Performing Artscenter

Announces

Updates to

American Ballet Theatre Engagement

The American Ballet Theatre engagement at the Orange County Performing Artscenter in 2008 will feature the West Coast premiere of a new ballet by Twyla Tharp – a co-commission with the Center – on August 6 in Segerstrom Hall. The world premiere will be in New York on June 3. Set to a commissioned score by Danny Elfman, the new ballet will include costumes by designer Norma Kamali and lighting by Brad Fields.

“We are thrilled to join ABT, one of our longest and most important artistic collaboratiors, in commissioning this new ballet,” said Center President Terrence W. Dwyer. “One aspect of being a great arts center is to be a part of the creation of new work, and this is a natural evolution of our long-standing commitment to dance and our great partnership with ABT.”

To accommodate ABT’s tour schedule, the Orange County Performing Artscenter performances have been rescheduled to August 6–10, 2008, rather than July 29–August 3, 2008 as originally announced. Subscribers to the Performing Artscenter’s International Dance Series are being contacted to arrange ticket exchanges. This engagement will mark American Ballet Theatre’s 20^th appearance at the Performing Artscenter, which has virtually become the company’s West Coast home.

The world’s leading choreographer of contemporary dance, Twyla Tharp continues to create works for leading companies around the world. The Tharp/Elfman collaboration marks her fifteenth work for American Ballet Theatre. Tharp’s association with the Company began in 1976 when she choreographed Push Comes to Shove. Her previous work for ABT was The Brahms-Haydn Variations, originally entitled Variations on a Theme by Haydn, in 2000.

The Tharp/Elfman collaboration will be Danny Elfman’s first composition for ballet. A three-time Academy Award®-nominated film composer, Elfman has created the scores for nearly 50 feature films including 12 with longtime collaborator Tim Burton. Elfman has scored such diverse films as Batman, Beetlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Chicago, Edward Scissorhands and Midnight Run, as well as the theme music for television’s The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives, among others.

Harald Lander’s Études will share the program with Twyla Tharp’s new work. Last performed by ABT in 2000, Études is set to music by Knudage Riisager, after Carl Czerny, and features costumes by Rolf Gerard and lighting by Nananne Porcher. The ballet was given its world premiere by the Royal Danish Ballet in 1948 and was danced by ABT for the first time in 1961. The revival of Études will be staged for ABT by Susan Jones.

Tango Buenos Aires | Performing Artscenter Debut
November 9–11, 2007

Experience the authentic tango spirit – seductive, sensual and invigorating. Tango Buenos Aires has become one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East as the most authentic and uncompromising representation of Tango. The Washington Post says, “… swirling, fast-paced tapestries of movement, laced with proud postures and sensual couplings.” Rhythms and flawless synchronization by the leading dancers and musicians from Argentina infuse this venerated dance art with the pulse of modern cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.

Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion | World Premiere
February 13–17, 2008

Following the phenomenal success of Kings of Dance, the Performing Artscenter presents another world premiere dance co-production with Ardani Artists showcasing an international dance superstar. Diana Vishneva is one of the world’s most glamorous and extraordinary dancers, worthy of this tribute. As the San Francisco Chronicle states: “Few ballerinas in recent memory have created quite a stir as the Kirov Ballet's Diana Vishneva.” The prima ballerina will perform a program of new ballets created for her by three distinct choreographers: Alexei Ratmansky, Moses Pendleton and Dwight Rhoden. Joining her for this world premiere will be members of the Kirov Opera, Ballet and Orchestra – and special guest artist Desmond Richardson.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
March 11–16, 2008
Judith Jamison, artistic director; Masazumi Chaya, associate artistic director

Few companies electrify an audience like the dancers of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – “the most gorgeous dancing you ever did see,” as New York Magazine wrote. Their phenomenal energy and commitment create life-affirming experiences. The always-astonishing Ailey returns to The Center with an array of classics and new works by today’s most inventive choreographers.

