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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.
MJ The Musical is a Thriller
Michael Jackson fans rejoice and gather – there is a show in town that you simply can’t miss – the national tour of the Broadway show MJ The Musical, playing the Pantages through January...
Gentleman’s Haircut | Get Ready for the New Year at CALIBRATE
What better way to take on the holidays and new year then with a fresh, new look courtesy of your neighborhood men’s grooming specialists at Calibrate Grooming. Located at Fremont Street, across from Fiore...
Maya Proulx of South Pasadena Receives YoungArts Award with Distinction in Voice
Maya Proulx has been performing since studying piano and viola at South Pasadena Music Conservatory at four years old. She sang with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and with the All Saints Children’s Choir...
Must Be Santa! Kris Kringle Pays South Pasadena a Visit
On a beautiful, sunny, Southern California December morning, children were gathered with their families at the War Memorial Building in South Pasadena for a holiday breakfast. When what to their wondering eyes should appear...
Aubry Deetjen of South Pasadena Receives YoungArts Award
South Pasadenan, Aubry Deetjen, has been a multi-hyphenate artist her whole life. She is currently in the dance department at LACHSA, but got her start as an artist in her home art studio and...
A Christmas Story, The Musical Sings and Taps its Way into your Heart
Something fun, festive, hilarious and heartwarming is happening at the Ahmanson Theatre this holiday season and it’s the musical version of “A Christmas Story”. Since it’s debut in 1983, the MGM movie starring Peter...
Young Artist Dylan Rubin Among Winners at PTSA Reflections Art Exhibit
Young Dylan Rubin was thrilled to be named a winner in the photography division of the PTSA Reflections Arts Contest. An exhibit of the middle and elementary school winners was held at the school...
Review | A Christmas Carol Captivates at A Noise Within
What a joy and thrill to see A Christmas Carol back at A Noise Within in all it’s dazzling, whimsical wonder! Now in its 11th year, Geoff Elliott’s faithful adaptation – every word comes...
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Enchants at South Pasadena Theatre Workshop
South Pasadena has a new holiday tradition – the simply enchanting re-telling of A Christmas Carol, now in its second year at South Pasadena Theatre Workshop. Premiering last year, the production brings back most...
ELF Jr. | A Sparkling Holiday Gem for the Whole Family
I dare you to find a family holiday show that has more sparkly, twinkly, jolly joy than YST’s production of Elf Jr. I look forward to this, my favorite kids show, to kick off...
Small Business Saturday | Shop Local to Support our Local Shops – Less Stress,...
It’s sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and is a day to pull shoppers out big box stores and malls and bring them to main streets across America.
South Pasadena shops along, and close...
Thanksgiving | South Pasadenans Reflect on a Season of Gratitude
In this 2023 season of gratitude, South Pasadenans have a great deal to be thankful for. As we continue to recover from a global pandemic, the financial and emotional repercussions of which are still...
The Season of Giving at Holy Family | Happy Thanksgiving
Holy Family Giving Bank kicked off the season of giving and gratitude this morning with their annual Thanksgiving food distribution where close to 500 turkeys along with produce and canned goods are given out...
Thanksgiving Celebration Held for South Pasadena Seniors
It may have been raining cats and dogs on Wednesday, but nothing could dampen the spirits of all the South Pasadena seniors gathered at the War Memorial Building for the annual Thanksgiving celebration. The...
SPHS Students Display Art at PTSA Reflections Exhibit | SPARC Gallery
Art students across four disciplines participated in an exhibit Monday evening, November 13, at the SPARC Gallery in South Pasadena. They were all participants in the PTSA Reflections competition and SPARC hosted the exhibit...
SPRING AWAKENING at East West Players Extended through December 3
East West Players (EWP), one of the nation’s oldest theaters of color and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works announces the extension of the Tony Award winning best musical Spring Awakening. Based...
A Stirring and Timely “Inherit The Wind” at Pasadena Playhouse
At a time when book banning has reared its head again in our country and people seem to be more divided than ever, Pasadena Playhouse brings us a stirring production of “Inherit The Wind”...
The Intense Thrill-Ride of TRAP at SPHS
So much fun! SPHS Drama’s fall production of the psychological thriller, TRAP, is an intense thrill ride that keeps you guessing from beginning to the final, head-spinning moment. The show is a unique combination...
LACHSA | Love Through Music fundraising concert
Love Through Music is excited to present its upcoming fundraising concert featuring the talented and passionate students from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). The volunteer-based nonprofit organization aims to...
TRAP | SPHS Drama has a Twisty Play in Store for Theatregoers
First and foremost, DON’T TELL THE SECRET! The South Pasadena High School Drama Club’s fall play, Steven Gregg’s TRAP, promises to be a twisty ride with reveals and apparently a big secret. So when...
“SHE” Takes a Hopeful Journey at ANTAEUS
Antaeus Theatre Company has opened their new season with the powerfully evocative and beautifully executed coming-of-age story, world premiere of Marlow Wyatt’s “SHE”. It’s a thoughtful slice of American pie we don’t often see...
YST’s “James and the Giant Peach” is Whimsical Fun for the Whole Family
Audiences at the opening this past weekend of Young Stars Theatre’s whimsical production of “James and Giant Peach Jr. were treated to a toe-tapping, feel good time at the historic Fremont Centre Theatre in...
Men’s Hair | Gentleman’s Haircuts at Calibrate Grooming
Calling gentlemen of all ages! There is a new, sophisticated grooming experience that awaits you nestled in the serene community of South Pasadena. A novel idea that was born out of the pandemic, a...
Wild and Wonderful “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at A Noise Within
A Noise Within’s new production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a wildly inventive and visually arresting spectacle for the senses. Co-directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott swing for the fences, creating a dark...
“The Engagement Party” Begs the Question, Is the Past Ever Really Past?
It’s a cold January evening in 2007 and a beautiful, young couple are awaiting their dinner guests in their swanky Upper East Side apartment. We soon find out it’s actually a small gathering of...
It’s Pumpkin Time!
Nothing signals the coming of Halloween like those big, beautiful pumpkins piling up on the corner of Fremont and Mission Street at our very own South Pasadena Pumpkin Patch! And after all we've come...
HADESTOWN | A Story Worth Telling Again and Again
The Fates are with us, Angelenos, because we are being given a second chance to take a trip to “Hadestown” at the Ahmanson, and this latest iteration of the Anaïs Mitchell folk opera musical...
D.U.D.E.S. and KIWANIS Pickleball Tournament Great Success
The 1st Annual South Pasadena Pickleball Tournament was a great success! The event raised over $2,500 to benefit the South Pasadena High School Wellness Center.
The first-ever South Pasadena Pickleball Tournament took place this past...
Amaya Braganza Brings A Dream Home in “HADESTOWN”
Amaya Braganza was sixteen when she saw Eva Noblezada in the original Broadway production of “Hadestown”. Being a young, Filipina actress herself, she very much looked up to Noblezada and says that seeing her...
Restoration Concerts Kicks Off New Season at South Pasadena Public Library
The 27th season of the beloved Restoration Concerts at the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room kicked off Sunday with an exhilarating performance by LA Phil's First Associate Concertmaster, violinist Nathan Cole, and celebrated...
