Originally published on 15 October 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Bradley Armacost and Adam Wesley Brown in Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black’ at the Cleveland Playhouse | Courtesy photo / Roger Mastroianni
London’s second longest-running West End play ‘The Woman in Black’ will premiere on the West Coast at the Pasadena Playhouse from October 17 to November 11, just in time for Halloween. With all the stage wizardry that has led audiences in London to shriek in fear for over 28 years, it promises to live up to its reputation as one of the most terrifying theater events ever mounted.
Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from a novel by Susan Hill, the play is directed by Robin Herford, who has also helmed all its productions in Tokyo, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. He is recreating his original staging for the first time in the United States with Bradley Armacost as Arthur Kipps and Adam Wesley Brown as The Actor.
Hill’s Gothic ghost story is set in an isolated windswept mansion which has secrets hidden behind its shuttered windows. There, a young lawyer encounters horrific visions in the house set amidst the eerie marshes and howling winds of England’s forbidding North Coast.
Years later, he tells his frightening tale to exorcise the terror that grips his soul. Mallatratt’s adaptation is a play within a play, with Kipps rehearsing with an actor to perform the story for his family and friends, thereby making him relive the haunting of Eel Marsh House.
It all begins innocently enough, but as he reaches further into his darkest memories, he quickly finds that there is no turning back. With just two actors, ‘The Woman in Black’ gives audiences an evening of unremitting drama and sheer theatricality as they are transported into a chilling and ghostly world.
Speaking by phone, Armacost describes how he almost didn’t get the role of Arthur Kipps, “Robin Herford cast the play in Chicago at the same time I was playing in Washington D.C. so I wasn’t able to come to the audition. When they had finished casting, he asked if there was someone else they were thinking of for the role and my name came up.
“I did a scene on my iPhone and sent it to the casting director, who passed it on. They caught up with me at an airport where we had a casting session of sorts. I had a half-hour Skype conversation on my iPad with Robin, who was in London. We got on quite well and the next thing I knew I had the role; I found it funny because he had no idea if I even had a leg since all he could see was my face.
“Robin came in from London for the two-and-a-half week rehearsal in Chicago and stayed through the opening in Cleveland. He had to fly back to London for opening night of the 12,000th performance of ‘The Woman in Black’ in London.”
While it has been running in London for almost three decades, Armacost hadn’t seen it. “I was unfamiliar with the play but I knew there was a 2012 film with Daniel Radcliffe whom everyone knows as Harry Potter. I’m surprised my son didn’t bring it to my attention.
Adam Wesley Brown and Bradley Armacost in Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black’ at the Cleveland Playhouse | Courtesy photo / Roger Mastroianni
“I was told, though, that while the film has the same subject and is taken from the same novel by Susan Hill, it is completely different. In the film there are other actors performing various parts; in the play there are just two of us and we act out all the characters. I perform at least seven characters and my partner plays three. With only two actors on stage, you quickly realize that if he’s not talking, I am. And if I’m not talking, he is.”
That puts a lot of the burden of having to memorize so much dialogue on both actors. But that didn’t daunt Armacost. He says, “First of all, Susan has a good story and Stephen has written a magnificent script. There’s no fat on it, no unnecessary word. It’s to the point, so it’s quite easy to memorize and perform. There are silences in it but, hopefully, those are the moments when the audiences are most at the edge of their seats.”
Continues Armacost, “I can practically set my watch and count three, two, one and … there’s a scream. There were times when someone in the audience would call out ‘Don’t go in that door!’ You can practically see them jumping in other people’s laps. The audience reaction is like an electric shock. The play opens and the audience is on an electric wire which keeps us moving. It may be one of the reasons the play is easy to memorize. It’s no wonder it has run for as long as it has. It’s truly a joy to perform in this play; it’s such an audience pleaser.
“It’s truly an honor to be involved in this production. We were very fortunate to be working with Robin who has been touring this play and has directed it for 30 years. While he has shared some short cuts on how to interpret it, he’s given us a free hand in making it our own. Every so often during rehearsal, in his very British way, he would say, ‘You might try ….’”
Asked what he finds compelling about ‘The Woman in Black,’ Armacost replies, “What truly stands out in this production is that everyone in the audience is another character and brings his or her own imagination. One dog on the stage can be as many different breeds as there are people in the audience. Each one envisions his own picture of what the scary mansion looks like. I think when audience members are that invested, they have a greater appreciation of the play.
“This is for someone who enjoys mystery and likes crossword and jigsaw puzzles; it’s a thinking person’s frightening tale. It’s not a life transforming play, it’s just a communal experience where the person next to you jumps and you do the same. Then you share a laugh together. And in times like these, when even the news is sometimes frightening, it’s fun to just be able to say ‘for the next two hours I will listen to this story and be like a kid again.’
“And, for me, it’s a delight to be a part of this clever production. The play, which only has two chairs and one doorway, holds the audience captive. It’s remarkable how something so seemingly uncomplicated has managed to frighten audiences for over a quarter century.”
Originally published on 8 October 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Pictured left to right: Rafael Goldstein and Kasey Mahaffy. – Photo by Craig Schwartz
Tom Stoppard’s ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (The Fringe) in 1967 to great acclaim. It established him as one of the greatest playwrights in modern times and his work, which puts to the fore two of Shakespeare’s minor characters in ‘Hamlet,’ has been staged throughout the western world.
Pasadenans will get to experience Stoppard’s brilliance when ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ goes on stage at A Noise Within from October 7 to November 18. Directed by ANW Producing Director, Geoff Elliott, it stars resident artists Kasey Mahaffy as Rosencrantz and Rafael Goldstein as Guildenstern.
A Nosie Within distinguishes itself as one of the few repertory theatre organizations with a resident company. The resident actors’ genuine regard for one another manifests itself on stage and makes for richer, more nuanced performances.
“Rafael and I have known each other for four years,” Mahaffy discloses. “We know each other’s secrets, we’re two halves of the same coin. So we started the foundation from day one, jumping off from a place that some actors could only be familiar with on opening night.”
“I’ve worked with him in about half a dozen plays and I have admired him greatly as an artist. But our joke was that we never shared a word together. Even in ‘Henry V,’ where he played the king and I was the dauphin from France, his mortal enemy, we didn’t share a minute of stage time. We just never got a moment together. Finally, they threw us a bone. Now all we do is hang out and we’re sick of other,” quips Mahaffy.
“But, seriously, I’m grateful every day that Rafael is my screen partner and my safety net,” Mahaffy says hastily. “He’s incredibly prepared and diligent, which I expected coming in. He’s always fun to hang out with and joke with backstage.”
“What I like about Kasey is that he’s a grounding presence for me,” declares Goldstein. “I tend to spin off into the abyss. And Kasey is very practical; he listens and he responds. Every actor needs that and I have it in spades with him. His sense of humor leavens the existential morass that we find ourselves in in this play. He has all the laugh lines, as well. It’s been nice to sort of play the straight man to his comic character.”
“Like in any true functioning relationship, these two individuals, while widely different, need each other,” Mahaffy elucidates. “Guildenstern is a cerebral, logistical, driven character. And Rosencrantz is all fart jokes. But what’s so cool in Stoppard’s writing is that when one character loses perspective and spins out, and both of us do it multiple times on the show, the other one immediately rises to the challenge and rescues the other. Every single moment in this play is a scale that he and I are leveling.”
Pictured left to right: Rafael Goldstein, Paul David Story, and Kasey Mahaffy | Photo by Craig Schwartz
‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ is not new to Mahaffy. “When I was doing my undergraduate thesis back in 2000, I had the role of Guildenstern. It’s amazing to hear those words again 18 years later. The dialogue is just fast, fast, fast, boom, boom, boom, like a tennis match. The problem is, sometimes I say his lines. It’s been 18 years but it sticks in the brain. So one of the great things about playing with him is that he’s shown me how to do that part. And how terribly bad I was when I did it then,” he admits with a laugh.
Goldstein says, “The virtue of him having done it before is that he was able to warn me about the pitfalls of this role too, and how to navigate them. He has something of a map to guide me about the play generally, like how the audience would react. Granted, that would change, but it’s something to have in the back of my head.”
Revisiting the play almost two decades later has given Mahaffy a better, deeper sense of it. “It is the heart of what I want to talk about today. The play, while told through comedy and existential theatrical device, is a treatise on life. More specifically, it is about these two characters who are stuck and are searching for their next move. They’re waiting for signs from the universe, other people, other souls, to tell them what they should do next. Like most of us, they are terrified about mortality and death. When I performed this at 20 years old, I was saying the words but I didn’t have a visceral understanding of their significance.
“This summer, my brother passed away prematurely, at 42 years old, and left a wife and two daughters. My parents were devastated and I’ve been reeling from it since. It made me think about what it means to me as a brother and as a son. As an artist, I have to put my life on stage no matter what’s going on in my life, whether it’s good or bad. There’s the line in the play …”
And Goldstein supplies the line, “There is no applause, there is only silence.”
“Yes. When you die, there is no applause, only silence and second hand clothes,” picks up Mahaffy. “Tom Stoppard is a certifiable genius. You can say those things when you’re in college but it’s not until you’re a 39-year-old man holding your brother’s shoes which were gifted to you … these second-hand shoes … that the gut punch meaning to the lines is actually delivered.”
