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.
It’s Crunch Time! Volunteers Making Our 2024 Float Happen
This morning Tina Kistinger and family joined other South Pasadenan volunteers continue to get those fresh flowers, seeds, feathers, and grains mounted onto our...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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”....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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,...
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...
“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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Andrew and Peggy Cherng Gift City of Hope $100 Million to Fund Integrative Oncology
Andrew and Peggy Cherng, co-founders and co-CEOs of Panda Express, are being called visionary philanthropists for what City of Hope calls a transformative gift...
