDSY Award Gala, and organizing the Idaho Governor's Awards in the Arts. He served his first decade in Boise as a faculty member of Boise State University, having earned degrees from the University of the Pacific (BA) and the University of California, San Diego (MFA).

As the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival sought revitalization, Fee wanted to add breadth, opportunity, and further talent to the successful producing model he had created in Cleveland and Boise with his business partner and Great Lakes Executive Director Bob Taylor. The two worked to bring this exciting partner – located in an amphitheater in Nevada's signature Sand Harbor State Park – into the strategic alliance, and the innovative production model was solidified.

Fee was honored for his leadership by the Cleveland Arts Prize as a recipient of the Martha Joseph Award, the Boise Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Idaho Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

ACTORS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO LICENSE AI VERSIONS of their voices for use in advertising under a deal announced between SAG-AFTRA and Narrativ, an online talent marketplace, according to the release as first published in U.S. News & World Report and the NBA.

The agreement requires brands to seek actors' consent for each ad spot featuring their vocal likeness and compensate them in line with SAG-AFTRA audio commercial rates.

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SUNSET BLVD music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Books and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Based on the Billy Wilder film.

Directed by Paul Warwick Griffin.

Haunted by her memories of a life in the spotlight, faded movie star Norma Desmond yearns her return to the big screen. An aging silent film queen refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young screenwriter to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. Be taken on a journey of Hollywood culture, faded glory, and unfulfilled ambition in this epic film noir classic come to life.

Featuring a star-studded cast including the iconic Sarah Brightman as Norman Desmond , Tim Draxl as joe Gillis, Robert Grubb as Max Von Mayerling, Ashleigh Rubenach as Better Shaefer, Jarrod Draper as Artie Green, Paul Hanlon as Cecil B. DeMille and Silvie Paladino as Norma Desmond alternate.

The creatives are: Set & costume designer Morgan Large. Choreographer Ashley Wallen. Musical supervision by Kristen Blodgette. Lighting designer Mark Henderson. Video & projection designer George Reeve.

Performances at the Sydney Opera House in Australia through November 1, 2024.

HAPPY FALL: A QUEER STUNT SPECTACULAR Written by Lisa Sanaye Dring.

Conceived and Directed by Sean Cawelti.

Romance, stunts… and puppets. Rogue Artists Ensemble, celebrated for creating original, immersive, multi-dimensional experiences known as "hyper-theater," stages its co-production with the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Contemporary American Theater Festival.

David Ellard, Kurt Kanazawa and Amir Levi star in a story about the professional and romantic rise and fall of two queer, closeted stuntmen in the Hollywood world of faux masculinity. Placing the intoxication of film trickery and its toll on the body and psyche center stage through life-size and miniature puppetry, live video, cinematic illusions and heart-pumping physical acts, this exuberant production is a joyful tribute to the resiliency of the LGBTQIA+ community. Based on true-life stories and direct testimonies, Happy Fall illuminates issues of racial and cultural identity in the industry and uncovers the real price of a love story, unmasking the importance — and danger — of being true to oneself. Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Lucas Brahme, Carlos R. Chavez, Gabriel Croom, Kelsey Kato, Maia Luer, Candy Pain, Tiana Randall-Quant and Jerry Zou.

As part of the play’s development, Cawelti interviewed over a dozen stunt performers, several closeted, who shared intimate stories about the challenges they faced in an industry that few know much about. The play has had readings sponsored by the City of West Hollywood and the City of Culver City among others, and was recently workshopped at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Coinciding with the production and sure to expand the experience, Advocate & Gochis Galleries, home to the visual arts at the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, will present a visual and mixed media art exhibit titled "Take/Action: Stunts, Spectacle and Queer History in Hollywood." This exhibit examines the role of the action star through a distinctly queer lens, featuring interpretations of Hollywood and a look at the history of stunts by LGBTQIA+ artists. The gallery will open 45 minutes before each performance and will feature unique interactive photo opportunities, allowing you to place yourself in the movies.

Happy Fall features original music by composer Adrien Prevost, choreography by Cody Brunelle-Potter and fight direction by professional stunt performer Celina Lee Surniak, who also acts as intimacy director. The scenic design is by Keith Mitchell, and Cawelti; the latter also designs video alongside associate video designer Sam Lopez. Other members of the creative team include costume designer Andrew Jordan, lighting designer Soran Schwartz, sound designer Glenn Schuster, properties designer Lily Bartenstein, who also contributes additional scenic design, and pyrotechnician Eric Elias. Puppetry design is by Jack Pullman and Adrian Rose Leonard, with additional design and fabrication by Morgan Rebane, Greg Ballora and Kelsey Kato. Casting is by Jordan Bass, CSA. Camella Coopilton is the production manager, Matthew Richter is technical director, and Deena Tovar is the stage manager. The producer is Zach Davidson.

Performances of Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular take place through September 8, 2024 at the Renberg Theatre Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, Los Angeles, CA.

