There’s a something going down in NoHo. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, drop by this shiny new apartment complex (there’s a bunch poppin’ up in the Art District), buzz the door code, and like a speakeasy of yore, simply say, “I’m here for Starry Kitchen.” Take the elevator to the second floor and cruise down the courtyard. You’ll know when to stop.  There you will find what few know about and even fewer have experienced. Find out more after the jump:

In said courtyard, you will find the fleeting home of the Starry Kitchen aka a dude and his wife shucking crazy delicious Asian fusion food on their back porch. IT IS EPIC!!! Nguyen and Thi Tran are the fine purveyors of “edible sunshine” as one of the other patrons so eloquently put it.  After Thi lost her advertising job back in April, her friends convinced her that she really needed to stop hoarding her culinary talent and share the love – and boy am I thankful!

So this is how it works. Wed (6-9pm) Sun (12-3pm). They make some D-lish dish and serve it up three ways: taco, burrito, sandwich. You hand over a $5 “donation” per serving to get your nom on. Tonight’s dish per their website:

“In the Meat corner: VIETNAMESE BAKED GROUND GARLIC PORK (aka “nem nuong”) w/ EACH dish served with crispy fried egg roll wrapper in every bite.  Everything is also served w/ what we like to call our YUM YUM SK sauce that is traditionally served w/ Nem Nuong, and is painstakingly made up of slowly cooked glutinous rice, ground chicken and all sorts of Vietnamese flavors but so DARN GOOD with this.  I don’t even know how to describe it anymore, but the best way I can is… ‘drool.’”

So ya the food is crazy good. I’m still reeling. Better than any truck around. We will be coming back soon. Can’t wait for what’s next. I’m so glad the Mrs. dug out this gem from Yelp earlier this week.

Nguyen and Thi are super awesome people and I hope all the best for them. They are planning to take over a downtown restaurant in a month or so. Meaning these back door soirees will most likely be coming to a close before you know it. Jump on it! Or don’t! More for meeeeee!

Today is the day I finally get around to talking about this wonderful night we were able to experience! I’m Not Here To Make Friends (and other many more prestigious media outlets) were invited to the media preview for the restaurant Firenze Osteria. You may wonder, why do much press for a new restaurant? The answer is that this is one of Top Chef: NY alumnus Fabio Viviani’s new ventures.

Located in North Hollywood, California, Firenze Osteria is classic higher end Italian food with a modern twist. In business with Fabio is his longtime friend, and award-winning mixologist, Jacopo Falleni.  They will be pairing unique drinks with everything on the menu. The drink list includes a large variety of tasty martinis as well as the usual full bar.

The food was AMAZING.  Some of the dishes we were able to taste were short rib ravioli, gnocchi with pesto sauce, beef as well as tuna tartar, a chilled corn soup with crispy pancetta, prosciutto wrapped peaches with cheese, some of Fabio’s famous carpaccio,  and the list goes on and on. Everything we tasted was absolutely delicious. I was amazed at the sheer number of tastings we were receiving. There must have been at least 15 different dishes circulating at a time! The wine was also freely flowing the evening. There was a selection of white and red wine (we chose to stick with white) both from Malibu, California.

The event itself was very well put together and seemed to run like a well oiled machine (at least from where we sat, it could have been mayhem behind the line but we would never have known). The wait staff was attentive, nice, and always made sure my wine glass was full. Bryan and I felt as if we were part of the elite.

We were lucky enough to grab both Fabio and Jacopo at one point during the night. Allison got her hand kissed by both gentlemen and started to blush. You can find the interview below. It is hilarious and worth a watch.

You can start making reservations today either through their website firenzeosteria.com or by calling 818-760-7081. You will not be disappointed.

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

Exciting New Halloween Attraction
in Toluca Lake/North Hollywood
For All Ages!

