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10/16: JOBS

losangelesartresource — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:00:10 +0000

Full-time Faculty Position at LAAFA Youth Speak is hiring! – Director of Development (JOB) Exe

Newport Beach Vineyards & Laguna Playhouse present Summer Solstice with Shakespeare

Off the Menu OC — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:28:06 +0000

“Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used,” wrote William Shakespeare.

Wine and Shakespeare will both be well used when Newport Beach Vineyards & Winery and The Laguna Playhouse team up to present “First Summer Night in the Vineyards,” an evening of wine, food and frivolity on Wednesday, June 20—the first official evening of summer.

“We decided to pair the Playhouse and the Winery by presenting theatre in the vineyards, and what better day to do that than the summer solstice,” says Justin Myers, managing director for Newport Beach Vineyards and a board member of Laguna Playhouse. “We’re erecting a small stage in front of the vines near the wine cave.”

That stage will be used to present short vignettes from two of Shakespeare’s most popular plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew.

Starring in the vignettes is Stasha Surdyke, a professional chef turned actress who also writes the Coastal Food and Wine blog and website. Surdyke was last seen at the Laguna Playhouse in An Empty Plate at the Café du Grand Boeuf, and most recently received rave reviews for her performance in Noel Coward’s Private Lives at GTC Burbank.

Heidi Miller & Stasha Surdyke Richard Moriarty & Stasha Surdyke

“Having visited Newport Beach Vineyards on several occasions for different events, I cannot think of a more perfect backdrop to support an evening of Shakespeare,” says Surdyke.

Surdyke is also looking forward to sampling some of Newport Beach Vineyards’ finest wines, including the 2009 OC Red (Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc), 2005 Wretched Excess (a classic Bordeaux blend), and a flight tasting of the 2008, 2007 and 2006 Back Bay Cuvee, which features various combinations of Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, all grown by winery owner Richard Moriarty on his estate near Newport’s back bay.

“Not only do the vineyards provide a romantic atmosphere to support the Bard’s classics, the winery is producing some of the most bold and dynamic wines I’ve tasted in a long time,” notes Surdyke. “The Back Bay Cuvee is a surefire winner, and I think Shakespeare himself could not have come up with a more appropriate name then Wretched Excess.”

Also being poured that evening are wines from Rugg Winery, made by the Sommelier for Villa Nova Restaurant.

Hyatt Regency Irvine is providing the cuisine, which includes Cured Pork Sausage with Paprika and Sour Dough Bread, California Halibut Fritters with Saffron Aioli, Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Sweet Onion Sauce, Crispy Salt and Pepper Free Range Chicken Wings with Almond Spicey Lemon Glaze, and an Artisanal Cheese Selection. Justin’s mother, Cherri Penne-Myers, is making her signature Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

Cost is $90 per person. Proceeds benefit The Laguna Playhouse. Various sponsorship levels are available, as is a special VIP experience that includes tastings of rare wine and a tour of the estate.

For more information, visit www.LagunaPlayhouse.com or call (949) 497-2787 ext. 217.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings at the beach

awaketodream — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:24:10 +0000

Huge thanks to Laguna Playhouse again for the fabulous digs they have put me in during TICKLED PINK.
Whale AND dolphin sighting during my morning walk along the beach today.
WOW!!!

Pink in Laguna

awaketodream — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:47:01 +0000

Sorry for the delay in the update. Since so much has happened I am gonna keep it simple and pictorial. Here we go:

Bangor was kind enough to give me one last snow before I headed back home.

Here is the courtyard in front of the Chuck late one night after a preview.

And then we came to opening night!

That’s me bundled up in the lobby!

After a wonderful month in Maine, it was time to say goodbye -

to the fantabulous folks at Penobscot Theatre, my charming hosts at the Charles Inn, and…

Hailey - our hotel mascot!

I got in a brief visit to Boston to play with my besty, Megan, and her besty, Topher.

Please note the BEST name of a bar EVER!!!!

And then home to LA, a howdy to my beloved KC and on to Laguna Beach. Having a blast working with Martin Bergman, Rita Rudner and the awesome folks of TICKLED PINK at Laguna Playhouse. Many thanks to Annie Wareham for the opportunity. And for the REALLY cool digs (as you can see by the view from my front door!)

My awake dreams are pretty great right now!!!

Home stretch

awaketodream — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:20:39 +0000

After several days of record breaking 80+ degree heat in Bangor, we went into tech as the temps dropped back to freezing. Some are sad to see the beautiful days go but I gotta tell you, it makes two long tech days easier to get through if you aren’t yearning for the sunshine outside! (Besides, I already had to go out and buy cooler clothing and now my suitcase is going to be overweight for the return flight.)

And our tech went really well. You know you have a fantabulous team when you get through the show fast enough to have time for scene work on Saturday night and get in two solid dress/tech runs on Sunday. It looks and sounds BEAUTIFUL!!! The story telling continues to grow and strengthen. Now it should get “stronger, faster, bigger, better”!!

Tomorrow is our first audience and it is a “Pay what you want” so it could get VERY interesting! Alice joins us tomorrow as well so I am anxious to get her response.

We open this weekend and then I am back to LA. Actually, on to Laguna Beach to assist Martin Bergman on his and Rita Rudner’s new comedy TICKLED PINK at Laguna Playhouse. Thanks tons to Annie Wareham for bringing me in on the project. I can’t wait to work with Martin and spend several weeks at the beach! Thaw out after Maine, right?

