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.
Arts Are Essential | The Show Must Go On! February 19 – 26
This weekend the Center Theatre Group presents Matthew Bourne’s “Romeo and Juliet” premiering Thursday, February 18 at 5:00 p.m. and streaming Friday, February 19...
Drive-in Concert a Success | South Pasadenans Relish a Live Show on Valentine’s Day
Close to 4:00 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, with a beautiful rose colored sunset beginning to form, nighttime mayor & troubadour, Brad Colerick, was waving...
YST Premieres LIVE “Little Women” streaming production this weekend
A new banner in front of Young Stars Theatre (YST) on Fremont Avenue proclaims “We’re Still Here”, a claim they didn’t think they would...
Arts Are Essential | Events February 13 – 20
Black Voices at the Met. This exhibition, which celebrates the extensive contributions made by African American artists at the Met and chronicles the decades-long struggle...
SPHS Drama Presents Shakespeare’s MACBETH
As we head into mid February during a global pandemic, it’s hard to keep track of the normal traditions and activities like football games,...
The Met Kicks Off Black History Month with Porgy and Bess
The Metropolitan Opera kicks off Black History Month with an encore presentation of the critically acclaimed 2020 production of the Gershwin's Porgy and Bess...
A Magical Night in the “Bollywood Kitchen”
It was a rainy Saturday evening when filmmaker and cookbook author Sri Rao invited me, along with a handful of other virtual guests into...
South Pasadena Resident Counts Down To Inauguration
Calling herself a “Quarantined Town Crier”, Amy Davis Jones created themed banners to count down to the Inauguration of President Biden and Vice President...
Lots To Love About “YOU I LIKE: A Musical Celebration of Jerry Herman”
Legendary Broadway composer, Jerry Herman, creator of beloved shows Hello, Dolly, Mame, La Cage aux Folles and more, passed away last year leaving behind...
Arts Are Essential | What’s Happening in Entertainment January 15 – 22
You I Like: A Musical Celebration of Jerry Herman, a virtual musical revue honoring the genius responsible for the Broadway classics Hello, Dolly! Mame,...
Arts Are Essential | What’s Happening in the New Year
It certainly is a new day and a new dawn as we kick off 2021 and yet, we’re still living through a time unlike...
Arts Are Essential Especially During The Holidays
PBS presents All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914; Peter Rothstein's music-theatre work about the World War I Christmas truce, combining period songs...
The Yuko Mabuchi Trio Performs at 61st Annual LA County Holiday Celebration
Yuko Mabuchi is thrilled to be part of this year’s LA County Holiday Celebration, an event she has loved for years. Yuko lives in...
Arts Are Essential | Holiday Entertainment Highlights Dec. 18 – 25
The Metropolitan Opera kicks of a week of holiday fare with Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” on Monday December 21. This was the groundbreaking broadcast...
Manual Cinema Creates A Whole New Christmas Carol
The incredible interdisciplinary performance collective, Manual Cinema, has created an innovative and absolutely delightful version of A Christmas Carol! The Chicago group invites you...
The Arts Are Essential! Dec 10-17 Highlights
The NYC company Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana celebrates Spanish dance in a festival that features distinctive performances by four companies.
The dances debut at 7pm...
Arts Are Essential! What’s Happening in The Arts This Week
Latino Theater Company will be streaming for free a recording of their holiday pageant “La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin” starring proud Pasadenan and...
The Arts Are Essential | What’s Shakin’ Around Town & Online in Arts &...
The Norton Simon Museum presents a series of short videos exploring the lives and careers of a few of the women artists represented in...
Micro-Library Fantastique | Tina Kistinger Gets Crafty for The Holidays
Last spring, as the world seemed to stop (remember L.A.’s crystal clear air quality?), Tina Kistinger was inspired. A colleague in her private craft...
Arts Are Essential | What’s On in Arts & Entertainment This Week | November...
Frida Kahlo’s image is iconic; from her intense gaze and her distinctive eyebrows to the crown of flowers on her head, her image evokes...
Arts Are Essential | What’s On in Arts & Entertainment This Week | November...
The eighth episode of SOUND/STAGE, the LA Phil’s series of concert films, features L.A.’s own genre-defying Chicano Batman in their Hollywood Bowl debut, begins...
Arts Are Essential | What’s On in Arts & Entertainment This Week | November...
I have been seeing shows at The Geffen in West LA for years now but I do know that sometimes the cross town drive...
Arts Are Essential | What’s on in Arts & Entertainment Oct. 30 – Nov....
“This is Halloween, This is Halloween!” For some ghoulishly tantalizing fun, tune in for this one night only event with Broadway star James Iglehart...
Arts Are Essential | What’s on in the Arts October 23-30
Pasadena Playhouse - Gather your Goblins and Ghoulies and settle in for a haunting night of family fun, streaming exclusively on PlayhouseLive. Bob Baker...
Mezzo Soprano Judy Tran Talks Verdi Chorus and “Amor y Odio”
Amor y Odio, Songs of Spain and the New World presented by The Verdi Chorus and the Sahm Family Foundation, featuring The Fox Singers...
Arts Are Essential | What’s on in Arts & Entertainment October 16 – 23
The Metropolitan Opera brings us Phelim McDermott’s effervescent production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” that sees the comedy of 18th century young love and...
Arts Are Essential | What’s On In Arts & Entertainment October 9 – 16
Stop by the Jones Coffee Roasters patio at 1006 Mission Street for Jazz Wednesdays 5:30pm to 8:30pm featuring the smooth sounds of The Jazz...
Javon Johnson Packs a Powerful Punch in “STILL.” at Pasadena Playhouse
Master of spoken word, Javon Johnson, takes to the bare stage inside Pasadena Playhouse for a one man show that is an emotionally raw...
Arts Are Essential | What’s on in Arts & Entertainment October 2 – 9
Pasadena Playhouse presents the premiere of Still., a newly commissioned work written by and starring spoken word artist Javon Johnson, and directed by Donny...
YST Fighting Hard to Survive in South Pasadena
Young Stars Theatre is not going down without a fight! While Covid restrictions have made it impossible to produce shows for a live audience...
