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Alisa Hayashida
Alisa Hayashida is an arts and culture columnist and critic for South Pasadenan News, covering the greater Pasadena Metro area and Los Angeles Metro area. She is a valuable arts advocate in South Pasadena, with an extensive background in theatre arts. She has been a proud South Pasadenan for over 27 years.
BRIGHT STAR has a Powerful Story to Tell
The ebullient, young cast of Bright Star, at South Pasadena High School, leaves it all on the stage and sings their earnest hearts out in this tender, Americana bluegrass tale of young love, unbearable...
SPARC 15th Year Celebration Inaugurates New Permanent Home
Members of the South Pasadena Arts Council, along with city officials and South Pasadenan arts advocates gathered at the site of SPARC’s new gallery and permanent home at the Fremont Centre Theatre building at...
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe | James Kirby, Aireene & Marty Wednesday...
Join Brad Colerick and the gang this Wednesday April 24 at 7pm for this week's Wine & Song featuring James Kirby, Aireene Espiritu and Marty Axelrod. Heading into Eclectic Music Festival, let's get the...
SPHS Drama Ready to bring an Uplifting BRIGHT STAR to South Pasadena
South Pasadena High School Drama Department has done quite a list of terrific, big and splashy musical theatre comedies for the spring show, usually in contrast to the more thought-provoking, smaller pieces they do...
Staggering Performances in King Hedley II at A Noise Within
It’s Reagan-era 1980’s in the working class Hill District of Pittsburgh when a young, African-American man, King, returns home after seven years in prison for murder. Home is the house he was raised in...
KAIROS Asks if We’d Like to Live Forever | East West Players
Gina and David are two young professionals in their early thirties who are having a meet-cute after they’ve had a fender bender. They start out upset with each other and the situation, but as...
FAT HAM Serves up a Ghost at the Cookout | Geffen Playhouse
UPDATE: Extended through May 11, 2024
James Ijames’ 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony nominated play, “Fat Ham”, is now playing at the Geffen Playhouse in an intoxicating and deliriously funny production helmed by director...
Funny Girl | Eileen T’Kaye is Mrs. Strakosh at the Ahmanson
After a prolific 45+ year acting and producing career, Eileen T’Kaye is on her first Broadway National Tour, as Mrs. Strakosh in Funny Girl, now playing in her hometown of Los Angeles at the...
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe | Teresa James, Clayton Chaney & Philip...
Join Brad Colerick at Lost Parrot Cafe on Wednesday April 3 at 7pm as he welcomes Teresa James and her band, The Rhythm Tramps, as well as Clayton Chaney and Philip Glenn.
Texas-bred keyboardist Teresa...
Fire Chief Paul Riddle Says Goodbye to South Pasadena After 32 Years
I’m sitting in the South Pasadena Firehouse living room with Fire Chief Paul Riddle. It’s a place he’s called home for almost 33 years. Riddle is the 17th Fire Chief in the 116 year...
Eclectic Preview Party Gets Things Ready to Rock
Did you catch that hailstorm on Sunday afternoon? It came in the middle of the Eclectic Preview Party that was held at The Daily in South Pasadena and threatened to upstage the speaker at...
We Meet The Parents in “One of The Good Ones” at Pasadena Playhouse
We meet Ilana Gomez when the doorbell rings at her impossibly chic and grand Pasadena home – it’s the flower delivery man bearing a very large bouquet that, Ilana awkwardly explains in painfully broken...
Eclectic Preview Party! Keep the Music Free!
The Eclectic Friends of the Arts and the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce invites the community to shake it up at the highly anticipated Eclectic Preview Party. This is one of the biggest fundraisers...
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe | Wednesdays
"I had a big dose of FOMO from missing out on the magic last Wednesday at the Lost Parrot," said Wine & Song producer, Brad Colerick. "Thanks to David Plenn for guest hosting. I'll...