“The theme of the play is Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s imminent death,” Goldstein addresses further. “They know something is amiss, but they have an inkling, as we all do. We have an understanding that death is coming. And it’s every human’s journey how to reconcile the ultimate irrationality of our own demise. Moving through the world with that knowledge, how does one confront the absurdities of everyday life? How does one control aspects of one’s life to better comprehend the current situation? There is the questioning which activates a lot of philosophical ideas.”
“Tom Stoppard’s characters are people seeking agency in their life,” describes Mahaffy. “He wants to explore the questions ‘Are we subjugated to fate?’ ‘Are we tools at the hand of God?’ ‘Or do we have our own power?’ ‘Are we the captain of our own ship?’ That’s the crux of what he wrote at 26 years old. He was still a baby! Such genius!”
Pictured left to right: Rafael Goldstein, Wesley Mann, and Kasey Mahaffy | Photo by Craig Schwartz
Goldstein enlarges on that thought, “The question, ‘Are we the captain of our ship, or are we set on a predetermined path?’ is completely outside of our understanding and perception. Are we just being moved along inexorably towards a predetermined end and no matter what we do, no matter what flailing action we might take to avoid certainties, we’re going to meet our end? You know, you can do as many push-ups as you want, you’re still gonna die!
“The play focuses on two minor characters in Hamlet. The title comes from a line in it, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.’ There is no question. But to them, there has to be a possibility of reprieve, which they’re searching for in the entire play.”
Expounds Mahaffy, “The characters are determined to take a grip of their circumstances. They wonder if they should turn right instead of left, forward or backward. They ask The Player, ‘What do we do? We don’t know how to act.’ And The Player answers, ‘Relax. Respond. That’s all we can do as humans.’
“This is a play about language and dialogue. Our set, even as it’s beautifully designed, is quite simple. It’s pretty much a stage with lights. I think it’s going to be a major treat for anyone who appreciates language and humor. And I want to make this clear, you don’t have to know Shakespeare. We don’t speak in Shakespeare vernacular. We talk like two people in 2018. It’s wildly funny and terribly heartbreaking all at once. It’s everything you want theater to be.”
“We’ll be wearing clothes that convey an Elizabethan flavor, but the way we speak to one another in the play is thoroughly recognizable,” Goldstein emphasizes. “Geoff Elliott, our director, has stressed for us to understand the words and communicate them as simply as we can. There is very little varnish to the way we interact with each other. It’s unadorned and straightforward. It’s two people just trying to survive and using the other person as a buoy, or a sounding board. That’s invaluable direction given the philosophical themes of the play. This is undeniably one of the greatest plays in the past century and I think people will come way from the production appreciating that.”
Even if not everyone agrees with Goldstein’s assertion, the one indisputable certainty is that Tom Stoppard didn’t let Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go down without a fight.
Originally published on 5 October 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
The ‘Labrateers’ will perform to a packed tent again this year at Twilight Tasting | Photo by Stevie Dominguez
If your idea of an enjoyable evening is sampling a wide variety of fares downed with craft beer and locally distilled spirits, then you’re in for a real treat. Families Forward Learning Center is holding its 8th Annual Twilight Tasting on Saturday, October 13, from 6 to 10 pm, at 980 N. Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, and promises food and beverage aplenty
Established in 1961 as Mothers’ Club, it was originally located on Orange Grove Blvd. Its programs expanded and, in time, it outgrew that center. Using funds raised through a capital campaign, it purchased its present 10,000-square-foot building in the heart of Northwest Pasadena in 2006.
A team of education, planning, and design professionals transformed the property into a facility that could support and promote learning for thousands of families over the decades. The designated Gold-Level LEED-certified sustainable building houses five age-appropriate classrooms for children aged 0-5, an outdoor learning center, a parent education center, library, quiet room, nutrition kitchen, social kitchen, and administrative offices.
It was renamed Families Forward last September to expressly reflect its mission – to prepare families living in isolation and poverty to succeed in school and in life, through two-generation learning programs.
The two-generation program consists of a morning and an afternoon session covering early childhood education (ECE), parent education, adult education, mental health support and leadership training.
Additionally, Families Forward offers a weekly Teen Parenting on Thursday afternoons, a weekly Fathers Support Group on Wednesday evenings, and Early Readers’ Book Club one Saturday morning per month.
Parent and child learn side by side at Families Forward, investing in the success of the entire family | Photo courtesy of Families Forward
Berit Anderson, Manager for Communications and Events at Families Forward, describes, “Our tutoring and learning program is geared for children between zero and five years old, when the early development crucial to their growth, is taking place. We want to ensure that children are fully prepared to transition to kindergarten.
“Our adult program encompasses adult education, parenting education, and mental health services in partnership with Pacific Oaks. To accommodate families’ specific needs, we partner with several organizations in the community for services we cannot provide here at the center. For instance, we collaborate with Pasadena City College to offer ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.”
A resource and a safety net for the 83 percent of families who are living at, or below, the federal poverty level, Families Forward currently serves 116 children, or 100 families, who live in the neighborhood. It is open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Morning program hours are from 9 to 11 am and afternoon programs are from 1 to 4:30 pm.
Families Forward has nine people in its administrative staff and three credentialed teachers. It is funded by the California teachers program, Head Start, the federal government, individual and company donors, and community supporters.
Sixteen local restaurants and businesses will serve tastings of their cuisine to event guests | Photo courtesy of Families Forward
“Twilight Tasting started eight years ago to create an opportunity for people to come in to our center,” Anderson discloses. “We have our Back to School Night before the event, so all the classrooms will display the children’s artwork. After that, people can walk around to enjoy a beer, wine, and food festival held here in our teaching spaces and the parking lot.
“We call restaurants, food, and drink companies to take part in the event. There will be 16 restaurants, some of whom are coming back from previous years’ participation, with tables and tastings throughout the evening for 300 attendees. We’ve also created relationships with businesses throughout the year and it’s a good chance for them to promote their restaurant. They’ll get face-time with our patrons, community leaders, and people in the area. It’s also an opportunity for them to show their support for our organization.
Anderson says further, “Our Twilight Tasting will again feature a live band, and a wine pull. Additionally, we’ll have an auction and a mobile bidding. Auction items include a Staples Center suite for either a Clippers or Kings game, which comes with VIP parking; tickets to Disneyland; a couple of vacation getaways – to Las Vegas at the Cosmo, and the W Hotel in Hollywood. We will also have some artwork pieces made by the children, which will be professionally framed.
“Tickets are $120 and can be purchased online and at the venue, right up to the event. We’re launching our online auction starting Wednesday, October 3, for those who couldn’t attend but would like to participate, and will be open until the end of the event.”
“We were one of the first organizations in Pasadena to have a tasting event,” Anderson declares. “We hold a gala every year but we wanted to create something more intimate and casual, an occasion for people to just have a great time.”
That you will be contributing to a worthy cause while indulging your inner foodie only makes Twilight Tasting twice as satisfying. See you at the party!
Originally published on 28 September 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Looking forward to a bright career after graduating from college | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
In a few weeks high school seniors applying to UC and Cal State schools, or other universities through early action or early decision, will be sending out their applications. It is the last step in this grueling process that begins in 9th grade when they start to build their transcript.
These 18-year-olds spent four years of their life burnishing their resume with the hope that the admissions officers in the college of their dreams will admit them. A lot of them have a 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT scores, took a dozen AP courses, helped build houses in far-flung corners of the world, and acquired internships in the field they are passionate about.
What these students may not have thought of, though, is the price tag of a college degree. And the cost of tuition, books, accommodations, and meals is increasing every year. However, not every parent can afford to pay for their children’s college education, necessitating young people to get student loans.
A generation of young graduates is heading out into the world looking forward to a bright career but, at the same time, is carrying a huge burden on its shoulders. Student debt is now at a staggering $1.5 trillion.
So while students should follow their passion when they choose what to major in, it is as essential for them to balance their decisions with the realities of life beyond college and consider schools with the best earning potential.
To help parents and students make informed choices, PayScale, Inc., the world’s leading provider of on-demand compensation data and software, released its annual College Salary Report for the 2018-2019 school year. It is the only organization offering insightful, real time data based on crowdsourced figures and hundreds of compensable factors for both employers and employees to help them make important compensation decisions.
PayScale’s 2018-2019 College Salary Report uses data collected from more than 3.2 million college alumni, providing estimates of early and mid-career pay for 2,646 associate and bachelor’s degree-granting schools in the United States.
Lydia Frank | Courtesy photo
Lydia Frank, PayScale’s Vice-President details their organic growth, “The company was established in 2002 to help individuals understand how much they should be earning at their jobs. From there, we moved on to providing compensation information to employers.
“In 2008, we realized we had all this great data around what school people attended, what they majored in, and what they ultimately ended up earning – the kind of material parents and students need when they start their college search.”
“So we launched the College Salary Report ten years ago precisely to help parents and students make decisions as to what major to choose and what college to attend,” explains Frank. “We want to give them the information on how this will impact earning potential after graduation.
“There’s a lot of material out there telling students which college to attend based on reputation, teaching staff, and amenities available, but there aren’t any information out in the market about what they will be earning as a graduate from a particular school. We thought it was something unique we could bring to bear.”
“We didn’t expect it to take off the way that it did when we started it in 2008,” Frank discloses. “I think it became pretty obvious that we were unique in our ability to be able to provide this information so it became more mission-based – that we had to put it out there because it’s really valuable. It helps students figure out how much they should be borrowing and it gives them an idea what their income will be after graduating.”