Teatro Alla Scala Ballet
June 17–22, 2008
Paolo Arcà, artistic director

The Orange County Performing Artscenter is proud to welcome the return of La Scala Ballet – the resident company of one of the world’s most esteemed theaters. Dance Magazine says, “the Scala dancing was masterly throughout.” The company’s original style and spectacular fashion are the result of long and fruitful associations with some of the greatest names in ballet. Today’s La Scala epitomizes a company built on an illustrious history with a vision and view to the future.

American Ballet Theatre
August 6–10, 2008
Kevin McKenzie, artistic director

“One of the most beautiful sights in dance is American Ballet Theatre in full flight,” says New York Post. Performing Artscenter audiences love ABT, and ABT loves the Performing Artscenter. ABT will perform the West Coast premiere of a co-commission with the Center: a new work by Twyla Tharp with score by Danny Elfman. Also on the program will be Harald Lander’s Études. The brilliant company and its galaxy of dance superstars captivate audiences with every move, whether enchantingly subtle or larger-than-life bravura.

Artists and programs are subject to change.

The Orange County Performing Artscenter is a private, non-profit organization. “Orange County Performing Artscenter” is a California registered trademark.

Orange County Performing Artscenter
The Orange County Performing Artscenter is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through an array of inspiring programs.

It owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater and the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center. These state-of-the-art facilities are united by a community arts plaza and outdoor performance venue.

The Performing Artscenter’s Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, along with facilities of the adjacent Tony® Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site for a future visual arts museum, are located within Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The Orange County Performing Artscenter presents a broad range of programming each season, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings and dancing on the plaza to many other special events.

It offers many programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach more than 500,000 students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

The Orange County Performing Artscenter is proud to serve as the artistic home to the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Opera Pacific and the Pacific Chorale.

The Center’s International Dance Series has been made possible by Audrey Steele Burnand. The Lead Sponsors for the 2007-2008 Season are Jane and Jim Driscoll. Additional support has been provided by Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances and Ameriprise Financial. Los Angeles Times is the exclusive media partner. Mercedes-Benz is a Presenting Sponsor of the Orange County Performing Artscenter’s 2007-2008 Season.

Single tickets for American Ballet Theatre will be $25-$95 and go on sale June 22, 2008 at the Orange County Performing Artscenter Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, by calling 714.556.2787 or online at www.OCPAC. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Performing Artscenter Group Sales office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746.

For more information, visit www.OCPAC.org.

CALENDAR LISTINGS

October 2007 – March 2008

October 26 – November 4

Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre

November 13 – December 16

Moulton Theatre Main Stage

Off-Broadway Hit Musical

Hank Williams: Lost Highway

Written by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik

November 13 – 16 Regular Run: November 18 – December 16

Country and Western music icon Hank Williams touched the hearts of millions of people during his short career. Now, his unique magic as a performer and the simple spell of his yearning songs return to life in this unforgettable musical tribute. Packed with familiar melodies – including “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” – the show recounts Williams’ often lonely journey from obscurity to super-stardom at the Grand Ole Opry. Though his life ended tragically, Williams’ legend lives on through songs that celebrate the tenderness of the heart and the hopefulness of the human spirit.

Casting has been announced for The Laguna Playhouse production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway, the Off Broadway hit musical about the life of country music legend Hank Williams that runs November 13 through December 16 at the Moulton Theatre in Laguna Beach.

Van Zeiler has been cast in the lead role of Hank Williams, the music icon who touched the hearts of millions in his short career. Zeiler portrayed Williams in previous productions of Lost Highway in San Diego, Nashville, New York and Arizona. He played the title role in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story in London and on UK/US tours. He has extensive NY and regional credits at Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, Looking Glass Theatre, CAP21, Transport Group, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Dallas Theatre Center, Arizona Rep, Kansas City Rep, New Harmony Theatre, Ordway Center, Princeton Rep, and Cortland Rep. Film/TV: “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” “Tad,” “Families at War” (BBC).

