Tuesday, September 03, 2013

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Base Camps Are Dreary

All base camps are dreary, but they're our homes away from home.

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Friday, October 19, 2012

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Where to Live in Los Angeles as an Actor Moving to LA

Many friends moving to LA have asked for some advice on where to look for a place, where to live in LA as an actor. Specific ideas on places to live when you are planning to move to Los Angeles will vary based on your situation. I wrote my first draft of this for a friend moving to LA and it may be useful for other people making the move to "Hollywood" or anyone already in LA who has friends or family preparing to make the move. For this post I'll use "LA" and "Los Angeles" to refer to both LA City and LA County (the county contains the City of LA as well as many other cities and municipalities too). Here is my very general overview of where an actor can live in LA:

Depends a lot on personal preference. Unlike many other American cities, Los Angeles doesn't have one focal point for business and population. There is a downtown, but people can live their whole lives here and never go downtown.

Auditions can happen all over. In Hollywood, the Westside, the Valley, on any of the studio lots and various offices throughout many different parts of the city, county and neighboring counties. Most are likely near (in no particular order) Santa Monica, Studio City, Hollywood, Burbank, West Hollywood, Universal City, Beverly Hills, North Hollywood and others.

Unlike Chicago, with the bulk of theaters in either 60657 or on Randolph, and the bulk of auditions in the Near West (like at O'Connor Casting) or Near North (like at Paskal Rudnicke Casting and Simon Casting) and also unlike New York, with the bulk of theatres in Midtown/Theatre District, and castings mainly in that middle of Manhattan, LA has no one single "center" that will be where an actor goes to a lot.

Beverly Hills is nice but pricey, as is much of the west side. The westside of LA has a more prestigious reputation than other parts of LA and tends to be more status conscious. Some people believe living in the San Fernando valley is living in a low status way. Hollywood has a fancy name but you may pay a small premium for a place that has, and needs, bars on the windows and razor wire on the top of its fences. Though there are some great places in Hollywood too. North Hollywood may cost less than Sherman Oaks, Studio City or Burbank, but is also less secure.

How comfortable you are driving a lot, and being near castings or near a studio lot may appeal to you and has to be factored in. You can always ask the closest police station how safe one area is compared to another, and I've found they know down to the block. Do not call 911 for this, stop by in person and ask the desk sergeant or other officer/s on duty. The feel and vibe you seek may be something you'll have to visit to know if you'll like it. Best option is to visit, drive a round and get a feel for each area. Happy house/apartment hunting.

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Tuesday, December 06, 2011

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Theaters Designate Seats for Twitter Users

A tweet seat is a seat in a theater that has been approved by the theater for use by someone who would like to tweet a performance. Whip out your cellphone and start tweeting at a rock show and nobody will notice -- the rest of audience is probably shooting cellphone pictures anyway. But try that at the opera and you'll be glared at, unless you are in a tweet seat

(from Los Angeles Times).

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Friday, January 29, 2010

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Pasadena Playhouse Shuts Down Feb. 7

I blogged about Pasadena Playhouse's grand redesign plans in 2007, and then about the Playhouse's financial troubles last October. Now they are shutting down:

The Pasadena Playhouse will close Feb. 7 after the final performance of its current production of "Camelot," leaving its future in jeopardy as company leaders explore ways out of its financial woes, including a possible bankruptcy filing.
Stephen Eich, the executive director hired last June to run the theater, said 37 employees learned at a staff meeting Thursday that they would be out of work. The playhouse is essentially out of cash to continue running, he said, and faces more than $500,000 in immediate bills, plus more than $1.5 million owed on bank loans and other debts that have dogged the nonprofit company since the mid-1990s.
Founded in 1917, the Playhouse was designated in 1937 as the state theater of California.
Eich said that tapping into about $6 million donated for a capital campaign to refurbish the playhouse was not an option. It just would not be any way for us to solve the problems of the place. Those monies are restricted for the building.
Eich said he isn't sure if the playhouse's 8,000 subscribers will be reimbursed.
We have subscribers wanting to see the rest of the season. We're devastated by that, he said.

(from The Los Angeles Times).

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Thursday, October 01, 2009

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Pasadena Playhouse Financially Troubled

When he was hired three months ago to lead the Pasadena Playhouse, Stephen Eich knew the historic theater was in trouble again.
He just didn't know how deep.
It's potentially in peril, Eich said bluntly

(from Pasadena Star-News).

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

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'A Noise Within' Garage Sale Saturday

A Noise Within, the Southern California theatre company, today announced they will hold a garage sale on Aug. 1. Expect to find huge discounts costumes, furniture, set pieces, props, curtains of every size, and yards upon yards fabric

details in their press release PDF.

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Friday, August 15, 2008

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IO West Reopens Tonight

Folks are partying in the brand new bar. Shows are playing on both the Main Stage and on Andy Dick's Experimental Black Box. The iO WEST is back and action and you are welcome to come bask in its warm glow of rebirth

(from IO West reopening Facebook invite).

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

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IO West Shows Still Closed at Least Until July 24

Shows are still canceled at IO West. After a car crashed into IO West in late June, their website said shows were canceled through the 7th of July. Their site now says shows are canceled through July 24th, though I've heard they may be taking the opportunity to renovate while rebuilding and shows may stay canceled into the first week or two of August.

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Saturday, June 28, 2008

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IOWest Car Crash - Shows Closed through July 7

A car crashed into iO West Theater so they've had to cancel performances until July 7th. No one was hurt; drive safely.

Update July 19: IO West shows canceled through at least July 24.

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Friday, April 20, 2007

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Free Performance Space in Hollywood

I am now helping book some nights at The Tre Stage in Hollywood for improv/sketch shows and the like.
It's a small black box theater on La Brea just north of Sunset. You have to supply your own audience. (It is one of two theaters actually, the Next Stage & The Tre Stage.)
The beauty of it, is it is FREE. You will not be charged for the space at any time. You simply have to give the money you make at the door back to the theater.
So, even if you hate it, it's free... and who doesn't want their troupe to perform?
Please contact me here or at damnthemanatee@yahoo.com
Please let me know what your schedule is like, what your troupe is like, ideally, how much time you would like on stage. We can start booking pretty quickly, Saturdays especially.
I love this stage and I want to bring some improv to it.
Rock on.
Some very basic photos of the stage can be seen at: www.idvicious.com
-Chelsea
This is all I know about this; caveat actor (or rather producer).

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

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Pasadena Playhouse Will be Redesigned by Frank Gehry

Celebrated Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry will begin a two-phase design project for the Pasadena Playhouse that will include a new 300- to 400-seat theater to expand the Playhouse campus, as well as redesigning the interior of the Playhouse's existing balcony performance space, the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.
The new theater, to be built across the street from the Playhouse on a lot that is now home to a former furniture store, will also be named in memory of Hamilton, the daughter of Carol Burnett and late producer Joe Hamilton. Carrie Hamilton, an actress, writer and musician, died of cancer in 2002 at age 38
(from The Los Angeles Times).

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