Adds Frank, “The other piece of this is a report we put out in the spring of 2010, called College Return on Investment, which details how much it will cost to attend a particular school and the earning potential of its alumni.”
PayScale’s 2018-2019 College Salary Report shows the top 50 schools offering Bachelor’s degrees fall into 16 states, with California and New York home to 22 of them.
For associate degrees, nursing and healthcare provide the biggest payoff for graduates at half the cost of a four-year institution. Helene Fuld College of Nursing tops the list of schools in this category, followed by Pacific Union College, and Cochran School of Nursing. The majority of the highest-earning two-year programs are schools with strong reputations and a specific focus in nursing and healthcare professions.
Ivy League universities, elite technical institutions, and military academies continue to top the list. Harvey Mudd College is a Liberal Arts school that grants degrees in only science, engineering, and mathematics. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges, and its fellow member schools – Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Pitzer, and Scripps – rank 43rd, 67th, 355th, and 374th, respectively. Colorado is the first interior state to appear on the list, with the Colorado School of Mines in 11th place and the U.S. Air Force Academy in 16th.
Looking at the best schools by major, Vanderbilt for Communications, Newman University for Education, and Union College in New York for Humanities have the highest earnings for graduates but they do not appear in the top 50 schools in the annual report.
Most of the highest-paying two-year majors are technology-focused, with software engineering in the top spot. Construction project management is the first non-tech-focused major in the list, ranking 4th. Engineering and math dominate the bachelor’s rankings, but petroleum engineering majors make far and away the most money mid-career. Operations research & industrial engineering, a newly included major, comes in second place, followed by actuarial mathematics.
STEM topped the list in terms of earning potential, as expected. However, students who want to pursue a Liberal Arts degree could take comfort in the fact that they will be able to catch up.
“Graduates with an Arts degree tend to not make a lot out of the gate but they end up making more mid-career,” reveals Frank. “We had some interesting findings when we looked at mid-career earnings at 10+ years. Degrees like Philosophy start to float up there. So it’s not that you shouldn’t major in Liberal Arts, you just have to know that it would take longer for you to be able to pay off debt. That you have to really be careful about how you fund your education.”
Indeed a Liberal Arts degree gives one a wide scope of knowledge which applies across fields. Some of the biggest names in business today majored in courses which their parents could have thought made them totally unemployable. Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Medieval History and Philosophy.
Young people really can’t know how far they can go and what they can achieve based on their college degree. It’s up to them to make their own fortune.
Originally published on 24 September 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Dorian Gray | Courtesy photo / A Noise Within
‘A Picture of Dorian Gray,’ a play adapted from Oscar Wilde’s novella ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray,’ goes on stage from September 23 to November 16 at A Noise Within in Pasadena. Adapted and directed by Boston Court Pasadena’s Co-Artistic Director, Michael Michetti, its three main characters are Colin Bates as Dorian Gray, Frederick Stuart as Lord Henry Wotton, and Amin El Gamal as Basil Hallward.
Wilde’s Dorian Gray is so entranced by the beauty of his own portrait that he sells his soul to preserve his youth and pays a price. Michetti’s adaptation, first produced at Boston Court Pasadena in 2006, explores the idolization of beauty and youth in an intimate, psychological journey. Avoiding the Gothic horror approach to the tale altogether, it follows instead the consequences of Dorian’s hedonistic lifestyle.
Explains Michetti of the remount, “When I did ‘A Picture of Dorian Gray’ 12 years ago at Boston Court, it was really successful and I was very proud of it. But I really didn’t think I was done with it and I thought this would be an opportunity to come back to it.
“The theatre space and timing are different. It’s a new collaboration with a whole new set of actors, with specific experiences and talents they bring to the production. However, the political and thematic content we’re dealing with now are the same things I was interested in exploring 12 years ago. That said, several things have transpired since – for one, gays have achieved marriage equality. So this play is thematically timely to me.
“The script has basically the same approach and ideas; I’ve added some things but not significant ones. Part of what this adaptation is embracing in the Oscar Wilde original is Dorian’s sexual orientation, an aspect many adaptations have erased. In fact, there wasn’t any hint of it in the 1945 film version. That was one of the things that was important for me to restore.”
“A lot of the people who read the novella thought of it as a Gothic horror story,” Michetti adds. “However, I think that was the least interesting part of the story. There’s obviously a supernatural and dark element to it but, for me, Wilde wrote a very psychologically truthful tale about what it was like to pursue pleasure without regard to the consequences. Because Dorian has great privilege of wealthy and beauty, it’s easier for him to get the things he wants in life. He spends a great part of his life causing damage to people.
“Following its dramaturgy, this is a cautionary tale. At the end of the novel, Dorian grasps that the toll of leading such hedonistic life was too great and he decides, too late, to make a change. But he definitely is realizing the consequences of his past behavior, is regretting it, and is atoning for it. It’s a reminder that we should stop to consider the people around us and the contributions we’re making to humankind.”
A Portrait of Oscar Wilde | Courtesy photo
“Here’s an interesting point – pursuit of pleasure, acquisition of beautiful things, appreciation of beauty – those were components of the aestheticism in the late 1870s,” Michetti expounds. “Aestheticism values art more than social and political themes: art for art’s sake. Oscar Wilde was considered one of the most prominent proponents of it. He was, at the time, a big celebrity who embraced it and became the public face for the movement.
“The aesthetic movement is a hedonistic approach to life. So while the novel’s protagonist is pursing these things, Oscar Wilde is saying there’s a price to pay for following these theories to their logical end.”
Oscar Wilde once said that ‘Dorian Gray’s’ three central characters are all aspects of himself: “Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry what the world thinks of me; Dorian is what I would like to be – in other ages, perhaps.”
Michetti finds Wilde’s description fascinating. “There is something thought-provoking about the three characters as a triumvirate. Within that, Harry is the proponent of the movement and he stands by it to the end. He says we can’t change, we are who we are; and he doesn’t want Dorian to change because he believes aestheticism is worth pursing at whatever cost. Meanwhile, Basil is destroyed in the course of the play. And Dorian is the one who develops a conscience and decides to change.
“There are three actors playing the three different characters who are all aspects of Oscar Wilde. There’s that remarkable bond they carry with them during all that time. They are people who care very much for one another.
“When the play begins Harry and Basil have been long-time friends, they were in school together. Basil meets and falls for Dorian and introduces him to Harry – it’s a triangle with connections as well as conflicts. As soon as Harry comes into Dorian’s life, Basil becomes a third wheel. We have talked a lot with the three actors about the fact that there are reflecting and mirroring between them, yet the characteristics of the actors and the characters are very distinctive.
“Basil and Dorian are contrasts in a lot of ways. Dramaturgically and psychologically, Basil is the embodiment of Dorian’s conscience – he’s the one who wants Dorian to behave righteously, to take responsibility for his actions, and to lead an honest and fulfilling life. Dorian reaches a point of being so fearful of the consequences that he avoids Basil and their friendship suffers for it. Ultimately, I think, the reason for Dorian’s big conversion is the recognition that killing Basil is a big loss and he has a lot of guilt over that. He comes to an appreciation for what Basil wants for him to see in the world.”
Michetti continues, “The second metaphor in the story is Dorian’s portrait which is both aging and taking on the physical manifestation of his sins so that he isn’t affected. I find that symbolism a little too simple because even though his appearance isn’t affected, Dorian has guilt and fear beneath. But there’s something addictive about his continuing pursuit of pleasure, beauty, and experiences. It’s almost that of an addict getting a high for a while, then he crashes, and he begins again. That is very much the cycle that Dorian is deeply in.”
This adaptation of ‘A Picture of Dorian Gray’ does not show the portrait at all, which could be a tough sell to the audience who can’t actually see it.
Michael Michetti | Courtesy photo / A Noise Within
“The reason I decided not to have the picture is that, in most adaptations, when the portrait is shown and the effect it’s had on it, the whole revelation is a little cheesy to me,” rationalizes Michetti. “I never got convinced because it should be terrifying and it always fell short of what I had imagined. And then, too, how grotesque could you make it so we could understand his moral decay and give it the right impact?
“Previous adaptations emphasized the horror aspects instead of the psychological feature. There is undeniably a supernatural element to it; you can’t tell the story without that. However, I didn’t really want to be focusing on that but on the humanity of it. I think the audience will hear the story in a different way because of how we’re framing it. And focusing on the psychological instead of the supernatural is what makes that possible. I hope that our audiences understand that kind of storytelling and find it dynamic and compelling.”
Michetti says further, “The story has universal themes. I think we are all guilty of the things that Dorian does – we all want to stay young, we all feel that sense of loss when we begin to age, we all seek pleasure to try to numb the feelings of fear or failure. While Dorian is an antihero, we can relate to him and we see ourselves reflected in him. We may not go to the extreme that he does, but we comprehend some of the temptations he had. I would like our audience to treat it as an admonition to make different choices because we see how badly Dorian’s life ends.
“At the same time, I hope that, in the adaptation of the play and the depiction of the character, we find him appealing and relatable before we find his behavior repellent. While Dorian doesn’t begin as the shining example of magnanimity, he is a very relatable person before he begins his decline.