Free-For-All Museum Day is Coming to LA
Calling all art lovers! LA's Free-For-All Museum day is back! On Saturday, March 23, over 30 local museums across Southern California will offer FREE general admission as part of the "Museums Free-for-all."
"With museums from...
Lunar New Year Celebrated with South Pasadena Senior Community
The South Pasadena Chinese American Club once again provided the food and entertainment at the much loved Lunar New Year celebration for South Pasadena's senior citizens at the War Memorial Building, hosted by the...
SAVE THE DATE! The ECLECTIC Music Festival is April 27, 2024
South Pasadenans favorite event of the year is on its way! Mark your calendars for the city-wide music and art extravaganza coming to you on Saturday, April 27 from 3:00pm - 10:00pm. And to...
SPUSD Recognizes Rachel Fox with Golden Apple Award
If you have had a student in our public schools in the past twenty years, then you know the name Rachel Fox - a tireless parent volunteer who has dedicated herself to a myriad...
WINE & SONG at Lost Parrot Cafe | Wednesdays 7pm
If you haven't been to South Pasadena's WINE & SONG at their residency at Lost Parrot Cafe, this Wednesday would be a great time to check it out! South Pas favorite, Dave Plenn, will...
A Diabolical “Sweeney Todd” Awaits You at A Noise Within
The deliriously dark story of “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” set to the astonishing score of Stephen Sondheim is now on stage in an unabashedly theatrical and spectacular production at A...
“Black Cypress Bayou” at Geffen Playhouse
It’s several months into the pandemic of 2020 and Ladybird Manifold is a hand sanitizing, 6-feet distancing, no hugging, rule abiding black woman living in deep east Texas. Her mother, Vernita, has called and...
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe | Happenings for Coming Weeks
As South Pasadena's beloved WINE & SONG gets ready to celebrate 15 years, take a look at the upcoming events that Brad and the gang have in store for us, including Wednesday Wine &...
SPPD Officer Administers Narcan to Save Overdoes Victim
Media Release
South Pasadena (Calif.) – On February 7, 2024, at 3:44 a.m., officers were
dispatched to the 1700 block of Huntington Drive for a report of a subject who had
overdosed on narcotics.
Upon arrival, officers discovered...
Alex Edelman’s “Just For Us” | A Jewish Comedian Walks into a White Nationalist...
UPDATE: Just For Us returns for 7 performances as part of the Spring 2024 CTG:FWD Programming - March 26 to 31, 2024. Tickets now on sale at CenterTheatreGroup.org
In a word? GO! Seriously. Get thee...
Wine & Song | Sweet Niece and Double Batch Daddy at Lost Parrot Cafe
If you haven't been to see Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe, you should make a date on your calendar to get over there for their current residency. It's a terrific venue with...
Chantal Donnelly Signs Her New Book at Vroman’s Local Authors Day
Vroman’s Bookstore was bustling and busy on Sunday January 28, as I arrived for a local authors event. Perhaps that is typical for a Sunday at Vroman’s but perhaps it had a little to...
“BOTH AND (A Play About Laughing While Black)” at The Wallis | In Conversation...
“Both And (A Play About Laughing While Black)” had its World Premiere at Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena in May of 2022. It was the culmination of a fulfilling artistic process for actor Carolyn...
A Powerhouse Kate Berlant is KATE at Pasadena Playhouse
Going to see KATE at Pasadena Playhouse, I went in pretty blind. I was not familiar with Kate Berlant’s work. I only knew she was a comedienne and this was a one-woman show, however,...
South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy | $10 Lesson Event and What’s New and...
At a recent recital held at the beautiful concert space at Boston Court Pasadena, students of South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy could be heard playing everything from Mozart and Bach to Taylor Swift...
Chantal Donnelly | In Conversation with the Author of the New Book “Settled –...
On a recent sunny winter day, local author Chantal Donnelly looks peaceful and energized as she recounts an “aha” moment several years ago.
Donnelly studied psychology and kinesiology at Occidental College and received her master’s...
