The production value was there. From the first moment you…read morearrived at this theatre everyone was exceptionally nice and welcoming. The space is beautiful! The reception area - pies everywhere (?) - is super clean and inviting. The seating is also very good. This is theatre in the round - successfully. Such an amazing experience. I am looking forward to more theatre here. Congratulations!!

This theater is a little gem! I had no idea it was there! Every seat in the house is great. Get…read morethere early to park!

So far I have only had the pleasure of enjoying 3 musicals at the Nocturne Theatre. Each one has…read morebeen excellent, the songs and performances have been amazing. I highly recommend sitting on the WEST section, so you won't have to turn your head and look at the performances on the sides. So far my favorite play was Dracula (mostly for the heavy metal soundtrack and sexy vampires), but Madam Scrooge was also incredible and heartfelt.

Saw the Little Mermaid with my partner and it was so fun! The acting, costumes and production was…read morespot on and really done thoughtfully well. Parking is shared with a popular plaza, so I suggest to park at the parking garage. If you are hungry, they have food, but I like the portos in the same lot as them beforehand.

What an amazing venue for live music! This is nothing short of a gem in Eagle Rock. The acoustics…read moreare fabulous and the setting is intimate. Do yourself a favor and come catch a live show here! Prices are very reasonable, the staff are very cool people and the parking is easy.

The place has great acoustics and a nice diverse lineup of musicians. I enjoyed the vibe and the…read moreatmosphere of the church sanctuary that also serves as a music venue.

My wife and I have been season ticket holders for a couple years now and we absolutely LOVE this…read moretheater. It's got a lot of historic charm and a very intimate audience-to-stage feeling. Very good acoustics. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. The first show of a new run is always on a "Wine Wednesday" where your ticket gets you a free glass of wine before the show. The theater is in the middle of an area with easy access to bars, restaurants, and parking.

We always have a great time at the Pasadena Playhouse! I usually get free tickets, and we typically…read moresit way, way up at the very top. If you have poor eyesight, I definitely would not recommend those upstairs seats because it can be pretty difficult to see everything happening on stage. The staff and people are always nice, but one thing I would definitely consider is the steep slope when walking down from the upper levels. It feels very steep and could be easy for someone to slip or fall, especially when navigating the stairs and walkway. There's also always this smell up at the top. there's no good circulation in the whole area which if you have respiratory problems, I would not recommend this place. It's usually stuffy and has an odd smell. I Wish they had air purifiers throughout the whole location.

Amazing classes, experiences and memories are all experienced at Daurden Performing Arts…read moreConservatory. Our family member has benefited and taken multiple classes for three years at this fantastic conservatory. The improvement and strength, along with confidence our daughter has gained is priceless.

We absolutely adore Daurden (DPAC). Our daughter been with DPAC since the Atwater studio, and we…read moreare thrilled with the new, gorgeous Eagle Rock space. Our daughter absolutely thrives here and has discovered a passion for dance and theater. She started out just doing hip hop, but now she takes ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, contemporary, musical theater and aerial arts. She has made close, life-long friendships and has an incredible mentor in the owner, Cassandra Daurden whom I admire greatly. The performances are professional and spectacular to watch. I can't even believe the aerial skills and singing voices that come from these kiddos! They are not your everyday kids dance recitals, they are stunning top-notch performances. This is an incredible gem and we are filled with gratitude for this amazing DPAC community.