Other cast members include Mississippi Charles Bevel as Tee-Tot, Margaret Bowman as Mama Lily, Stephen G. Anthony as Hoss, Myk Watford as Jimmy Burrhead, Marc Baczynski as Leon Loudmouth, Mike Regan as Fred “Pap” Rose, Russ Weaver as Shag, Stephanie Cozart as the Waitress, and Regan Southard as Audrey Williams.

Director Randal Myler was nominated for a 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award (Best Director) for Hank Williams: Lost Highway, which he co-wrote and directed. He also wrote and directed the hit musical Love, Janis and received a Tony® nomination for It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues, which he co-authored and directed at Lincoln Center. He has examined the lives of The Mamas and the Papas (Dream a Little Dream), frequent co-writer Mark Harelik’s grandfather (The Immigrant), and John Denver (Almost Heaven and Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert). Regionally he has directed throughout the United States, including The Kennedy Center, the Mark Taper Forum, the Arena Stage, Actor's Theatre of Louisville and many others.

Hank Williams: Lost Highway is a musical tribute that traces the brief but stellar career of country music icon Hank Williams, who touched the hearts of millions of people through his memorable mystique as a performer and the simple spell of his yearning songs. Packed with familiar melodies, including “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” the show recounts Williams’ often lonely journey from backwards Alabama obscurity to super-stardom at the Grand Ole Opry. Though his life ended tragically, Williams’ legend lives on through songs that celebrate the tenderness of the heart and the hopefulness of the human spirit.

“Over the past 15 years The Laguna Playhouse has become one of the West Coast’s premier producers of small and mid-sized musicals, and Hank Williams: Lost Highway continues that tradition,” said Laguna Playhouse’s Artistic Director Andrew Barnicle. “The show was a hit Off Broadway, and I think it will strike a chord with our audience.”

December 17– 23

Moulton Theatre Special Engagement

Sister’s Christmas Catechism

Written by Maripat Donovan with Marc Silvia and Jane Morris
Directed by Marc Silvia

December 17-23

Think CSI: BETHLEHEM as Sister tackles the question that has been puzzling historians throughout the ages: What ever happened to the Magi's gold? Sister engages her audience to help solve the mystery through a forensic examination of the nativity scene. Sister hunts under the manger and over camel humps in her quest for clues.

January 1 – February 3

Moulton Theatre Main Stage

World Premiere

TRANCED

Written by Bob Clyman

January 6 – February 3, 2008

In this fast-paced, suspense-filled thriller by the author of The Laguna Playhouse hit drama, The Secret Order, an African graduate student comes to Dr. Philip Malaad, a respected psychiatrist and renowned specialist in clinical hypnosis, seeking relief from her panic attacks which began shortly after she observed a violent incident in her native country. After ‘trancing’ her, Dr. Malaad begins to suspect whatever she believes she witnessed may actually be concealing a repressed memory, one with profound consequences for many thousands of people unless someone quickly intervenes. Caught between his professional ethics and this large moral obligation, Malaad is soon pulled into a vortex of high-level political intrigue, forced to examine as never before the slippery nature of truth.

February 12 – March 16

Moulton Theatre Main Stage

Southern California Premiere

Red Herring

Written by Michael Hollinger

February 17 – March 16, 2008

Take three pairs of lovers, add an unsolved murder, several pinches of espionage, and pickle everything in a brine of early Cold War paranoia, and you have the ingredients for a side-splitting black comedy enmeshed in tangled romance. Why is Senator Joseph McCarthy’s daughter dating a would-be traitor? And what’s that supposedly dead Russian fisherman doing pretending to be feisty landlady Mrs. Kravitz’ deaf husband? Did we mention the pair of dogged gumshoes? And how does I Love Lucy and the H-Bomb fit into the plot? This spoof Red Scare drama will keep you reeling with laughter.

