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.
Electric Opening Night for Dear Evan Hansen
The Tony Award winning smash hit Dear Evan Hansen had a star studded opening night at The Ahmanson friday evening and the show was...
THE WOMAN IN BLACK Promises Chills and Thrills
“If you like mysteries, if you like suspense, if you like to try to figure out what happens next, this show is for you!”...
EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED Takes New Look at Merchant of Venice
A fresh and poignant look at the story of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is now on stage at Boston Court Pasadena with the world...
Take A Big Bite of THE CAKE!
A refreshing and very moving production of THE CAKE is now playing at The Geffen Playhouse with a stellar cast. The emotionally naked and...
SPARC Delivers Glorious Afternoon Celebrating The Arts
The stunning estate of Bill and Mary Urquhart was brimming with music, art, and lots of good vibes as SPARC held their annual fundraising...
Police and Fire Open House Drew a Crowd
South Pasadena Police Officer Chris Perez and Department K-9, Barry, were on hand to greet local South Pasadena children and residents coming to the...
NATIVE GARDENS – Topical, Funny, Spectacularly Good Time
Native Gardens, the witty, new play by Karen Zacarias is currently blooming into a bona fide hit at the Pasadena Playhouse. Directed with a...
BELLAND – Variety Musical Charity Event at Fremont Centre Theatre
Brittany Belland is back in South Pasadena to share a funny, entertaining and powerful ensemble variety show, BELLAND, to benefit the American Foundation for...
Local Actress Jessie Mobley is The Baker’s Wife in INTO THE WOODS
Once upon a time, Jessie Mobley was in high school and she played the baker’s wife in the school’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s INTO...
An Electrifying AIN’T TOO PROUD at The Ahmanson
There are not enough superlatives to accurately describe the raucous and simply irresistible speed train of joy that is Ain’t Too Proud, The Life...
A Triumphant “Mary of The Avenue” Opens at Fremont Centre Theatre
Theatre Americana’s production of the original Neil Scanlan and Greg Wood musical Mary of The Avenue had a triumphant opening night on Friday August...
Manuel Lozano Talks Green Brooms $10 Lesson Day For SPEF
Manuel Rafael Lozano is the kind of person who elevates the energy of whatever room he walks into; handsome, charming and rather bursting with...
LYMAN The Musical | A Chance Encounter Inspires a Musical That Puts a Face...
Anne Johnstonbrown confesses that for most of her life, she never considered the homeless; she says she always walked hurriedly by them and is sad...
A Word With Greg Wood | Co-creator of “Mary of The Avenue”
Singer Songwriter Greg Wood and writer Neil Scanlan come to us by way of the advertising world of the 1970’s where they met and...
SPARC Gallery Artist Reception for Shelley Stephens
The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) held an artist reception for Shelley Stephens to officially open Stephens’ show entitled It’s About Time at SPARC...
The Humans | The Ahmanson
Stephen Kazam’s Tony award winning play The Humans, opened Thursday evening at The Ahamanson with most of the original Broadway cast. The Humans is...
Nine Ten Thirty debuts at Fremont Centre Theatre
Normal Rockwell town? Check. Parrots? Check. Love lost and found? Check. Athens garbage truck?! Check! So much of what makes South Pasadena unique is...
SPARC South Pasadena High School Juried Art Show
An artists’ reception was held Saturday June 2 to open the Annual South Pasadena High School Juried Art Show at the SPARC Gallery in...
Explore, Discover, Connect! Summer Camps at Beyond The Classroom
Beyond The Classroom Summer Camps 2018 are underway at the innovative and fun-filled BTC right here in South Pasadena. Campers can jump in for a...
BORDERTOWN NOW Speaks Truth To The Wall
Something special is happening at Pasadena Playhouse right now not to be missed; The “Bad Hombres” of Culture Clash have unleashed Bordertown Now, a...
GRAD NITE 2018 A Huge Success
On Tuesday June 5, 2018 at approximately 5:50pm, 372 South Pasadena High School seniors moved their grad cap tassels to the left indicating that...
SPHS Baccalaureate | Mr. Blue Sky
On a day that most certainly reflected ELO’s lyrics “sun is shinin, in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight, it’s stopped rainin’...
First Ever TASSEL Benefit A Success
Congresswoman Judy Chu was the featured speaker at the first annual South Pasadena TASSEL benefit that was held at the beautiful Brookside Golf Club...
SOFT POWER Delivers at the Ahmanson
What starts as a thought provoking play about cross cultural perceptions turns into a time traveling hallucination by way of a sumptuous musical in...
Accidental Poet Rick Leddy
Local author and poet, Rick Leddy, has lived in South Pasadena for 17 years, having come into the area in 2000 after living in...
Cool Jazz for SPARC Night at Blue Guitar
The Blue Guitar, located at the Arroyo Seco Golf Course, was at maximum capacity as the sold out crowd thoroughly enjoyed the cool jazz...
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Success Leads to New Slate of Shows Next Season
South Pasadena High School dance department produced a lush, whimsical Alice In Wonderland for it’s final show of the year that was a smashing...
TWELFTH NIGHT – Love is in the Air at Parson’s Nose
For those still swooning over the Royal Wedding, the delightful crew at Parson’s Nose is here to carry you on to more heights of...
A Day in the Life of our South Pasadena Firefighters
When I arrive at the firehouse, dinner preparations are already in full swing. Captain Dan Dunn is cooking tonight and, as is most times...
South Pasadena High School Prom 2018
They came by limousine, Uber Lux, and party bus to the Autry Museum of The American West for South Pasadena High School’s junior/senior prom...
