Unique creative team back at Alliance Repertory

48 HOURS

Fans of theater in the round will be intrigued by an interactive

technique being implemented by the Alliance Repertory Company, one in

which the audience sits alongside the actors on the set.

Producing Director Scott Campbell believes environmental staging

is more interesting than the more passive experience of watching a

movie.

“In this type of theater, we want the audience to take a very

active role in viewing the story,” he said. “So if there is a bar

scene in a play, you could very well be sitting at the bar right next

to the actors.”

For example, in the present production, “The Hostage,” which

opened last weekend, the set is designed like a pub in Dublin,

Ireland in 1960. The pathway leading to the set has been decorated so

the public gains a sense of entering the pub, Campbell said.

This idea is not new to the 17-year-old company. It was tried by

the artistic minds running the company 10 years ago. The team is now

back with a few new names.

Kristen Cloke returned to the Alliance as artistic director a

little more than three years ago, and has won several Ovation awards.

Along with Cloke, Suzan Fellman came back and produced “A Night and

Her Stars.”

Campbell returned to the fold two years ago, and, with Fellman,

co-produced “Seduced.” Also returning was set designer Matthew

Jacobs, whose work received high critical acclaim in the early 1990s,

Campbell said.

Fresh to the crew is director Stephanie Shroyer.

“We’ve worked with her at another theater,” Campbell said. “She

has got a great reputation all over Los Angeles for environmental

staging.”

Getting the old group back together is pretty exciting, Campbell

said.

“We’ve gone away for 10 years and learned a lot and now we’re back

to see what we’ve learned and give it another go,” he said.

What makes the pot sweeter, Campbell added, is getting Ovation

award-winner Morlan Higgins to come aboard and star in “The Hostage.”

Campbell is eager to see these minds come together, because they

have been so successful individually.

“There is a lot of quality theater in town but this particular

style and the collaborative process I think is unique to Burbank and

Los Angeles. Especially at the 99-seat level.”

“The Hostage” is the kickoff production for the new season, a

season filled with provocative plays, Campbell said.

“For a play written in 1958, Brendan Behan’s modern classic is

awfully relevant to today’s times,” Campbell said. “It touches upon a

lot of the struggles we’re facing today, but does it with song, dance

and a lot of levity.”

Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 p.m.

Sundays. The theater is at 3204 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank. Ticket

prices are $20, and can be reserved by calling (800) 595-4849.

SPECIAL EVENTS

‘A WORLD OF JAZZ’ BENEFITS CHILDREN

From swing to Latin to smooth, all forms of jazz will be perform

by 21 bands at the third annual Glendale Jazz Festival “A World of

Jazz” sponsored by the Glendale Kiwanis from noon to 11 p.m. today on the campus of Glendale Community College.

The event benefits the Glendale Kiwanis charities including

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Glendale Library Children’s Reading

Programs, Little League Baseball and Softball and others, said

Richard Slavett, event chairman and incoming president.

Tickets are $25 and $10 for students with identification. Children

under 12 are admitted free. Tickets after 7 p.m. are $15. Tickets for

admission and gourmet dinner are $60. There are still openings for

the two seatings at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., but requisite reservations

can be made by calling 734-3234.

BIG BAND MUSIC CONTINUES AT MOOSE LODGE

The Bobby Perino Orchestra is continuing its series “Big Band

Dancing at the Moose” from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Moose Lodge,

357 Arden Ave.

Guests can exhibit their ballroom and swing dancing skills to an

11-piece orchestra playing the standards from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Dance styles are East and West Coast swing, waltzes, foxtrots

and mixers. Latin dance styles include cha-cha, rumbas, mambos and

tangos.

Admission is $6. For information, call 240-1505.

PASADENA POPS OPENS

SUMMER SEASON AT DESCANSO

The Pasadena Pops Orchestra’s summer season begins at 7:30 p.m.

tonight at Descanso Gardens with a “Red, White and Blue” salute to

the Fourth of July, featuring music of the Andrew Sisters.

Then it’s a night of music “Fit for a King,” with highlights from

“The King and I” and Elvis, July 18 and 19, followed by a dance theme

on Aug. 15 and 16. “Beyond the Stars” is the topic Sept. 5 and 6 and

Cherish the Ladies, a non-subscription event, is Aug. 2.

Rachael Worby is music director and conductor.

