AU G U ST 23 –SEPT EM B ER 20, 2026
AUGUST WILSON’S
MA RAINEY’S
BLACK BOTTOM D IRECTED BY G R EGG T. DAN I EL
Amber Liekhus by Daniel Reichert.
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2026
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25 YEAR AN N IVE RS A RY / SEP TEM B ER 2 0 2 6
P
C E
MAGAZINE
contents P1 Program
Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes and donors
New conductor and new production of Carmen at L.A. Opera; BroadStage and Road Theatre Company offer Kaiju in North Hollywood.
10 Balancing Act
Those who plan performingarts seasons skillfully blend genres and visions, financial considerations and diverse audience preferences.
18
18 Concept
to Completion
10
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P. 10 EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE, P. 18 MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY, P. 24 COURTESY JAVIER’S
6 In the Wings
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IT’S BETTER
LIVE
MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER
Jeff Levy EDITOR
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CONTIBUTING WRITERS
Roger Grody, Libby Slate PRODUCTION MANAGER
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ACCOUNT DIRECTORS
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Lorenzo Dela Rama Contact Us ADVERTISING Walter.Lewis@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com WEBSITE Lorenzo.DelaRama@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com CIRCULATION Christine.Roessler@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com HONORARY PRESIDENT
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IN TH E W I N G S
New Season, New Conductor IN HIS FIRST APPEARANCE as new music director of L.A. Opera, Domingo OPERA Hindoyan leads the premiere of a new production of Bizet’s Carmen drenched in Spanish Gothic splendor; think saints, sinners and España Oculta. Rihab Chaieb stars as the iconic femme fatale, Joshua Guerrero as Don Jose, Liam James Karai as Escamillo. Design and direction are by Thaddeus Strassberger, choreography by Antonio Najarro, lauded for last season’s flamenco-infused Ainadamar. Six performances take place Oct. 17-Nov. 7 at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211). Fall offerings also include Hercules vs Vampires, Oct. 30-31 at the gothic United Theater on Broadway (929 S. Broadway, downtown, 213.953.3680). The 1961 Italian cult fantasy film features ambitious special effects and cinematography; new music and adapted libretto by Patrick Morganelli features L.A. Opera singers and orchestra. laopera.org
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COURTESY L.A. OPERA
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Set design for Carmen by director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger. Opposite: Hercules vs Vampires at United Theatre on Broadway
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IN TH E W I N G S
E S F
Pianists Isata Kanneh-Mason and, below, Hiromi
Wh the
BroadStage Goes Big! SOMETHING VERY LARGE comes your way thanks to a co-production of BroadStage and The Road Theatre Company: Two 250-foottall monsters debate the morality of the destruction they just caused in Dan Caffrey’s Kaiju, Sept. 25-Nov. 1 at the Road Theatre in North Hollywood (10747 Magnolia Blvd.). Ken Sawyer directs; previews take place Sept. 22-24. The season continues at BroadStage itself. Events include Hiromi the Trio Project on Oct. 6; Grammy Awardwinning pianist Hiromi is joined by
legendary drummer Simon Phillips and virtuoso bassist James Genus. The Takács Quartet and pianist Jeremy Denk take the stage Oct. 9. The Celebrity Opera Series continues with British baritone Huw Montague Rendall and accompanist Malcolm Martineau Oct. 17. Scott Silven: Wonders, featuring the renowned illusionist, transports audiences Oct. 22-24, as do the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason on Nov. 12. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310.434.3200, broadstage.org
At su me the po an JOHN DAVIS, TOP, AND MITSURU NISHIMURA
MUSIC & THEATER
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FEATURE
BALANCING ACT
Those who program performing-arts seasons skillfully blend artistic genres and visions, financial considerations and diverse audience preferences.
T
by LIBBY SLATE
OM McCOY, WHO with wife Cathy Rigby McCoy has been executive producer of La Mirada Theatre’s Broadway theater series for more than 30 years, has a word in his social media posts to describe his programming endeavors for upcoming seasons: showbiz. As in “A lovely showbiz lunch today,” with a director and choreographer to discuss new works, or an exclamation on video at a new Broadway musical: “Go, showbiz!” “Showbiz” requires traveling to New York for shows, meetings and readings about every six weeks, says McCoy, himself a former performer; he and Rigby McCoy—a two-time Olympic gymnast turned Tony-
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nominated star of Peter Pan—met as cast members in a production of The Wizard of Oz. Then there’s seeing productions elsewhere at regional theaters, attending conferences and talking shop with other producers. Similarly, Music Center president/CEO Rachel S. Moore, who programs the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center series downtown, travels the U.S. and internationally to scout dance companies. Colleague Snehal Desai, artistic director of the Center Theatre Group, just last month attended the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival, in search of, as on other trips, potential CTG productions and new artistic voices.
MICHAEL LAMONT. OPPOSITE: ALBA MURIEL
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Dance at the Music Center presents Spain’s Compañia Nacional de Danza. Opposite: Les Misérables at La MIrada Theatre
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FEATURE
“Whether we are presenting a Broadway touring production, a hit play or world premiere musical, a timely new work or family show, we want to be a place every theater lover can call home, whether they want to be challenged, entertained or embraced by their fellow community.”
Oh, Mary!, coming to Center Theatre Group. Below: Arcis Saxophon Quartett at Segerstrom Center
They, as well as Moore and Tomer, usually work one to two seasons ahead. The La Mirada season always opens and closes with “tent pole” shows sure to draw audiences— this season, Little Shop of Horrors (Sept. 18-Oct. 11) and a repeat from 2014, Les Misérables (June 4-27), respectively. The latter is a change of pace from the venue’s usual family-friendly June offering, such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid or Frozen, when kids are out of school. They try to include one play among the musicals each year; a reprise of the first show the couple produced for La Mirada in 1994, the play To Kill a Mockingbird, runs Feb. 5-28. Also this season: Dear Evan Hansen (Oct. 30-Nov. 22) and Hairspray (April 2-25). Through their company, McCoy Rigby Entertainment (MRE), the duo also develops new shows.
Programmers sometimes keep a theme in mind. For this Music Center dance season, Moore says, “We’re honoring women, but we’re also honoring the linkage between commercial dance, Broadway and concert dance.” Ballet Festival: Jerome Robbins at the Ahmanson Theatre (Oct. 23-25) opens the season. Known for West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and other Broadway hits, Robbins was also New York City Ballet’s longtime associate artistic director. Also at the Ahmanson, Jan. 15-17, is The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad
EMILIO MADRID, TOP, AND ARCIS VISUALS
And Limor Tomer, vice president of programming and production for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, travels stateside and in Mexico to seek out artists for Segerstrom’s season. Their efforts pay off. McCoy estimates that he books at least half of each season via “showbiz” activities. In Moore’s case, dance aficionados can enjoy the return this season, for the first time in 20 years, of Spain’s Compañía Nacional de Danza. Performing arts programming requires not only such scouting jaunts, but a mix of artistic vision, instinct, relationship skills, knowing one’s audience and budgeting and other business savvy. “It’s a balancing act, financially and artistically,” says McCoy, who amasses a list of 15 to 20 potential productions that he and McCoy Rigby then whittle down to the season’s final five.
—Snehal Desai, artistic director of the Center Theatre Group
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EMILIO MADRID, TOP, AND ARCIS VISUALS
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FEATURE
explains, and the popular Ailey company easily fills its 3,000 seats. The Ahmanson is tapped often, as it can hold various company sizes. Walt Disney Concert Hall and Mark Taper Forum, neither of which has a proscenium, are used occasionally for site-specific works. Moore’s own ballet experience and world travels to see companies inform her choices; she mixes traditional and classic with contemporary and bold and seeks to uplift dancers and choreographers of color. “It’s a combination of what I think is really beautiful and compelling and well done, but also something that will resonate with Los Angeles County,” she says. “We’re very mindful of that lens, given that this is arguably one of the most diverse counties in the country. “We present work that speaks
At Segerstrom Center: Afro-Latin jazz leader Arturo O’Farrill; top, Sugar Skull
DAVE TITENSOR, TOP, AND COURTESY AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
O’Connor, choreographed by Tony Award-winning Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge the Musical). Twotime Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (MJ, An American in Paris) is the architect of the Joffrey Ballet’s West Coast premiere of The Sleeping Beauty at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (June 24-27). Also at the Chandler: perennial audience favorite Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 31-April 4) and the North American premiere of Don Quixote by the aforementioned Compañía Nacional de Danza (July 15-18). Moore, a former American Ballet Theatre corps dancer who later became the company’s CEO, takes the Music Center’s various theaters into account when programming. The Chandler is ideal for fulllength ballets with large sets, she
to many communities.” CTG’s Desai agrees. “The big takeaway for our season is the scope and scale of it,” he says. Desai’s goal is the same whether presenting a Tony Award-winning Broadway touring production at the Ahmanson such as the comedy Oh, Mary! (Nov. 10-Dec. 6); a hit play or world premiere musical at the Taper such as John Proctor is the Villain (March 17-April 25) and The Turning (Sept. 8-Oct. 17), respectively; a timely new work or a family show at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City such as last spring’s Guac and the return of Dog Man: The Musical (Sept. 12-Oct. 18). “We want to be a place every theater lover can call home,” he says, “whether they want to be challenged, entertained or embraced by their fellow community. “My goal is for everyone who enters our spaces to see themselves reflected back at them and to have their stories told, celebrated and shared across L.A.” Representation is important as well at the /CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
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A FILM BY JAVIER CALVO AND JAVIER AMBROSSI
“A WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS. AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE STORY FOR THE AGES. GRADE: A.” “A TOWERING EMOTIONAL EPIC.”