March 25 – April 27

Moulton Theatre Main Stage

World Premiere

BROWNSTONE

Written by Catherine Butterfield

March 30 – April 27, 2008

As the saying goes, “if only these walls could talk,” and in Catherine Butterfield’s imaginative new play they do! Set in a Manhattan brownstone, this play spans three contrasting eras and plays host to three very different sets of occupants. There’s the pampered rich young couple of the 1930s, eager for adventure in Paris. There are the starry-eyed aspiring actresses of the 1970s and the chillingly self-absorbed “power couple” of the new millennium. They all have dreams, but as events unfold they must learn to ride the shifting waves of fortune. These walls have stories – funny, tragic and mysteriously linked. From the author of The Playhouse hit comedy The Sleeper.

ABOUT LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE

www.lagunaplayhouse.com
606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, 92651

Laguna College Alumni, Faculty and Students Selected at

City of Laguna Beach Juried Fine Art Exhibit

Laguna College of Art & Design proudly boasts five college affiliated artists selected in this year’s City of Laguna Beach Juried Fine Art Exhibition. The juror, Laguna Beach gallery owner Peter Blake, selected 33 artworks from a pool of 147 submissions from artists throughout Orange County. The distinction of being juried into this show brings a level of prestige and professional acclaim to the talented alumni, faculty and students represented this year.

2007 Exhibitors
Katy Betz, 2006 Alumna: Anne-Liv Scott, 2003 Alumna; Ashlee Fletcher, Sophomore;
Eunice Choi, Senior; and Fred Hope, Fine Arts Faculty.

Each of the talented exhibitors brings their unique artistic style to the shows and exemplifies the mission of LCAD - - to prepare women and men for careers as creative artists and designers in a culturally rich and ethnically diverse environment.

“Our beret is off to the Arts Commission and Cultural Arts Manager Siân Poeschl for doing one more thing that keeps the buzz going in the visual arts in Laguna Beach. Great art matters, even on the walls at City Hall. My personal congratulations to the five artists associated with the Laguna College of Art & Design -- you are part of the next generation of great artists,” said LCAD President Dennis Power.

The exhibition is on display Mon-Fri from 8am-5pm through November 21 at Laguna Beach City Hall.

Images:
Katy Betz - “Sir Phylum the Fittest Sluggard”, oil on panel
Fred Hope - “Storm Bay”, oil on canvas

Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills
the 2008 Broadway theatre season
celebrating the rebirth of a legendary venue

The international Broadway sensation
Luis Bravo's Forever Tango
Four Performances only!
February 29 - March 2

Direct from London -- first ever U.S. National Tour Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down The Wind
Los Angeles premiere! Eight performances only!
April 22- 27

Janis Joplin. Her Words. Her Story. Her Music.
Love, Janis
Los Angeles premiere! Five performances only!
May 29 - June 1

The curtain rises on a spectacular new Broadway theatre season at the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., featuring three attractions that celebrate the rebirth of this legendary venue with shows from Broadway and London.

David Baron, president of Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills, has created this series to showcase “The best of Broadway in the best location in town. We are thrilled that we can bring great theatre right where our audience lives. I've talked to so many people who think that the best restaurants and the best shopping are in Beverly Hills - and our goal is to have the best live entertainment here as well.”

Fiery hot passion ignites on stage in Forever Tango from February 29 -March 2 for three performances only. Created and directed by Luis Bravo, the Broadway hit Forever Tango is sensuous and sophisticated, sleek and sexy. The production traces the Tango's colorful history, through music, dance, and dramatic vignettes, performed by an ensemble of dancers, musicians and singers.

Direct from London on its first ever U.S. National Tour, Whistle Down The Wind will have its Los Angeles premiere April 22-27. Based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell, and subsequent 1961 movie set in the U.K., the musical, with book by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Andrew Lloyd Webber and featuring music by Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman of "Meatloaf" songwriting fame, is now set in Louisiana in 1959.

Love, Janis plays in Los Angeles for the first time ever May 29-June 1. The life and music of rock-n-roll icon Janis Joplin explodes onto the stage. Joplin's journey is told in her own words through letters and interviews intertwined with performances of her greatest hits. Described as an electric musical event full of energy, the show was a critically acclaimed hit in San Francisco.

