Method Fest is filmmaker’s chance to hit big time

JOYCE RUDOLPH

Dina Mande has a dream and hopefully it will be realized during the

Method Fest independent film festival continuing this week in

Burbank.

The Burbank resident pays the bills designing titles for feature

films and TV shows as art director for New Wave Entertainment in

Burbank.

But she hopes her experience completing projects once a month with

the organi- zation, Group101 Films, will be noticed when her short

“Small Change” is screened at 11:30 a.m. Sunday and 2 p.m. Wednesday

in the festival.

“I’m looking for representation by an agent or manager,” she said,

so she can become a professional film director. “Hopefully, one will

be in the audience and see my film short.”

The script was written by the film’s star, Ryan Parks, of North

Hollywood, who met Mande after seeing her work at another film

festival. He thought their styles were compatible and asked if she

would work with him on a project.

Parks’ story is about a gambler and his fiancee who discover a

magic coin. They put $4,000 down on a horse race to test the power of

the coin.

“We wanted to strike a balance between comedy and drama, so it’s a

real rollercoaster of a story,” Mande said.

She said the satisfaction of directing a film is seeing the

audience responses during the screenings.

“Hearing them laughing or gasping, you know whether your hard work

paid off,” she said. “It’s expense and backbreaking work, but if the

audience likes your work, you think, ‘All right. What’s next? What am

I going to do?’ ”

The sixth annual Method Fest independent film festival continues

through April 9 at the AMC Media Center 8 Theatres in Downtown

Burbank. For a schedule, go to www.methodfest.com.

Actor John Savage has been confirmed as one of the celebrity

judges for the Actor Competition finals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday

at the Castaway restaurant. Admission is free.

Festival passes for all Method Fest screenings, panels, work-

shops and parties are available for $150, with individual screening

tickets priced at $8. For ticket information, call (800) 965-4827 or

visit www.ticketweb.com.

SPECIAL EVENTS

BURBANK MENTIONED IN NEW BOOK

Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake and the Burbank Police Department are

a few of the places referred to in Michael Joens’ new book “An

Animated Death in Burbank.”

It’s the first in a series of murder mysteries published by St.

Martin’s Minotaur. The heroine, Det. Sandra Cameron, who is brought

onto a case when a fake suicide note is found that says “That’s All,

Folks!” During the investigation, she meets an attractive and newly

divorced fellow cop.

Joens has worked in the animation industry for many years at

Hanna-Barbera and DreamWorks and with his own Stillwater Production

Co. in Burbank.

Following publication of four novels, he decided to write a murder

mystery because he enjoys reading them himself and, as far as he

knows, none has ever been written with an animation theme.

“I thought it was a cool way to get into the genre,” he said.

The Aqua Dulce resident includes references in the book to places

in the Santa Clarita Valley as well as Burbank because, he said,

people like to see familiar things in books they read.

He refers to the Coco’s restaurant on Sand Canyon and one of his

detectives graduated from John Burroughs High School. But all

characters are fictional. He just uses the same procedures for

solving crimes that are used by the people he knows locally in law

enforcement.

Joens will be signing his book, “An Animated Death in Burbank,” at

2 p.m. today at the Burbank Central Library, 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd.,

Burbank. For more information, call 238-5600.

ROAD’ERS RIDE INTO KENNETH VILLAGE

Glendale’s Kenneth Village is the destination for the Road’ers Car

Club when it joins the Kenneth Village Merchants Assn. for the “Blast

to the Past 2” car show from 4 to 9 tonight.

More than 100 classic cars and hot rods will be lined up along

Kenneth Road between Grandview and Sonora avenues for the public’s

viewing pleasure. The shops will be open and there will be food and

dancing in the street to DJ Jim’s great oldies but goodies.

There will be raffles, 50/50 split-the-cash prize, and trophies

presented to the top cars in their class. Portions of the proceeds

will be donated to the Glendale Police Cops For Kids program.

For more information, call Rick Fox at 240-9461.

TOURS GIVEN OF CASA ADOBE DE SAN RAFAEL

Members of Glendale Beautiful are sponsoring an open house with

free tours from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Casa Adobe de San Rafael, 1330

Dorothy Drive, Glendale.

Glendale Beautiful members maintain the state historic landmark,

which was built in 1870 for Tomas Sanchez, the first sheriff of L.A.

County. The adobe contains period furnishings and historic artifacts

and photographs.

For more information, call 246-3634.

MANY CULTURES DEPICTED IN DANCE

Dances influenced by cultures around the world will be showcased

during the second annual “A Celebration of Dance,” sponsored by

Ballet of the Foothills, tonight at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

The eight companies participating are Backhaus Dance, Djanbazian

Dance Company, Pat Taylor’s Jazz Antigua, Halau Hula ‘O Kawahineali

‘Inoho ‘Ikeanuenue -- ‘Elua, Rosa Negra Flamenco, San Pedro City

Ballet, A Dancer’s Voice and Ballet of the Foothills.

Leading the performance is Jill Sanzo, director of Ballet of the

Foothills; Jamie Nichols, production coordinator; and Eileen Cooley,

technical director.