“AN EPIC MUST-SEE. MAGNIFICENTLY MOVING.” “UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN.” “THE ARRIVAL OF MAJOR NEW FILMMAKERS.”
Watch the TEASER TRAILER
IN THEATERS OCTOBER 16
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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August 23–September 20, 2026 Opening Night: August 29
August Wilson’s
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Directed by Gregg T. Daniel§ This production is dedicated to the memory of Maritri Garrett, our beloved composer and collaborator on many of A Noise Within’s August Wilson productions, whose legacy lives on through her remarkable artistry. Presenting Sponsors: Richard & Sally Roberts Producing Sponsors: Sheila & Alan Lamson Sponsors: William & Priscilla Kennedy Student Matinee Sponsors: Nancy & Keith Price Student Matinee Sponsors: Suzanne & Lawrence Hess
CAST Ma Rainey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Liekhus* Levee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jamar Gilbert* Cutler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kai A. Ealy* Toledo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerald C. Rivers* Slow Drag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Morris* Irvin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bert Emmett* Sturdyvant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Foyer* Dussie Mae. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CJ Obilom* Sylvester. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Francis C. Edemobi Policeman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Nardini* STAGE MANAGEMENT Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sami Hansen* Assistant Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryan Tiglio* AUGUST WILSON’S MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. § The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. The taking of pictures or recording of any kind is strictly prohibited during the performance.
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PRODUCTION Assistant Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melissa Coleman-Reed Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sami Hansen* Assistant Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryan Tiglio* Music Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Byron Smith Scenic Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tesshi Nakagawa† Assistant Scenic Designer/Charge Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelene Storey Costume Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Cover Ferro Lighting Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken Booth Sound Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Gardner† Wig & Make-up Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelia Dorn Dialect Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrea Odinov Choreographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce Guy Fight Choreographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken Merckx Jr. Dramaturg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miranda Johnson-Haddad Master Carpenter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rochelle Concepcion Master Electrician. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Georgia Shupper Light Board Operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Campbell Audio Engineer (A1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Conant Backstage Audio Assistant (A2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chloe Pate Properties Designer/Technical Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Taylor Costume Shop Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney Park Costume Shop Stitcher/Wardrobe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Marshall Studio Musician - Piano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Byron Smith Studio Musician - Trumpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Rubin Studio Musician - Trombone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vikram Devesthali Studio Musician - Upright Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Saucier Studio Recording Engineer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Holden, The Invisible Studios UNDERSTUDIES Ma Rainey: Gwendolyn McCann-Mulamba*, Levee: Kameron J. Brown, Cutler: Khalif J. Gillett*, Rosney Mauger*: Toledo, Brian Robinson*: Slow Drag, Irvin: John Shartzer*, Sturdyvant & Policeman: Ken Merckx Jr.*, Dussie Mae: Sierra Nicolette Smith*, Sylvester: KJ Powell SETTING: A Chicago recording studio in 1927. There will be one 15 minute intermission. Special thanks to the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Los Angeles Harbor College, and Center Theatre Group. Originally produced by Yale Repertory Theatre (Lloyd Richards, Artistic Director; Benjamin Mordecai, Managing Director). Initially presented at the 1982 National Playwrights’ Conference by The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists
† Designer is represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829 of the IATSE. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Acting Company
Amber Liekhus Ma Rainey
Jamar Gilbert Levee
Kai A. Ealy Cutler
Gerald C. Rivers Toledo
Alex Morris Slow Drag
Bert Emmett Irvin
Matt Foyer Sturdyvant
CJ Obilom Dussie Mae
Francis C. Edemobi Sylvester
James Nardini Policeman
Interesting Fact The recording session depicted in August Wilson’s play is based on historical fact—Ma Rainey did record many songs for Paramount Studios, which rented recording spaces in Chicago largely to record blues artists—but aside from Ma herself, most of the characters and events in the play are fictitious.
Gertrude Pridgett “Ma” Rainey. 1920s.
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MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Character Map Ma Rainey A famous blues singer. She is known as the “Mother of the Blues.”
Ma Rainey’s band members: Cutler
Levee
Toledo
Slow Drag
The band leader. He plays guitar and trombone.
The youngest and most ambitious member of the band. He plays the trumpet.
The piano player. He is the only band member who can read.
The bass player.
Sylvester
Dussie Mae
Mr. Sturdyvant
Ma Rainey’s nephew.
A young woman who travels with Ma Rainey.
A music producer and the owner of the recording studio.
Mr. Irvin Ma Rainey’s manager.
Policeman
Interesting Fact Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which takes place in Chicago, is the only play in August Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle that is not set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA, where Wilson himself was born and raised. Jamar Gilbert by Daniel Reichert.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
August Wilson August Wilson (1945-2005) was born Frederick August Kittel, Jr., in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA. He was the fourth of six children born to Daisy Wilson, a Black woman who cleaned houses for a living, and Frederick August Kittel, Sr., a German immigrant who was a baker and pastry chef. Wilson’s parents divorced when he was young, and his father was almost entirely absent during Wilson’s childhood. Wilson was raised by his mother, August Wilson, Playwright. 2011. Flickr.com. and he changed his name to August Wilson to honor her after his father died in 1965. Wilson and his mother remained very close until her death in 1983. Wilson attended three separate high schools, experiencing racism from his teachers and his fellow students at all three. He finally dropped out in 10th grade, after a teacher wrongly accused him of having plagiarized a paper that he had written on Napoleon I of France. Afraid of disappointing his mother, Wilson did not tell her that he had dropped out of school. Instead, he spent his days reading in various Pittsburgh public libraries, so he was essentially self-taught. He was influenced by the writings of many African American authors, including Malcolm X. In the 1960’s Wilson became active in the arts community in Pittsburgh, and he began writing poetry and plays. Wilson said that his greatest influences were “the four B’s”: poet Amiri Baraka; artist Romare Bearden; author Jorge Luis Borges; and Blues music. August Wilson is best known for his American Century Cycle, a collection of ten plays, each set during a different decade of the twentieth century, and all but one set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Together the plays chronicle the Black experience in twentieth-century America and they form, in the words of drama critic John Lahr, “a kind of fever chart of the unmooring trauma of slavery.” Wilson received numerous awards for his work, including two Pulitzer Prizes (for The Piano Lesson and Fences) and two Tony Awards. Wilson died of liver cancer at the age of sixty, in 2005, shortly before the Broadway opening of Radio Golf (the final play in the cycle and the last play that Wilson wrote). After his death, the Virginia Theatre in New York City was renamed the August Wilson Theatre. It was the first Broadway theatre to be named after a Black American. Wilson’s widow, Constanza Romero, has said that “August, while seeking out all the beauty, the struggle, the truths and wisdoms in African American Culture, mined the larger themes that make us all human.” Wilson’s ability to combine the specific with the universal has led many scholars, readers, and theatre professionals to compare him favorably to Shakespeare, whom Wilson greatly admired. Like Shakespeare, Wilson did not avoid tackling uncomfortable topics, nor was he afraid to confront himself and his own anxieties. Wilson’s advice to rising artists echoes a line spoken by Shakespeare’s Prospero, who says, in The Tempest, “This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.” Similarly, Wilson urged young artists to “Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” August Wilson’s plays are a testament to his genius and his bravery, and they continue to sing to us today. Written by Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad
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BIOS Amber Liekhus (Ma Rainey) With ANW: (Resident Artist) Mrs. Cratchit, A Christmas Carol; Mrs. Curtin, A Man of No Importance; Ensemble, The Skin of Our Teeth; Beggar Woman, Sweeney Todd; u/s Ruby, King Hedley II. Other Theatres: Described as a “versatile singer, whose voice is at once regal and affectionate” (LA Times), Amber has had a thrilling career in the US and abroad. Favorites include: Jelly’s Last Jam at Pasadena Playhouse, Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Musical Theatre West, We Can Do It at Wilshire Ebell Theatre, La Cage! at The Hollywood Roosevelt, Annie at The Hollywood Bowl, Sweet Charity with Reprise 2.0, Blues in the Night at The Wallis, Ovation Award winning Ain’t Misbehavin’ with McCoy Rigby, and Rent, also with McCoy Rigby. Accomplished operatic soprano, Amber appeared as Queen of El Dorado in Candide at LA Opera, the title role in Suor Angelica with Opera di Roma, and Lily in Porgy and Bess at San Francisco Opera and Los Angeles Opera. Amber’s favorite role is mommy to Julien and Jasper alongside her supportive husband, Justin. @ Amberliekhusvocalstudio Jamar Gilbert (Levee) Other Theatres: Geffen Playhouse (The First Deep Breath), Studio Theatre (Pass Over), TimeLine Theatre (Too Heavy for Your Pocket), Writers Theatre (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Sylvester), Victory Gardens Theater (Miss Julie), Theatre 68 (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot). Film/ TV: Perimeter (series regular), Justified: City Primeval, 61st Street, Chicago Med, CSI: Vegas, Work in Progress, Shameless. Other: Writer and performer of the award-winning solo show Black and Blue at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Education/Training: BFA Acting, The Theatre School at DePaul University. Representation: Rebel Creative Group (management). Kai A. Ealy (Cutler) With ANW: Herald Loomis, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Boy Willie, The Piano Lesson. Other Theatres: He recently moved to LA from Chicago, where he worked at The Court Theatre (The Island, Oedipus Rex, Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright David Auburn’s The Adventures of Augie March, and Gospel at Colonus, which toured to The Getty Center LA), The Goodman Theatre (Toni Stone), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Schiller’s Mary Stuart), TimeLine Theatre (Kill Move Paradise, Cardboard Piano), eta Creative Arts (Migration), Steppenwolf Theatre (True West), Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s 30th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, and UCCS TheatreWorks (A Raisin in the Sun). Film/TV: Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, 61st Street, The 4400, Ordinary Joe. Represented by DPN Talent (Commercial), DDO LA (TV/Film), and WE GROUP Talent NY (Management) @kaiealy. www.kaiealy.com
Gerald C. Rivers (Toledo) With ANW: Bynum, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Wining Boy, The Piano Lesson; Stool Pigeon, King Hedley II. Other Theatres: Gerald is a classically trained Shakespearean actor with a decades-long history at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. He has worked with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, The Academy Theatre, Jomandi, The Hippodrome, Tony Plana’s East LA Classic Theatre, Gary Marshall’s Falcon Theatre, and he was recently invited to perform at the International Black Theatre festival in Winston Salem. He is also an incredible Voice Over Artist voicing popular classic video games like M. Bison in Street Fighter, Jax in Mortal Kombat, EXdeath in Final Fantasy and dozens more. He is best known as the Voice of MLK. Gerald is a master West African drummer who loves working with kids. He is grateful for this opportunity. Peace. Alex Morris (Slow Drag) With ANW (Resident Artist): Seth, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Duncan, Macbeth; Doaker, The Piano Lesson; Peter Quince, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Soaphead Church/Daddy, The Bluest Eye; Ben Jonson/Barman, The Book of Will; Joseph Barlow, Radio Golf; Eli, Gem of The Ocean. Other Theatres: Theatricum Botanicum: Wine in the Wilderness; Ensemble Theatre in Houston: Coconut Cake; Matrix Theater: Two Trains Running and All My Sons. Other roles: Entire August Wilson canon; Hoke, Driving Miss Daisy; Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra; T-Bone, T-Bone and Weasel; Lucien P. Smith, Boys Next Door; and many others. Next spring returning to the Tony Award Winning Alley Theatre as Bono in Fences. Film/TV: Malcolm in the Middle Reboot, The Family Business: New Orleans, Carl Webber’s The Family Business, Abbott Elementary, Baskets, Malcolm in the Middle, Magnum P.I., Wishbone, Powder, Blind Fury, Sunrise in Heaven, and many more. Awards: 5-time NAACP Theater Award winner as an actor, producer, and director. Ovation Award winner. Special thanks to my extraordinary wife and partner of 28 years, Vanessa, and to Kamilah Alex Jr. and Alex III for their love and support. Bert Emmett (Irvin) With ANW: Charley, Death of a Salesman; Rutherford Selig, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Priest/John/Doctor, Jane Eyre; Bob Cratchit/Ensemble, A Christmas Carol; Bottom u/s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Mr. Jones/Sheep, Animal Farm; Dodo/Mock Turtle/ White Knight/Ensemble, Alice in Wonderland; Antigonus/Shepherd u/s, The Winter’s Tale; Father Dewis u/s, Buried Child; Rutherford Selig, Gem of the Ocean; Karl Lindner, A Raisin in the Sun. Other Theatres: Howard Beale, Network; Colonel Armadillo, The Armadillo Necktie;
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Lombardi, Lombardi; Edward, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me; Watson, Sherlock’s Last Case; Ty, Cobb; Dodgson, Sherlock Through the Looking Glass; Old Gobbo, Merchant of Venice; Dr . Mortimer et al., Baskerville; Prospero, The Tempest; Kanute, Don’t Hug Me I’m Pregnant. Film/TV: The Forsaken, Alien Hunter, Outside Ozona. Education/Training: B.S. in Theatre Education, Northern Arizona University. Matt Foyer (Sturdyvant) With ANW: Ensemble, The Grapes of Wrath, Howie Newsome, Our Town, Duval, Man and Superman. Other Theatres: The Rubicon Theatre (Ventura), Ensemble Theatre Company (Santa Barbara), The Magic Theatre (San Francisco), The Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Portland), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Mainstreet Theater Company, Theatre Banshee (member), The Theatre at Boston Court, The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Theatre 150, ICT (Long Beach), Hillside Repertory Theatre. Film/TV: Days of Our Lives, Guilty or Innocent, LA Forensics, The Whisperer in Darkness, Something Strange, The Call of Cthulhu, Ambushed, and Mistake. Audiobooks: The Show Must Go On by Jonathon Kelly, and The Vendetta Code: Justice is Vengeance by M.A. Gulick. Education/Training: California Institute of the Arts. Member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. CJ Obilom (Dussie Mae): A 1st generation Nigerian-American, Obilom started acting at 11 years old, and is thankful for the ability to continue sharing stories with audiences to this day. With ANW: Obilom is honored to make both her ANW Theatre and AEA debut in this production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Other Theatres: Tres Stage Theater: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun; The Robey Theatre: Richard Wesley’s The Talented Tenth, and Alexandre Dumas’ The Great Lover, for which she received a 2026 NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Lead Actress. Film/TV: Grand Crew, Conspirators, The Black Hamptons, Trafficked. Education/Training: University of Texas at Austin (B.A. in Theatre and Dance), Will Wallace Acting Company, Berg Studios. Francis C. Edemobi (Sylvester) With ANW: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, One Man, Two Guvnors (u/s). Other Theatres: Remember ‘92 (Hollywood Fringe Festival), Rotterdam (The Wayward Artist), Sense & Sensibility, Our Lady of 121st Street (Kimball Theatre), The Pilot Who Crashed the Party (Broadwater Theatre), Save the Pier! Film/TV: Voices (ABFF, TIFF), Sweet Water, The Secret Weapon, Babylon, Socrates. Honors: First Place, Grown Folks August Wilson Monologue Competition: Cory, Fences (awarded by Dominique Morisseau). Education/ Training: London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), Identity School of Acting, Berg