In the past few years, the Wilshire Theatre has been enjoying a new renaissance of live entertainment - and has become the Beverly Hills home for major Broadway touring productions, concerts, and special events. The theatre has been host for the national tours of “Cabaret” and “Fiddler on the Roof” starring Theodore Bikel, Billy Crystal's Broadway show "700 Sundays," Chris Botti Live in Concert featuring Sting and Paula Cole, Kenny G, Annie Lennox, James Taylor, and HBO's Def Comedy Jam featuring Dave Chappelle. With this musical series, new life is being breathed into this revitalized venue. Two of the attractions are being presented for the first time in the Los Angeles area.

About 2008 Wilshire Theatre Season

Luis Bravo's Forever Tango
February 29 - March 2

Luis Bravo's Forever Tango features an all Argentine cast who trace, through music, dance, song and dramatic vignettes, the Tango's colorful history for three performaces only at the Wilshire Theatre February 29 through March 2. The show contains 7 dance couples, who tango in their own unique styles, and an on-stage orchestra.

Sensuous and sophisticated, the tango inhabits a world where everything can be said with the flick of a leg, the tug of a hand, the tap of a foot and the arch of an eyebrow. The show was nominated for 4 New York Drama Desk Awards in 1998 and continued on an international tour including engagements in Mexico, Korea, Japan and Germany.

In a September 2007 interview for the Beaumont Enterprise, Argentinean impresario and creator of Forever Tango Luis Bravo said he created Forever Tango in 1990 essentially as a means to celebrate his culture and the practitioners of the genre.

According to Bravo, “The biggest joy of the tango is that you're dancing with someone but in a certain way, you're dancing by yourself. You're dancing your own pain, your own desire, your own melancholy, in ritualistic ways … the biggest challenge is to find a partner, to find chemistry with another … It's very important, the chemistry. It's like in life. The biggest challenge is to find a partner in life. The content is so intense and the dancing is so close. It's a code that belongs to the two. It's about secrets and how to reveal them.”

The tango symbolizes the upheavals men and women go through in relationships, breakups, reconciliations, seductions and flirtations - all the power plays, mood swings, wretched longings, mounting jealousies, abrupt rejections, dangerous flair-ups, swelling yearnings and warm embraces. The tango simultaneously alludes to Argentinean volatility over the eras as social, economic and political changes impacted the nation time and again, said Bravo. Therefore, according to Bravo, the dance winds up "unstable," "insecure," "emotional" and otherwise in flux. "That's why it can be melancholic, violent, tender, all in the course of three minutes."

In Forever Tango fourteen native dancers sporting more than 100 costumes, along with an 11-piece onstage orchestra and a vocalist, offer a putative history of the tango through personalized vignettes. One segment, for instance, symbolizes its raw origins in Buenos Aires bordellos that teemed with immigrants in the late 1800s; another routine flaunts some polished updates of modern European ballrooms that abound with glitzy sophisticates.

The revue employs only Argentinean dancers because the tango, as a kind of national lifeblood, courses through their veins, according to Bravo. Landing on Broadway in 1997 for a 14-month run and returning twice more to the Great White Way for short follow-up engagements, Forever Tango makes ample use of the bandoneon, an Argentinean accordion, often in standards such as "Besame Mucho."

The choreography - the show's most popular component, naturally - is a collaboration between the couples and Bravo, a professional cellist who specializes in Argentinean music and who helped arrange the songs in the entertainment.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's
Whistle Down the Wind
April 15-20

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind will have its Los Angeles premiere at the Wilshire Theatre April 15-20 as part of its first-ever U.S. National tour. Directed and produced by Bill Kenwright, the musical comes direct from a record-breaking West End engagement and United Kingdom sell-out tour.

Based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell, and subsequent 1961 movie set in the U.K., Whistle Down the Wind, with book by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Andrew Lloyd Webber and featuring lyrics by Jim Steinman of "Meatloaf" songwriting fame, is now set in Louisiana in 1959.