Been waiting all year to attend my first ever Bob Baker Day and it finally came around this past…read moreSunday after being post-poned for a few months due to bad weather. Unfortunately, not even the puppet master has pull when it comes to controlling the weather. Tomato, tomato!! :'( The park was absolutely oozing chaotic, whimsical energy with puppets galore, vibrant costumes afoot, and every possible themed variation of clown that you could think of. I'm not them joking -- if you can imagine it, someone definitely DIYed it. I was in awe of all the creative outfits I saw because it reminded me of my music festival and raver days where I used to spend weeks making my own "outfits" if you can even call it that, hahahaha. It's nice seeing art represented in fashion and these folks were not clownin' around with their steeze! This was an incredibly delightful way to spend a Sunday funday at the LA State Historic Park. We took public transit over (shout-out LA Metro) and were able to catch the second half of the event. During that 2.5 hour window, we covered a pretty substantial amount of activities such as watching a Cirque School show, watching a Bob Baker Marionette Theater show, visiting various vendor booths, eating a picnic lunch, and watching as madness unfolded while the annual traditional pie fight erupted to close out the day's festivities! The free marionette show was probably the biggest highlight for my Bob Baker Day! There is something about watching puppetry and performers in an open air park that makes you feel like you stumbled into a fever dream. I even saw a few flower puppets that reminded me of the talking flowers from the garden in Alice in Wonderland! I feel like I went into this event expecting it to be an actual carnival with rides, cotton candy, and all the works, but it was actually more of a chill and family-friendly educational event. The main feedback I have is probably around event accessibility. I'm not really sure why the event was hosted so deep inside of the park versus closer to the entrance. We legit had to walk pretty far to get to the actual set-up and I feel like that would fatigue a lot of attendees, not even just the elderly guests. It was also pretty windy and dusty still, so I wish I knew to pack a scarf or bandana to protect myself from the debris being kicked up in the park. The majority of hydration stations also ran out of water well before the halfway point of the event, so that wasn't too great. Despite this, I still had a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to checking out next year's event and hopefully being able to join for a larger chunk of the festivities in the future!

I took my toddler here and it was her first show experience with lights and her watching a stage…read more I think she enjoyed it, but snacks did help during the show. They also offer ice cream after the show. If your child sits in the front they get a chance to see the puppets up close. There is street/residential parking. I love that there is a park across the street so I took her there before the show. The music and puppets were very intriguing.

Oxy Arts is an arts and culture space run by Occidental College. A public center funded by private…read moremoney, progressive and community-oriented while wearing the full garb of a gentrification horseman, it occupies what is probably an uneasy position in Highland Park. I'm always a big fan of the arts, and to be perfectly honest, my interactions with Highland Park are limited to the corridors of York and Figueroa that cater to people from outside the neighborhood, but I like Oxy Arts. I've visited twice, both times as a guest of the college. It's a lovely venue, an attractive gallery with a lot of room to set up chairs for a seated event. The current exhibition, on view for a couple more weeks, features work by Occidental's 2022-2023 artist in residence, Kenturah Davis. I got a chance to admire her art when I went for an event called 30 Years On: Pan-Asian and Black Solidarity and Conflict Since the LA Uprising. This was part of Occidental's Community Book Program, which featured my book this past year. I've done a lot of book events, but this was a new one for me. I learned a lot from the other panelists, a group of academics and organizers with tons of insight into the history of L.A. My other visit to Oxy Arts was to run one of a series of writing workshops, which was free and open to the public. I'm not saying my particular instruction was a great gift to the community, but I do think this sort of free programming is a wonderful thing. If you have any interest in arts and culture, Oxy Arts is worth checking out.

Better as a science experiment than an art exhibit, FLOW was a major disappointment. There are…read morebarely 2 rooms, and the first one is a major fail. First, you have to make an appointment, which is a joke, since there are no visitors in the first place. Even when you make an appointment, you have to call a number listed on the door outside before they will let you in. They act like they're doing you a favor by admitting you even though they should be happy to have an audience. You are first ushered into a dark room with a screen on the inside displaying what is on the camera mounted on the front of the building inside, which is supposed to explain how the eye interprets images. The space is poorly designed because they forgot to add ambient light so you go from being in sunlight outside to total darkness inside. I tripped over the base of the screen, and almost toppled it in addition to stubbing my right toe and scraping the top of my foot (I was wearing sandals). For the theme of "Optics," the third and final installment of the exhibit, the irony of the poor layout was not lost on me. Whoever designed this show was probably on a heroin bender at the time, and should be forever banned from designing anything else in the future.

This is my first visit here, and I came to see Pearl and the Oysters, one of my favorite bands…read more It's very old place but well taken care of. It used to be a Masonic Lodge, but now it's taken care of and used as a music performance stage. There are two ways of getting in, but the one in the back is used for guest list invite and people who will call their tickets to a concert. I did Wilco, so I ended up in the alleyway behind the building. It didn't take long for me to go in, and meet up with an individual with a computer who checked me in. They do a short bag check and you're pretty much up the stairs to the left, wear your band might have a merch stand going up. When you walk into the hall, there's a bar in the center of the back of the room. They seem to have everything you could want to make a good drink. The place can fit it as many as 500 people. Last night when I went, there was about 3 to 400. The band I went to see is really good and I really enjoyed my time there. I can't wait to see which one of my favorite bands ends up playing there again. For me, it was a very short walk to the metro station, just a block away. There are a lot of good places to go eat and drink before you get there. The only thing I didn't like about the place but I can get over it quick is the fact that they didn't have anywhere to sit. So wear comfortable shoes when you visit.