The Pumpkin Patch Haunted Maze

http://www.wizardsplayhouse.com/halloween09/index.html

Where: Toluca Lake Pumpkin Patch and Petting Zoo
10601 Riverside Dr.
(corner with Cahuenga) North Hollywood/Toluca Lake, CA 91602
(818- 505-8039)

When: Oct 21- through Oct 31
10am to 9pm
Check this website for updates, special showings, magic shows and Halloween party.

A perfect adventure. Buy your  favorite kind of pumpkin, bring your kids, visit the petting zoo and experience the Haunted Maze

Entrance to Pumpkin Patch is free

Haunted Maze $6.00 daytime $8 nighttime
Petting Zoo: $4.00

This years Haunted Maze at the Toluca Lake Pumpkin Patch exhibits an artistic tribute to celebrate Halloween. After the great success of last years Haunted House Legend of Pumpkin Jack, creative director Brandon Scott invited Evan A. Bartoletti and Lisa D. Lechuga of Lechetti Artndesign to create a unique haunted maze at the famous Toluca Lake Pumpkin Patch in the San Fernando Valley.

Exploring the atmosphere of the Day of The Dead, visitors of all ages can now enter the maze and experience a creative display of skeletons, aliens, and museum style scenes that capture the eerie spirit of Halloween.

Day time tours are in full light and ideal for children who are scared of the dark yet still enjoy a spooky experience. The night display is a bit more creepy and mysterious. Both daytime and nighttime are kid friendly. This is not a haunted house event where people in costumes jump out to scare you. Visitors can enjoy this unique Halloween art display , have fun at the petting zoo and shop for pumpkins of all sizes at very affordable prices.

Don’t miss it and have a Happy Halloween!

This weekend there will be Sobriety and Driver’s License Checkpoints 

on Friday, 10/9/09 in Hollywood 

and Saturday 10/10/09 in North HollywoodPlease use caution when going out this weekend, especially if yuo plan on being in these areas!

North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Valley Village, Valley Glen, and Van Nuys.

The East San Fernando Valley area has the third highest Market Activity Index, making it a good place to  buy.  There are fewer homes on the market than a few months ago, but prices are still declining, so if you want to live in the area, buy now.  Sellers with homes that are properly prepared, marketed, and priced may find themselves with multiple offers, which is a big change from a few months ago.

Market Index – 0.71

Market Activity Index - East San Fernando Valley - Sept. 2009

 A market index of above 1.20 is a seller’s market, between 0.80 to 1.20 is a balanced market, and below 0.80 is a buyer’s market.

The market index is at 0.71, down 6 points from last month’s 0.77. Last year it was at 0.31.

New Listings – 197 new homes came on the market, compared to 123 listings last month, versus 207 last year.

Pending Listings – 185 opened escrow, versus 186 last month, compared to 152 last year.

Pending Ratio –0.95, down from 1.51 last month but up from last year’s 0.73.

Listing Inventory – 483 properties are on the market, up from 455 properties last month, compared to 857 last year. Inventory continues to decline compared to last year.

Absorption Rate - Sept. 2009 - East San Fernando Valley

Absorption Rate – 3.1 months, compared to 2.9 last month, way down from 8.4 months one year ago.

Sold Listings –158 homes sold, equal to the 159 last month, compared to 113 last year.

Average sale price – $320,598 down from last month’s $328,874, down 12.9% from last year.

Average Sale Price, Sept. 2009 - East San Fernando Valley

Price per square foot – $222.17, down from last month’s $237.63, down 17.3 % from last year.

Average Sale Price Per Square Foot, Sept. , 2009 - East San Fernando Valley

Conclusions

Although the market activity is still increasing, sales are increasing, and inventory levels remain low.  An Absorption Rate of six months is considered a balanced market, and we are down to a three month supply of listings, which should result in prices going back up.

For buyers – this may be the bottom of the market. The Federal tax credit has been extended to November 30^th, so do not wait if you want to take advantage of this credit.

For sellers – preparing your home for sale is the key to getting the best price.  Ask for our Property Value Audit to learn how to maximize your profit when you sell.