KISS ME KATE music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Sam and Bella Spewack.

Directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher.

Starring the multi-award-winning Adrian Dunbar as Fred Graham and Petruchio and Broadway musical superstar and Tony Award Winner Stephanie J. Block as Lilli Vanessi and Katherine.

With a company of over 50 including a full-scale orchestra, Kiss Me, Kate features classic songs including Another Op'nin', Another Show and Brush Up Your Shakespeare.

The creatives include: choreographer Anthony Van Laast, costume designer Catherine Zuber, scenic designer Michael Yeargan, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Adam Fisher, and music supervisor Stephen Ridley.

The Trafalgar Theatre Production has performances through - September 14, 2024 at the Barbican in London.

THE REAL THING by Tom Stoppard.

Directed by Max Webster.

There are no commitments, only bargains.

Annie is an actress, Henry is a playwright, and fiction is the backdrop to life. Hardly a recipe for a faithful marriage, especially when it started as an affair.

But does it matter how it began if what they have is the real thing?

Diving through layers of play and performance, reality and deceit, The Real Thing is Tom Stoppard’s kaleidoscopic comedy of love, infidelity and the stories we tell.

The cast includes: James McArdle, Bel Powley, Oliver Johnstone, Susan Wokoma, Jack Ambrose, Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran, Karise Yansen.

The creatives include: Peter McKintosh set & costumes. Richard Howell lighting. Alexandra Faye Braithwaite sound. Chi-San Howard movement. Jessica Ronane CDG Casting. Charlie Hughes-D’Aeth voice. Ingrid Mackinnon intimacy. Lilac Yosiphon Baylis assistant director. Poppy Hall costume supervisor. Carole Hancock wigs, hair & make-up supervisor. Jamie Owens props supervisor.

The Real Thing plays on The Old Vic stage in London from August 22, 2024 to October 26, 2024.

THE DOUBLE V Written by Carole Eglash-Kosoff.

Directed by Michael A. Shepperd.

Starring Idrees Degas, Nicolette Ellis, Nic Few, Lee James, Shon Oku, John E. Phillips, Jennifer Shelton.

True story of first Black civil rights movement in the U.S.

In 1942, his attempt to enlist in the army rejected because of his color, 26-year-old James G. Thompson of Wichita, Kansas wrote a letter to the editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, at the time the most highly circulated Black newspaper with a readership of over 350,000. “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” he asked… leading the Courier to kick off the "Double V" campaign. Building on the popular "V for Victory" slogan that called for triumph in the war, the super-imposed, second "V" called for victory in the fight for racial equality — in the army, the navy, and in all aspects of segregated daily life. Other Black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender and the Amsterdam Star-News, soon took up the call. Under pressure from the campaign, and against the advice of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, the U.S. was forced to adopt a policy of "proportional representation" that allowed Black Americans to participate in the military in direct proportion to their percentage of the population.

The creative team includes set designer Tim Mueller, lighting designer Crystal R. Shomph, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The stage manager is Jamie Tucker.

International City Theatre presents The Double V, in a limited, three-week run August 23 through September 8 at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach, CA with two low-priced previews on August 21 and August 22, 2024.

THE PARSON'S PIRATES by Opera della Luna.

The funniest production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance you’ll ever see. Opera della Luna return to Wilton’s to celebrate the company’s 30th Anniversary by re-staging its first big success. This hilarious and ingenious production gained the company national recognition and over the years has been in tour since 1995 and played in over 200 venues, but this is its first production in London.

Cast includes: Richard Gauntlett, Louise Crane, Martin George, Tim Walton and Ellie Laugharne.

August 27-31 at Wilton's Music Hall in London.

GOD WILL DO THE REST Written by Nicholas Pilapil.

Directed by Fran de Leon.

Starring Rinabeth Apostol, Josette Canilao, Reggie Lee, Ryan Nebreja, Josh Odsess-Rubin, Jason Rogel, Ellen D. Williams.

Karaoke, chicken adobo and Santo Niño prayers. “We can only do our best, diba (right)?” A warm, funny new play about a multigenerational Filipino American household.

Strong, glamorous family matriarch Maggie (Rinabeth Apostol) is celebrating a milestone birthday, and the de Dios family has gathered to celebrate in true FilAm style: Maggie’s longtime husband Ferdie (Reggie Lee); their eldest daughter, a former teen mom and the black sheep of the family, Connie (Ellen D. Williams) and her aspiring chef son, Tanner (Ryan Nebreja); and youngest daughter, Fritzie (Josette Canilao), a successful real estate agent, with her Jewish fiancé, Nate (Josh Odsess-Rubin). Add to the mix Maggie’s fabulously over-the-top sister, Babette (Jason Rogel), and get ready for a warm, loving, hilarious — and explosive — family reunion.

God Will Do the Rest was developed and workshopped at the Geffen Playhouse. It was a finalist for a 2023 New Harmony Project residency, and a Dramatists Guild Foundation semi-finalist for a nationwide virtual fellowship.