Showtime is at 8 tonight. Tickets range from $20 to $25. For

reservations, call 243-2539. The Alex Theatre is at 216 N. Brand

Blvd, Glendale.

YOUTH EXPO AT CREATIVE ARTS CENTER

The city of Burbank and the Burbank Fine Arts Federation along

with the Creative Arts Center Gallery is presenting the annual Youth

Art Expo featuring work by students in Burbank schools from grades

kindergarten through 12th.

Themed “Up, Up and Away ... With Art!”, the exhibit continues

through April 22.

The display is at the Creative Arts Center Gallery, 1100 W. Clark

Ave., Burbank. An opening reception and awards ceremony for

elementary school artists is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9

a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. For more

information, call 238-5397.

ALLIANCE REPERTORY PRESENTS ‘CATALPA’

Alliance Repertory Company in Burbank presents the West Coast

premiere of “Catalpa,” written by Donal O’Kelly and directed by

Kristin Horton.

This one-man show stars Michael Cassady as Matthew Kidd, an

unsuccessful screenwriter, whose recent rejection by Hollywood film

executives launches him into an impromptu performance playing all the

characters in his feature script “The Catalpa.” It is based on the

true story of a daring rescue of six Irish Fenian prisoners from an

Australian penal colony in 1875.

Performances are 8 tonight and 7 p.m. Sunday and continue at 8

p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and April 14, 15, 16 and 17. Tickets are $12

and are available through www.tix.com or by calling (800) 595-4849.

The Alliance Theatre is at 3204 W. Magnolia Blvd in Burbank.

‘EVERYTHING DIES IN WINTER’ EXTENDS RUN

By popular demand, Glendale’s Action/Reaction Theater Company has

extended until April 18 the production of “Everything Dies in Winter”

by Dennis Pratt. This weekend’s performances are sold out.

When a mysterious, dangerous Vietnam veteran comes to visit an

aging couple, deeply buried secrets are uncovered, while a young

woman fights to save her baby from the cycle of family violence.

Michael Holmes directs the play.

The show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m.

Sundays. Tickets are $15 with student and senior discounts. For

reservations, call 786-1045. The Action/Reaction Theater Company

makes it home at the Verdugo Woodlands Dad’s Club, 1728 Canada Blvd.,

Glendale.

COLLEGE STAGES ORIGINAL PLAY

The Theatre Arts Department is producing “Run for the Roses,” an

original play written by Brent Falco, at the Glendale Community

College Auditorium Studio Theatre.

Performances are at 8 tonight and 2 p.m. Sunday and continue at 8

p.m. Thursday, Friday and April 10.

Set in Kentucky, the play is about a traditional, multigener-

ational family and their attempts to explain family secrets and

connect with one another after the death of the family matriarch. It

is set against the backdrop of the Kentucky Derby. Paityn James is

the daughter and Nancy Greene plays the mother.

The play is directed by guest artist and former GCC student Matt

Foyer.

Reservations are strongly recommended due to limited seating in

theater. There is no late seating.

Tickets are $10, $6 for students and seniors. For reservations,

call 240-1000, ext. 5618.

‘MATCHMAKER’ CONTINUES PREVIEWS THIS WEEKEND

Glendale’s A Noise Within is producing “The Matchmaker,” Thornton

Wilder’s comic adventure that inspired the Broadway hit “Hello,

Dolly!”, in preview performances continuing this weekend.

Horace Vandergelder gets more than he bargains for when he employs

the services of Mrs. Dolly Levi, the matchmaker and life force

extraordinaire.

Show times are 8 tonight and 7 p.m. Sunday. The play opens at 8

p.m. Friday and runs in rotation with “Electra” and “Twelfth Night”

through May 13. Tickets range from $20 to $40. For reservations, call

240-0910. A Noise Within makes its home at 234 S. Brand Blvd.,

Glendale.

ART EXHIBITS

ONE-WOMAN SHOW RETURNS TO DESCANSO

Ruth Basler Burr returns to Descanso Gardens for her 34th annual

one-woman art exhibit. The former La Canada Flintridge resident,

whose paintings and prints are in collections worldwide, will show

watercolors, oils and tapestries, all capturing tranquil spots at

Descanso and throughout the world. This year’s exhibit is titled

“Peaceful Places.”

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

free with gardens admission. The exhibit continues through Thursday.

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 $6; $4 for seniors and students; $1.50 for children 5 to 12, and

free for members and children 5 and younger. For information call

949-4200 or visit www.Descanso Gardens.org.

GLENDALE ART GROUP HAS SPRING SHOW

Works of members of the Glendale Art Assn. are on display in the

Spring Art Exhibit at the First German United Methodist Church in

Glendale.

The display is in the church auditorium, which is graced by

beautiful stained-glass windows. The original paintings are for sale

and include oils, watercolor, acrylic and mixed media. Subjects are

abstracts, landscapes, city scenes, floral and animals.

Guests can view the display from noon to 1 p.m. every Sunday

during the church coffee hour, or by appointment by calling 242-2495.

The exhibit continues until April 13. The church is at 556 W.

Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale.