Featuring a host of award-winning songs including the Boyzone smash hit 'No Matter What,' Whistle Down the Wind tells the story of a young Louisiana girl who finds a mysterious stranger hiding in her barn. When she asks his identity-the first words he utters are 'Jesus Christ;' and it's as if all her prayers have been answered. While the townspeople are determined to find the escaped felon, she and her friends vow to protect him from the outside world.

This new American premiere production partners renowned top rock lyricist Jim Steinman (Meatloaf's classic album “Bat Out of Hell,” Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart”) and award-winning composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats, Evita, Joseph…) to create a melodic and haunting score that was inspired by the indigenous sounds of the American South - blues, gospel, country and rock 'n' roll.

Among the cast are Eric Kunze as The Man and Andrea Ross as Swallow, as well as, Dann Fink, Adam Shonkwiler, Austin J. Zambito-Valente, Nadine Jacobson, Carole Denise Jones, Greg Stone and Kurt Zischke. The ensemble includes Ryan Appleby, Renee Claire Bergeron, Al Bundonis, Raisa Ellingson, Elizabeth Earley, Alexis Hightower, Stephen Horst, James Jackson, Jr., Justine Magnusson, Jason Ostrowski, Thomas Rainey and Mickey Toogood.

Eric Kunze was most recently seen on the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar in the title role. His additional Broadway credits include Marius in Les Miserables, Chris in Miss Saigon and Joe Hardy in the revival of Damn Yankees. Kunze's co-star, Andrea Ross, is an Elliot Norton winner for her roles in Ramona Quimby, The Sound of Music and A Little Night Music. Ross' upcoming debut album, "Moon River," is produced by Whistle Down the Wind composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Bill Kenwright heads the United Kingdom's largest independent theatre and film production company. He has produced countless shows in London's West End, on UK tour and on Broadway. As a director, his credits include Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. He was nominated for a London Theatre Critics' award for West Side Story and a Tony award for Blood Brothers in New York.

The creative team for the national tour of Whistle Down the Wind includes costume and set design by Paul Farnsworth, choreography by Henry Metcalfe, musical direction by David Steadman, lighting design by Nick Richings and sound design by Ben Harrison.

Love, Janis
May 29 - June 1

Janis Joplin, the icon of 1960's rock music, comes to life on stage in both music and words from May 29 - June 1 at the Wilshire Theatre. Love, Janis explores the performer not only through her legendary songs, but also through the poignant and honest letters she wrote to her family.

Love, Janis has played to critical acclaim in New York and San Francisco. The New York Times described the musical line up as “just right…if there's a real authenticity to the music, it's probably because it was arranged and directed by Sam Andrew, an original member of Big Brother and the Holding Company and of Joplin's next group, The Kozmic Blues Band.” The San Francisco Chronicle went on to say “The experience is more like hearing Janis live than any recording ever captured.” Two actresses portray Janis Joplin in Love, Janis, one as the singing “public” Janis, and one as the non-singing private Janis.

The show begins as Janis is just starting out in the music industry, leaving her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, to travel to San Francisco. Here the audience witnesses several of her career milestones: auditioning for and signing with Big Brother for the first time, getting a big break at the Monterey International Pop Festival, and leaving the group to start her own band as a bona fide rock star.

Along the way, audiences get a glimpse of Janis' reactions to this journey in the stories she chooses to relay home to her family, seeing the girl who still wants her mother's advice and is desperate for news from home as well as the lonely life Janis faced performing on the road. And, ultimately, audiences witness the star's decline: her excessive abuse of drugs and alcohol, her fight to stay true to herself despite her fame, and her struggle to live up to the public persona associated with being Janis Joplin.

Inspired by sister Laura Joplin's book of the same title, Love, Janis, is told in Janis' own words (the entire spoken text comes directly from the actual letters Janis wrote home and her many print, radio, and television interviews.) These are intertwined with her legendary songs, resulting in a compelling portrait of an artist who just wanted to be remembered for her music…and her refusal to compromise.

About Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills
Originally named the Fox Wilshire, the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills opened its doors on September 19, 1930. Designed by renowned theater architect Charles S Lee, the Wilshire serves as an interesting example of Lee's early Art Deco style. With its rich plasterwork and heavy sculpture, the Wilshire is reminiscent of Lee's other early work like the Baroque masterpiece The Los Angeles Theater and the Tower. Lee would later become famous for his clean simple Art Deco lines with theaters like the Bruin and the Academy Theater.

Fox West Coast Theaters built The Wilshire to house their first run feature films. For the first 50 years of its life, the Wilshire served as one of the premiere movie palaces in Los Angeles and has hosted numerous premieres and special events. In November 1953 the Wilshire hosted the premiere of How to Marry A Millionaire starring Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall.

On Christmas Day of that year Walt Disney exhibited its new Grand Canyonscope - the first Donald Duck cartoon in Cinemascope which ran with the studio's classic feature 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Other notable events include 1960's special screening of GI Blues starring Elvis and attended by Ronald Regan and the 1970's exclusive engagement of the film Woodstock.
In 1981 the Wilshire Theater was renovated and converted to a stage venue.

The Wilshire has hosted numerous theater productions including its opening attraction of Henry Fonda in The Oldest Living Graduate, and national tours of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, A Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, Legends, Dreamgirls, Once on this Island and many others.

Season subscriptions for the three attractions are now available with preferred seating and a package discount at the Wilshire Theatre Box Office, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., and by phone at 323-655-0111. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster - online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at Ticketmaster at 213-365-3500, and all Ticketmaster outlets.


Sandra_Gabriel.jpg: "A Scene from Forever Tango"
Photo Credit: Forever Tango
Wilshire Temple Interior.jpg: "Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills"
Photo Credit: Wilshire Theatre
Love Janis LJ-006.jpg: "A Scene from Love, Janis"
Photo Credit: Love, Janis
08 - Kunze & Company.jpg: "ERIC KUNZE as The Man and the COMPANY of Whistle Down the Wind"
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

Professional Student/Gallery Mentoring Program
December 6, 2007 ~ 6-9 pm

The annual collaboration between Laguna College of Art & Design and First Thursday's Art Walk member galleries culminates on December 6 from 6-9 pm when 19 Laguna Beach galleries, volunteering as mentors, will feature original works by Fine Arts seniors of Laguna College of Art & Design during the Art Walk. The students will be present at each gallery exhibiting their work, which is available for sale. A percentage of sale proceeds will benefit the student artists, Laguna College’s Scholarship Fund, and the First Thursday’s Art Walk.

The Student/Gallery Mentoring Program, now in its 6th year, was launched by one of the original First Thursday’s Gallery member and current LCAD Professor Robin Fuld. The program pairs senior students in the Fine Arts Professional Studies class with First Thursday’s professional art galleries and is designed to demonstrate the intricacies involved in the business of operating a gallery and professionally exhibiting artwork. The program includes hands-on work with representatives from the galleries whose expertise helps guide the students and to broaden the scope of their art world experience.

Each gallery makes a substantial commitment of time and expertise to mentor LCAD students, and knows that their role as a mentor is a worthy investment. When asked why mentoring the students is important, gallery owner Marion Meyer remarked, “The relationship with current and former students from the college is very refreshing and valuable. I still have contact with students assigned to my gallery in past years and follow their careers as they stop by the gallery to see new shows. This year during Art Walk in June and July, I actually showed work created by the brother of the student who was featured during the Mentoring Program at my gallery in December 2006. Great connections are made, and the clients and collectors support it. It’s a win-win situation for all.”

An integral part of LCAD’s mission is to provide students with the skills and education necessary to prepare them for today's complex and changing job market. The success of the college depends on the accomplishment of its students and, in turn, the success of alumni resides in their ability to engage in fulfilling careers. “This year we have the most students and galleries participating to date. The success of the program has cemented such a strong relationship that many students are often hired by their mentor gallery during the semester as support staff. Many have then gone on to permanent gallery positions or representation- the mentoring continues. The connection is very rewarding for everyone involved,” said Robin Fuld Professor of Professional Studies and Career Placement Officer.