The creative team includes scenic designer Leah Ramillano; lighting designer Omar Madkour; sound designer Jesse Mandapat; costume designers Janel "JJ" Javier and C. Yuri Son; props designer Rye Mandel; and dramaturg Andy Knight. Katherine Chou is associate director. The stage manager is Brandon Cheng. Produced by Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company. Artists at Play is a Los Angeles-based theater-producing collective dedicated to programming that explores the Asian American experience. The Latino Theater Company is dedicated to providing a world-class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence. The world premiere of God Will do The Rest, will open on August 31 and run through September 29 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center.

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FINAL OVATION

DR. STUART SAMUELS academic, film and television producer, writer, and award-winning documentarian died August 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. He was 84.

A Stanford PhD, an Oxford postgraduate scholar, and a professor of history from 1968 to 1981 at the University of Pennsylvania, Stuart's intellect enabled him to see the world from a unique angle, a gift he made sure to share with others.

Television and film works include:" Nightflight", "Visions of Light", "Hollywoodism", "Midnight Movies", and more.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Judith Kappel, and his son David.

GENA ROWLANDS career in film, stage and television spanned nearly seven decades died August 14, 2024 in Indian Wells,California. She was 94.

A two time Emmy and two time Golden Globe winner. In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.

In the early 1950s, Rowlands performed with repertory theatre companies and at the Provincetown Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in The Seven Year Itch and toured in a national production of the play. In 1956, she starred in the Broadway play Middle of the Night opposite Edward G. Robinson.

Her extension film career included The Notebook (2004), which was directed by her son Nick Cassavetes.

In 2007, she played a supporting role opposite Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud in Broken English, an independent American feature written and directed by her daughter Zoe Cassavetes.

Rowlands was married to John Cassavetes from April 9, 1954, until his death on February 3, 1989. They met at the American Academy at Carnegie Hall, where they were both students. They had three children, all actor-directors: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe. Rowlands married retired businessman Robert Forrest in 2012.

On June 24, 2024, her son Nick Cassavetes revealed that she has been living with Alzheimer's disease for the past five years.

SHAWN SHEA highly respected director and stage manaegr died February 24, 2024 after a brief illness following complications from advanced pneumonia at her home in Sherman Oaks, CA. She was 69.

Her nearly four decade career as a highly-respected and much-in-demand 1st asst. director and stage manager included some of Hollywood's most popular situation comedies from the 1980's to the 2000's including Home Improvement;> One Day at a Time, Family Ties and Who's The Boss.

She is predeceased by her sister Elizabeth Shea and her father, John ("Jack") Shea who was a two-time president of the Directors Guild of America. Her mother, screenwriter Patricia ("Patt") Shea, passed away on April 12th, 2024.

Shawn began working in the film and television industry in 1976 when there were few women working in the key positions of 1st asst. director and stage manager. Over the next 38 years, she forged an outstanding career and a sterling reputation because of her excellent management skills and keen grasp of the fast-paced shooting schedule and complex technical aspects involved in television "sitcom" production.

Other 1st AD and stage manager credits include Young & Hungry; Kirstie; Austin & Ally; Sherri;The War at Home; The Young and the Restless; The Bold and The Beautiful; The Price is Right, and Insight, among many other assignments.

As an actress, Shawn appeared in All the President's Men and The Waltons.

Shawn is survived by her brothers Bill, Michael and J. J., her sisters-in-law Suzanne, Jill and Megan, and six nieces and nephews: Amanda, Michael, Dylan, Hudson, Katie and Jackson.

ADAM EPSTEIN a Tony-winning producer died August 13, 2024 from a grueling battle with a brain tumor. He would have turned 50 on September 7, 2024.

Miami native Adam Epstein earned a BA in political science from New York University, where he subsequently worked as an adjunct faculty member. He also earned a Master's Degree in American Studies at Brown University. On Broadway Epstein's producing credits included The Life; A View From the Bridge; Amadeus; The Crucible; Hairspray; The Wedding Singer and Cry-Baby. Those productions earned a total of 46 Tony nominations and 12 Tony Awards, including one for Epstein as producer of the 2003 Tony-winning Best Musical Hairspray.

It was following Hairspray that Epstein approached his Tony-winning book writing team of Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell to transform another John Waters film, Cry-Baby, into a Broadway musical.

Epstein also received Tony nominations as producer of Best Musical nominees Cry-Baby and The Wedding Singer and for Best Revival of a Play nominees Amadeus and The Crucible.

Adam Epstein is survived by his mother, Bonnie Cypen Epstein (Michael Magazine); his father, Dr. Marc (Nancy) Epstein; his brother Brett (Natalie) Epstein; his sister, Logan Epstein (Ryan Moynihan); nieces Hazel, Sophie, and Lucy Epstein; and nephew, Oliver Epstein.

Next Column: August 25, 2024
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Laura Deni