For a consultation or questions feel free to call.

Four senators are putting their muscle behind a new housing bill intended to prohibit lenders operating in the U.S. from foreclosing on home owners without first having discussed reasonable modification options with the borrowers.

The bill, called the Preserving Homes and Communities Act is being sponsored by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Under this bill, lenders will be forced to the negotiating table under the threat of stiff fines and other legal penalties.

All lenders will be required to perform what the bill terms as a “net present value” test for all seriously delinquent borrowers. The test would be a financial analysis weighing the benefits of a modification of loan terms against the benefits of foreclosure.

For borrowers who do not fit into this program, the bill would create a multi-billion national fund for states to make loans or grants in order to prevent foreclosures.

The senators’ rationale behind the creation of this bill is that they are frustrated with the slow pace of current loan modification programs and feel that they are not keeping up with the record numbers of foreclosures this year.

“Voluntary efforts to keep families in their homes have failed,” said Durbin. “This bill will force lenders to modify qualified mortgages rather than letting them move quickly to foreclosure, which destroys households and neighborhoods.”

The act will also set up a mortgage payment assistance program to provide money to state housing agencies to assist people who have lost income and face the prospect of foreclosure.

The most significant aspect of this bill would be to create “mandatory mediation” requirements forcing lenders to allow some mediation efforts between them and their borrowers before being able to file foreclosures against home owners.

This proposal will, no doubt, be met with opposition by banking and mortgage lending groups. It is, however, currently favored to be supported in the House.

“There are bad people who would be less dangerous if they had no good in them.”

— La Rouchefoucauld

Brecht’s epic comedy of two men from very different strata of life — the good-natured, somewhat suspicious but always honest chauffeur, Matti, and his employer, gentleman farmer Puntila, whose only problem is this little disease he suffers from:  A disease called sobriety.

For when drunk, Puntila is warm, generous, insightful and wise.  It’s when he sobers up the trouble starts..

Written in Finland in the mid 1940s, “Puntila and Matti” premiered in Zurich in 1948 and was the premiere production of the newly-formed Berliner Ensemble in 1950.  Brecht believed this show should be done in style evoking the Commedia, and adaptor Lee Hall responded to that in 1998 by remaking it as a vaudeville extravaganza.

Sober Puntila has affianced his daughter Eva to a boring but respectable government Attache, but Drunken Puntila can’t stand the man and moves heaven and earth to strike a spark between Eva and Matti.  Sober Puntila is resigned to the single life, but Drunken Puntila, an inveterate ladies’ man, proposes to half the eligible women in the district.  Sober Puntila hires his laborers grudgingly at slave wages, but Drunken Puntila is a one-man stimulus package.

Can Mr. Brecht’s theories of alienation and collectivism survive in a breakneck world of snappy patter and showbiz pizazz?  Join Puntila, Matti, Eva, and the whole gang as they find the answer to that question!

Monday, Sept. 28th

7:30pm Reading

Email events@antaeus.org for more information on how to attend!

-John Apicella

John is a stage, film and tv actor whose thirty year career includes dozens of feature film and network television roles. His work with L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum includes West Coast premieres of Vaclav Havel’s plays Largo Desolato and Temptation, as well as the Antaeus/Taper production of Chekhov’s The Wood Demon.  Regional work includes A.C.T. (San Francisco) in The First Picture Show, Glengarry Glen Ross and The Imaginary Invalid, and the Dallas Theatre Center.  He is a founding member of Antaeus and served on the board for fifteen years and as co-artistic director for five years.
Besides a lifelong fascination with the plays of Brecht, his specialties include commedia dell’arte (he is a skilled classical maskmaker), the American drama of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the classical Greek and Roman theater

were to visit Rachel’s grave to observe the 1st anniversary of her death. Dad & I had a hotel reservation at a really nice place neither of us, in real life, could ever possibly afford.