Studios, Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab (Lena Waithe). This is his Equity stage debut. He thanks his family, friends, and everyone who keeps supporting him along the way. James Nardini (Policeman) This is Jim’s first onstage role at ANW after understudying in Death of A Salesman. You have seen him over the years in various roles in Theatre, TV and Film: Ratched, Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, Star Trek Voyager (Wixiban) and many more. Theaters include: South Coast Rep, Onstage Co, NY Drama League, CMTC. Nathan Detroit (Guys & Dolls), Philinte (The Misanthrope), Phil (Hurlyburly), Lady Diana Trapse (Beggars’ Opera), Cardinal Azzolino (The Abdication), Angelo (A Comedy Of Errors). AUGUST WILSON (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of African-Americans, decadeby-decade, over the course of the twentieth century. His plays have been produced at regional theaters across the country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Mr. Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show How I Learned What I Learned. Mr. Wilson’s works garnered many awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987) and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as eight New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, and Radio Golf. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwrighting, and the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award. He was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by the President of the United States, and he received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street The
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August Wilson Theatre. Additionally, Mr. Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2007. Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero. Gregg T. Daniel (Director) With ANW: Director, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Radio Golf, Seven Guitars, and Gem of the Ocean. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Other Theatres: West Coast revivals of Suzan-Lori Park’s Topdog, UnderDog, Pasadena Playhouse; West Coast revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s TWILIGHT: Los Angeles, 1992 at The Mark Taper Forum. Denver Center for the Performing Arts, world premiere of Beaufield Berry’s In The Upper Room. Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill and Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop at Garry Marshall Theatre. West Coast premieres of Mfoniso Udofia’s Her Portmanteau at Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm’s Br’er Cotton for Lower Depth Theatre. Rogue Machine Theatre, Francisca da Silveira’s Can I Touch It, Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs, and L.A. premiere of Greg Kalleres’ Honky. Revival of Alice Childress’ Wedding Band, A Love/Hate Story for Antaeus Theatre Company. Gregg is a Founding Member/Artistic Director of LowerDepth Theatre. (Lower-Depth.com) Julia Rodriguez-Elliott (Director/Producing Artistic Director) With ANW: Under her leadership, ANW has produced more than 175 works, and she has directed over 50 productions, including Death of a Salesman, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, Animal Farm, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Book of Will, An Iliad, Metamorphoses, Argonautika, A Christmas Carol, Man of La Mancha, Noises Off, Henry V, A Tale of Two Cities, King Lear, The Imaginary Invalid, Six Characters in Search of an Author, A Flea in Her Ear, Julius Caesar, The Threepenny Opera, The Tempest, The Dance of Death, Come Back, Little Sheba, Tartuffe, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Education/Training: MFA, American Conservatory Theatre. In 2012, Ms. RodriguezElliott (along with her husband, Geoff) received ACT’s inaugural “Contributions to the Field” Award. Ms. Rodriguez-Elliott is the winner of multiple LADCC Awards including the “Milton Katselas Award for Career and Special Achievement in Direction.” Geoff Elliott (Producing Artistic Director) With ANW: Old Major and Boxer, Animal Farm; Director, Jane Eyre; Director/ Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Director/John Heminges, The Book of Will. Director: The Winter’s Tale, A
Christmas Carol, Noises Off, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia, All My Sons, Endgame, Eurydice, The Playboy of the Western World, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew. Actor: The Poet, An Iliad; Dodge, Buried Child; Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha; Midas and others, Metamorphoses; King Lear, King Lear. Other Theatres: South Coast Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, California Repertory. Education/Training: MFA, American Conservatory Theatre. Mr. Elliott is a recipient of multiple LADCC, BackStage, Garland, Robby, Drama-Logue, and LA Weekly awards, as well as the “Margaret Hartford Award for Distinguished Achievement” for ANW. Sami Hansen (Stage Manager) With ANW: Richard III, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Cover Stage Manager, Sweeney Todd. Other Theatres: McCoy Rigby Entertainment: Legally Blonde. Ohio Light Opera: The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, Orpheus in the Underworld, How to Succeed..., Camelot. CalArts: Othello, Seven Deadly Sins, Island of Servants, The Water Station. Other stage management credits include various concerts with CalArts’ School of Dance and the spring 2024 senior showcase with USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, as well as various CalArts live events. Education/Training: MFA in Stage Management, California Institute of the Arts; BFA in Theater Directing, Belmont University. Bryan Tiglio (Assistant Stage Manager) With ANW: Assistant Stage Manager, The Piano Lesson. Carpentry: Sweeney Todd, King Hedley II, Skin of our Teeth, A Christmas Carol, A Man of No Importance, One Man, Two Guvnors, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Richard III, Death of a Salesman, Exit the King. Stage Crew: Much Ado About Nothing, The Book of Will. Production Assistant: Animal Farm, Radio Golf, A Christmas Carol. Education: California State University, Long Beach. BA Technical Theater. Pasadena City College, AA Theater Arts. Byron J. Smith (Music Director) is a Professor of Music at LA Harbor College. His over 40 years in Music Direction includes a wide variety of artists and musical theater productions ranging from Barbra Streisand and Akon to Man of La Mancha and The Wiz. He is the composer of many original musicals. Byron is most proud of the recent London debut of his musical Shades, a high drama view of the fashion industry; One (ONE Man-Twelve Followers-ONE Faith), a gospel musical starring gospel legend Daryl Coley; and Children of the Night for which he won the NAACP Theatre Award for best Musical Direction. He is excited to return to ANW after serving as Vocal Arranger for their production of The Bluest Eye.
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Tesshi Nakagawa (Scenic Designer) With ANW: Set Design, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Other Theatres: Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Tesshi Nakagawa has established a distinguished career as a Scenic Designer/Art Director in the Theater, Film, and Commercial industries. His theatrical designs have been featured at numerous prestigious venues across the Los Angeles area, including Pasadena Playhouse, Boston Court Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory, Lewis Family Playhouse, Sierra Madre Playhouse, East West Players, Antaeus Theatre Company, Los Angeles Theater Center, and International City Theater. He is currently an adjunct professor at East Los Angeles College. Graduate of UCLA. For more information, visit www.tesshi.com. Angelene Storey (Assistant Scenic Designer/ Charge Artist) is a Los Angeles-based scenic artist and designer. Her credits include serving as Assistant Scenic Designer for Topdog/ Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse and Prop Coordinator for Center Theatre Group. She has worked throughout Southern California’s vibrant theatre community, with credits at A Noise Within, Boston Court, La Mirada Theatre, Rubicon Theatre Company, Antaeus Theatre Company, East West Players, IAMA Theatre Company, Laguna Playhouse, and Geffen Playhouse. In addition to her design work, she is a Scenic Art and Props mentor at CSULB. Christine Cover Ferro (Costume Designer) With ANW: Richard III, Misalliance, Much Ado About Nothing (LADCC Awards Nominee). Other Theatres: Adolescent Salvation, Nice Girl, Bacon, Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (LADCC Awards Nominee), Human Error, Monsters of the American Cinema, Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Rogue Machine); Ironbound (Ojai Theatre Festival); Rhinoceros (PRT, Stage Raw Awards nominee); Between Riverside and Crazy (The Fountain, LASA Ovation nominee); Wicked Lit (Unbound Productions, LASA Ovation winner), Carmen (ACD, Houston Grand Opera), Ann (ACD, World Premiere, Grand 1894 Opera House). Film/TV: Linked by Love (webseries); Promised Land (ACD, ABC Signature); Cosmos: Possible Worlds (ACD, NatGeo); Encore! (ACD, Disney +). Education/Training: BA, Macalester College; MFA, Brandeis University. Ken Booth (Lighting Designer) With ANW: (Resident Artist) Since 1998, Ken has worked on at least 80 productions at A Noise Within. Included in these are: Death of a Salesman, Richard III, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, Jane Eyre, The Skin of Our Teeth, Misalliance, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Book of Will, Much Ado About Nothing, Animal Farm, Metamorphoses, An Iliad, Alice in Wonderland, The Winter’s Tale,
