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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.
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...
Grand Opening | New Business in South Pasadena CALIBRATE – Men’s Grooming
CALIBRATE, a new and unique premium grooming studio in South Pasadena, celebrated their grand opening on Saturday with an official ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration. The studio, located at 915 Fremont Avenue, is the...
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 of $100 million to establish the Cherng Family Center for...
The Sound Inside | A Twisty Ride at Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse has opened their new season with a spellbinding new production of Adam Rapp’s “The Sound Inside”. With beautifully crafted prose and intricately woven storytelling, Rapp’s story of a Yale professor and an...
Get Organized | THE NEAT FREAK LA
Friends have been calling Mike Mawhinney a neat freak for years. “I would walk into a friend’s place and go, “okay, what’s up with this closet?” and proceed to start helping them organize it,”...
THE BLUEST EYE at A Noise Within
Of all the theatre companies who made pledges to diversify what is presented on their stages in the wake of the racial reckoning of 2020, A Noise Within has done the best job of...
“Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” at Kirk Douglas Theatre
Electricity was in the air on opening night of “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. This Center Theatre Group collaboration with IAMA Theatre Company marks...
The Dinosaur Farm is Back!
To the great relief of children and families in South Pasadena and beyond, our beloved toy store, The Dinosaur Farm, is officially OPEN! After four long months of repairs and renovation after a severe...
PHIL SHIN | South Pasadenan Spotlight
South Pasadenan, Phil Shin, is about to celebrate a very special anniversary by running in the Leadville 100, a 100-mile trek through the rugged Rocky Mountain terrain of Colorado. That, in and of itself,...
HEATHERBLOOM | Celebrating 31 Years of Blooming in a Small Town
Heatherbloom celebrates 31 years in business this August. Beginning in Old Pasadena 31 years ago, the local favorite clothing shop has spent the past 18 years in San Marino, the last 11 years in...
PETER PAN GOES WRONG | The Ahmanson Theatre
From the makers of the wildly popular “The Play That Goes Wrong”, comes a new romp of theatrical mishaps surrounding an amateur production of J.M. Barrie’s classic, “Peter Pan” called “Peter Pan Goes Wrong.”...
Senior Citizens Foundation of South Pasadena Holds Annual Senior Champion Awards
After a very well received launch last year of the now annual Senior Champion Awards, where former South Pasadena mayor, Bob Joe, and longtime educator Granville “Granny” Thurman were honored, Monday saw this year’s...
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe
After missing the past few shows, Wine & Song host, Brad Colerick, is back this Wednesday at Lost Parrot Cafe where he will welcome Anna Ash and Our Wild America. In addition, John Schmitt...
Wine & Song Features Dulce Taylor and Shaun Cromwell
Wine & Song continues its residency at Lost Parrot Cafe this Wednesday August 9 with David Plenn guest hosting for the traveling troubadour, Brad Colerick. His guests will be Dulce Taylor and Shaun Cromwell....
Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Pacific Opera Project Partner for Dazzling Summer Concert
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® partnered with Los Angeles’ Pacific Opera Project (POP) to create a captivating concert on the lawn of the historic Tournament House, which took place on Saturday, July 29, 2023....
Wine & Song at Lost Parrot Cafe
This week's Wine & Song will be guest hosted by David Plenn and will feature Maria Taylor and Noah Zacharin with special guest Sophie Reynolds.
A few words from your guest host:
David Plenn here —...
Young Stars Theatre | Catching up with Local Youth Theatre Company, YST
Our readers will remember the sudden passing last spring of Young Stars Theatre co-founder, Jack Bennett, during his run as Harold Hill in YST’s “Music Man”. Known in town and in the theatre community...
A Transparent Musical marks first Amazon Series brought to the Stage
For the first time, Amazon Studios has debuted an original series on stage with A Transparent Musical. The musical began performances at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles ahead of Pride Month on May 23 and...
Norm Lewis Talks Sondheim & Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles audiences have been blessed these past few months with multiple sightings of multi-talented, multi-hyphenated actor and performer, Norm Lewis. Known for being the first African American Phantom in Broadway’s "Phantom of the...
LisaGay Hamilton Stirs Up a Tasty “STEW”
Actor LisaGay Hamilton comes from a family of very strong women. A self-proclaimed “Long Islander”, having been born in L.A. but raised in Long Island, Hamilton says that acting was always in her. Entertaining...
Vidéothèque is Moving | Vidéothèque leaving South Pasadena
After 20 years on Mission Street in South Pasadena, beloved video store, Vidéothèque, is picking up stakes in the coming weeks and moving house to Highland Park. As owner, Mark Wright said, "In the...
Tarot Arts | New Business in South Pasadena Celebrates with Ribbon Cutting
Saturday saw the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of an exciting, new business in town, Tarot Arts, located at 1017 Mission Street. The shop is owned and curated by Willaim Toro and Phillip...
Hodgson’s Antiques Celebrates 52 Years
Peggy Hodgson can tell you stories! And she was doing just that on Saturday, July 15, 2023 as city dignitaries, friends and family gathered at her shop at 1005 Mission Street to celebrate her...
The Cherry Orchard | South Pasadena Theatre Workshop
It’s a summer of Chekhov at South Pasadena Theatre Workshop and this week saw the opening of a rollicking and heart-rending production of “The Cherry Orchard” which runs in repertory with “The Seagull” through...
Montego Glover Enchants as the Witch in Must-See Broadway Revival of “Into The Woods”
Montego Glover was having a typical Broadway actor's day – going from appointment to appointment – when her talent representative called her with an offer to join the cast of the Broadway company of...
The Seagull: South Pasadena Theatre Workshop makes Chekhov Fun and Fresh
South Pasadena Theatre Workshop opened their first installment of their summer Chekhov Project with a very funny and poignant production of “The Seagull”, which will be running in repertory with “The Cherry Orchard” through...
Mike Azat Reflects on SPTOR Golf Classic
"We had a blast!" Mike Azat is speaking enthusiastically about his team's participation in South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Gold Classic fundraiser for our city's self-built float. "We are all from South Pasadena and...
“Fetch Clay, Make Man” – A Tale of Two Men
Will Power’s fascinating look at the heretofore untold story of the unlikely friendship between Muhammad Ali and Stepin’ Fetchit had its premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles this past weekend. It...