The hotel was in Beverly Hills & right next to a cemetery, though not Rachel’s. Hers is in North Hollywood. In the dream, her cemetery was a little south of the other 1 & the hotel. When I say “right next to”, I mean the hotel was actually built around the cemetery. Creepy.

At some point, dad and I looked at the local cemetery, thinking it might be Rachel’s. I noticed that the stones were tall, ornate structures, not the flat stones of Rachel’s.

There was then some fuss about where to go, maybe the arrangements of our room. The detials have faded. But the sense of urgency and formality were equal to that of her memorial.

Oh, I forgot. Dad and I had planned to kinda hang out at the correct cemetery, but we were both a little disturbed by the idea.

I woke up soon after. I wasn’t even near tears, just really bothered by the fact that I have such a close, permanent relationship with a graveyard.

I’m scared, she’s calmer than I am. Today Jax started North Hollywood High. She was thrilled that everyone was in jeans and T-shirts. She said she looked “normal”

I was nervous and may have bought out the entire Ralph’s grovery store last night. For the first time there is a surplus of food in my apartment.

Jax is transferring from the high rated Arcadia High to a LAUSD high school.

Wow. 10 minutes in and I am impressed. “We want to hear from you about what is right and what is wrong with our school. Participate and give us feed back”. I so never heard that at AHS.

Today, my aunt who teaches at AHS gave me a well intentioned lecture about moving her to this “different type” of neighborhood.

Granted. I do refer to this as “Urban Blight”, but make no mistake: the folks here are very friendly and have been warm and nice to both Jackie and me.

ROCK ON education, after school activities with cool classes like “DJing and Urban art” as well as a homework club with written attendance records happen here.

The report cards are on line every 5 weeks and daily attendance records on line.

Jackie will take the High School Exit Exam next spring- hope for a 377 or better. Oh, she needs 55 units to be a 10th grader.

They are discussing the CST importance. I did give Jackie’s scores to the school with the enrollment package.

“North hollywood high is one of the most college driven schools” A-G requirements.

I will tell you more later.

So I went to look at the place in North Hollywood yesterday, and I didn’t fall in love with it.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot to love! I loved the garage entrance leading up into the unit, I loved the idea of having a washer and dryer in the unit, I LOVED the kitchen! But I didn’t love it as a whole… For some reason I just couldn’t see myself living there.

I think there are a lot of things that I’m spoiled by my current place that I didn’t realize were going to be such a big deal to me.  My current place has huge windows that face the street, high ceilings, and an open hallway.  The NoHo place has few small windows that face the other buildings next to it, the hallways felt narrow, and the space just didn’t feel open.  In fact, it felt a little stifling…

And then I thought, ‘would marmie like this place?’ And I couldn’t imagine my cat in the space. And I guess that was it for me.

I’m a little bit bummed because I love Katie and I know how much she loves the place, but I know that she will find roommates who will love it as much as she does.  I would have loved to live with her, but I’m okay staying at my current place–I do still love it, even with its small kitchen…  =P

Revolutionary Side Effects is back at it with some great new music and a few special suprises! Downbeat is 8:30PM @ Air Conditioned (625 Lincoln Blvd. (3 blocks south of Rose Ave) Venice, CA 90291). RSE will be joined by Cubesis, long time favorite SoCal Grateful Dead Tribute, as well as the Muddy Reds!

This will be a night not to forget and RSE is excited to be a part of it! Check out a recent video from the Revolutionary Side Effects “North Hollywood” EP release party @ El Cid.

10$ cover; 21+ w ID for entry.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

MB, JB
RSE

If you drive down any street in North Hollywood at no special time, you are likely to see a line of big white trucks parked along the curb. Big trucks carrying the equipment for the lighting. for the sound systems. Another could transport a giant generator to run all those huge multiples of lights, so bright they can literally blind you.  And then there are innumerable pieces of smaller equipment piled in neat stacks here and there on the sidewalk. Thick black cables stretch and wind everywhere  underfoot (and they’re not about to let you walk on this side of the street!).