Argonautika, Henry V, Pericles, Julius Caesar, The Threepenny Opera, Great Expectations, Man of La Mancha, The Glass Menagerie, King Lear, The Tempest, The Dance of Death, Buried Child, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Noises Off, Ubu Roi, The Tragedy of Richard III, and the holiday annual A Christmas Carol. Other Theatres: Heisenberg, Skylight Theatre. Education/Training: He graduated from UCLA (English Literature). Jeff Gardner (Sound Designer) With ANW: (Resident Artist) Sound Design: Exit the King, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, Macbeth, The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, The Bluest Eye, Radio Golf, Anna in The Tropics, Seven Guitars, The Winter’s Tale, Buried Child, Noises Off, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Raisin in the Sun, The Madwoman of Chaillot; Ensemble in The Tempest ’93. Other Theatres: Topdog/Underdog, Inherit The Wind (Pasadena Playhouse); The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Mark Taper Forum). He has designed and performed throughout the country including at Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Old Globe, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Baltimore Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, DC, The Studio Theatre, Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Geffen Playhouse, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Company, as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. jeffthomasgardner. net Shelia Dorn (Wig and Makeup Designer) With ANW: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, The Bluest Eye, Radio Golf, The Book of Will, Anna in the Tropics, All’s Well That Ends Well, Seven Guitars, and Gem of the Ocean. Other Theatres: Top Gun, Don’t Touch My Hair, Furlough’s Paradise, American Idiot, Jelly’s Last Jam, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, Fat Ham, Black Cypress Bayou, Mountain Top, The Great Jheri Curl Debate, Mommie & Clyde, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lion King, The Direction Home, The Producers, Lady Day, Our West Side Story, Shooting Star, Two Trains Running, Drama Queens, Letters from Zora, I Go Somewhere, Heartbreak Hotel, Siamese Sex Show, The Story of Alice, Hattie, Painting in Red, Dunbar Hotel, and Girl Most Likely. Shelia also serves as the Resident Hair/ Wig & Makeup Designer at Amazing Grace Conservatory, where she donates her artistry to support and inspire aspiring young performers ages 7–18. Joyce Guy (Choreographer) With ANW: Choreography: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Much Ado About Nothing, Gem of the Ocean, A Raisin in
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the Sun. Won the 2023 LA Drama Critics Circle and LA Theatre Bite Awards for ANW’s Much Ado About Nothing. Other Theatres: Movement Consultant: Topdog/Underdog at the Pasadena Playhouse. Film/TV: Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Moneyball, The Santa Clause, General Hospital, Clickbait, S.W.A.T, Bosch: Legacy, to name a few. Choreographed Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs at Rogue Machine Theatre. Was nominated for an Ovation, Stage Raw, and NAACP Award. She won the NAACP Award for Best Choreography Local for Les Blancs. Joyce has studied West African dance for over 30 years. She is the director/producer of Dancing Like Home, a documentary film about dance from Casamance, Senegal, West Africa. Education/Training: B.S. from Hampton University. Kenneth R. Merckx Jr. (Fight Choreographer, Sturdyvant u/s) With ANW: (Resident Artist) Rutherford Selig u/s, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Fight Choreographer: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, The Piano Lesson, Anna in the Tropics, Seven Guitars, Metamorphoses, The Winter’s Tale, Frankenstein, Argonautika, Othello, Man of La Mancha; Fight Consultant, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Other Theatres: Ken has choreographed fights and taught actors combat for film and television, theatres and universities all across the country. He is presently a faculty member at UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton. Ken is the resident fight choreographer for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater Festival (Cleveland) and A Noise Within (Los Angeles). Education: MFA (acting), University of Illinois. BA (theatre studies), University of Washington. Andrea Odinov (Dialect Coach) With ANW: Dialect Coach: Richard III, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, Jane Eyre, The Piano Lesson, Misalliance, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, A Christmas Carol, Radio Golf, The Book of Will, Gem of the Ocean, Animal Farm, Seven Guitars. Other Theatres: The Geffen Playhouse, The Odyssey Theatre, Rogue Machine Theatre, Ghost Road Theatre Company, Antaeus Theatre Company, The Road Theatre Company, Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, The Group Rep, 24th St. Theatre, Sea Glass Theatre Company, and Long Beach Playhouse. Andrea is a Clinical Asst. Professor of Voice and Speech at Loyola Marymount University, a Lead Trainer of Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and member of VASTA, SAG-AFTRA, and AEA. Education/Training: MFA, University of CA at Irvine.
Stephen Taylor (Properties Designer / Technical Director) With ANW: One Man, Two Guvnors, Much Ado About Nothing, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Book of Will, The Bluest Eye, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sweeney Todd, King Hedley II, Misalliance, The Skin Of Our Teeth, The Piano Lesson, Macbeth, Jane Eyre. Other Theatres: Stephen is a member of the House Theatre of Chicago, where he has been both an actor and a playwright. He has also worked at Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and the Neo Futurarium. Education/Training: BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University. Love to Lauren and Oliver. Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad (Resident Dramaturg) With ANW: Dramaturg: Exit the King, Death of a Salesman, Richard III, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, One Man Two Guvnors, A Man of No Importance, Jane Eyre, Macbeth, The Piano Lesson, The Skin of Our Teeth, Misalliance, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Bluest Eye, The Book of Will, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Much Ado About Nothing, Radio Golf, Animal Farm, Metamorphoses, All’s Well That Ends Well, Argonautika, Othello; Educator and Consultant since 2011. Other Theatres: Dramaturg: The Visit, Amadeus, Inherit the Wind, Pasadena Playhouse State Theater; Dramaturg, Measure Still for Measure, Boston Court Theater; Consultant, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. Dr. Johnson-Haddad has taught Shakespeare, Drama, and Literature at Howard University, UCLA, Vassar College, and Yale University. She is a frequent speaker at Los Angeles Opera, the Shakespeare Club of Pomona Valley, and elsewhere. Education/ Training: Ph.D. Renaissance Studies, Yale University; B.A. Comparative Literature, Princeton University. mirandadramaqueen.com Conner Criswell (Managing Director) Conner Criswell holds an M.A. in Art and Culture Management from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of Oregon. He served as General Manager of A Noise Within beginning in 2023 before stepping into the role of Interim Managing Director. Prior to joining A Noise Within, he worked as Executive Associate and Rental Manager at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. His professional background includes producing and managing live events, as well as sales and fundraising. He also brings extensive guest service experience from several roles at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
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ABOUT A NOISE WITHIN ANW THEATRE A Noise Within has been called “an oasis for those who love classic stories” by the Los Angeles Times and is a leading regional producer based in Pasadena, California. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, the awardwinning resident theater company is honored to represent the entire community at its state-ofthe-art, 324-seat performance space. In addition to producing world class performances of classic theater, the organization runs robust education programs with the goal of inspiring diverse audiences of all ages. COURTESY As a courtesy for artists and audience members, all cell phones and electronic devices must be silenced during the performances. Late seating is at the House Manager’s discretion. A Noise Within may refuse service to anyone. ACCESSIBILITY All areas of A Noise Within are accessible by wheelchair. Assisted Listening Devices are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Select performances provide GalaPro closed caption service. Relaxed Performances are provided for members of our neurodiverse community for A Christmas Carol.
LOBBY BAR A variety of refreshments are available from our Lobby Bar and may be taken into the theatre. No outside food or drink is permitted in the building. CONTACT PATRON SERVICES Email: patronservices@anoisewithin.org Phone: 626.356.3121 Hours: Tue-Sat 2-6 pm and 2 hours before performances begin. anoisewithintheatre
@anoisewithin
INVITATION TO COMMUNITY Learn More: ANW extends an invitation to join our community with a set of principles that emphasize respect, empathy, clear communication, deep listening, openness to learning, and the recognition of multiple truths and experiences. By adhering to these principles, individuals contribute to the creation of a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and understood.
MEDIA SPONSOR
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SPECIAL THANKS TO THE INCROWD! A Noise Within gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our donors. The following donors made gifts of $250 or more between July 23, 2025 and July 23, 2026. * Producer Pass subscribers generously made a donation equal to the cost of their season subscription to support the full cost of theatre operations.