Went here for LOTUS JUICE's PLAYER ONE TOUR and it's a great and intimate venue for a concert…read more There's paid parking lots, metered parking, and if you're brave you can get free street parking! Just make sure to read the signs. My friend and I were here for Ultra VIP and the sound check and other activities were around 4:15 PM. We got there a bit earlier and I'm glad at that time, the entrance is at the side, so the building provides shade over the waiting area and there was a gentle breeze too which was nice. Staff is very friendly, helpful and assistance. We had to transfer tickets over and it was as simple as a super short, brief explanation to staff/provided the ticket owner's name and it was all good. None of that BS from larger venues or if we had to deal with a QR code or crazy ticketing system. Huge relief. Thank you for being independent! We got VIP wristbands and they also card you for a wrist band if you want to order alcohol since there's a bar in the back. The concert area is upstairs and it's neat that it's historically a masonic lodge too. Neat door like backdrop to the stage and the historic wooden feel to it is nice too. Restrooms are a bit small, so it can get gross after a show, but we went beforehand so no issues for us. Free water throughout and trashcans everywhere too. Love that logistical planning. There's food and apparently an adjacent restaurant, we didn't get a chance to go, but it smelled good when we were leaving. Lights were a bit glaring but was adjusted and changed throughout the concert versus when it was on for sound check, just adjust the lighting settings on your phone. Good acoustics and sound quality, it got a bit warm at times, but not horrible, so AC is quite strong here. Wouldn't mind coming back here for another show!

We've found a musical home for our 3 year olds! Over the last year, Teacher Rae has taught our…read morefellas note and symbol recognition (they can identify a: quarter note, half note, dotted half note, whole note, quarter rest, crescendo and decrescendo) and have learned how to read them on a staff. They've also learned to identify solfege hand symbols both in and out of "do re mi" order. She uses both repetition and variation that seems helping our fellas learn music more intuitively than letters and numbers. Thank you Teacher Rae and SPAMA for creating a warm, inclusive and fun learning environment. We look forward to seeing our kids grow with your expert nurturing!

The voice and piano teacher here does an excellent job with my child. The song choices spark…read moreinterest and the lessons are fast paced and challenging enough to keep attention. We find the location to be managed well. Scheduling online is easy.

Not sure this place still exists. I called a few times during the week to get some details, left a…read morevoicemail, but never got called back. I showed up on a Saturday at 7, found a small door leading into a set of apartments for the entrance--locked. A tenant coming in had no idea about any writer's workshop. If it does exist somewhere else, I'd love to know about it.

I was very tired tonight but had RSVPed for this LADWP meeting in Little Tokyo. I found parking on…read morethe street, wondered what I was getting myself into, walked up the long staircase, and knocked on a mysterious door. A friendly woman, Alana, answered and welcomed me in to a room full of warmth, safety and smiling faces. We started the meeting by chatting about our writing experiences. Our thoughts and feelings about the subject. We then moved on to each person going to the microphone to read the "homework" (which I quickly did while there as I was a "drop in"). It was a top 10 list. It didn't have to be funny, just 10 things. It was fascinating to see what others wrote about. After each we would discuss what we liked and how it made us feel. Alana gave positive feed-back and if you were comfortable some constructive criticism. Next we each read a Haiku and then did a mash up at the very end, making a new and surprisingly poignant collaborative haiku based on what we had already written. We ended by discussing the exercise and again everyone giving feed-back. This all was a surprising burst of creativity that I have been longing for for a while. My creative meter was running dry today and I left with a full, overflowing tank! Safe environment. Collaborative and individualistic. Teacher who really has a 6th sense and gift for drawing out confidence and creativity in others. And a chance to explore different perspectives. I highly recommend this class to anyone needing to break out of the hum drum of everyday L.A. life and reconnect with their creative side. I'm looking forward to returning.