“Finally, I would like people, who feel they know the story, to be taken aback – to think they heard it in a new way. I would like to make them recognize other aspects of it they had not previously been conscious of, or didn’t know were there. For me it all comes back to the appreciation of Wilde and how inspired this novel is, how deeply he understands humanity. That we can use his words and tell the story that feels fresh and relevant in the 21st century is surprising for a work that’s 125 years old.”
Basil is played by Amin El Gamal, whom Michetti had not previously worked with. He states, “Amin has auditioned for me before and I’ve seen his work as a fan. He was definitely the first person I thought of.”
Basil (back) paints a portrait of Dorian (foreground) as Harry looks on | Photo by Craig Schwartz
El Gamal confesses, “I never read the book in school and didn’t come across it until after college. I have never been in a production of Dorian Gray before but I know the trope about the picture that ages.
“It was very insightful of Michael to have thought of me in the role of Basil. He’s a character I think I relate to strongly, although I’ve never seen productions where the characteristics brought out in this adaptation were showcased. I was really excited to be approached for a role where I can share my existential qualities, which I was surprised that Michael has perceived.
“When he sent the script to me, I was astonished and, quite frankly, I felt exposed. But it has also been a delight because my goal as a person of color is not to play my ethnicity but to use my resources and my qualities as a person as the basis for my art. I felt that Michael acknowledged that. I was disappointed that I couldn’t do it because the script came too late – I was already committed to another project.”
Interjects Michetti, “I cast another actor but he dropped out. So I approached Amin again and, by that time, his project had fallen apart. So this feels like fate.”
“As excited as I was to play this character, I was also afraid of what that psyche would unearth for me,” El Gamal continues. “Fortunately, the process has been fruitful. I really feel that an actor’s main tool is his life experience, but there are times when I have to use my imagination. This play really required that creativity.
“I’m very sensitive to the fact that people can be like Basil or Harry. I can certainly relate to both Harry’s wanting to pursue his goals with enthusiasm in the same way that I appreciate Basil’s sense of morality. But there has to be a balance to not be overburdened with the morals and live life to the fullest.”
“Michael challenged me to find more complexity in the characters,” discloses El Gamal. “He didn’t want us to depict Basil and Harry as the angel and the devil on Dorian’s shoulder. That the evil and the good are not too far apart, there’s a grey area where a person can be both. Basil certainly isn’t perfect. Both characters had an important role in Dorian’s life – if it wasn’t for Basil, he wouldn’t have met Harry.”
“Basil is very passive in the beginning of the story,” says El Gamal of his character. “When Dorian starts pursuing worldly pleasures, he pulls away – he leaves the country and isn’t a part of Dorian’s life for a while. He goes through a drought in his art after Dorian basically abandoned their relationship. He might have resorted to drug and substance abuse, he’s alone and lonely. Although he still has a deep love for Dorian and when he sees the deterioration of the portrait, he stages an intervention.
“But through it all, he’s not a victim. His character arc is hopeful – he’s planning on opening a studio in Paris where he would create his next masterpiece – despite its sad ending. It was a productive life cut short. I hope I am able to convey everything that is going on with Basil.”
“Oscar Wilde anticipated homosexuality as an identity, the idea of two men being in love,” marvels El Gamal. “Basil embodies that identity at a time when that wasn’t recognized.”
In his depiction of Basil, El Gamal wants the audience to leave the theatre with something to reflect on. “I think in today’s social media and selfie-obsessed culture, people can feel disposable and we can forget to be respectful and communicative. I hope Basil, as a sort of advocate for kindness and basic human decency, reminds audiences to take a little better care of themselves and each other.”
Would that El Gamal’s wish is realized and the moral Michetti advances in ‘A Picture of Dorian Gray’ is heeded to make us a deliberate and thoughtful society.
Originally published on 18 September 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Sushi Roku in Pasadena’s Old Town serves only the freshest fish and highest quality food. Head Sushi Chef Manzo Kitaura creates beautiful sashimi plates | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
We know that Californians have developed sophisticated palates when sushi and sashimi restaurants are as ubiquitous as eateries serving standard American fare. In the San Gabriel Valley, Japanese food is so mainstream that ramen noodle joints can be found at every strip mall.
So how did ramen and sushi become something akin to staple dining options? Well, we can say that it’s mostly because of the large Asian population in the area. There was a time, however, when this wasn’t the case, and we owe our appreciation for raw seafood to a very enterprising immigrant who introduced sushi to Los Angeles.
Noritoshi Kanai, the former chairman of Los Angeles Mutual Trading Co., Inc. (Mutual Trading), may have singlehandedly been responsible for bringing sushi to our local dining scene. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that sushi eating in this country is intrinsically linked with the company.
Atsuko says, “This trade show grew organically. We began as a Japanese food wholesaler and, as the business expanded, we started carrying specialty items for chefs like chinaware and professional knives specifically for Japanese food preparation. Our first show, in 1989, was a modest chinaware sale held in our office parking lot.
Mutual Trading’s 30th Annual Expo featured Japanese serving ware like sashimi/sushi platters and soup bowls, among other things | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
“We continued holding our Japanese Restaurant Shows for 24 years at our own site using the warehouse area and the parking lot. Our staff designed and produced the event – from the theme that changed yearly, to product selection, to seminar highlights – and even procured special items aimed at filling customers’ needs.
“The corporation currently has 500 employees, with ten locations spanning the United States, Lima (Peru) and Tokyo (Japan). It began as a small enterprise in 1926 in Los Angeles when a group of ten Japanese businessmen in Little Tokyo formed a co-op to create an import channel for basic food commodities from Japan, mainly dried and canned. Back then, products were shipped in cargo freighters, taking months to travel across the Pacific.”
“In the 1960s Mutual Trading decided to focus on the foodservice trade and it has since become our forte,” continues Atsuko. “Our portfolio consists of specialty foods, chilled and frozen items, alcoholic beverages, and specialized restaurant equipment. And to help the industry continue growing and improving, we also offer educational services through our sushi and sake schools.
“Mr. Kanai’s involvement with the company began in 1951 when he opened Mutual Trading in Japan, serving as the export arm and procurement outfit for products headed for sales at Los Angeles Mutual Trading. He then immigrated to the U.S. in 1964 to manage LA Mutual, becoming president in 1976. He passed the position to the current president Kosei Yamamoto in 2011. The corporation is now a conglomerate under a publicly-traded company in Japan with Takara Shuzo International Co., Ltd. as major stockholder.”
Sushi’s rise as a gustatory star is as captivating a story as the Japanese way of life itself. It was during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, that Japanese culture and cuisine gained international prominence.
It was also then that Japanese industries – the Toyotas and the Panasonics – were starting to establish their U.S. headquarters in Southern California. That brought Japanese expatriates into the area, all yearning for foods from back home.
Atsuko relates “Mr. Kanai and his business consultant, a Jewish-American gentleman named Harry Wolff, Jr., were also trying to figure out what items they could next bring into the country. They traveled all over Asia – the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore – but those trips yielded no viable leads.
A selection of sushi items | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
“One night, on a dare, Mr. Kanai took Mr. Wolff to a sushi shop behind their hotel in Ginza. To his surprise, the American ate every raw fish they were served. A week later, Mr. Kanai was presented a large bill from the sushi restaurant. Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Wolff had been visiting ‘his’ sushi man every evening before dinner to have his fill of sushi as appetizers.
“Not only was Mr. Wolff sold on sushi’s fresh appeal, he also believed Japanese chefs were great entertainers as they prepared the food in front of diners. He thought they were worldly – it didn’t matter that they really couldn’t speak English well – they had great charm and showmanship. He thought it was a great concept to take back to the U.S.
“Mr. Kanai took Chef Saito and his wife with him to Los Angeles to open the first sushi bar in America, in Little Tokyo, on the second floor of the Kawafuku Restaurant. Within a year the couple had made a small fortune and, upon returning to Japan, opened Shinnosuke Sushi, their very own restaurant in the fashionable Ginza district – a feat unheard of for such a young man to have achieved because sushi apprenticeship usually took a couple of decades at that time. News of his incredible accomplishment quickly spread, inspiring sushi chefs-in-training, with much encouragement from Saito, to head to America to become sushi pioneers.”
That was how, in 1965, edomae-style sushi first landed on American soil. Thereafter, young and ambitious sushi chefs came in droves to U.S., built a niche business, and found success.
A shortage in fatty tuna (toro), an important component in the sushi trade, could very well have spelled disaster for any Japanese restaurant. When this unfortunate episode occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s, an innovative chef created the California Roll using avocado as a substitute.
There is a controversy as to who really invented the California Roll with several sushi chefs being credited with it. One account has it that Chef Ichiro Mashita of Tokyo Kaikan in Little Tokyo was the first in the world to reverse-roll the dark seaweed to hide it inside the white rice.
But whoever came up with that singular idea resolved not only the fatty tuna shortage crisis but also Americans’ trepidation at eating anything black in color. It was a masterstroke of genius. The creation of the California Roll is the very epitome of truth in the adage ‘Adversity is the mother of all invention.’ Today, even diners who can’t eat raw fish order the California Roll and get the satisfaction of saying they enjoy sushi.
The popular and universally-liked California Roll | Courtesy photo
Mutual Trading was running through an entrepreneurial spirit as well. It succeeded in the commercial frozen edamame import business in 1970. Then, in 1972, it became the first to import junmai shu, pure rice ingredient sake.