For tickets, call (626) 792-7677.

PLAY DEALS WITH

SEARCH FOR ACCEPTANCE

The Arena Theater’s first production, “Props,” by contemporary

Armenian writer Aghasi Ayvazyan, has its final show at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday at MGN Paradise Studios, 1631 Maria St., Burbank. Anahid

Aramouni Keshishian directs the play

The story deals with the ongoing search for meaning and acceptance

-- lucidly abandoning four figures on stage, forcing them to create

and live among newly established borders of thought. Through absurd,

yet earnest verbal explorations, the characters inspire an aura of

intensity as they search for their place in their infinite

surroundings.

Tickets are $20, and $15 for students with identification.

Tickets are available at Abril Bookstore at 243-4112, Sardarabad

bookstore at 500-0790, IBEN Printing at 246-5553, or by calling

517-9896 or 240-7080.

ON STAGE

CENTRE THEATRE

OFFERS ‘THE MUSIC MAN’

Real-life husband and wife, Bill Lewis and Charlotte Carpenter of

Burbank, are starring in Glendale Centre Theatre’s romantic musical

“The Music Man” by Meredith Willson.

Lewis is also directing the play about a fast-talking,

fly-by-night salesman who falls in love with River City’s no-nonsense

librarian. Lewis plays Harold Hill opposite Carpenter’s Marian Paroo.

“The Music Man” continues through July 12. Tickets range from $14

to $17.

“Cinderella” ends its run today. Showtime is at 11 a.m. Tickets

are $12, and $10 for children. For reservations, call 244-8481.

Glendale Centre Theatre is at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale.

THEATRE BANSHEE

PRODUCING ‘RED NOSES’

The laughs continue over at the Gene Bua Theatre in Burbank with

Peter Barnes’ “Red Noses” produced by Theatre Banshee.

Directed by Glendale resident Sean Branney, the play is known as

the funniest ever written about the Black Plague. It’s the tale of a

priest who decides to fight the plague’s suffering by becoming a

clown. He and his followers spread medieval mirth and merriment and

confront forces darker than the plague itself.

The company’s last production, “The Weir,” received awards last

year from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Backstage West, the Valley

Theatre League and received three L.A. Weekly Award nominations.

Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays

through July 13. The Gene Bua Theatre is at 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd.,

Burbank. Tickets are $15, and $12 for students, seniors and groups.

For reservations, call 628-0688.

COLONY’S ‘THE NERD’ WANDERS ONTO CENTER STAGE

The Colony Theatre Company is producing Larry Shue’s comedy “The

Nerd,” starring French Stewart from the TV show “Third Rock From the

Sun.”

Directing the play is David Rose who was also at the helm of the

Colony’s “Fuddy Meers,” and “The Man Who Came To Dinner.”

The story is about a former GI who finally meets the guy who saved

his life. The man, however, turns out to be a bumbling oaf with no

social sense, little intelligence and less tact.

Show times for are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m.

Sundays through July 6. Tickets range from $29 to $35 with discounts

for students and seniors. For reservations, call 558-7000. The Colony

makes its home at the Burbank Center Stage, 555 N. Third St.,

Burbank.

TRANSFORMATION IS THEME OF FOLK TALES AT VICTORY

Three companies have merged their expertise on a magical theater

experience for the whole family titled “When Tigers Smoked Long

Pipes,” continuing at 8 tonight at The Victory Theatre Center in

Burbank.

The collaboration is between The Victory Theatre, The Lodestone

Theatre Ensemble and The Orphans Theater Company.

Angela Kang of Orphans Theater Company, wrote the play, which is

receiving its world premiere at The Victory. Robert Shinso, who is

Lodestone Theatre Ensemble’s actor-director-technical expert, has

created the sets.

The production is a series of five Korean folk tales with the

common theme of transformation.

Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m.

Sundays through July 20. The Victory Theatre Center is at 3326 W.

Victory Blvd., Burbank. Tickets are $15, $13 for students, $11 each

for groups, and $5 for children accompanied by an adult. For

reservations, call 841-5421.

GLENDALE ACTOR IN ‘BACKWARDS AORTA’

Actor Michael Fairman of Glendale is appearing in “The Backwards

Aorta,” a one-act comedy about love destined and love lost, at the

Flight Theater at the Complex in Hollywood.