LOTS OF FUN IN BRAND GALLERIES

Fun, color and lightness of spirit define the two exhibits at the

Brand Library Art Galleries in Glendale.

Carolyn Applegate creates chairs, wall plaques and large hangings

from various colors of pantyhose, clipped and stuffed with filling

into hundreds of round balls. The first impression is one of awe,

wonder and amusement, as her art explores a new medium well outside

traditional paint or clay. The works are life-sized and beyond, as

the viewer becomes surrounded by her playful world of installation

art.

J.J. L’Heureux’s works in the Atrium Gallery are collages

incorporating colorful European cheese wrappers and thread. Her use

of found (but not often in this country) paper products with more

traditional “women’s work” thread and sewing designs also presses the

limits of what constitutes artists’ materials and art itself.

Hours are 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 1 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The exhibit continue

until April 17. Admission is free. Brand Art Galleries are in Brand

Park at 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale.

SCULPTOR-PAINTER AT STEPHANIE’S GALLERY

Works by sculptor-painter Emil Kazaz of Los Angeles are now on

display at Stephanie’s Gallery in La Canada Flintridge.

Kazaz won one of the five gold medals for the sculpture category

in the fourth International Biennale Exhibition in December in

Florence, Italy.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and

10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is at 466-C Foothill

Blvd., La Canada Flintridge. For more information, call 790-4905. The

exhibition continues through April.

‘STORIES IN WATERCOLOR’ AT FOREST LAWN MUSEUM

Glendale artist Vince Takas gives a watercolor tour of Italy with

his exhibit at the Forest Lawn Museum.

His work features a visit to the Rialto, and Venice with its

canals and quaint little streets; the lush green landscapes of

Ireland, and a glimpse of everyday American life with simple scenes

such as a bicycle leaning against a house to Phillippe’s Restaurant

in Los Angeles, where coffee is still only five cents a cup.

In addition to the exhibit, a series of community events,

including a painting workshop led by the artist, is planned.

Takas has worked for the Walt Disney Co. since 1991. Prior to

moving to California, he worked as a police officer for the state of

New York.

The exhibit continues until April 18. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

daily. Admission is free. Forest Lawn Museum is at 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale. For more information, call (800) 204-3131.

ON STAGE

‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ ENDS RUN AT CENTRE THEATRE

The musical “Guys and Dolls” ends its run at 8 tonight at Glendale

Centre Theatre.

Gambler Sky Masterson makes a bet with Nathan Detroit that he can

coerce Sarah Brown, who runs a street mission, to go to Havana with

him. Detroit has been stalling marrying his fiancee, Adelaide.

Tickets range from $18 to $21. There is a $1 processing fee per

ticket. Group rates are available.

The next production is the comedy, “Room Service,” which opens

Wednesday. The special opening night ticket price is $14.

Written by John Murray and Allen Boretz, the play is directed by

Gabrielle Decuir. It’s a romp about the misadventures of a penniless

producer stuck in a single hotel room with the entire cast of his

failing show. His comedic attempts to keep them from being evicted

continue to backfire.

For children, the theater is producing “Sleeping Beauty” at 11

a.m. each Saturday through June 26. There are talking dragons, silly

fairies and special effects in this musical. Tickets are $12, $10 for

children.

For reservations, call 244-8481. The theater is at 324 N. Orange

St., Glendale.

‘MAGIC FLUTE’ CONTINUES AT FALCON THEATRE

“The Magic Flute,” adapted from Mozart’s comic opera, continues

today at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank.

This musical is a new production for youngsters with book, lyrics,

musical adaptation and direction by Dimitri Toscas.

In an enchanted land of spells and dragons, the Queen of the Night

has locked the Sun away. The musical takes an adventurous young man,

a mysterious maiden and a Phoenix on a magical musical quest to

rescue the Sun.

Performances are at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 3 p.m. Sundays

through May 22. Tickets are $12, $10 for ages 12 and younger. The

theater is at 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank. For reservations, call

955-8101.

‘CREDEAUX CANVAS’ AT THE VICTORY

The vs. Theatre Company is making its debut with the West Coast

premiere of “The Credeaux Canvas” continuing at The Little Victory

Theatre Center in Burbank.

An art student, real estate agent and a waitress collaborate to

con a wealthy widow into buying a forged painting attributed to a

little-known French artist, Jean-Paul Credeaux.

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

through April 24. Tickets are $20. For reservations, call 426-6053.

The theater is at 3324 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank.

‘JOHNNY BOY’ OPENS AT THE FALCON

The world premiere of Jeff Mandels’ “Johnny Boy” opens tonight at

the Falcon Theatre.

Directed by Arnold Margolin, this drama is about a family’s

struggle to raise two teenage boys, one confined to a wheelchair, as

they come of age against the backdrop of the historic 1955 Yankees

vs. Dodgers World Series.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m.

Sundays. Tickets range from $25 to $37.50, with $20 rush tickets

available a half-hour before each performance, subject to

availability. The play continues until May 9.

For reservations, call 955-8101. The theater is at 4252 Riverside

Drive, Burbank.

* If you have news 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.