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.
Citizens Out in Force Seeking to Strengthen Immigration Resolution
Last night, South Pasadenans were once again out in force to give comments on specific points in our Resolution of Diversity and offer suggestions...
Fundraising Efforts Underway for Memorial Bench in Garfield Park
South Pasadena Beautiful, whose mission is dedicated to encouraging community engagement and inspiring volunteerism and grassroots involvement in beautification in our community, has offered...
Coach Jeff Chi – SPHS Team “Like My Own Kids”
Coach Jeff Chi has been coaching for over thirty years and has seen his fair share of, well, just about everything. An East Coast...
SUMMERFEST Comes to South Pasadena
School may be back in session but the summer ain’t over yet and this Saturday, August 26, will see the first ever SUMMERFEST music festival...
Fire Chief Paul Riddle Gets Sworn In
In a dramatic and moving ceremony right at the top of the recent City Council meeting, our new fire chief, Paul Riddle, was sworn...
Extraordinary Night with LA Dodgers Photographer Jon SooHoo
Dodger Blue was out in force Thursday night as the excited crowd lined around the block to get into the community room at South...
First Day of School at SPHS – Let’s Get It, Tigers!
The mood was decidedly festive as the new Seniors at South Pasadena High School came to play in their now traditional “Senior Shirts”. Senior...
Michael Gavlak – Dads, Dudes & Rock n’ Roll
South Pasadenans may know Michael Gavlak as a crazy, orange and black boa-clad “DUDE” at 4th of July parades and a dedicated Dad about...
South Pasadenan Mark Langill – From Dodger Fan to Team Historian
Many South Pasadenans, especially Dodger fans, have read Mark Langill’s insightful articles on all things Dodgers. He is, after all, the Team Historian for...
Kirsten Vangsness Inaugurates Jonah Beadle’s New Theatre with MESS
When Jonah Beadle was 9 years old, he had a vision; in looking at a rectangle storage room on the bottom level of his...
Three Cheers for Annie Warbucks at YST!
YST’s delightful Annie Warbucks alights at Fremont Centre Theatre to close out the summer with a bang! While most of us have had some...
YST Musical Theatre Workshop | A Chat with Jack and Gloria Bennett
It will be two years in December since Young Stars Theatre made their South Pasadena debut with a stellar production of A Christmas Carol...
Spectacular Night with Youssou N’Dour | Ignite@TheFord!
The newly renovated Ford Theatres kicked off their exciting new series IGNITE@TheFord! with an exhilarating concert by Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour. Even those who...
Mayor Cacciotti – How He Came To His Green Ways
I meet the Mayor at the Gold Line as he gets off the train with his bicycle, as he does every day. It’s a...
Follow Your Dreams – Celebration of Life for Anne Disselhorst
It was standing room only with a line out the door for the celebration of life held in honor of Fiore Market Café matriarch,...
Anne Disselhorst – A Handcrafted Life
Sadly, the “Mom” of the Mom & Pop culinary gem that is Fiore Market Café has passed away suddenly. Anne Disselhorst suffered a massive...
YST’s Final Summer Camp Show Annie Warbucks
South Pasadena’s resident youth theatre company at Fremont Centre Theatre started the summer off with a Broadway revue and followed that up with their...
Impassioned Discussion at Chamber Shop Talk Breakfast
Under a humid, rainy Tuesday morning sky, chamber members gathered for an unusually impassioned discussion during their monthly breakfast at Mike and Anne's restaurant....
Shout Sister Shout! Takes Us To Church!
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is on a mission from God; to save a despondent, young musician by showing him a thing or two, by taking...
The Sound of Music – A Joyful Summer Evening
The air was electric with anticipation as friends, family and community members settled in for Upstage’s summer production of The Sound of Music. Throughout...
A Sparkling Tribute to a Musical Theatre Icon
The crowd at the Hollywood Bowl was abuzz with excitement, as they patiently filed into their seats with their packed dinners and bottles of...
Shout Sister Shout! Opening Night Rocks Pasadena Playhouse
It was a festive and decidedly rock and roll Opening Night for Shout Sister Shout! at Pasadena Playhouse Sunday evening where cast, crew, press...
Shout Sister Shout! Opening at The Pasadena Playhouse
If you’ve never heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, sadly you are not alone. However, the creators of the new musical Shout Sister Shout! are...
New Fire Chief Paul Riddle
Deputy Chief Paul Riddle has been appointed as the City of South Pasadena’s Fire Chief, which makes Chief Riddle the 17th Fire Chief in...
Officer Borrello Crowned New King of Tetherball in South Pasadena
Officer Borrello was out on one of his first solo patrols Sunday morning, having recently completed his field training. After a stop at Garfield...
Upstage Theatre Arts Schools Presents The Sound of Music
The talented kids of Upstage Theatre Arts School are bringing South Pasadena the beloved musical, The Sound of Music, in the Main Theatre at...
A Wacky and Wonderful Willy Wonka and The Weed Factory
This delightful and delicious satire of Willy Wonka serves up an evening full of laughs with a dose of edification. We meet an elderly...
A Rainbow for Piqui
When the sun began to set behind the fountains at the Arboretum, the palest of rainbows peeked through the clouds and people began to...
An Exuberant Bye Bye Birdie at Theatre 360
Theatre 360 does it again, with a kicky, wildly entertaining, summer production of Bye Bye Birdie. The story takes place in the small American...
Conversations with Julie Giulioni
Julie Giulioni is a life-long South Pasadenan, having moved here when she was five years old because her parents wanted to make sure she...