Fairman played Adlai Stevenson, the U.S. ambassador to the United

Nations, in the film “Thirteen Days,” about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“The Backwards Aorta” is written by Danny Lane and directed by

Robert D’Avanzo.

Show times are 8 tonight and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 with

discounts for groups. The theater is at 6472 Santa Monica Blvd.,

Hollywood. For reservations, call (877) 407-7499.

ART EXHIBITS

PAINTINGS ON EXHIBIT AT WAX POETIC SALON

Under the title, “Maladies and Other Disappointments,” Chad Bell

is showing his most recent collection of oil paintings at Wax Poetic

Salon in Burbank.

The self-taught draftsman and sculptor, Bell was inspired by the

loose paint strokes of Lucian Freud’s later pieces and turned to

painting. He is also influenced by the works of Egon Schiele, Chuck

Close, and the dark sensibilities attributed to the folk of the

upper-Midwest.

The exhibit runs through Monday. Wax Poetic Salon, specializing in

skin care, waxing and massage, is also a boutique and art gallery. It

is at 3208 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.

ARTISTS SHOW AT DESCANSO

“Impressions of Nature” by three artists are on display at the

Boddy House Gallery at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge.

Fealing Lin, an award-winning watercolor artist, offers her work

of landscapes, cityscapes and florals.

Vicki D. Thomas, also a watercolor artist, shows paintings of the

snow-swept Sierras near Bishop in addition to showing limited edition

and giclee prints, hand-woven tapestries, hand-painted tea sets and

music boxes.

Anne Sears, a ceramic artist, displays hand-built porcelain and

stoneware pieces with the look of basketry, trays and vases with leaf

impressions and tree designs.

The exhibit continues through Thursday.

The Boddy House Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and

accessible by foot path or, in the afternoons, by tram. Admission is

free with admission to the Gardens.

Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Parking is free. Admission fees

are $5; $3 for seniors and students; $1 for children 5 to 12, and

free for members and children 5 and younger. For more information,

call 949-4200.

WOODTURNERS SHOW WORKS AT BRAND

The Glendale Woodturners Guild and the American Assn. of

Woodturners are combining in a wood-turning exhibit “Trees to

Treasures -- American Assn. of Woodturners Put a Lid on It” at Brand

Library Art Galleries in Glendale.

The Glendale Woodturners Guild, one of the largest and most

award-winning wood organizations in the United States, will present

more than 140 selected works by local turners.

The exhibit continues through July 5. Gallery hours are 1 to 9

p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday and 1 to 5 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Admission to the galleries and reception are

free. Brand Art Galleries are in Brand Park at 1601 W. Mountain St.,

Glendale. For more information, call 548-2051.

A LITTLE JAZZ WITH DINNER

RESTAURANT OFFERS MUSIC FROM ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s

The Oceanview Bar and Grill offers live entertainment six nights a

week for diners.

Entertainers perform a combination of piano and jazz guitar

pieces, and some accompany with vocals. Musical selections include a

mix of music from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s to opera to Celine Dion.

Some entertainers also perform their original pieces and invite

diners to sing along with them.

Jennifer Russell and Michael Gayle sing jazz while playing piano

and guitar from 7 to 10 tonight. Singing behind the piano the rest of

the week are Bill Howe on Monday; Travis Warren, Tuesday; Mary Ekler,

Wednesday; Alexandra Caselli, Thursday; and Bob Fetherolf, Friday.

The Oceanview Bar and Grill is at 3826 Ocean View Blvd. For more

information, call 248-2722.

JAX OFFERS SUPPER, JAZZ EVERY NIGHT

Jax Bar and Grill is a supper club offering live jazz every night

of the week.

Show times are 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 p.m. to

1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Happy Hour Jazz is 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Tonight, the spotlight shines on Laurie Melan Quartet. Brian

Elliot and Friends performs Sunday. The schedule for the week is Bob

Christy Quartet on Monday; Danny Weinstein and Viva on Tuesday;

Harold Bennett on Wednesday, Jack Sheldon on Thursday; and Karen

Hernandez Trio on Friday.

Jax is at 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. For more information, call

500-1604.

* If you have press releases for the 48 Hours column, please call

JOYCE RUDOLPH at 637-3241 or e-mail joyce.rudolph@latimes.com or fax

them to 241-1975.