Furthermore, Mutual Trading offered benefits unprecedented then – profit sharing, stock options, and fully paid health insurance – a business-savvy move that espoused staff loyalty and ensured employment longevity.
James Clavell’s epic novel ‘Shogun’ was adapted for television and ABC aired the miniseries in 1980. It was a phenomenon among American viewers. Young people got enamored with Japanese culture and loved everything Japanese.
For a week, when the show was airing, Japanese restaurants were deserted, only to be overrun the following week by crowds of Americans queueing to eat sushi and other Japanese specialties. American entrepreneurs capitalized on the mystique of Japanese-owned restaurants as a trend and opened their sushi establishments. The renowned Teru Sushi in Hollywood was one of them.
As business evolved to attract new customers, sushi restaurants also came in various styles. California Beach in Hermosa Beach rode this tide – surf-and-sun-worshipping diners gladly waited for hours to get seated and ate sushi surrounded by much amplified rock n’ roll music. While they waited, they’d hang out on the sidewalk drinking tall bottles of Sapporo beer straight from the bottle. And that became an independent, fashionable pastime.
During Japan’s bubble economy in the 1980s, Mutual Trading brought in premium Jizake artisan micro-brewed sake priced at over six times that of domestically brewed sake. Though a tough sell at the outset, restaurateurs were educated on consumers’ appreciation for high quality products and it gained a foothold. There are now hundreds of premium brands available in America.
Various brands of sake were on display during Mutual Trading’s 30th Annual Expo | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
The beginning of the new millennium was marked by recessions and made casual dining an inevitable choice for many Americans. So a new generation of Japanese food professionals invaded the foodservice landscape in the early 2000s and brought with them other genres of Japanese food – ramen, tonkatsu, izakaya, yakitori, curry, udon and soba.
With the ascent of Japanese food in our collective consciousness, Mutual Trading’s responsibility to advance quality assurance grew. In 2003, it constructed the first super-freezer (Minus 60 degrees F) storage facility on the West Coast. This technology guarantees that seafood arrives at restaurant kitchens at the same fresh state it was when first caught.
In 2008, Mutual Trading established Miyako Sushi and Washoku School. A brainchild of the famed Chef Katsuya and Noritoshi Kanai, it not only offers instruction to aspiring sushi chefs who wouldn’t otherwise have access to proper culinary preparation, but mentoring future generations of chefs as well.
Mutual Trading opened the Sake School of America in 2010 to afford trade professionals a better understanding and enjoyment of Japanese liquors. Wine fans and master sommeliers started to take interest in learning about sake and Shochu, an unexpected but lucky outcome.
There are 35,000 Japanese restaurants all over the U.S. today and Los Angeles Mutual Trading services 3,500 of them from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Atsuko declares, “Every sales rep excels in Japanese food knowledge, and is a skilled Sake and Shochu adviser or sommelier. We don’t just sell food from Japan, we are trained to serve as ambassadors of Japanese food culture and as their promoters in faraway regions outside of Japan. Indeed, we are the stewards and staunch protectors of Japanese tradition and way of life.”
Sushi preparation and presentation are as much an art as they are a science. Explains Atsuko, “Sushi is always made of vinegar-ed rice and a topping – the acidic seasoning aids in suppressing deterioration. Green tea, which often accompanies sushi, is also a palate cleanser between each serving of sushi.
“Well-trained, professional sushi chefs would know which direction to cut the fish and which knife to use. Without the proper knife and technique, the sashimi would be cut to a curve; with a yanagi knife, it will stand upright when plated. They would know how to present the selection in an aesthetically pleasing way – pieces would have harmonious colors, and set asymmetrically, having highs and lows. They would know which season to select a certain fish that is not contaminated with parasites.”
Mutual Trading’s contribution to the success of the Japanese dining experience is vast. Atsuko states, “We’re importers and distributors and that’s where we excel. We have over 6,000 items in our inventory which we sell to our member restaurants and proprietors. Our product development and procurement team is constantly researching, and working very closely with suppliers. There are abundant possibilities and opportunities in the U.S, and Japan, and it’s our job to help our clients run their business efficiently and profitably.”
For all that Mutual Trading does to maintain the standards of authentic Japanese cuisine, however, there are natural obstacles that make it difficult for American restaurants to exactly replicate the sushi one can eat in Japan.
“Although close, sushi here is not the same as the ones found in Japan,” Atsuko clarifies. “Japan is a small country completely surrounded by water. This makes fresh seafood available year-round, sold at the many fresh fish markets dotting the coasts. There, it’s possible to deliver fish caught in the ocean, even live, within a day. Because of climatic and migration patterns, there is an ever-changing variety of fish and shellfish at Japanese markets. Restaurants can create local and culturally based cuisine around them.
“The United States is a big country, with coastal regions east and west, and a vast land mass in between. Fresh fish delivery isn’t viable with too many miles to cover. The fishery industry here began, and is still dominated by, cooked canned tuna. Many large fish though – tuna and yellowtail – are either farmed overseas and frozen, or caught at sea and frozen. In that sense, the quality of the fish is basically the same anywhere it’s served.”
A bowl of delicious ramen noodle soup | Courtesy photo
There is also the matter of keeping the taste of the food made here as authentic as dishes prepared in Japan.
Atsuko elucidates, “There are many factors that can change a cuisine when brought to another country. The first one that comes to mind is water. Most of Japan has soft water while California pulls hard, highly mineralized water from the Colorado River. Consider the most fundamental Japanese food ingredient dashi: soft water can extract umami essence easily, which hard water can’t do.
“Availability of ingredients is another factor. There are 47 different prefectures in Japan, with their unique micro-geographic characteristics. They individually have their locally-grown soy sauce, salt, chili peppers, miso, and vinegar to suit and enhance the distinctive taste of their regional cuisine. American restaurants are limited to what importers, like us, bring in. For instance, we carry about 100 types of soy sauce. That sounds like a lot, but there are thousands available in Japan.”
Mutual Trading’s mission is to bring the flavors of Japan to the people of the world. And while that might not be the same everywhere, there is one thing that remains constant.
“The Japanese culinary philosophy is backed by a thousand-year history and is based on highlighting the natural ingredients through minimal culinary alteration,” emphasizes Atsuko. “This philosophy is reflected in ingredient growing/harvesting, preparation techniques, tools and equipment, serving ware, and ambience. It starts from the birth of the ingredient to its consumption.”
“Two other philosophies underlie Japanese eating practice. The first one is ‘Itadakimasu,’ the mindful reverence to the food before eating it. It is Buddhist in origin and from it stems the practice of minimizing waste: eat all you take, and use the entire ingredient from top to bottom, head to tail.
“The second is ‘Omotenashi,’ the art of generous hospitality: preserving what the guest would delight in, and offering it subliminally. It’s like engaging in a thankful task, without calling attention to oneself to warrant a word of thanks. That mutual respect of giving thanks and receiving it is inherently understood. It’s so Zen-like.”
That ramen, once synonymous with the lowly ‘cup o’ noodles’ and consumed mainly by cash-strapped, dorm-dwelling college students, has been elevated to a loftier status as seen by the current craze for tonkatsu ramen, is proof that Americans’ fondness for Japanese food isn’t waning any time soon.
Sushi and sashimi, ramen and udon, with their distinctive flavors and style, have become profoundly appealing to a great many diners. That there is a Japanese culinary philosophy behind a serving of raw fish only makes eating sushi a sublimely pleasurable dining experience.
Originally published on 10 September 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Superintendent Amerson with students of the Duarte Unified School District | Courtesy photo / DUSD
Dr. Gordon Amerson is a big believer in creating a culture of achievement and opportunity using the innate skills and talents of the community. It is the vision he brings to San Gabriel Valley schools as he leads the Duarte Unified School District (DUSD).
After officially taking over the superintendent position on July 23, 2018, Amerson spent a month visiting each of the district’s seven schools, preschool programs, and public charter, the California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV), to meet teachers, listen to parents, and learn about the community.
“Until now, my knowledge of Duarte has been rather limited. My father-in-law lives in Baldwin Park and my wife grew up in the area. But I didn’t really know much about it,” confesses Amerson.
The revelation is understandable given that Amerson had previously worked in Orange County, and prior to that spent the majority of his career in San Bernardino. It was only by happenstance that he found out about DUSD.
“I was the Associate Superintendent of Human Resource Services at Capistrano Unified School District and I was very fortunate to have a superintendent who was very encouraging of her team’s development and advancement,” relates Amerson. “Early in the 2017-2018 school year, she supported me when I told her of my interest in joining the ACSA (Association of California School Administrators) Superintendents’ Academy.
“Through ACSA, I went through an intense eight-month superintendent preparation program while holding a full-time job. During that process I was trained on all the components that go into district leadership. Additionally it gave me exposure to state-wide search firms who had interaction with attendees of the program.”
“It was then I started to discover Duarte and DUSD,” continues Amerson. “I looked at the website and found out about all the transformational work going on. That was very exciting for me and I wanted to know more; that truly sparked my interest.
“I didn’t know Dr. Mucerino at all prior to my applying either, but before leaving his position as superintendent of DUSD, he offered me a 30,000-foot view of the district from his perspective. I appreciated his transparency. I thought it was an exceedingly kind gesture for an outgoing superintendent to do.