Individuals, seemingly casual, strolling to and fro. Star wagons are lined nose to tail (really just big trailers designed into four mini dressing rooms) with their stairs down signalling that they are waiting for the lesser actors and extras: to change into costumes, get made-up and their hair done and be spit out so the next batch can be herded in.

Three or four guys are setting up a huge reflector, the size of a living-room area rug, aimed into the dark windows of a small family restaurant closed to us, the general public. (They will probably make more money on this shoot than they netted all week.)

No “stars” or even middle-sized names have come into our view. Maybe the biggies will show later after all the usual street activity is done for the day. It could be a just spendy commercial being shot… or a small scene for a movie or tv. Star-ranking BIG motorhomes might drive quietly in later tonight.

At least they haven’t closed the whole street down to do a moving car scene! That always brings out the cops on motorcycles and in their black-and-whites to monitor.  

There would be the special camera car, with a guy with headphones clamped over his ears sitting on the camera boom attached to the front bumper, with somebody behind the steering wheel and “driving”. Then you have  the second camera car with its camera mounted on the hood facing forward, practically riding the bumper of the lead car.

One time, there was a black motorcyle with a guy wearing all-black leather with a black helmet and a Darth Vader-type visor doing swoopy esses in front of the speeding camera’d car. (I wondered if the cyclist was the hero or the villain that day?)

After watching it being shot… time after time after time… well, times six, I up and deserted the shoot. I figured they would have to peel that poor cyclist out of all that form-fitting black leather as the temperature was in the high eighties that late fall afternoon in NoHo. And I had a headache from the heat, exhaust and noise! Ah, the glamour of movie making…

Congratulations to young 22-year-old Trevor Bell, who in his 2nd Major League start, earned his 1st career win.

The 6′2″ righty from just up the street in North Hollywood scattered 9 hits in his 5 1/3 innings of action, allowing 3 runs while striking out 2 Cleveland batters.

Bell was drafted by the Halos in the 1st round back in 2005 as the 37th overall pick.

In the 22 starts in the minors (11 in AA, 11 in AAA) before being called up this month, Bell compiled a record of 7-7, with a 2.70 ERA and 2 complete game shutouts. He struck out 89 batters in all and walked 35.

Although on paper it may have not been the finest performance he was looking for, the W was put next to his name, and this will be one he looks back on for quite some time. The Angels won the game by the final of 5-4.

A big congratulations to Trevor Bell, hopefully plenty more W’s will be put next to your name over the course of your career!

Debuting last week on Tuesday, August 11, 2009, the United States Postal Service made available for sale of 50 million 44-cent stamps, available in sheets of 20 individual designs, commemorating the “Golden Age of Television.” On that day last week there was a dedication ceremony in North Hollywood, hosted by TV legend Carl Reiner who is NOT commemorated on any of the stamps for the simple reason that he is still alive. As you may know, only the deceased may be commemorated on a U.S. Postage Stamp; but in fact you not only have to be dead to get on a stamp, but you have to have been dead for FIVE years. The Committee that oversees who gets to be on stamp won’t even consider someone for future commemoration until they’ve been 3 years deceased. Probably have to do some heavy background checking. It would be pretty embarrassing to have a guy put on a stamp only to discover a year later when someone publishes his biography, that “Holy Smokes he molested his kids!” or “WTF!? He had sex with sheep?!” 

You definitely don’t want to be licking the backside of a guy on stamp who had sex with farm animals. Or any animals for that matter. Come to think of it, I’m not crazy about the idea of licking the backside of a stamp of anybody who sex with anybody.

Nevertheless, that rule got me thinking about these new TV stamps. Really? All those TV stars depicted have been dead for at least 5 years? Really? Where the Hell is the time going? I woke up this morning out of a dream in which I imagined they had Andy Griffith depicted on a stamp from “The Andy Griffith Show.” I woke up thinking, “Hey! Sheriff Andy’s still alive! He’s an old lawyer named Matlock now, but he’s still alive! Alert the USPS!”   But of course after checking, I found that The Andy Griffith Show is NOT one of the TV shows commemorated. Thanks for nothing stupid dream!

