Arts & Entertainment

Community Support After Recent Theft

On July 13, the Act Out Theatre Company in Long Beach experienced a theft that resulted in significant loss of assets that have been used across all shows including lighting, merchandise, concessions, computers, sound equipment and more.

Act Out Theatre Company was preparing for an upcoming play, Frankenstein 1930 and the U-Haul containing all the contents for the entire show were stolen in front of the home of the executive director of the organization. The estimated loss was approximately $25,000. The theater staff contacted the local police after discovering the U-Haul was missing the following morning. Nine days later, the police notified theatre staff that the U-Haul truck was found, but all the valuables were gone, except a few stage sets.

In response to this unfortunate event, Act Out has launched a fundraising campaign to replace stolen equipment and supplies. Parents and community members have already begun to show their support through donations and volunteer efforts.

We invite our community, sponsors, business owners, corporations, city officials and  anyone else to join our efforts to rebuild by donating to our GoFundMe. Every contribution makes a difference. Please click on the link for ActOut GoFundMe to help recover our stolen assets: https://gofund.me/54a28b76

Despite this setback, Act Out is determined to provide a TUITION FREE opportunity for traditionally underserved children and adults to discover their creative potential with arts programming and educational training that enrich their lives and stimulate the entire community!

For more information, please contact Travis Wade, executive director, at (323) 920-5069 or Travis@actoutlb.com. Please review our website at https://www.actoutlb.com

KJazz October Lineup

Tune in or log in for the 7th season of “Beyond Symphonic Jazz” radio show hosted by SJO Music Director Mitch Glickman. October features episodes with George Benson, Vijay Iyer, Sara Caswell and Clarice Assad.

The 2-hour radio show on KJazz 88.1 FM airs every Monday evening from 9 to 11 p.m. and can be heard online at jazzandblues.org. The broadcasts are archived and can be listened to anytime. Please note, the archives are only available for two weeks following the broadcast.

 October special guests: guitarist George Benson Oct. 7; piano player/composer Vijay Iyer Oct. 14; violinist Sara Caswell Oct. 21; piano player/composer Clarice Assad Oct. 28.

“Beyond Symphonic Jazz” explores where the worlds of jazz and classical music meet, with interviews with some very special composers and performers. The show also features rare recordings along with new works that continue the great American tradition of symphonic jazz. Where the musical lines start to blur, is where things get interesting.

Musica Angelica Launches Matching Campaign

Musica Angelica has been issued a $50,000 Matching Challenge Grant from the Colburn Foundation to be completed during the Baroque ensemble’s 2024-25 season.

The Colburn Foundation has been the primary donor of the early music group over the last two decades. Every dollar donated will be matched by the Colburn Foundation, up to $50,000, potentially doubling the impact of every gift.

The Colburn Foundation is offering these opportunities to ultimately stimulate individual, corporate and foundation giving to Musica Angelica, concluding with the April 2025 St. Matthew Passion concerts in Long Beach and Los Angeles. All contributing donors will be acknowledged and celebrated at a special event at the culmination of the Matching Campaign.

“The possible $100,000 funding will be used to sustain our unique and beautiful music and will help ensure the future of historic informed period instrument performance,” said Musica Angelica’s Executive Director Matthew Faulkner. “We are searching for other patrons dedicated to the arts and preserving some of the most beautiful sounds in the history of music.”

Donors to the campaign can take advantage of giving levels that provide benefits such as concert tickets, attendance at dress rehearsals and invitations to home concerts and exclusive events. For more details and to make a donation, visit https://musica-angelica.square.site/

Musica Angelica will be hosting pre- and post-concert benefit receptions before and after each concert where donors can make direct contributions or donate via our QR code.

Donations can also be directly mailed to Musica Angelica, 65 Pine Avenue #12, Long Beach, 90802.

Musica Angelica’s Community Concert Series in collaboration with the Long Beach Public Library system is continuing, beginning with a trio of Musica Angelica musicians Los Jubilados at the Dana Branch community room at noon on Saturday October 19.

“The events were well-attended last season, for both families with children and Early Music fans of all ages,” explained Faulkner. “At each event, musicians perform using authentic instruments of the Baroque period and intersperse information about the historic music and the instruments used.

In addition to its concert series, Musica Angelica hosts musical performances and discussions at many local middle and high school orchestra programs, conducts master classes at area universities and colleges, and supports nonprofit music enrichment programs for traditionally underserved communities.

Tickets range from $40-$80 per concert. To purchase tickets or donate toward the $50,000 matching opportunity, visit https://www.musicaangelica.org or call the box office at (562) 276-0865.

Vibrant Music of the Harlem Renaissance

The joint will be jumping this fall as Musical Theatre West (MTW) presents Ain’t Misbehavin’ The Fats Waller Musical Show at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. Running on select nights starting Friday, Oct. 18, audiences will journey back to the dynamic New York jazz scene of the 1920s and 1930s that celebrates the essence of the Harlem Renaissance and the black musicians whose unsurpassed talents illustrated the era’s cultural landscape.