“The search firm cast a net nationwide. From what I was told, there were 33 candidates who applied and eight were invited to interview. It was a competitive process and one that I’m glad to rise on top of. I finished the academy in April and secured the job in June, but I don’t take it lightly that I was able to navigate it successfully.”
Gordon Amerson with his family and members of the Board of Education at the Regular Meeting held on June 28, 2018 when he was unanimously appointed as the new Superintendent of the Duarte Unified School District | Courtesy photo / DUSD
Amerson is fully prepared to head a school district, and has a resume to prove it. He describes, “Before taking on this level of responsibility, I was an educator for a long time. I was a classroom teacher, an athletic coach in baseball and football, and a high school principal. I’ve seen a lot of places and spaces along the educational management spectrum which, I believe, helps inform my leadership.
“I have a multi-faceted understanding of what teachers and principals are going through on a daily basis as they try to create a community of learners and to keep students engaged. Seeing that work from different angles and experiences has given me a wide-range perspective and will help me be supportive as well as decisive.”
“One of the things I would remember for the rest of my life was being a high school principal at a school with a high-performing dance company led by a talented choreographer,” discloses Amerson. “They performed in the gym and I was moved by what kids are able to do with music and dance. From then on, I was hooked. We created a piano program. Kids in 9th grade who had never touched the piano were composing music by the time they graduated high school. It is uplifting to see the kinds of opportunities we can offer students.”
Amerson says further, “My daughter has been in dance formally since she was three years old. My son has been playing the piano, the drums, and the trumpet since he was four. It’s a focal point in our home. When I saw the impact and influence of the arts, and DUSD building a foundation of the arts to all of our schools, that’s what made a huge impression – that got me, hook, line and sinker.”
Much transpired in DUSD under the leadership of Mucerino, who facilitated the creation and implementation of the district’s strategic plan known as the Competitive Advantage Plan (CAP). Amerson adds, “With all due respect to Dr. Mucerino, if he were here today, he would say the strategic plan wasn’t his but the community’s. It was the stakeholder engagement, their input and feedback, that helped develop it.
“We have a seven-goal CAP which is the right plan because it was developed by the community; it was what our Board of Education has approved; it was reauthorized, redesigned, and updated recently, right before I arrived. And it is the plan we will be moving forward with. If, at some point, we need to alter something, I will listen, observe, learn, collaborate, and build a coalition before making adjustments.”
The most important issues Amerson will be tackling are the scholars and the staff. He states, “We have a really great framework around the CAP. But like the saying goes, how do we build a house into a home? I want to make sure scholars are connected to the school they attend; I want our staff to be empowered to do great work. The focus for me would be establishing trust and collaboration, being transparent, being visible so people know I’m accessible, letting them know I’m here to coach, support and mentor. I really want to try my best to coordinate our facilities as an organization to provide the services so people can do their job and kids can learn.”
It’s such an auspicious time for Amerson to be heading the district and he is well aware of his good fortune. He says, “A long and painful enrollment decline has affected countless school districts. But through transformational objectives within the CAP, DUSD has been able to turn the district around. And I am the lucky beneficiary of it.
“The board, administrators, staff, families, students, and the whole community implemented a community-based strategy. There is a cohesion, a partnership, and a collaboration that exist between the district and the city. That synergy is what helps transform an entire neighborhood and produces positive outcomes for students. I’m happy and excited to be here; I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and do the work.”
Amerson shares his very heartening first month on the job, “It has been amazing because people were so welcoming and responsive, optimistic and positive, helpful and supportive. That’s something you don’t always see or experience. And I want to capitalize on that and the opportunity. I am now on 70-plus hours of one-on-one meetings with folks, which is embedded in this plan of listening and learning.
Gordon Amerson meeting and greeting students during his first month as superintendent of DUSD | Courtesy photo / DUSD
“I gain various perspectives from the community on what I should be thinking about, what are the challenges they or their children are facing that the community or I need to be aware of. During these meetings I ask people, ‘Let’s reverse roles. If you were the superintendent what would you focus on first and why?’
“That always gets me interesting responses and tells me what’s important to them. Some are like low-hanging fruit that can be done right away, and some are big rocks that require more prolonged thinking and planning which could only be addressed over time.”
To the question ‘what is he most looking forward to working on?’ Amerson responds, “I am looking forward to continuing to build the four pillars because they’re spot on – a focus on results, service-centered, 21st century schools, and strong partnerships. What I think are the most important things are the teaching and learning; understanding deeply our partnerships and their value; how we will continue to nurture, cultivate, and expand them.
“Those partnerships are wide-ranging, from the work we do on our early college program, in our culinary arts program, all the things we do at our theme-based academies, the international baccalaureate program, our STEAM initiative with ‘Project Lead the Way,’ the alliance we have with City of Hope and CSArts, just to name a few.”
CSArts-SGV provides an extraordinary opportunity for students in the entire San Gabriel Valley – it gives them access to a quality fine arts program. While other schools may offer arts courses, or after-school activities, CSArts-SGV integrates arts academies within the curriculum. Before it opened last year, students who are really interested in pursuing arts courses had to travel to either Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) or Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). CSArts-SGV’s enrollment covers cities beyond Duarte. There is, in fact, an arts program in all DUSD schools.
DUSD is a hopping place. Student learning is balanced and engaging – it offers everything from theatre acting, graphic arts, and music performance to engineering, math, science, and technology. It is an enriching environment for young people to immerse in scholarship as much as it is a satisfying place for teachers to mold responsive minds.
With Amerson’s leadership, DUSD could very well be the exemplar of erudition. And that would be his singular contribution to a community that continuously strives to afford the best education and a promising future for its youth.
Originally published on 7 September 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Frances Fisher plays the role of Virginia | Courtesy photo /Pasadena Playhouse
‘Native Gardens,’ a new comedy by Karen Zacarias, comes to the Pasadena Playhouse from September 5th to the 30th and shines a light on serious issues, including racial and social diversity, in humorous fashion.
The play follows the story of Pablo (Barillas), a rising attorney, and Tania (Meraz), his very pregnant wife who is also a doctoral candidate. They have just purchased a home next to Frank (Davison) and Virginia (Fisher), a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden. The two couples’ friendly relationship is tested as an impending barbeque for Pablo’s colleagues and disagreement over a long-standing fence line grow into an all-out comedic border dispute.
Fisher, taking a lunch break during rehearsals, talks about what drew her to the play, “I like the fact that ‘Native Gardens’ tackles issues that are important – race and white privilege, misconceptions about nationalities, environmental concerns.”
“It presents two sides of the environmental issue,” continues Fisher. “It asks questions – do you want to do something good for the environment or would you rather have something for show? What is important to you, the health of your children and grandchildren or a beautiful bed of roses?”
The role touches Fisher on a personal level. She reminisces, “When I had a house, I was an avid gardener and grew my own vegetables; I miss that. I live in an apartment right now but I hope to, one day, be able to plant in my own backyard again.”
On the lighter side, the play gives Fisher the opportunity to work with long-time friends. She discloses, “I’ve known Jason since we were both starting out in New York and I play poker with him. But we’ve never collaborated on a project until now; it’s such a thrill to be directed by him. I’m exhausted but I’m also having a great time. He’s a master of comedy so I feel like we’re getting a master class in finding something funny.
Bruce Davison as Virginia’s husband Frank | Courtesy photo / Pasadena Playhouse
“Bruce is also someone I’ve known personally for decades yet we’ve never performed together. It’s quite wonderful that we play husband and wife.”
‘Native Gardens’ is likewise an exposure to new people and experiences for Fisher. She says, “I’ve never met the two kids – Jessica and Christian – but I’m getting to know them. We’re having terrific fun in rehearsal; it’s a very physical play. This is also my introduction to Karen. I was hooked after I read her play. I later found out it has been performed and produced elsewhere in the country. I’m glad we’re mounting a production in Pasadena and at The Playhouse, too. It’s wonderful to be able to walk the boards here.”
It comes at an opportune time as well. Fisher states, “I hadn’t done a play in a while – the last one was ‘Barbecue’ at the Geffen Theatre – and I’m ready to get back on stage. This is my first love. I started my acting career as an apprentice at the Barter Theatre in Virginia, learning the ropes by working every task that goes into putting on a show. I assisted the director, built sets, sewed costumes, made props, cued actors. I had a good understanding of the importance of every job in the theatre. But even when I do film or television, I have a great respect for the crew and what they do.”
Acting back and forth between mediums involves flexibility. Explains Fisher, “You have to approach each in a different way. For instance, doing a guest spot on a TV program is like jumping on a moving train. You come in and you have to be up-to-speed with people who have been doing it for four, five, six, or seven years. You have to get on that rhythm as soon as you show up – you have to know your lines and your actions – because there’s not a lot of time. There never is, on TV.
“In theatre, on the other hand, we have three weeks to explore the character, learn, and make choices. We have a larger bag of tricks to draw upon so doing the same performance every night doesn’t get stale. Theatre is about discovering novel things, surprising your partner, and testing new ideas that have been tried out in rehearsal so they’re not completely unknown. In that sense, there’s a lot more fun that can be had in theatre.
“However, there’s also something that can be said about making a movie. You work on it for a certain period of time, you shoot a scene knowing you’re never going to do it again unless something goes wrong. Everyday there’s a batch of scenes, then you’re all done, and it’s finished.”