The one exception though to the five-year restriction is in the case of a deceased U.S. President in which case, he (or she) may be honored one year after their death. That investigative committee better switch into high gear because one year is not a whole lot of time to uncover a lot of shady dealings.

Anyway, these TV stamps were designed by art director Carl T. Herrman of Las Vegas, and joining emcee Carl Reiner at the ceremony were several spouses and descendants and co-stars of some of the performers commemorated. Jayne Meadows for instance, the wife of Tonight Show host Steve Allen was there, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s grandkids were there, and… oh what’s this….one of the stars depicted on one of the stamps was there! In person! Alive!  Stop the Presses! Call the Postal Police! Somebody get postal on this violation of the rules!! WTF?

Okay okay, you’re way ahead of me. It was Lassie. Hah hah.  Yes, Lassie was there, or the 10th generation of Lassie as it turns out. He’s on one of the stamps, and June Lockhart who starred with Lassie on the show was at the ceremony too. Unfortunately, poor June is still alive and thus wasn’t allowed to be depicted on the stamp with Lassie. Howdy Doody has a stamp too, but Buffalo Bob Smith isn’t depicted alongside him! Why? Bob Smith’s been dead since 1998–why couldn’t they put him on the stamp next to Howdy Doody? How the Hell are we supposed to believe that freckled little puppet is standing up by himself? This isn’t a Twilight Zone stamp after all! Which by the way is also commemorated on a stamp with a big close-up of Rod Serling (deceased in 1975). I would like to have seen a shot of that episode where William Shatner is on the airplane and sees the creepy gremlin on the wing tearing it up! That was great. That shocking revelation where Shatner pulls back the window curtain and BAM! Big frightening close-up of the scary looking creature peering in at Shatner!!  Why couldn’t they put that weird looking face on a stamp? Or maybe even the creature’s face? Hah hah. But Shatner’s still alive so that’s a no-go. He looks dead I know, but I just saw him on TV the other day and he was definitely walking and talking.

So then, what are the 20 TV shows depicted? They are: Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Dinah Shore Show; Dragnet; The Ed Sullivan Show; The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show; Hopalong Cassidy; The Honeymooners; Howdy Doody; I Love Lucy; Kukla, Fran and Ollie; Lassie; The Lone Ranger; Perry Mason; The Phil Silvers Show; The Red Skelton Show; Texaco Star Theater; The Tonight Show; The Twilight Zone; and, You Bet Your Life.

And who is the most recently deceased star depicted on one of those stamps? By my calculation it is the great Art Carney, as sewer worker Ed Norton, depicted with Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners stamp. Carney died November 9, 2003. He just made it by one year!  If he died one year later the rules would have prohibited his depiction. Lucky guy.  Milton Berle who died March 27, 2002 was the next closest.

The Post Office will even mail the stamps to your home if you want to order them online. Only from the sound of things lately, pretty soon we may not be able to receive them on Saturdays. In that case, I’ll just watch some TV instead of eagerly awaiting my stamps.  Oh man, I just had this flashback memory…I actually used to collect stamps when I was a boy. My Aunt Virginia would sometimes send me some. Hm.  I think I still have them in a draw at my parent’s house. Well well.  I guess stamp-collecting is for cool people after all.

(Sources:  USPS.com; and wikipedia.com)

This from Justin Gatson’s twitter account:

I’ll never cut my hair… You can’t make me1:03 PM Aug 9th from TwitterFon

This brotha from North Hollyweird is too funny today. Made me lmao!

Brett Colbeth, A2 member & volunteer for Shakes Alive!, Antaeus's Shakespeare in the Schools Program

Why is Arts Education Important to me?

By Brett Colbeth, member of A2 & Antaeus Shakes Alive! Volunteer

You ask that question to any artist and they will probably chuckle like I did.  To me, it’s like asking, “Why is breathing important to me?”  I can only speak from my own experience and that’s exactly what I hope to achieve in this, my very first blog post.

