Los Angeles, CA. Previously known as the Los Angeles Drama Club, the Shakespeare Youth Festival is a community of young people from various backgrounds across LA who come together to tell stories, perform plays, and express themselves. SYF focuses on building communication and literacy skills and improving the self-esteem of these children. This summer, the organization planned various events that helped grow these skills further.
From June 21 to June 25, SYF held the Young Playwrights’ Festival through Zoom. The program involved daily sessions where students of Grade 7 and up were given playwriting and storytelling lessons. Students were encouraged to write plays based on prompts, events from their own lives, and stories they made up together, and at the end of the program the plays were performed by professional actors and Los Angeles Drama Club actors.
SYF students in the Shakespeare in Nature program.
The Shakespeare in Nature program was held from from July 12 to July 16 at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Participating students were from Grades 2 through 8 and learned about plays that had heavy nature themes, like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear. The program explored three different concepts: how Shakespeare uses plants as plot devices in his plays, the concern surrounding climate change and environmentalism during Shakespeare’s time, and the various allusions Shakespeare makes to birds in his poems and plays.
The organization’s Summer with SYF 2021 program is currently ongoing, with registration still open for interested students. The program holds sessions every Monday through Friday and serves as an introduction in the world of Shakespeare and his plays for the youth. Additional information on registration and financial aid for those who are keen can be found here: https://shakespeareyouthfestival.com/summer-2021/
More about the Shakespeare Youth Festival:
“We are Shakespeare Youth Festival, the country’s youngest Shakespeare Troupe. In the spirit of cultural generosity and with the goal of creative excellence, we create diverse communities of belonging and self-empowerment with children and youth locally and across the globe through the magic of theater … and we do it all in Iambic Pentameter.” SYF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Los Angeles, CA. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is up and running after a year of being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The museum also has a new partnership with the popular social media platform Snapchat called Monumental Perspectives. Via Snapchat, people can experience augmented reality monuments at site-specific locations including LACMA’s Wilshire Boulevard campus, MacArthur Park, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Below is a look at how it works:
This new initiative uses augmented reality to explore monuments and murals, representation, and history. Monumental Perspectives brings together artists and technologists to create virtual monuments that explore just some of the histories of Los Angeles communities in an effort to highlight perspectives from across the region. In consultation with community leaders and historians, the first cohort of artists, Mercedes Dorame, I.R. Bach, Glenn Kaino, Ruben Ochoa, and Ada Pinkston, examine key moments, figures, and monumentality in the region’s past and present through augmented reality experiences.
“Monumental Perspectives” is an ongoing virtual experience throughout Los Angeles.
These virtual monuments can also be accessed around the world; visitors do not necessarily need to be in Los Angeles. By downloading Snapchat, visitors can scan Snapchat codes on LACMA’s website, which automatically uploads the digital artwork to the individual’s account.
To learn more about LACMA’s Monumental Perspectives exhibition, find information here.
From LACMA:
Advance Tickets Required for All Visitors, Including Members
All visitors, including LACMA members, must purchase or reserve an advance timed-entry ticket online or by calling the LACMA Ticket Office at 323 857-6010, 10 am–5 pm daily.
Onsite ticket purchase is not available.
Tickets are released monthly on the last Wednesday of the month for LACMA members and the last Thursday of the month for the public. Sign up to receive alerts.
Mandatory Health Screening
All visitors must pass a health screening and temperature check prior to entry.
Face Masks Required Indoors
Visitors are required to wear face masks in all indoor spaces including galleries, restrooms, and the LACMA Store.
Face Masks Not Required Outdoors
Visitors are not required to wear face masks outdoors. Unvaccinated visitors are encouraged to wear face masks outdoors.
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 142,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences
Los Angeles, CA. Legendary R&B and soul singers Joe Coleman, Joe Blunt, and Theo Peoples came together as the Voices of Classic Soul to perform the Sounds of Summer concert on June 17th. The concert was virtually presented by the Worthy Brewing Company, a solar-powered sustainable brewery located in Oregon, and mesothelioma and asbestos cancer lawyers and research funders Worthington & Caron. Sounds of Summer was held to raise funds for research conducted by and support provided by the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI).
Social media poster for the Sounds of Summer 2021 concert.
The setlist for Sounds of Summer included hits like “Under the Boardwalk,” “Stand by Me” and “My Girl” as well as other songs from popular vocal groups The Temptations, The Platters, The Drifters, and Four Tops, which the singers of Voices of Classic Soul were part of during their long, accomplished careers. Each ticket for the event was $20, of which a portion went directly into funding PHLBI’s research on treatment for mesothelioma and other chest cancers. The concert was held virtually on YouTube using a special link and anyone who had purchased a ticket had the opportunity to rewatch it for the next 7 days.
About Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute:
Established in 2002, the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, research institute that is committed to advancing medical research that may lead to new treatments, early detection and prevention programs for chronic disorders— including diseases of the heart, lung and blood. PHLBI conducts this important work at its in-house research lab in Los Angeles and its supporting laboratory The Punch Lab at UCLA. It is the only nonprofit in the United States to conduct in-house research on mesothelioma.
Los Angeles, CA. As it’s been established for almost a century, the Hollywood Bowl is one of the most well-known performance venues in the city. Events have been canceled and postponed throughout the last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But this summer, the Hollywood Bowl is opening back up, with restrictions to ensure the safety of its guests.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its annual firework celebration on Independence Day. This year’s celebration is accompanied by Kool & the Gang, kicking off the first event available to the general public. The venue will be at 2/3 capacity, with the majority of tickets being given to those with proof of vaccination. Tickets for this performance are available for both July 3rd and July 4th.
Past July 4th Firework Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl.
From the Hollywood Bowl:
Celebrate good times—and Independence Day—with the ultimate hitmakers, Kool & the Gang! The disco-funk greats bring the party to the Bowl for our annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, while Thomas Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra perform patriotic favorites. Get ready to get down on it!
For more information on the LA Philharmonic, and how you can support the Hollywood Bowl, visit their website. To learn more about the July 4th fireworks, find more information here.
Los Angeles, CA. Film Independent is shining a spotlight on the June celebration of pride month and the LGBTQ+ community. The nonprofit funds creative storytelling to promote diversity, innovation, and unique vision within film. In honor of pride month, Film Independent dedicates its monthly Fiscal Spotlight column to its LGBTQ-related film projects. From taking an in-depth look at asexuality to a commentary on the AIDS epidemic, the funded films that tackle issues faced by the LGBTQ community and include: Anti-Venom for a Snake, Dear Luke, Love, Me, and The Residents of 8265 Oakland Ave.
Dear Luke, Love, Me, written by Mallie McCown, is the first narrative feature of its kind to tell an asexual love story, exploring the nuance of asexuality and the importance of queer-platonic bonds.
In a collaboration between Pride Month and the Black Lives Matter movement, Film Independent spotlights black LGBTQ content creators through its weekly video playlist. Members and nonmembers alike can visit the playlists to learn more about the influential LGBTQ writers, producers, and actors that are helping expand and diversify the film industry.
Film Independent spotlights Orange is the New Black star, Laverne Cox, and her work to change how Hollywood represents transgender people.
For June of 2020 Film Independent partnered with Outfest, another film focussed nonprofit, to launch the United in Pride Fest, which provided members with a digital celebration of Pride Month through queer-themed shorts and online coffee chats with LGBTQ cinema icons. Continuing with their online presence this year, Film Independent has put together a Youtube playlist of “must watch queer films” for all to enjoy.
Here’s a video that highlights some of the recommended films. Film Independent writes, “Celebrate Pride Month 2021 with some (but definitely not all) of our favorite queer film moments of the modern indie era.”
From Film Independent:
Film Independent is the nonprofit arts organization that champions creative independence in visual storytelling and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff and constituents is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a Member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or a film lover.
Los Angeles, CA. On June 12th, 2021 WriteGirl – a creative writing and mentoring organization for teen girls – held its annual Bold Ink Awards. WriteGirl held this zoom award ceremony online as a benefit for its programs. These awards pay tribute to compelling storytellers and capable role models. Notable presenters included Academy Award-winning actor Reese Witherspoon, (seen above) and other women who have excelled in their respective fields like Holly J. Mitchell, Lynne Thompson, and Lovely Umayam.
The Bold Ink Awards recognize creative writers from various genres. This year’s honorees were (L-R) Amanda Cormon, Attica Locke, Tembi Locke, Gabriela Garcia. The event was hosted by Koco McAboy from Fox 11 News.
The event coincided with WriteGirl’s 20th anniversary and was done through Zoom. To celebrate the milestone, the event kicked off with DJs OHLA and Toneé Macara and later on, guests were entertained by evocative music, poetry, and an acting performance. Throughout the event, the audience was made a part of the show by answering questions like “What does community mean to you?” The awards gala falls in the middle of the ongoing WriteGirl Silent Auction.
Actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste performs a monologue by a WriteGirl mentee.
singer-songwriter Lucy Schwartz with saxophonist Grace Kelly and bassist David Schwartz.
More About WriteGirl:
WriteGirl is a creative writing and mentoring organization that promotes creativity, critical thinking and leadership skills to empower teen girls. WriteGirl is a project of Community Partners, a nonprofit charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To know more about WriteGirls, click here: https://www.writegirl.org/
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