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 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...
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...
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...
“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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
“The Mountaintop” Seeks to Pass the Baton
It’s a rainy night - April 3, 1968 in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has just...
An Electrifying “TINA – The Tina Turner Musical” at Hollywood Pantages
The mood inside the Pantages on opening night of “Tina” was electric. With audience members dressed to the nines, many in various “Tina” outfits,...
“Fetch Clay, Make Man” | Sparking Conversations with Playwright Will Power
It was June 2020, the height of the pandemic lockdowns, when playwright Will Power found himself in the position of moving his family to...
Tony Awards | Danny Feldman picks up Tony Award for Pasadena Playhouse at United...
Producing Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse, Danny Feldman, accepted the Regional Theatre Tony Award on stage at the historic United Palace in New...
Let’s Talk Ensembles with South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy
A few months back, we spoke to the team at South Pasadena Arts & Music Academy about their exciting new children’s program called “Whole...
