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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.
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 the world premiere of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s...
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 downtown Los Angeles for 10 years. Leddy and his wife...
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 stylings of drummer extraordinaire, Jaz Sawyer.
The evening was a fundraiser...
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 success. Choreographed by Courtney Cheyne, Joey Leon, Melinda Sullivan, and...
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 romance, love and music with their current production of Shakespeare’s...
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 the case, there are gluten free options. This isn’t your...
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 2018. What seemed like an offbeat choice of venue turned...
A Rollicking NOISES OFF at A Noise Within – Extended!
A Noise Within is currently running a fantastic revival of one of their signature productions, a rip roaring, hysterical Noises Off which has proved so popular they have extended the run through May 26....
INTO THE WOODS Enchants at Young Stars Theatre
The talented company at Young Stars Theatre is currently tackling Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony award winning musical Into The Woods, on stage at the beautiful Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena. And...
PTA Council Honorary Service Awards Luncheon
South Pasadena Parent Teacher Association Council invited volunteers and school board members to a lovely luncheon held at the district building on Wednesday May 9. PTA Council President, Grace Kung, greeted guests and expressed...
David Henry Hwang Gives First Look at Soft Power
Center Theatre Group recently invited donors, board members and press to a luncheon and talkback with David Henry Hwang in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion ballroom overlooking downtown Los Angeles. After lunch, Center Theatre Group...
Indian Textile Sale in Support of The Anju Project
South Pasadena High School freshman, Raia Doshi, is hosting a sale of handcrafted Indian textiles on Saturday May 12 from 2pm-5pm to support The Anju Project. This initiative was created to help build a...
Chalk Day for South Pasadena High School Seniors
Friday May 4, 2018 was "Chalk Day" at South Pasadena High School. It's a long held tradition wherein the Senior classmen convene on the Tiger Patio to create works of chalk art emblematic of...
Thomas Sadoski Talks Belleville
Thomas Sadoski grew up in New York where his acting journey began at an early age,“I think it was always there” he says, “that need to creatively express the world as I saw it.”...
Emmys Afterparty | James Reynolds Backstage
It was a very big night for Days of Our Lives at the Daytime Emmys held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Sunday April 29. The show won the big prize of Best Drama Series...
Media Whirlwind | Emmy Winning Days of Our Lives Actor James Reynolds Hits The...
Emmy winner for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series at this past Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards, James Reynolds, hit the ground running Monday morning with national and international news and talk shows calmouring...
South Pasadena High School Dance Presents “Alice In Wonderland”
The South Pasadena High School Dance Department run my director Courtney Cheyne is pleased to present their highly anticipated spring dance concert, Alice In Wonderland. Each year the show has an overarching theme and...
James Reynolds and Lissa Layng Reynolds – Fremont Centre Theatre Founders Share Story
Is there anyone in town who hasn’t been touched by Lissa and James Reynolds? For the uninitiated, they are the dynamic duo, actor/producer, advocate and activist couple who founded the beautiful Fremont Centre Theatre...
James Reynolds Wins Best Actor at 2018 Daytime Emmys
After portraying steady and loyal police commissioner and Mayor of Salem, Abe Carver, on “Days of Our Lives” for 37 years, actor James Reynolds was awarded the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama...
Have You Seen Him? Stephen Hsiao Creates This Year’s “Art Experience” at The Eclectic
South Pasadena architect and designer, Stephen Hsiao, will transform South Pasadena’s emblematic sculpture, “Astride, Aside” (The Walking Man) into an interactive artwork of light, shadow and magic for the Art Experience at The Eclectic...
HAIRSPRAY! You Can’t Stop The Beat! South Pasadena Middle School Musical
South Pasadena Middle School singers, dancers, actors, and technicians are proud to present their production of the hit Broadway show, Hairspray, opening this weekend and running for six performances at the SPMS main auditorium.
“You...
THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Full Disclosure, It’s a Smash!
Friday’s opening night of The Addams Family saw a full, boisterous house that simply could not get enough of this eclectic, dark and crazy world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Wednesday and their entire...
THE ADDAMS FAMILY Opens Friday! One Weekend Only!
The South Pasadena High School Drama Department is proud to present their spring musical, The Addams Family – Friday April 20 at 7pm, Saturday April 21 at 7pm and Sunday April 22 at 2pm....
Angel Town Combo at The Eclectic
Angel Town Combo recently rocked The Eclectic preview party and will now be featured on the Vave Stage at South Pasadena’s Eclectic Music Festival on Saturday April 28.
Angel Town Combo is touted as LA’s...
Little Silver Hearts Play The Eclectic
Little Silver Hearts is playing the Main Stage at The Eclectic at 3pm on April 28th. The band will be performing alt. country and Americana songs from all three of their records.
In 2016 the...
David Plenn & Band Play The Eclectic
On the Carnegie Stage, located in the South Pasadena Public Library Community room, David Plenn will be leading his own band at 6:30pm. This is always standing room only so plan on heading over...
Addams Family Musical at South Pasadena High School – APRIL 20th, 21st, & 22nd...
Ba-Da-Da-Dum, Snap Snap! South Pasadena students in drama, dance, music and production are in the final two grueling weeks of technical and dress rehearsals for the annual spring musical. This year, they are thrilled...
South Pasadena High Tiger Band Scores Big in Seattle
Our Southern Californian students had a wet, blustery visit to Seattle this past weekend as organizers of the Heritage Festival said it was the wettest, rainiest festival they have ever had. Jazz trumpet player...
Event: TASTE OF SOUTH PASADENA!
The 7th Annual Taste of South Pasadena - Eats on the Streets is coming your way this Tuesday April 17th! Come on out, South Pasadenan, for what has become known as one of the...
HAIRSPRAY! South Pasadena Middle School Musical
On Thursday and Friday night the cast of South Pasadena Middle School’s Spring Musical performed a Broadway Showcase to preview their forthcoming production of HAIRSPRAY. The showcase concert featured selections from Hairspray along with...
