sha in LA

reviews and previews

Y’all probably don’t want to hear about the rip roaring good times that were had at the LAX Marriott this past weekend at Camp Hollywood. The staying up late, the sleeping in, the lounging by the pool and having drinks brought to me by various sources, the dances, the socializing, the laughs and the drama of it all are boring stories for those not in the know. Suffice to say, we had fun.

Upcoming events on the horizon include a possible appearance at National Night Out on Tuesday and most definitely an appearance at the Tofu Festival in 2 Sundays where I will consume many a Tofu Tostada.

Other than that I’ll be spending 3 nights of the week at the theatre running lights and sound for a show that the LA Times, LA Weekly, Variety and Backstage West all found intriguing. Will you?

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whoosh; the sound of life passing me by...

My weekend flew by in One Fell Swoop....both figuratively and quite literally.

The next show I'm Stage Managing is called One Fell Swoop, written by Robert J. Litz, and we were in tech all weekend long. I arrived at the theatre at 11:30am on Saturday and left 14 hours later just after 1:30am. On Sunday I was there a full 12 hours, 11:30am to pm. The bulk of my time was spent in a little box barely bigger than my somewhat petite frame.

Many thanks to Don and Kimmy for re-arranging my digs, it's much roomier now without a big dimmer pack sitting directly behind me. It's also noticeably quieter.

Tonight we had the night off but tomorrow night we get right back into it, fine tuning stuff before we open on Friday. It'll be a long week but well worth it in the end.

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Elephants' party, Once In A Blue Moon

Soon my hiatus from the theatre will be over as I begin a new show, One Fell Swoop, just after the 4th of July. No more Friday nights at home relaxing; instead I will have to fight rush hour traffic into Hollywood and put on my "Shannon the Sassy Stage Manager" persona and deal with actors, audience members and other assorted technical matters. Ah, but I love it right?

Along with the work comes the parties. Theatre folk love to party. And speaking of parties...guess what theatre company will be having a fundraiser for their upcoming show that is set to open on Friday July 13th?? Yep, the Elephant Theatre Company! As if you were surprised...

From the looks of it we'll be at M Bar this coming Friday night (June 29th) from 10pm on having a gay old time. Do stop by and have some fun with us if you are in the 'hood. There will be raffles and drinks and drama, OH MY! And of course all proceeds go toward future Elephant productions.

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Danny & The Deep Blue Sea

Having some time off from the theatre these past few weeks has been a refreshing change of pace. One that I’m beginning to like a lot the more and more I’m away from the booth. So it’s only natural then that last Saturday night, a night that I wasn’t required to be at the theatre working, I went to see some theatre. You know…be a patron of the Arts.

My car automatically led me to my regular theatre home base, the Elephant Lab to be exact, located on a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard just west of Vine. I was there to see Danny & the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley, a show that I’ve heard some buzz about recently. And rightly so, I’m very glad I left the comfy confines of my apartment that evening as this piece of theatre stayed with me long past the final scene.

On all accounts this show was top notch. From the moment I walked in to the dimly lit theatre I was fully immersed in the seedy New York bar where an unlikely love story would eventually unfold between 2 very colorful characters. We eventually are left wondering if they will ever find true happiness, one obviously doubts that these 2 could ever sustain a healthy relationship however sometimes 2 negatives cancel each other out to make a positive….right? Obviously I’m no scientist but the optimist that I am believes in Danny & Roberta.

Danny & The Deep Blue Sea runs Friday and Saturday at 8pm and has been extended through September 1st at the Elephant Lab, 1078 Lillian Way (corner of Santa Monica and Lillian) – directly between Cahuenga and Vine on the SOUTH side of Santa Monica Blvd.

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In Arabia, extends again...

Due to popular demand, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings will be extended yet again! And by all accounts this will really be the final extension. Swear. Mean it.

We are taking this weekend off to move the show into another space in our facility and will re-open on Friday March 30th. In the extension we will be doing only Friday and Saturday shows with an added Thursday the final weekend on April 19th, closing on Saturday April 21st. Tickets can be purchased through Goldstar, Plays 411 or by calling (323) 960-4410.

This past weekend we had a combined "Closing Night / Fundraiser / St. Patrick's Day" party and I took zero pictures and not because there was nothing to snap. On the contrary, the theatre was filled with new faces and energy and talent and that umpf you get from so much good stuff. Quite simply, I had tons of fun without having to worry about lighting and fuzzy images....those were all in my mind the next morning.

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In Arabia extends

Calgon take me away.

I've been working mad crazy hours at the day job and the part-time bookkeeping job...doing year-end paperwork is oh so much fun. There's also the ongoing theatre job and coming up this Saturday I'll be giving a tour of City Hall to 8 year old girl scouts. It's all I can do to make it to Sunday.

While we're on the topic of theatre...the show I'm currently Stage Managing, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, was originally slated to close this coming weekend however it's been extended and will now close on Saturday March 17th. We've received great reviews from the LA Times, Backstage West and the LA Weekly just to name a few and have been selling out the past few weekends. If you're interested in checking it out, there are a limited amount of half price tickets for the extension on Plays411, Goldstar and LA Stage Tix. Sorry but this weekend is pretty much all sold out.

Oh, and about that closing night party on March 17th...the show is set in a bar, we plan on stocking it full of alcohol and well...wouldn't you rather be at OUR bar on St. Patty's day than some jam-packed Irish bar full of wasted idiots?? And it'll be almost like being at an Irish bar, as a good portion of Tom Bergins regulars and a few former wait staff will be on hand.

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gotta love the ghetto photoshop skillz on the closing date on the postcard...one day i should take a class in phtoshop. for now though, this will have to do.

In Arabia We'd All Be Kings

Crickets around here lately, huh?

Prior experience around these parts would tell you that means one thing and one thing only...I've been in tech with the new show my company (The Elephant Theatre) opened tonight, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

It's amazing and beautiful and a complete 180º turn from the previous 2 shows I've run.

Please come support live theatre. In this so called "award season" for the movies, when everyone wants to go catch the "nominees" before the "big night," it can be a nice change to go see actors in the flesh give award winning performances of their own right.

There are a limited number of ½ price tickets through the usual outlets: Goldstar, Plays 411 and Theatre LA.

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i thought the holidays were over...

In the theatre world such a statement is very not true. Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer continues its run, post holiday style, until January 13th.

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An Elephant Holiday

Elephants party, Holiday style. Last Friday night. Rather mellow. Then again, I had to get up the next morning and lead a group of people around Union Station so I was tame that night. Odd I know, but that's the mood I'm in these days. It'll change mid-January, then I'll be as right as rain come March. It's interesting how our personalities cycle the same way, year after year....

A few photos from the gathering.

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no rest for the weary

18 days. 15 of those nights spent at the theatre. Most of those after spending all day at work.

Last December was a similar scenario.

Monday the 18th can't come quick enough.

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