Fisher concurs with the common assumption that acting is not a financially stable career. “You never know if you have a job for the next ten years or if you have to look for another. When the director says ‘It’s a wrap’ you’re unemployed again. It’s a very uncertain way to live your life; you have to absolutely love the profession and be really dedicated to want to stay in it.
I know many actors who are waiting tables, driving Ubers, working whatever part-time jobs they can get. I found that I couldn’t have a so-called day job because I spend my days going to auditions, classes, meetings, and keeping myself prepared for the next role.”
That next role for Fisher could be on television. She had just finished a pilot for HBO on a Damon Lindelof work called ‘The Watchman.’
“If that gets picked up, we’re going directly to Atlanta to shoot the episodes,” Fisher reveals. “Lindelof’s work is extraordinary. The characters he originates, the history lessons he brings to the present day, are pretty mind-blowing.
“There’s great writing on television these days,” Fisher asserts. “I also see more women on television and film, which is something to celebrate. It used to be a patriarchy, but the tide is slowly turning, thanks to people like Ava du Varnay with all she’s doing for women. She has created a generous space for women, who’ve never had a chance before, to come forward. But we still have a long way to go; it takes for women in powerful positions to open more doors.”
Fisher is hoping for other opportunities for audiences to discover her range as an actor. She declares, “Every role is different and I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. ‘Native Gardens’ is a very physical comedy and I don’t think people think of me as being particularly comedic.
Courtesy photo | Pasadena Playhouse
“I would like the audience to have a good time, for them to say ‘I’m glad I came to the theatre to see these actors doing outrageous things. But as hysterically funny as it is, ‘Native Gardens’ explores issues we should be thinking of. Laughter can be a profound and healing experience. And we certainly need more of that.”
Pronounces Fisher, “Theatre is made to mirror society back to itself. When you examine Shakespeare’s work, for instance, you’ll see that he wrote about everyone from kings to peasants. There is no feeling or emotion he didn’t explore through his plays and sonnets. They were very much a reflection of human nature.
“Theatre is a powerful medium for people to come together as strangers in an audience and, hopefully, through their common experience watching truth on stage, they will laugh or cry. Maybe they’ll turn to their neighbor across the aisle, catch their eye, have that shared moment, and walk out as friends.”
Such is the effect of theatre that Fisher was hooked on it at a young age. Ticket prices were so expensive even then, but she found ways to watch theatre. She confesses, “I probably saw the second act of every Broadway show for 14 years. I discovered that once the audience got in, I could kinda’ slip in and find an empty seat.”
Those days of sneaking into a playhouse are long gone. Fisher is now the performer on stage whom people come to watch. And she would genuinely relate to other aspiring actors who might just slip in after the first act.
Originally published on 20 August 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Abundant green plants in St Andrews Botanic Garden contrast with the centuries-old, stone-clad structures of the University of St Andrews | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
St Andrews, in Scotland, is notorious for horizontal rains and arctic winds. My first visit there, in July of 2013, was marked by sporadic downpours and grey skies. The following year, I was there for three weeks of mostly gloomy weather in the middle of August. Last year, there was a hurricane when I got there during the height of summer.
It was such a delightful surprise to spend the greater part of June this year in St Andrews and experience sunlight. In fact, the sun rose at 3:00 in the morning and didn’t set until past 10:00 at night. I just couldn’t get enough of it; I availed of the glorious weather by taking in the outdoor sights.
St Andrews Castle is actually in ruins so a tour of it is generally outside. What remains of it are the walls, the tower, the ‘bottle dungeon,’ and the mine and counter-mine. But its stunning location right next to the North Sea makes it a breathtaking tourist destination.
Unlike other European castles, which were primarily residences of the monarchy, St Andrews Castle was an ecclesiastic center inhabited by the powerful bishops and archbishops of Scotland in the 1200s and 1300s.
Its history is as remarkable, bloody, and controversial as its occupants. In the 1400s the Scottish royals were associated with the bishops and, in consequence, with the castle. King James I was educated by Bishop Henry Wardlaw, who founded the University of St Andrews in 1413. James II chose a later bishop, James Kennedy, to be his advisor. In 1445, James III was born in the castle.
The entry gate to St Andrews Castle | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
St Andrews Castle was likewise used as a prison which housed not only local criminals under the bishop’s jurisdiction but other prominent figures, including David Stuart (the Duke of Rothesay, heir apparent to the throne of Great Britain which, today, is Prince Charles) in 1402, and Duke Murdoch in 1425. In 1478, Archbishop Patrick Graham was declared insane and was confined in his own castle.
During the Scottish Reformation, St Andrews Castle was the site of religious persecution when Scottish Protestants were punished with cruel and public deaths. In 1546, David Beaton, the Archbishop of Glasgow, imprisoned Protestant preacher George Wishart in the tower and on March 1, ordered him burned at stake in front of the castle walls. Wishart supporters avenged his death on May 26 when they gained entry, overcame the garrison, murdered Cardinal Beaton, and hung his body from his window on the castle’s front.
Protestants used the castle as a shelter where they established the first Protestant congregation in Scotland and the Regent James Hamilton ordered a long siege. In 1546, attackers dug a mine through solid rock to attack while defenders tunneled a counter-mine.
In 1547, John Knox, the leader of the Scottish Reformation, entered the castle during a ceasefire and served as the garrison’s preacher for the remainder of the siege. This temporary peace ended when the French fleet bombarded the castle, which fell unprotected.
St Andrews Castle was rebuilt by Archbishop John Hamilton but, after his death in 1571, it was inhabited by a succession of constables. Attempts to reestablish religious power in Scotland failed and, in 1689, William of Orange abolished the office of the bishop. The castle was rendered useless and quickly deteriorated; parts of it were used in repairing the pier.
The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
The rare bright and warm day was the perfect antidote to what I learned about the castle. I headed out to St Andrews Cathedral but its history isn’t any cheerier than the castle’s. Built in 1158, it was the base of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland and the seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews.
Inevitably, its past is intricately linked with the Castle. Incited by the preaching of John Knox, a Protestant mob ransacked St Andrews Cathedral during the Scottish Reformation and completely destroyed its interior. Whatever was left of it was used as building material for the town.
Long ago the largest cathedral and most magnificent church in Scotland, what stands for St Andrews Cathedral today are the ruins of the nave and St Rule’s Tower. Nonetheless, it continues to be a significant reminder of the influence it once wielded as the symbol of Catholicism.
Tourists looking to find a destination that doesn’t recall depressing times would do well to head to St Andrews Botanic Garden, as I did. Located on the southern edge of town at Kinnes Burn, it is sometimes referred to as St Andrews’ hidden gem. And for good reason.
The modest entrance to the garden is in sharp contrast to that of The Huntington‘s in San Marino, which has a tall, imposing gate that suggests what to expect within. Visitors to St Andrews Botanic Garden, however, will be pleasantly surprised to discover an 18-acre paradise.
Native and exotic plants abound in St Andrews Botanic Garden | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
Previously founded by the University of St Andrews in 1889 on the grounds of St Mary’s College, it was moved to its current location in the early 1960s. Mindful of the harsh Scottish climate, the designer structured a dense barrier of pine trees along the western edge, with many shrubs and trees around the site, to provide protection for the plants.
It is a wonderland of native and exotic plants laid out in zones of woodland, meadow, shrubbery herbaceous bedding, ponds, a rockery, and a butterfly house. In the greenhouses, I was thrilled to find myself surrounded by familiar plants – the very same ones in my backyard. There were anthuriums and lilies, cacti and aloe veras, birds of paradise and sago palms. It was easy to be deceived into thinking I was in Pasadena.
I marveled at the ponds with small waterfalls, walked on the impressive expanse of green meadow, and climbed up a rockery. This is a side of St Andrews I had never seen before and it offered me a vastly different perspective.
St Andrews doesn’t only have centuries-old, stone-clad structures; it also has abundant, green flora. The town isn’t all about honoring and preserving the past, but also about building and tending the future. The image that conjures is as heartwarming as it is astonishing.
Originally published on 15 August 2018 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly
Venice in the Storm and a Venetian mask wearer | Courtesy photo
One of life’s greatest pleasures is being able to travel to different places to gain various experiences. Some people aspire to visit every state in our vast country, while others aim bigger and want to see every continent in the world.
For me, travel isn’t motivated by being able to tick off a list of dream destinations or having bragging rights to the number of countries I’ve been to. It’s about enjoying the local cuisine, experiencing another culture, and marveling at the sights – everything that makes the place unique from all others.
Italy is one country I am happy to go back to again and again. Who doesn’t like Italian food? It must be the most popular cuisine on this planet. Pizza, by far, outsells any other food item out there. And how can you say ‘no’ to a delicious dish of spaghetti with meatballs?
There isn’t any one quintessential Italian city; each region has something worthy of the amazement it engenders. Many travelers like Milan – it is a global fashion and design center; an important European financial base; and a cultural hub.
To countless others, Tuscany is an Italian paradise. One American author, Frances Mayes, wrote a memoir which chronicled how she bought and renovated a house in Cortona. Her book, ‘Under the Tuscan Sun,’ published in 1996 was subsequently turned into a movie and inspired many to visit, even reside, there.
Florence is definitely the place to see if you’re in Tuscany, though. It is the most populous area in the region. The birthplace of The Renaissance, Florence offers so much in terms of art and architecture.