SEASON SPONSOR ($50,000+)
Terri Murray Richard & Sally Roberts
Carole Fritz Jeanie & Terry Kay Bill & Priscilla Kennedy*
Susan Stevens* James & Trevessa Terrile
PRODUCING SPONSOR ($30,000 TO $49,999) Jerry & Terri Kohl Alan M. & Sheila R. Lamson* Robert Ronus
Bill & Claire Bogaard Tieu-My Nguyen & Chris Burt Kathy & Jim Drummy Dr. Harry Elam Jr. & Michele Elam
SPONSOR ($20,000 TO $29,999)
Heather & Paul Haaga Joseph & Denise Lumarda Lee & Deborah Walcott Joyce White
DIRECTOR CIRCLE ($5,000 TO $19,999)
Peter & Molly Bachmann* B. Barton & J. Dawson* Ginny Cushman Rick & Sharon Ellingsen Gary & Dee Dee Ewell Pat & Sandy Gage Armando Gonzalez & Brenda Berg Suzanne & Lawrence Hess Dr. Patricia Hoppe Doug Hutchinson* Drs. Jennifer & Robert Israel Denise & Ryan Jay Mr. James King Marlene Konnar & John Baldeschwieler
Rick & Jennifer Madden Anne Marston & Jan Paul Favero Bruce & Valerie Merritt Eric & Lorey Persing Nancy & Keith Price* Gail Samuel & William Christian Erika Schimik & Lorenzo Maggiore Jane W. Schlegel Garrett G. Bell & Catherine L. Simms Lyn Spector Ellen & Charlie Steinmetz Gerry Szeman & David Pavot* Vickie & Alex Taylor Leilani Jones Wilmore, In Memory of Josephine Flanders
PLAYWRIGHT CIRCLE ($2,500 TO $4,999)
Julie Fox Blackshaw Jeannine Bogaard Bill & Susan Boyd Kevin & Maggie Chatman Pat Green & Vic Cole William & Mary Coman Becky Doody, In Memory of Jack Doody & Don Wallschlaeger Dr. Curtis Fritz Beth Gertmenian Kathleen Gilmore Steven & Elizabeth Green Erica Hahn David Kelton & Fran Goodman Gloria & Tom Lang* Molly Munger & Steve English
George & Sara Abdo Lawanda Allee* Helen Baatz Judy & Steven Bass Ramona Bradbury Linda Dozier* Barbara Durham David D. Fox & Diane R. Morrison Sandy Greenstein Steve Harwood & Jane Tubman Sherry G. Hepp
Emily & Finnian Murray Lisa & Scott Nelson Michael & Marianne Newman Cynthia J. Nunes & Barbara Nye* Diana Peterson-More Barbara & Anthony Phillips* Gregory Shapton & Barbara Rugeley* Jan & Carl Siechert Paul & Patricia Sinclair Patricia & Lawrence Sparks Kirk & Mei-lan Stark Randi Tahara Marianne Wallace Steven Warheit & Jean Christensen Kene Williams David & Julia Zuckerman
ARTIST CIRCLE ($1,500 TO $2,499) Miranda Johnson-Haddad & Mark Haddad Molly Joseph* Judy Kent Elyse Klein Theodore Krontiris & Sue Parilla Kathryn Leonard Fen Lo & Christopher Walker Alan K. Miller Mark & Louisa Nelson Lee & Carol Oldham*
Ken Raskoff & Charles Holubar Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott Kevin Shimko & Lindsey Hawkins Laurie & Robert Silton* Jonathan Smilove Louise Mayeri Spillman Charlene & Vernon Tolo John Van Horn & Ray Owens Brian Zimmer
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ADVOCATES ($1,000 TO $1,499)
Sally Abood Robert C. Anderson Claire Bellanti, In Memory of Robert Bellanti Brad & Claire Brian Margaret Byrne Donald & Joyce Dean Malik B. El-Amin & Kelsey Scott The Espinoza Family* The Galloway Family Kay & Fred Findley Craig Gilmore & David Crocker Daniel Guerrero* Matthew Lebowitz & Caroline Haskins Stephen Henry Dr. Alice Huang Loma Karklins* Ellen Ketels Susan Kramer* Cynthia Leva & Fred Barker Daniel & Sharon Lowenstein Robert H. McCrary & Carol B. McCrary
Jeannine & John Ballister Patricia Beauchamp Tanya & Carl-Eric Benzinger* Charles & Jo Berryman Sharon Blain* Carol Broede & Eric Olson Peter & Suzanne Brown His Excellency Jim Brunet* Patricia Burg Wendy Chang Louise Chevalier & Leigh Taylor Craig & Yvonne Flint* Cindy Fong-Wong Richard Gerber Willard Gleeson Albert & Corinne Glover Dick & Ruth Halverstadt Leah Heap & Freeman Baldwin Melinda Herrold-Menzies & Nick Menzies Bridget Highfill* Ken Hill
John Amberg Patti Amesbury Sheryl Andress Hon. Lourdes G. Baird Karl Bakeman Adele Baquet-White Richard & Carol Bennett Joan Boyett Scott Brinkerhoff Meg Huntington Cajero & Channa & Paul Cajero* Susan Toler Carr & Darrell Carr Gerard Clarke Stephanie & Dennis Cohen Patricia Compeau & Jim Simons Bronwyn Dawson & Ken Yapkowitz, In Honor of Fionn James* Suzanne & Don Deise Reed Johnson & Marla Dickerson Amy Essington Jocelyn & John Fawaz Dorothy Fleisher James Freed Steve Gabel, In Memory of Skip Frederick & Barbara Gable Ms. Marge Galindo
Rob McManus Tanya Mink & James Collier* Allan & Susan Mohrman Peter Pannell Elan Ruskin Jim Scheidler Ernest Schmider & Omar Rodriguez* Michelle Stevens & Daniel Zinn Ms. Nancy Stiles Pamela Stith Deborah Strang Francine Swain & Robert Murdock Shivani Thakkar Eric Warren* Greg & Beth Weisman William & Edith Wirshing* David & Julianne Worrell Marianne Kearney Wright* Richard Yaffe & Kathie Boyle David Zeidberg*
BENEFACTORS ($500 TO $999) Bill & Leni Hultstrom Gary Izumi Janet Jung Chuck & Jane Kerford* Andrea & Jay Labinger Sadra Larsen* Ilona Linden* Ian & Alison MacKinnon* Peggy Madden Dr. Jeffrey Gale & Ms. Julane Marx Joanne & James Morse Pantazis Mouroulis* Michael M. Mullins & James A. Newman Janice Ohta & Fred Weiss Rebecca Omahen Marilyn Omernick Thomas & Cheryl Palfrey Ms. Patricia Pengra Greg Porée David & Leslie Regal
FRIENDS ($250 TO $499)
Dan Gilbert & Kate Rogers Joyce & Eric Goldman Drs. John Goodman & Pauline Merry Howard Gradet Marti Griffin Michael & Alison Gunson David Hanpeter* Michael Hegeman Ursula Hyman The Kenney Family Ellen & Michael LaBarbera Jennifer & Joseph Lazio Kimberly Leong Eric & Jasmin Levander Robert Leventer Pete & Lisa Loeffler Dr. Nancy Macky Fred Manaster Jonathan Mersel & Marion Peters Earle & Dawn Miller Lansing Moran Ilyanne Morden Kichaven & Mike Kichaven Esther Mott Gretl & G. Arnold Mulder Kristen O`Connor
Robert M. Nelson & Marguerite Renner Carol & François Rigolot Sally & Brian Rivera Edward Rocklin & Kate Massey Michael & Karen M. Rosenthal* Alec Brooks & Carol Samek Janet Samuel Kevin Schaeffer* George & Carolyn Seitz Nayan Shah & Ken Foster William Shepherd & Arthur Fisher Kevin Speaks & Angela Conner Richard Stadler* Stacey Rain Strickler Lee Thompson Donna Tucker* Daniel & Jocelyn Vilter* Laurie & Stan Whitcomb Nancy Wischhusen* The Wright Family* Betza Zlokovic
Glenn Orton John Pasquin Mr. Ron Pettie Kenneth Reinhard Edwin Robinson* Dr. Ellen Rothenberg, In Memory of Jerome Rothenberg Vicki Salmon Ruth Seid Richard & Sally Sheinberg Chris & Carol Shelton Michael & Carol Sholer Ashley Slade & Colin Harwood Mark Sprecher* Rhoads Stephenson Drs. Clint & Louise Taylor Belinda & Richard Teitel Joseph Vacchione Mr. Robert Whitesell & Ms. Susan Whitesell Ian & Barbara White-Thomson* Jane Whitmore Geoffrey Winterowd Mahlon & Gwen Woirhaye Craig Wright Sallie Zemlin-Kisor
Please email: development@anoisewithin.org if your name is omitted or incorrect. We apologize for any errors. PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P13
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BARD’S LEGACY CIRCLE Remembering A Noise Within in your estate plan is your ticket to a very special group of friends of our theatre. We gratefully acknowledge our Bard’s Legacy Circle Members. Helen & John Baatz
Alan M. & Sheila R. Lamson
Steven & Judy Bass
Richard & Sally Roberts
Meg Huntington Cajero
Kevin Schaeffer
Bronwyn Dawson & Kenneth Yapkowitz
Laurie & Robert Silton
Barbara Durham
Steve Smith & Michelle Guy
Barbara Goen
Lyn Spector
Vernon & Sylvia Jones
William Strickland
Jeanie & Terry Kay
Eliazar Talamantez
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING Thank you to the following institutions who support A Noise Within’s operations, education, artistic development, and other special projects. If you are interested in learning about the benefits of institutional giving or sponsorship, please contact our Development Department at development@anoisewithin.org. Season Sponsor The Ahmanson Foundation
Director Circle
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Perenchio Foundation
Mara W. Breech Foundation
The Rose Hills Foundation
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
The Shubert Foundation
Peter Glenville Foundation
Snap Foundation
Z. Clark Branson Foundation
Helen & Will Webster Foundation
The Youssef and Kamel Mawardi Fund
Producing Sponsor
Playwright Circle
The Ann Peppers Foundation
The Caplin Foundation
The Capital Group Charitable Foundation
Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Pasadena Lion’s Club Memorial Trust
The Green Foundation Michael J. Connell Foundation Sponsor BCM Foundation Edward A & Ai O Shay Foundation The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
Made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division This project is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture
Michael & Irene Ross Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Pasadena Community Foundation Sally and Dick Roberts Coyote Foundation Steinmetz Foundation
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ARTISTIC STAFF Julia Rodriguez-Elliott & Geoff Elliott, Producing Artistic Directors MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION Conner Criswell, Managing Director
