Lois Lowry’s Newbery Award-Winning “Number the Stars” Makes Its L.A. Premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
La Mirada~Phantom Projects Theatre Group will bring Lois Lowry’s dramatic story about the Danish Resistance during World War II to life at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, one-day-only, November 19th, 2015. Tickets can be obtained by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at 562 944 9801 or visiting: PhantomProjects.com.
The novel, which debuted in 1990, is based on one of the biggest selling books aimed at young audiences. But, as FORBES indicated in a feature on the troupe, “Phantom Projects isn’t children’s theatre, its powerful theatre aimed at one of the hardest audiences to reach.”
The story centers on ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen (Veronica McFarlane), who lives with her family in Copenhagen in 1943. She becomes a part of the events related to the rescue of the Danish Jews, when thousands of Jews were helped to reach neutral ground in Sweden in order to avoid being deported to concentration camps. She risks her life to help her best friend, Ellen Rosen (Molly Malia Arii), by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's late older sister Lise, who had died earlier in the war as a result of her work with the Danish Resistance.
The production, under the direction of Phantom Projects’ co-founder and Producing Artistic Director Steve Cisneros, is a faithful adaptation of the book. In anticipation of the premiere, the entire cast and creative team was presented with special 25th Anniversary Editions of the book, signed by the author herself, Lois Lowry.
CONTEST: Enter Now to Win a Family 4-Pack to Phantom Projects 2015-16 Season From the La Mirada Blog
La Mirada~We are pleased to announce a contest in which you can win a family 4-pack to Phantom Projects of La Mirada's 2015-16 season at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, a $260.00 value!
Simply fill out the form below and tell us what the performing arts means to your community and your family.
You will be automatically entered a drawing with the winner being announced Monday. November 16th, just in time to attend Lois Lowry's Number the Stars showing Thursday, November 19th.
Winners will also be able to attend the remainder of the Phantom season including To Kill a Mockingbird, The Center of the Universe, and The 10th Annual Young Artist Project.
Spread the word and enter now!
Check out this video of the cast of Number the Stars receiving a gift from author Lois Lowry.
Sponsorships Available for La Mirada Kiwanis Holiday Shopping Spree
La Mirada~The Annual Kiwanis Shopping Spree for Needy Children will take place this year on Thursday, December 10th, 2015. This is a community project hosted by the La Mirada Kiwanis Club to give comfort and joy to 50 children in need during this holiday season.
Those children in need are selected by the principals from the public elementary schools in the city of La Mirada. The needy children will each receive a $100 gift certificate to shop at Sears, located at the Whittwood Town Center and breakfast at Ruby's Diner immediately following the shopping spree. Every needy child will be accompanied by a personal chaperon assigned by Kiwanis for his/her shopping experience.
If any group, business, and/or individual would like to participate as $100 Sponsors and/or provide monetary donations, checks should be mailed to:
La Mirada Kiwanis ClubAttn: "Shopping Spree for Needy Children" P.O. Box 116 La Mirada, CA 90837Those groups, businesses, and individuals who make a $100 sponsorship donation will receive special recognition at this event.
Incumbents Cruise in Norwalk-La Mirada School Board Race
Norwalk~The three incumbents, all from La Mirada, easily held off challenger Victor Juan last night, cruising to victory and winning another four-year term.
Karen Morrison (1,998 votes), Chris Pflanzer (1720), and Jesse Urquidi (1687) won in a race that was never close.
Board members will be overseeing the distribution of funds from Measure G approved by voters last November, eventually.
There were no other candidates in the contest. Juan filed papers on the last day and was criticized by unnamed inside sources for running in the race and therefore creating a need for an election. Sources say it cost the school district $300,000 to conduct an election.
Democracy at its best or worst or in the middle?
Help Fight Children’s Cancer at Butterfly Wishes at Golden Dreams Event
The fight against children’s cancer will take a step forward during a fundraiser sponsored by From Maddi’s Closet on Friday, Nov.13 at the Friendly Hills Country Club.
“Butterfly Wishes and Golden Dreams” is the theme of From Maddi’s Closet’s major fundraiser for efforts to assist children fighting cancer. In recent years, the local non-profit group has donated more than $230,000 to help with children’s cancer research and provide emotional and financial support to thousands of patients and their families.
“Childhood cancer is the number one disease-related killer of children in our country, and it is critically important that we increase awareness of what we can do to fight this terrible disease,” says Donna Holmes, president and founder of From Maddi’s Closet.