Rome, Italy’s capital, is the most cosmopolitan of all Italian cities. The ruins of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Forum are reminders that it once was a formidable empire. For Roman Catholics, a visit to Rome is at the top of the list. It is where the Vatican, the seat of Catholicism, is located.
A painted palazzo facade on the Grand Canal | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
One place that is distinct from any other Italian city is Venice. Seasoned travelers will even tell you it is the most un-Italian city. Because it separated itself from the rest of Italy to escape invaders during medieval times, it had to establish itself as an independent state. Its location made it a maritime power. At the same time, it afforded access to other influences which added to its wealth of arts, architecture, and culture.
Since I absolutely love pasta vongole and tiramisu, both of which are typically Venetian, I don’t need any other reason to go back to Venice. But a trip to this dazzling city on the water is definitely all the more enriching because of its long history and glorious past.
A visit to Venice is intentional. You can only get to it by vaporetto (waterbus or water taxi); it isn’t one of those sites you just happen to be driving through. It is a safe place for tourists – unlike in other busy cities, you can enjoy walking at night without the anxiety of getting mugged. There are very few violent crimes in Venice so you won’t have to fear for your life. However, there are pickpockets, just like in any other crowded city. So you have to be mindful of where you put your valuables and you have to be aware of your surroundings.
The trip to the hotel by vaporetto is the most spectacular half-hour ride one can have during sunset, when the amber light is filtered through pillow-y clouds. It is the most dramatic introduction to the beauty that awaits the traveler.
Arriving in Venice at sunset | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
My two young companions and I got to Hotel Colombina in the early evening and we immediately unpacked. We crossed the footbridge a few steps away from the hotel and saw The Bridge of Sighs to our left.
We followed the path most people were taking and found ourselves right in the middle of Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) and beheld all the magnificent buildings therein – the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica), Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), the Procuratie, the Campanile (Belltower), and Torre dell’Orologio (Clocktower). We were in the heart of the city!
As close as Hotel Colombina is to the activities going on at Piazza San Marco, however, its location is surprisingly quiet. There isn’t much pedestrian traffic near it and the footbridge provides an excellent backdrop for picture-taking.
Venice produced renowned artists. The palaces we visited contained the most spectacular works of Italy’s greatest artists – Bellini, Canaletto, Canova, Tintoretto, Veronese, among others. Even the humblest homes in this city boast of priceless paintings by famous painters.
Moorish influences, not seen in other Italian edifices, are on display at St Mark’s Basilica with its mosaics, the arches on its façade, and the Islamic lanterns on top of the dome. Former residences like the Doge’s Palace and Ca’ d’Oro, and the fondacoes (trading factories and warehouses) have architectural elements that reflect those of mosques. They are all reminders that Venice was once a trade center that linked the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas to Constantinople, Egypt, and Syria.
It’s impossible to see everything here unless you’re staying for a while. One way to take in the grandeur of Venice is a boat ride around the lagoon, as we did. A gondola ride is also a must if you want a more leisurely outing. Not all gondoliers sing as they paddle on the canal but they are always happy to oblige.
One of the many trattorias in Venice | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
Italy is known for its delicious food and Venice abounds with trattorias and ristorantes. You don’t have to eat at expensive restaurants with fancy dress codes, your most satisfying gastronomic experience can be found in the hole-in-the-wall trattorias.
While Venice isn’t known for pizza like Naples or Sicily, we ate excellent pizza at the very popular Rosso Pomodoro.
Seafood is the specialty of Venice and every restaurant has an abundance of dishes to showcase their fresh catch. As determined as I was to try out many different varieties of it, I am addicted to pasta alle vongole (Italian noodles with clams) so I mostly ate that with either spaghetti or linguini.
The lagoon is the source of the local fishes in Venice, like sardele (pilchards), sardon (anchovies), sgombo (mackerel), and go (grass goby). However, if you’re not adventurous, restaurants offer other fish we know, including tuna and salmon; and some we don’t see too often, like cuttlefish and squid. Both of them have black ink, which can be strange, but they’re rather tasty. And the calamari anywhere we went was outstanding. Mussels and shrimps are also readily available at the market and served at restaurants.
Tiramisu, a decadent dessert which we might have first heard of in the 1993 romantic comedy ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, became an instant fad that almost every restaurant had it on their dessert menu. It’s not quite as popular now among foodies but in Venice, where tiramisu originated, it will never go out of style. It is a dessert mainstay and it was the perfect ending to every meal I ate there.
A store selling Venetian masks in all colors and sizes | Courtesy photo
Venice is called the ‘City of Masks’ and you can find masks everywhere – from the biggest and most elaborate one that hides your entire face, to the simpler and smaller variety that covers mostly the eye area. They are made of papier–mache and are decorated with fabric, feather, fur, or gems.
The history of the Venetian mask goes back centuries when they were used as a disguise for people who were indulging in promiscuous or indulgent activities. Later on, they became the emblem of the Carnevale (Carnival), a pageant and street fair celebrating hedonism, which is still held every year at Piazza San Marco.
We weren’t going to leave Venice without bringing home an authentic Venetian mask but determining which to buy was tough. There were so many choices and each one so beautiful and colorful. In the end, what decided it for us was the size because it had to fit in a suitcase. Even then, packing the mask proved to be a challenge because of its shape.
Venice is also widely known for Murano glass. Historians believe Italian glassmaking began in the 8th century but it was in 1291 that Murano, located almost a mile away from the main city, became the center for it when glassmakers were ordered to move their foundries to the nearby island to protect Venice’s mostly wooden buildings from fires.
Murano glassmakers became the island’s most prominent citizens. By the 14th century they were so esteemed that they were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state, and their daughters were permitted to marry into Venice’s most affluent families. Marriage between a glassmaker and a nobleman’s daughter was considered a good match.
We made an expedition to the New Murano Gallery to see how the exquisite Murano masterpieces are individually made. Our knowledgeable gallery guide told us glassmaking is still a respected artisan profession that’s handed down between generations.
Murano glassmakers still use the traditional process developed a thousand years ago | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
That morning we observed glassmaking artists create drinking glasses for a special order. We were told each piece in the set costs 110 Euros. That price seemed steep, but we deemed it equitable after we watched what the process for making it entailed.
Each artist has his own distinctive style and the pride he takes in his work is admirable. The New Murano Gallery displays all their products in an upstairs room with a dedicated area for each glassmaker. The pieces vary in size and come in spectacular colors. The intricacy and value of each work of art is reflected in the price tag too.
Some artists are known for a particular motif – fishes, equines, seahorses, and so on. They are truly magnificent sculptures and are a sight to see! Other lesser-priced items are presented according to type of glassware – wine goblets, drinking glasses, coffee and tea sets, Asian figurines, etc.
The gallery takes precautions with regard to guarding the integrity of their original products so picture-taking is not allowed upstairs. Each item is signed by the glassmaker and a certificate is issued as proof of authenticity.
Buyers of Murano Glass come from all over the world. That morning several groups from different countries were also there. Our guide, a polyglot, gave the tour and answered questions in languages besides English.
Judging by the number of orders the gallery gets, Murano Glass is still much-coveted. We saw huge packages ready for shipment with addresses in the United States and in other continents. Care is taken to guarantee the ordered items arrive in their destination safely. Each purchase is covered by insurance and Murano Gallery will replace any damaged piece without charge. Each order is also documented and saved on their computer so that if, years later, one piece in a set gets broken the owner can call the gallery with the order number and an exact item can be made.
There are several glassmakers on Murano and their merchandise can claim to be Murano Glass as long as they carry the trademark ‘Vetro Artistico Murano.’ It certifies that the products have been made there using traditional artistic methods born and developed on the island over a thousand years.
Lace is another Venetian product and lace-making is considered both an art and a tradition on the island of Burano. It began in the 16th century during the ‘Rinascimento,’ a period of artistic and cultural awakening and became as important as Murano Glass. Lace became a symbol of wealth and class as only aristocrats could afford to purchase it.
Competition from foreign makers selling cheap lace in the 1700s led to a sharp decline in lace-making. Then in the 1800s machinery industrialized lace production. However, handmade lace can still be found and purchased today in Burano, where a professional college for lace-making has been opened to protect this art and tradition.
The Campanile and Basilica di San Marco from the Canal | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News
Venice is the venue for La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Film Festival), which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Held on the island of Lido, it is one of the ‘Big Three’ film festivals alongside the Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.
From the 29th of August to the 8th of September this year, Venice will welcome thousands of people in the film industry as well as movie buffs. Because it is held in the Fall, the reception participating movies get from film critics has become a more accurate indication of what movies will be in the Academy Awards line up.
The magnificence of Venice is clearly evident to the 55,000 tourists who descend on this jewel of a city every single day. It is one travel destination that will remain unforgettable for me. Each time I visit, I see another aspect to it and I’m awed by its beauty all over again. But even those who haven’t been there are touched by it in some way. Venice’s influence – whether it’s related to art, clothing, food, or movies – reaches far and wide.
Venetians call their city ‘Serenissima’ – the Most Serene Republic – not because it’s peaceful (the presence of so many tourists guarantees it’s anything but quiet) but because it still reigns supreme. And Venice’s gifts to the world are as unique as the city itself; they are a reflection of the splendor that is Venice.
A San Gabriel Valley Inquirer 