Sylwia Dudzińska, General Manager
Pindi Kaur, Director of Finance DEVELOPMENT Jim Miller, Director of Development
Brian Bender, Development Assistant
Brianna Anderson, Development Associate EDUCATION Lea Madda England, Director of Education
Julia Gonzalez, Education and Community Associate
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Tina Tangalakis, Director of Marketing & Communications
Teresa Meza, Graphic Designer
Abe Portillo, Senior Marketing Associate
Craig Schwartz, Production Photographer
Matt Matsumoto, Marketing Associate
Daniel Reichert, Promotional Photographer
Lucy Pollak, Publicity PRODUCTION Julianne Figueroa-Castro, Production Manager Alison Rodriguez, Casting Director/Artist Relations Stephen Taylor, Technical Director Courtney Park, Costume Shop Manager Rochelle Concepcion, Master Carpenter Angelene Storey, Charge Artist Georgia Shupper, Master Electrician
Aidan Arroyo, Kairo Chin, Saul Diaz, Jose Gomez, Sophia Marcos-Jeronimo, Bryan Tiglio, and Itzul Claudia Virgen, Carpenters Aaron Chaske Vasquez, Scenic Painter Vianney Duran, ELAC Production Intern Ashley Marshell and Rebecca Rodighiero, Stitchers Ken Booth, Megan Gonzalez, Hailey McDill, and Alejandra Vera, Electricians
PATRON SERVICES Richard Rubio, Patron Services Manager Natalie Martin, Patron Services Assistant Manager
Evelyn Coffey, Faith Silva, Taína Estévez, Tovah Negus, Patron Services Representatives
HOUSE MANAGEMENT Melody Archer Moore, Front of House Manager & Ambassador Coordinator
Chris Magallanes, Noah Muronaka, Rebecca Rodighiero, Nadia Santamaria, Head Ushers
Taína Estévez, Associate Front of House Manager
RESIDENT ARTISTS Susan Angelo Rod Bagheri Ken Booth Angela Balogh Calin Apollo Dukakis Mitchell Edmonds Jeff Gardner
Nicole Javier Veralyn Jones Amber Liekhus Henri Lubatti Kasey Mahaffy Kenneth R. Merckx, Jr. Trisha Miller
Alex Morris Cassandra Marie Murphy Frederica Nascimento Robert Oriol Carolyn Ratteray Alison Rodriguez Riley Shanahan
Erika Soto Angela Sonner Deborah Strang Tony Valdès
ANW 2026-27 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Denise Jay, President and Board Chair
Molly Bachmann
Cassandra Marie Murphy
Emeritus
Randi Tahara, Vice President
Julie Blackshaw
Emily Murray
Susan Toler Carr
Terri Murray
Malik B. El-Amin
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
Dick Roberts Terry Kay Bill Bogaard
Geoff Elliott
Jane Schlegel
Kathleen Gilmore
Shivani Thakkar
Robert Israel, M.D.
Joyce White
Kasey Mahaffy
Leilani Jones Wilmore
Bill T. Kennedy, Secretary Rick Madden, Treasurer
In Memoriam John Lawrence Charles Redmond Elizabeth Redmond Margaret Sedenquist
ANW 2026-27 ADVISORY BOARD Kathleen Drummy
Joseph Lumarda
James Terrile PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P15
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ANOISEWITHIN.ORG | 626.356.3121 3352 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107 COME FROM AWAY is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com Photo credit: Photo by Abe Portillo, Art Direction by Matt Matsumoto.
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Fireplace detailing at a 1912 property in Sierra Madre. Opposite: Reimagined kitchen, above, and deck in a vintage Craftsman
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Concept to Completion Architecture, interior design, custom construction and historic restoration are specialties of leading design/build firm HartmanBaldwin. by ROGER GRODY COMMITTED TO SOPHISTICATED aesthetics and artisanal craftsmanship, HartmanBaldwin brings together design and construction services for greater Los Angeles homeowners, a valuable resource for the restoration and/or remodeling of historic properties. “Nobody was doing ‘design/build’ in Southern California when we founded the company in 1984,” recalls CEO Bill Baldwin. “For clients, the greatest advantage of the concept is that there’s a single point of accountability.” The Pasadena-based firm integrates
PHOTOS ZEKE RUELAS
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Above: HartmanBaldwin CEO Bill Baldwin. Left: passageway in custombuilt modern farmhouse in Brentwood.
builders who possess expertise in craftsmanship and construction,” Baldwin says. “That distinctive fusion of talents continues until the final switch plate goes on.”
HartmanBaldwin has designed spaces, crafted custom furniture and introduced eco-conscious technologies to complement its architectural expressions from the start.
Akhnate
PORTRAIT CHRISTOPHER MORTENSEN, HOME MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY
architecture, landscape architecture and interior design with custom residential construction. “An incredible synergy results from artistic designers working with
A leader in updating historic properties, one of HartmanBaldwin’s early projects was a comprehensive renovation of a Greene & Greene-designed property in Claremont, a turn-ofthe-century Craftsman masterpiece. “Owners of vintage homes are looking to update infrastructure without compromising aesthetics,” says Baldwin, “Often, we can reconfigure floorplans into more dynamic spaces without the need for additional square footage.” In Hancock Park, HartmanBaldwin executed an extensive remodel of a stately 1923 residence, returning the nearly
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PORTRAIT CHRISTOPHER MORTENSEN, HOME MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY
Akhnaten; photo by Cory Weaver | LA Opera
Music Center Foundation was established in 1973 by Dorothy Chandler to provide endowment support for the performing arts in Los Angeles. By making a gift through the Foundation, you can support performances that thread our community together.
To learn more about how to leave a lasting legacy with Music Center Foundation, contact our team: 213-972-8046, support@musiccenterfoundation.org
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For more information on Music Center Foundation musiccenterfoundation.org
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12,000-square-foot property to its original Italianate grandeur for renowned television producer Shonda Rhimes. The transformation of the estate, which required meticulous craftsmanship,
landed the project on the cover of Architectural Digest. Collaborating with sophisticated, creative clients is a welcome part of the process, notes Baldwin. “Their involvement elevates the quality of the project.”
Congenial outdoor and, opposite, living spaces at custom modern farmhouse in Brentwood by HartmanBaldwin
The renovation of a 1912 Craftsman residence in Sierra Madre further reflects the firm’s attention to historical detailing while creating a more airy living environment. A totally reconstructed and expanded kitchen retains its Craftsman detailing while accommodating state-of-the-art amenities. It now opens directly onto an idyllic deck shaded by an old coast live oak painstakingly preserved during construction. HartmanBaldwin was commissioned to design and build a 6,300-squarefoot home on the campus of a local educational institution, a modern
farmhouse design featuring soaring, lightfilled spaces. The firm finessed two distinct roles for the property: a private residence for the school administrator and a venue for official receptions. The popularity of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), encouraged by municipalities to increase housing supply, has created a new market for HartmanBaldwin. Eschewing simple garage conversions, the company specializes in more elaborate, selfcontained suites—usually for family members— that exhibit the same elevated aesthetics as the primary residences.
USE PROMO:
PERFORMANCES FOR 25% OFF TICKETS!*
ANOISEWITHIN.ORG | 626.356.3121 3352 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107 Photo credit: Photo by Abe Portillo, Art Direction by Matt Matsumoto. *Promotional code valid for all performances, except Opening Night.
PHOTOS THIS SPREAD MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY
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for these projects, he says. “For some people, it’s healing to move forward quickly. Others need to mourn first.” A Southern California native, Baldwin finds the region’s rich legacy of residential architecture and its spirit of creativity endlessly inspiring. “Since the pandemic, clients have a newfound relationship with their properties. It’s a privilege for us to help change their lives for the better.” With the Eaton Fire devasting an area the firm has long been active in, HartmanBaldwin is committed to contribute to the rebuilding of Altadena. The studio
is currently working with multiple families in various stages of the design or construction process. “Clients seeking to build or renovate a home are typically filled with joy.