The honorary committee for the event includes: Robert and Virginia Ball; Whittier Mayor Fernando Dutra and Mary Dutra; La Mirada Councilmember Ed Eng and Catherine Eng; Whittier Chamber of Commerce President Elect Chris Hardeman; Randy and Joyce Herbon of Relay for Life; Steve and Janice Jones of La Mirada; Art and Rita Leslie of La Mirada; Tom and Priscilla Robinson of TR Management Services, Inc.; Dr. Gerald Roodzant, DDS; Brian and Sandy Sherman, Seventh Son Gourmet Catering and Events; and Pastors Kelly and Stephanie Warner, Whittier Area Community Church. Janice Roodzant, Details Business Organizer, is serving as chair of the event.
Business Landscape Changing in La Mirada
Dunkel Bros. Machinery Moving is….Moving.
The La Mirada-based company will be staying in town, but will be relocating to 14555 Alondra Blvd after the California Department of Transportation purchased its current facility on Firestone Blvd. for the I-5 Widening Project, it announced last year.
The firm is best known for the well-publicized move of the Space Shuttle Endeavor from LAX to its new home at the California Science Center two years ago.
They will be renovating the building on Alondra that was built in 1968 and utilizing it as its corporate headquarters. The building is 237,089 square feet building and sits on 12+ acres.
The building originally was scheduled to be demolished but the previous owner (Heitman LLC) received an offer from Dunkel they couldn’t refuse.
The 2015 holiday season may be the last chance for area residents to view the company’s famous light display that adorns the 5 freeway every year.
Full Steamed Buns Ahead
Plans to build a McDonald’s at the site of the iconic Carriage Coffee Shop are moving forward according to City Community Development Manager Alison Moore.
A fire broke out in the kitchen in December of last year and shuttered the eatery permanently.
Many people have commented and speculated publicly on this website’s Facebook page, the fire last year seemed suspicious at a time when the closure of The Carriage seemed imminent.
Moore told us indications from the developer, Rich Development, reflect that there should be “activity” on the site soon.
Diving Right In
Pacific Diving Academy USA, Inc. currently located in Santa Fe Springs will be moving to La Mirada after purchasing the former 24-Hour Fitness facility located on La Mirada Blvd.
The non-profit organization was founded in 1996 by Andy and Amy Kwan. Along with a world class dry-land diving facility, their training center houses a full size gymnastics spring floor, numerous gymnastics apparatus, dance studio, and a weight training center.
The company purchased the building outright. Kimco Realty Corp. are the owners of most of the remainder of the Theatre Center.
The City currently contracts, with the academy for some of their classes.
The former LA Fitness gym next to IHOP is currently undergoing a renovation you can see when you drive by.
REVIEW: “Cast Doesn’t Fail” in La Mirada Production of RENT
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| The Company performs "Seasons of Love" in the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment production of the Tony Award-winning "RENT" - directed by Richard Israel and now playing at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through November 15th. |
One of La Mirada's greatest places to visit is the Theatre for the Performing Arts.
How lucky are we residents to have Broadway shows and stars grace the stage of our community theatre? The number of shows and variety more so has offered my husband and me a great reason to find time for a date night sans children. Not to say that our children's theatre shows aren't great--- they are!
However, when I want to rock out to some classic rock, take in a musical, or simply have a good cry, there is always a show I can take in at the La Mirada Theatre for Performing Arts and this time around, it just so happens that we were lucky to take in RENT.
I went in to seeing RENT knowing that it would knock my socks off. Then again, the opinion I received about how fabulous the show would be was from a good friend who has seen it ten times. You read that correctly, ten times. Both her and her husband had their reviews about the different performers who have taken on the role of Mark, Roger, Mimi, Tom, Angel, Maureen, and Joanne.
Of course, I didn't know who any of these characters were until the curtain dropped at the end of the evening. To say that I was pleasantly pleased is an understatement.
RENT is a musical, so expect plenty of singing and songs, oh the songs! It wouldn't be considered PC for me to sing "Out Tonight" amongst my kiddos at home, but I've heard "Seasons of Love" sung by friends as well as the original cast years ago on an afternoon talk show appearance.
This cast doesn't fail you at all. Mark Whitten, Devin Archer, Lawrence Cummings, and John Devereaux' voices are gorgeous but Cummings definitely steals the spotlight in his performance as Angel and "Today 4 U". And watch for the vocals of both Emily Goglia and Amber Mercomes, yes honey, on the same stage, singing the same song. Wow. Did I say wow?
I encourage you to take a date night for yourself and your main squeeze. Go see RENT. Don't deprive yourself of this opportunity to see what all the hype and history of this musical is about. And don't forget, No Day But Today!
POWER OUTAGE INFO
There is a power outage currently affecting residents and businesses in the Biola/Stage area of La Mirada.
So Cal Edison website is reporting power should be restored by 7:30 a.m.