If I weren’t fortunate enough to have had arts education in my life I would have turned out to be a degenerate… seriously!  I came close a few times in life.  Since as far back as I can remember, the arts have always acted as a productive and healthy outlet for me.  As a child, I would sketch and paint in order to quiet my mind and make sense of what I was feeling.  I still do.  Ms. Hemmings, my elementary school art teacher, taught me that whatever I created was beautiful because it came from my own personal truth.  She praised my version of “American Gothic” a la “Ren and Stimpy.”  I won my school district’s art award and a lot of self-esteem. Thanks Ms. Hemmings.  Mr. Provost, my fourth grade cello teacher, not only taught me “Ode to Joy” but how to handle and care for something with love and grace.  Thanks Mr. Provost!  Bruce Altice, my guitar teacher, taught me how to wail on the guitar and not on others.  Mr. Wahl, my senior year English teacher opened my eyes and soul to Shakespeare and poetry!

These are just a few of the arts educators that played a major role in putting the arts into my life.  I would like to conclude with recognizing my mother and father who nurtured my love for the arts at an early age and though not “artists” in the purist sense of the word are two of the most creative and original people I know.  They taught me to look at things subjectively, empathize with others and seek out the beauty in life, my brother man, and myself.  And most importantly, never settle for anything less than the truth! So to conclude, why is arts education important to me?  If I didn’t have sketching and painting as a means to quiet my mind and focus my energy I would have drugs and alcohol.  If Ms. Hemmings never told me about my own personal truth I would have looked for it in another person, place or thing.  If Mr. Provost never taught me how to hold and care for a cello I would have a difficult time holding and caring for anyone and anything I had the chance of laying my hands on.  If Bruce Altice never taught me how to wail on the guitar at that very moment in my life, I would have been kicked out of school and thrown in juvenile hall for violent delinquent behavior. And If Mr. Wahl, never opened my eyes and soul to Shakespeare and poetry I would struggle even more than I do today with “finding the words to say.”  And that’s exactly where I will end it.  Do the world a service and create some art today!

Brett Colbeth

“The arts provide a more comprehensive and insightful education because they invite students to explore the emotional, intuitive, and irrational aspects of life that science is hard pressed to explain. “

-Charles Fowler

The Antaeus Company

Artists-in-Residence Program

SHAKES ALIVE!

BACKGROUND

Shakes Alive! Is the education outreach program run by the nationally-renowned Antaeus Theatre Company.  Dedicated classical theater actors, many of whom are recognizable from TV and film as well, encourage students in non-theater classes to dive into Shakespeare and other classic plays.  Students discover how actors breathe life into these texts, and then they do it themselves.  By analyzing rich, dense language, absorbing its meaning and beauty, and then performing it with energy and emotional truth, students gain confidence — and a deep appreciation for some of humanity’s greatest works of art.

PROGRAM

Our Lead Teacher works closely with your teachers to choose a text to bring to life in each class.   Perhaps in an English class students are studying THE TEMPEST, THE CRUCIBLE, or ROMEO AND JULIET.  In a science class, we can introduce a play to like the Pulitzer Prize-winning COPENHAGEN, which explores the concept of objectivity both in science and in our moral lives.

Each week one or two professional, successful actors visit to share their process in mining and examining a role.  Students participate in acting games, improvisation, and “direct” the actors as they make choices about their performances.  In so doing, students learn that they have power both as artists and readers, and that classic plays are dynamically relevant and exciting.

For more information, please email cindy@antaeus.org

• Run by RePlanet Recycling or something like that
• Cans and Bottles are weighed
• Never got the full CRV
• To get rembursed , one has to go in the store and line up with the customers who have plenty of groceries.
• More than nothing
• They don’t take glasses. Some lady took my glasses from my hand and told me it was hers, then pretended not to understand English anymore