On the Town: A great week for learning and the arts
This past week marked the celebration of two openings as Burbank’s Colony Theatre staged a gala opening-night reception and performance of the second production of its 40th season, and the Friends of the Burbank Public Library presented its annual Trivia Challenge to raise funds for the literacy department’s work in opening the world of reading and writing to those who struggle with those skills.
The Ritz Banquet Hall at St Leon’s Cathedral served as the venue for the Friends of the Library’s Trivia Challenge that saw the event’s host, Burbank’s Deputy City Manager Justin Hess, joined by master of ceremonies, Jack O’Neill, in welcoming more than 200 supporters to last Thursday’s fundraiser.
This year’s challenge, chaired by Jennifer Dance, who serves as the city’s literacy librarian, saw 16 three-person teams vie for the title of Burbank’s trivia champs.
Among those who cheered on the knowledgeable gladiators were Burbank Library Services Director Sharon Cohen, Assistant Library Services Director Melissa Potter and Literacy Core Committee members Susan Borders, Jeanell Dennis, Anahid Hartounian, Vahe Hovanessian, Donna LeCompte, Irene Kunze, Susan Miceli, Sherre Nakamura, Roxanne Roske and Susan Spears.
The evening culminated with the team of Paul Grimshaw, Erik Warfield and John Trapnel, representing the local comic book shop House of Secrets, taking top honors with John Joyce, Paul Tidwell and Jaime Torres of the Burbank City Employees Assn. coming in second.
During 2013, Burbank’s literacy program helped more than 50 adults improve their lives by providing free one-on-one tutoring. The funds raised at last week’s challenge will help finance the program’s 2014 continuation.
Transitioning from the didactic to the dramatic, a full house of Colony Theatre supporters assembled to enjoy a pre-show reception prior to the West Coast premiere of playwright Pearl Cleage’s “What I Learned in Paris” on Saturday evening.
The production, directed by Saundra McClain and starring Tony winner L. Scott Caldwell, chronicles the rapidly changing social culture of 1973 Atlanta in the wake of the city electing its first African American mayor.
Among those who arrived via the red carpet to enjoy the evening’s festivities and performance were Burbank Mayor David Gordon, Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy, City Manager Mark Scott and actress Loretta Devine, who is best known for her roles as Marla Hendricks in the series “Boston Public” and her recurring role as Adele Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy,” for which she won a 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series.
“What I Learned in Paris” will run at the Colony Theatre in downtown Burbank through Oct. 5.
For more information and tickets, call the Colony Theatre Box Office at (818) 558-7000, Ext. 15, or visit https://www.ColonyTheatre.org.
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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
