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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.
The Magic of “The Secret Garden”
The lush and whimsical score of Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s “The Secret Garden” is given a beautiful, new production at the Ahmanson Theatre. Opening night saw an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd of fans...
The Harmony We Need – Sunday in the Park with George at Pasadena Playhouse
“White. A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities.” Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking 1984 musical “Sunday in the Park with George”, a meditation on the artist’s struggle to stay true to himself while...
Swimming Upstream | Student Production at South Pasadena High School
"Swimming Upstream" is the newest play being put on at South Pasadena High School. The play is written by SPHS junior, Charlotte Dekle. This will be the first time that a student has written,...
In Conversation with J. Elijah Cho
J. Elijah Cho was living and working as an actor in Florida when the artistic director from a prominent theater was quoted making a very dated, derogatory joke about a local Asian massage parlor....
Lunar New Year Celebration for South Pasadena Seniors
South Pasadena seniors were treated to a delightful celebration of the Lunar New Year, sponsored by the City and the South Pasadena Chinese American Club at the War Memorial Building on Wednesday January 25,...
$10 Music Lesson Week | South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy to Benefit SPEF...
South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy is holding their bi-annual $10 Lesson Week in South Pasadena January 16 – January 21, 2023. Thirty-minute private music lessons are only $10 each and all proceeds will...
Family Farm “Pomp” Provides Beautiful Roses at The Rose Bowl
With its prestige and history The Rose Bowl continues to hold notoriety all over the world and get fans buzzing when it comes to the match-up. Prominently featured throughout all of the celebrations and...
It’s the Holidays at Holy Family Giving Bank
With heartfelt wishes of “Merry Christmas”, hearty handshakes and mutual exchanges of “God Bless You”, the hardworking crew at South Pasadena’s Holy Family Giving Bank embraced the grace and gratitude of the season. The...
Elijah Ahmad Lewis Stars in “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of...
You could say entertainment is in his blood. Born and raised in New Jersey and Harlem, singer/arranger/actor/dancer/model/entrepreneur Elijah Ahmad Lewis has been performing in some capacity since he was 7 years old. With a...
Senior Center Hosts Festive Holiday Luncheon
The South Pasadena Senior Center held their festive annual Holiday Luncheon this past Tuesday with a full house of senior members of the community celebrating at the War Memorial Building. The hall was decked...
Local Ice Skater Henry Privett-Mendoza Gets Bronze Medal at British Championships
Local South Pasadenan, Jonathan Henry Privett-Mendoza has secured the bronze medal at the recent British Figure Skating Championships. Privett-Mendoza is a 2nd year student at University of Sheffield and this is his first season...
A Christmas Carol at South Pasadena Theatre Workshop
There’s a new Christmas Carol happening at South Pasadena Theatre Workshop that is a slick, inventive and fast-paced adaptation of the Dickens classic that proves to be a delightful and emotionally satisfying evening for...
WHOLE STEPS | New Children’s Music Program Comes To South Pasadena Arts and Music...
April Mendiola is a hometown girl. Having grown up and attended local schools, Mendiola is excited to be heading up the new music program, Whole Steps, at South Pasadena Arts and Music Academy, so...
Festive Tree and Menorah Lighting Ceremony Kicks Off The Holiday Season
Excitement was in the air at Thursday’s Farmers Market as the gathering crowd anticipated the annual Tree Lighting ceremony and festivities. Sponsored by the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce in coordination with the City...
South Pasadenans Dance in PDT’s “The Nutcracker Ballet” with Guest Artists From American Ballet...
It’s that magical time of year when Pasadena Dance Theatre takes over the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse for their annual production of “The Nutcracker Ballet” set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. This year’s production features...
“The Brothers Paranormal” Brings Chills, Thrills and Tears to East West Players
Prepare to be scared out of your wits at the Los Angeles premiere of the riveting, supernatural thriller “The Brothers Paranormal” at East West Players. Prince Gomolvilas’s spine-tingling ghost story is a thrill ride,...
“After Roe” Offers A Balm of Hope
Like millions of women across the country, Lineage PAC artistic director Hilary Thomas was devastated and in shock on June 24, 2022, the day the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. As she...
“Middletown” Examines The Human Condition Through the Lens of a Small Town and its...
A heartfelt, sweetly quirky meditation on the meaning of life as told by the inhabitants of a small, American town, Will Eno’s “Middletown” opened at South Pasadena High School this weekend. Directed with a...
“2:22 A Ghost Story” Haunts the Ahmanson Theatre
A spine-tingling, goosebump inducing, rollercoaster of a time awaits you at the Ahmanson Theatre with the opening of Danny Robins’ “2:22 A Ghost Story”. As someone fairly freaked out by the supernatural, I will...
To Kill A Mockingbird at Hollywood Pantages
“All rise” for the stunning production of “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s groundbreaking novel now playing at the Hollywood Pantages. The play opened originally on Broadway in 2018 and,...
SPHS Drama Ready To Premiere Will Eno’s “MIDDLETOWN”
The award-winning South Pasadena High School drama department, under the direction of Nick Hoffa, is in final preparations for the first fall play to take place in the Little Theatre on campus since 2019....
Darby’s Legacy – A Fight For Families of Medically Fragile Children
“She is my husband's twin. My husband is a ginger. And my son, who is two years older than Darby was, he is more like a blonde. So we each got our twin.” Cindy...
August Wilson’s “Radio Golf” at A Noise Within
A stirring production of “Radio Golf”, August Wilson’s final installment of his “American Century Cycle”, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, opened this weekend at A Noise Within. It’s 1997 in the Hill District of...
SPHS Virtual Business Club Hosts Largest Virtual Enterprise Leadership Training Day in the Nation
The excitement in South Pasadena High School’s auditorium was palpable. On Thursday, October 13, 2022, after a two year hiatus, SPHS hosted over 400 students from high schools throughout California for the Los Angeles...
New Afterschool Program Offers a New Way | Insight Academy
It’s a Wednesday afternoon and children are arriving at Insight Academy after school has let out – hanging up their backpacks on hooks, greeting their teachers, chatting with each other and settling in. Located...
Cecily Strong Searches for Signs of Intelligent Life
The opening night audience at “The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in The Universe” was immediately and enthusiastically on their feet after Cecily Strong’s ninety minute tour de force performance. Deservedly so. It’s...
“Sanctuary City” and The American Dreamer
B and G are two high school kids living in early 2000's, post 9/11 Newark, New Jersey in Martyna Majok’s new play “Sanctuary City” which opened this week at Pasadena Playhouse. It’s a fascinating...
“Jagged Little Pill” Has Healing Power
Alanis Morisette’s “Jagged Little Pill” opened this week for a three week run at the Pantages Theatre. The opening night crowd was full of those of us who sang every word to this album...
In Conversation with “OKLAHOMA!” Actor Christopher Bannow
Christopher Bannow has just arrived in Los Angeles from the last stop in San Francisco for a five week run at the Ahmanson Theatre of the much anticipated, Daniel Fish directed, newly re-imagined “Oklahoma!”...
Animal Farm at A Noise Within
A Noise Within premiered a chilling production of Peter Hall’s musical adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” this week. In our times of disinformation and talk of democracy teetering on the brink, Orwell’s satire...