Clients rebuilding after a fire have lost the museums of their lives,” says Baldwin with heartfelt poignancy. Providing emotional support is a requisite skill
HartmanBaldwin 300 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, 626.486.0510; 100 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, 909.670.1344; hartmanbaldwin.com
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PHOTOS THIS SPREAD MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY
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LAJHealth.org (855) 227-3745
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Trio of ceviches at Javier’s. Below: piña margarita
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A new installation from a wildly popular collection of upmarket Mexican restaurants arrives in Pasadena. by ROGER GRODY eight locations, was founded by entrepreneur Javier Sosa, Sr. who began his career as a dishwasher in Laguna Beach. Though still familyowned, Javier’s is most definitely not your mom-and-pop taquería. Consistent with the brand, the new restaurant at Old Pasadena’s pedestrian-friendly One Colorado development is sleek and showy. Undulating whitewashed walls
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IMAGES COURTESY JAVIER’S
A COMBINATION OF chic indoor-outdoor environments, lively bar scenes and polished presentations of relatable Mexican cuisine made Javier’s an Orange County favorite for years before the owners’ expansion to Los Angeles, La Jolla, Las Vegas, and Los Cabos. The latest edition recently debuted in Pasadena. Javier’s, which now encompasses
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MOVEMENT(S)! SAT, SEP 26, 2026 | 7:30 PM | ZIPPER HALL SUN, SEP 27, 2026 | 4 PM | THE WALLIS Lina González-Granados CONDUCTOR John Holiday COUNTERTENOR Conductor Lina González-Granados leads a vibrant celebration of dance, from Kodály’s Hungarian folk melodies and Gabriela Lena Frank’s Peruvian-inspired sound world to de Falla’s flamenco-fueled ballet. Countertenor John Holiday joins LACO for the world premiere of Carlos Simon’s The After Party!, honoring the birth of the Harlem Renaissance. KODÁLY Dances Of Galánta CARLOS SIMON The After Party!* WORLD PREMIERE GABRIELA LENA FRANK Elegía Andina (Andean Elegy) DE FALLA The Three-Cornered Hat, Suite No. 1 *The After Party! is co-commissioned by the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
STRAUSS, RAVEL, BEETHOVEN
CONRAD TAO
SAT, OCT 17, 2026 | 7:30 PM | ZIPPER HALL SUN, OCT 18, 2026 | 4 PM | THE WALLIS Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR Conrad Tao PIANO
IMAGES COURTESY JAVIER’S
Music Director Jaime Martín leads a program of sweeping contrasts: Strauss’s poignant Metamorphosen, a profound elegy for 23 solo strings; Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G, showcasing Conrad Tao’s fearless technique and poetic sensibility in his LACO debut; and Beethoven’s heroic and revolutionary Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” R. STRAUSS RAVEL BEETHOVEN
LINA GONZÁLEZ-GRANADO
Metamorphosen Piano Concerto in G major Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, “Eroica”
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
LACO.ORG | (213) 221-3920 Artists, dates, times, programming, prices, and venues subject to change.
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tender pulpo (octopus) spiked with habanero chile. For entrees, consider Dungeness crab or Maine lobster enchiladas in tomatillo sauce, scallops in an understated chipotle cream, or wild Mexican shrimp in pasilla pepper sauce. Meat dishes include classic mole poblano—chicken bathed in a rich, mahogany-colored mole—and carnitas in salsa verde. Chicken is also offered with a green-hued sauce—a cousin of the more common red mole—created primarily from pumpkin seeds. Additional meat dishes include a quartet of lamb chops, USDA Prime filet mignon in chipotle sauce, and pork chop with potato purée. Vegetable enchiladas are topped with a smooth,
satisfying poblano chile cream. As might be expected from the upscale setting, prices are elevated vis-à-vis neighborhood Mexican restaurants, and for a particularly
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and ceilings cascade through the restaurant like ocean waves. Circular cream-colored leather booths and armchairs, and a lively wraparound bar, provide a supper club vibe. Generous palm fronds hint of the tropics, and decorative tequila bottles are showcased throughout the restaurant, reinforcing the spirit of Mexico. Seating spills onto a glass atrium patio, a more relaxed space than the bustling scene inside. The menu is expansive. Worthy pairings for an initial margarita—the well-crafted cocktail contributes to the popularity of the restaurant’s bar—include guacamole, empanadas and a skirt steak quesadilla. Seafood is prominently featured. An artistically plated trio of ceviches may include butter-
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Tropical-themed patio. Below: New York steak with enchilada de camarón
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Save 26 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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Snarky Puppy Somni
Tickets & info
Branford Marsalis
Colburn Orchestra
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Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor Mert Yalniz, conductor Edric Salazar, marimba Guadalupe Paz, mezzo-soprano
Celebrate John Coltrane Featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet
Gershwin and the Golden Age
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Featuring Michael Feinstein Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Dr. Noreen Green, conductor Samuel Glicklich, piano
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Al Jardine & The Pet Sounds Band
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Dianne Reeves
Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves
Al Jardine
The Music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys
Majo Aguilar
Majo Aguilar con Mariachi y Banda
Snarky Puppy
Michael Feinstein Save More, Join Membership!
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Caroline Aaron from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
THE BEST MEDICINE A love story. A comedy. A revelation.
Oct. 10 - Nov. 15 Scan the QR code
odysseytheatre.com or 310-477-2055 ext. 2
ambitious splurge consider a sharable 32-ounce Australian wagyu tomahawk ribeye. A must-have side dish is the creamy esquites, street corn with stillcrunchy white kernels. The bar skillfully executes an extensive cocktail menu, and the restaurant’s proprietary tequila—from the family that formerly distilled Don Julio—is among the scores of labels available. A global wine list includes representation from Mexico’s centuries-old Parras Valley region. Among desserts are contemporary presentations of iconic Mexican favorites such as churros, a creamierthan-usual flan and an at once sumptuous yet surprisingly light tres leches cake. Mexican restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, from crave-worthy zero-frills taco stands to Oaxacan eateries that have spent decades mastering their mole. With its lavish design, lively scene and wideranging menu, Javier’s addresses our obsession with Mexican cuisine in its own distinctive way. Other L.A. locations are downtown and in Century City. Javier’s, 24 W. Union St., Pasadena, 626.773.3579 javiersfinestfoods.com
Rend
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MORE MUSIC, MORE DANCE
MORE COLBURN Opening in Fall 2027, a remarkable Frank Gehry-designed space for performance and learning at Colburn. Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, an extraordinary 1,000-seat concert hall, will immerse audiences in an intimate in-the-round concert experience. The Dance Center, a vibrant new home for the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, will bring students and professionals together to learn, create, and perform. Imagine, with us, the future of the performing arts in Los Angeles.
LEARN MORE
Rendering courtesy of Frank O. Gehry & Gehry Partners, LLP
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Segerstrom Center. Celebrating its 40th anniversary Sept. 13 and throughout the 2026-27 season, the Center unveils an expanded commitment to Hispanic and Latino arts and culture. A new initiative, ¡VIVA! The Spenuzza Series, named for Segerstrom supporters Connie and Peter Spenuzza, features music, dance, theater, jazz and other offerings. It’s anchored by Grammy Award-winning composer and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill, the center’s inaugural artist in residence. The series “highlights, celebrates and reinscribes the brilliance and impact of Hispanic culture here in America, and especially in Southern California,” Tomer explains. “In everything we’ll be doing this year, there will be a representation of the best and brightest artists from the Hispanic world.” That includes a dream project for O’Farrill, Rumba para Monk Revisited at the Samueli Theater (May 7), highlighting a 1989 recording by Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band. The program resulted from one of Tomer’s core programming tenets. “My general approach is always to lead with the artist, with the creative impulse,” says Tomer,
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a pianist and graduate of the Juilliard School. “What’s going on in artists’ minds? What are they thinking about?” O’Farrill told Tomer he was fascinated with the Rumba album, and an idea was born. Another first—naming frequent Center performers the Takács Quartet as Segerstrom’s official chamber music ensemble —reflects Tomer’s desire to foster deeper relationships with artists. The quartet’s Valentine’s Day concert in Samueli Theater speaks to another programming goal: engaging with the audience as well as the artists. The program explores Beethoven as a flawed and complicated human being who struggled with deafness and other demons. “What story are we going to tell? What new scholarship do we bring to the table, what will people leave with that they didn’t come in with?” Tomer ponders. “My primary question is whether an artist delivers an exceptional and connecting live experience.” The other arts programmers share that passion for providing memorable performance experiences. As Moore says, “The Music Center is able to bring very large international and national dance companies, and we think that L.A. deserves to see the very best.… It’s a thrill.”
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