Gallery	Student
La Bottega Dell'Acquaforte	Chris Hill
The Redfern Gallery	Nicholas Enevoldsen
Bluebird Gallery	Megan Martin
DeRu's Fine Arts	Salem Cade
The Esther Wells Collection	Alexsandra Babic and Latife Warshawsky
Pure Laguna Beach	Hyemee Ahn
Mandarin Fine Art	Candice George
Dawson Cole Fine Art	Michael Harnish
Marion Meyer	Sara Miska
Whitney Gallery	Brendan Gilbert
Studio 7	Keri Jaggers
Cove	Jessica Papa
Endangered Planet	Francisca O'Toole
Studio Arts Gallery	Colleen Police
Gallery McCollum	Eunice Choi
Kush Fine Art	Hely Omar Gonzalez
Townley Fine Art	Christian Ramirez
Vintage Poster	Angela Kwac
Azali	Ha Young Choi

Student Images:
Eunice Choi, Oil
Jessica Papa, Watercolor
Nicholas Enevoldsen, Oil

Laguna College and Fairhaven Memorial Park present

Alumni and MFA Exhibition and Sale

“Capturing the Force of Stillness”_

Laguna College of Art & Design and Fairhaven Memorial Park are pleased to present Capturing the Force of Stillness. The exhibition and sale will feature more than fifty pieces of realistic and representational artworks by MFA students and alumni of Laguna College of Art & Design.

The century-old memorial park, which borders the cities of Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin, will present the exhibition in their spectacular Greek Revival Mausoleum. The venue is a stone and marble edifice, approximately 20,000 square feet in space and nestled within the park’s lush green grove of one-hundred-year-old twisted Monterey Cypress.

Built in 1916, the Mausoleum is included in the National Register of Historic Places and listed with the Historical Preservation Society. With 30 foot ceilings, marbled walls and floors, as well as poetically themed stained glass windows, the museum/cathedral-like quality of this stately monument promises to be a harmonious and elegant venue for the Fairhaven Mausoleum Art Exhibition.

Spanning four days, this show will be sponsored through the generosity of Fairhaven Memorial Park and produced in partnership with Laguna College of Art & Design. The exhibition kicks-off with the artist_s opening on September 8^th from 6:00-9:00pm where artwork will be viewed by candlelight, as it was in Europe centuries ago. This evening will also feature fine varietal wine and cheese tasting.

"This is a rare opportunity to experience a magnificent blending of so many of the arts," says Regina Jacobson, curator of the exhibition and exhibiting artist. "What strikes me most is what happens to realistic art in a space such as this; the pieces become intimate and more personal, especially when lit by candlelight. This event surpasses the idea of an art exhibit; it's an entire environment that promises to be truly inspirational. Please don't miss this one."

The exhibition and special events run November 8-11 at the Fairhaven Mausoleum located in the Fairhaven Memorial Park at 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana. Exhibition hours are Thursday from 6:00-9:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:00am-9:00pm, and Sunday from 12:00pm-6:00pm. Admission and parking are free.

The Newport Beach Film Festival & Orange County Film Society
Present the Premiere Screening of Sharkwater with Writer/Director Rob Stewart

Sharkwater - Premier

Thursday, Nov. 1st, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
Regency Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido
Newport Beach, CA 92663
949.673.8350

For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.

Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas.

Filmed in visually stunning, high definition video, Sharkwater takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Their unbelievable adventure together starts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives.

Through it all, Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed.

Stewart's remarkable journey of courage and determination changes from a mission to save the world's sharks, into a fight for his life, and that of humankind.

Stewart and members of his team will introduce the Premiere Screening.

Tickets for the Premiere Screening are $10 for Adults, $5 for Seniors and Students. Available at the Box Office.

Free for Orange County Film Society Members.

More about the film at Sharkwater.com.

The film will open nationwide November 2nd, 2007.