Cheers to all!

JSerra Student on Crew for Looking for Home at Laguna Playhouse

JSerra Blog — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:00:44 +0000

The Laguna Playhouse debuted “Looking for Home,” a story about the Orphan Trains, this past weekend, and your last chance to see the play is this coming weekend, November 10-13. JSerra student Bridget Kavanaugh is on the crew for the play.

Looking For Home is a new musical that examines the historical railroad transporting of orphaned children from the streets of New York City to the Great Plains. These “orphan trains” ran from 1856 to 1930 and it’s estimated that over 200,000 children were relocated or “placed out” by the Children’s Aid Society or similar organizations.

This World Premiere beautifully follows the true story of 11 year old Anna Hoffman and her siblings who were successfully “placed” in a small town in Kansas in 1923. This is a heartwarming story about courage and the healing powers that make a family…home. Suitable for ages 5 and up.

Click here for more information and to buy your tickets!

Wine and Laughter: Summer Soiree with Rita Rudner at Newport Beach Winery

Off the Menu OC — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:03:50 +0000

What pairs well with red wine? Artisan cheeses, gourmet food, and lots of laughter!

That’s the recipe The Laguna Playhouse has created for their End of Summer Soiree at
the exclusive Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery on Thursday, August 25, from 6
to 8 p.m.

Special guest is comedienne Rita Rudner, who brings her hilarious evening of comedy to
The Laguna Playhouse August 26, 27 and 29.

We had the opportunity to interview Rita when she performed at Laguna Playhouse
last year, and we also watched her hysterical show, and can vouch for Rita’s
quick wit and loopy take on life and love (among other topics she touches on in
her show).

We also got to sample several Newport Beach Winery blends, including OC Red and Wretched Excess, at the Newport Beach Film Festival’s closing night party. Both wines were excellent.

Justin Myers, the winery’s director of sales and marketing, gave us a tour recently so we could see the vineyards, underground wine cave, botanical and tropical gardens, Koi ponds, and bird aviary.

“A lot of people still don’t know we’re here, even though we planted our first vines in 1999 and started bottling in 2001,” Justin told us when we arrived. “We have 3 ½ acres of
vineyards where we grow cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petite
verdot, and malbec. We pick the grapes and blend them together, and then keep
our fingers crossed and hope for a great result.”

“Do people ask you why someone would put a vineyard in Newport Beach, an area not exactly known for growing grapes?” we wondered.

“Wine is owner Richard Moriarty’s passion,” said Justin. “When he bought this property, he did not want horses or a field of grass, so he decided to plant grapevines. Like he
once told me, Newport Beach is not bad farm land, it’s just expensive farm land.”

We strolled to the wine cave—a 1,000 square foot room dug into a hillside next to Richard’s house. Justin pulled back the huge wooden door to reveal a long row of wine barrels, plus several sets of bistro-style tables (made from wine barrels) and chairs.

“Most of the barrels contain our 2010 vintage,” noted Justin. “Guests who attend the Laguna Playhouse party next week will taste the 2009 OC Red blend. We’ll be serving appetizers and cheeses from Summit Event Catering, and I’ve invited the sommelier from Villa Nova to come and pour his family-owned Rugg wines. We’ll also be offering tours
of the gardens and koi ponds.”

And if that’s not enough, a special VIP experience is available for ten people
starting an hour prior to the main event, and features Newport Beach Winery
owner Richard Moriarty conducting a private tour of his vintage car collection
(including his famed Lamborghini hanging magically on the wall), art gallery,
and Lamborghini engine/coffee table.

Richard will also offer samples of his rare (only 80 cases made of each), award-winning 2001 Back Bay Cuvee and 2002 Coyote Cuvee to VIP attendees, paired with artisan cheeses from Vin Goat in Corona del Mar. All VIP guests will receive a gift bag with deluxe samples from Jo Malone Boutique South Coast Plaza, chocolates from Teuscher in Fashion Island, and a signed bottle of the just released 2009 OC Red.

Tickets are $90 each. VIP experience tickets are $1,000 each (limited to 10 people). We’ve
got ours—do you have yours yet? Tickets can be purchased online via the Laguna
Playhouse website, or by calling Amy Larson at The Laguna Playhouse at
949-497-2787 ext 216. For more information, email Amy Larson at alarson@lagunaplayhouse.com.

It's not too late to give...

marciet — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:23:51 +0000

Thank you to everyone that attended RISE AGAIN. If you missed it and would still like donate to help the typhoon victims in the Philippines, you can send check donations via snail mail.

ALL CHECKS MUST BE PAYABLE TO: “Ayala Foundation USA”

Please indicate in the note part that the donation is “for the Victims of Typhoon Ondoy” and mail it to AF-USA office at 255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 428, Redwood City, CA 94065.

Please let us know that you donated so that we can track how much we raised. Email. marciemarketing[at]gmail.com or jbonoan[at]peddlerscmg.com

Acknowledgements:

Photo by Leonardo Arnacibia Photography

Marcie Taylor Photography

Kababayan at University of California Irvine

FilAmNation

Ayala Foundation USA

Moonlight and Magnolias at Laguna Playhouse

Obed Medina — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:02:08 +0000

Moonlight and Magnolias is a fictionalized account of three major Hollywood players who, at the behe