Tickets are on sale now, starting at $20 and are available by phone at (562) 856-1999 or online at musical.org.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’ is an electrifying tribute to the countless jazz-era classics composed by the legendary Fats Waller,” shared Paul Garman, executive director and producer of Musical Theatre West. “We’ve enlisted the expertise of dramaturg Antoine Lee to ensure both historical and cultural authenticity as we bring this inspiring production to life. It’s a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance’s rich cultural heritage and  what we’ve uncovered about this era resonates with all cultures and generations. We can’t wait to share it with theatergoers this October!”

Named after Waller’s iconic song “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” this production echoes the lively rhythms of Manhattan’s soulful nightlife. It pays tribute to the Black musical artists of the Harlem Renaissance, a time of flourishing creativity, cultural awareness and  ethnic pride. During this era, nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom became playgrounds for high society, while Lenox Avenue dives were filled with piano players pounding out the new swing beat.

Hailed as one of the most well-crafted revues of all time, this sassy and sultry show will have audiences jumpin’ and jivin’ to timeless classics like “Honeysuckle Rose,” “The Joint is Jumpin’,” and “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling.”

Garman adds, “The historical significance of Ain’t Misbehavin’ cannot be overstated – it brings to life an era that reshaped American culture.” In MTW’s production, audiences will experience the music as it was meant to be heard, with live instruments on stage, recreating the vibrant energy of Harlem’s jazz scene. “The presence of live musicians further immerses theatergoers in the era, providing an authentic, powerful connection to the sounds that defined the Harlem Renaissance. We are really excited to welcome audiences to this production.”

Musical Theatre West’s production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ will premiere at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on select dates, October 18 - November 3, 2024, with a special ASL-interpreted performance on Friday, October 25, 2024. More details to be announced soon.

Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org. Fees may apply. Student rush tickets for $15 are available at the Box Office one hour prior to showtime, with a valid student ID. More information, a full line-up of performances and  additional details can be found at https://musical.org.

Arts for Life Concert

Come enjoy a night of incredible music on Sunday, Nov. 17, 5-6 p.m. The multi-talented Clarice Assad is teaming up with the 68-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra for an exciting Arts for Life Concert at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Opening the concert will be world premieres by Ryan Cohan, winner of the 2023 George Duke Commissioning Prize and  Francisco Torres featuring Justo Almario. The Grammy Award–nominated composer, celebrated pianist and  inventive vocalist, Clarice Assad will be performing music by Milton Nascimento, Astor Piazolla, along with her own compositions. Assad has toured the world working with such musicians as Bobby McFerrin, Paquito D’Rivera, Mike Marshall, Third Coast Percussion and  her father, guitarist Sergio Assad. You don’t want to miss this exciting musical event!

“… can two people actually become one again?”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking and  wickedly funny, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch“ – at the Long Beach Playhouse Oct. 12 to Nov. 16 – is the landmark musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask. In this gender-bending musical, transgender punk rocker from East Germany, Hedwig, tours the U.S. with her band, The Angry Inch. The musical explores Hedwig’s journey to fame, the origins of love and  her own identity.

The story is told by Hedwig (née Hansel) in the form of a stand-up comedy routine and a punk-inspired band, “The Angry Inch.” Using songs and monologues, her story is revealed. The music is reminiscent of the 1970s glam-rock style of David Bowie and  punk performers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

“The story is somewhat autobiographical, as it draws on Mitchell’s life as the child of a military officer who commanded the U.S. section of occupied West Berlin,” said Sean Gray, artistic director for the Playhouse. “Hedwig was inspired by an Army wife who was the Mitchell family’s babysitter and moonlighted as a prostitute at her trailer park home in Junction City, Kansas.”

“One review described it as a rocking ride, funny, touching and  ultimately inspiring to anyone who has felt life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile, which I think sums it up perfectly,” said Madison Mooney, Long Beach Playhouse executive director.

Angela Cruz is the show’s director. A recent graduate of UCI’s MFA Directing Program, she is excited to be doing her first post graduate production with Long Beach Playhouse. The Musical Director is Stephen Olear who says he is thrilled to finally be in a rock band after all of his many years of classical training.

For this show, there are two sets of casts: Lil Guys and Dem Bratz performing alternating weekends. Lil Guys are both returning actors, Zachary Balagot and Kelsey Weinstein. Dem Bratz are returning actor Andrew Pedroza and debuting actor, Reneé Cohen.

The Angry Inch Band members are Nick Estes, Iggi El Kouati, Ja’lil Nelson, Nick Shewchuk, Quinn Vann and Grahm Wojcik.

“It’s a great show and  the music is raucous and loud,” said Mooney. “For audience members who prefer a bit less volume, we have disposable ear plugs for anyone who wants them! Come and see the show!”

Special Events

Pay what you can Preview Thursday, October 10th- community can see this production for whatever they wish to donate, suggested donation $5

Ten Dollar Preview Friday, October 11th with Lil Guys Cast- Tickets are $10.00

Opening Night Champagne Reception with Lil Guys Cast on Saturday October 12- Tickets are $35.00 – sponsored by the Port of Long Beach

Dem Bratz Cast will have their opening performance on Friday October 18th

Ticket Prices

Friday: adults are $25, seniors $20 and students $20.

Saturday and Sunday: adults are $30, seniors $25 and students $20.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic and  cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and  Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3-8 p.m. and Sundays from 1-2 p.m. on scheduled matinees.

 The Studio Theater is on the 2nd Floor. There is no elevator and the theater is only accessible by stairs.