“Pray to Ball” Makes a Bank Shot at the Skylight Theatre by M.R. Hunter

It isn't often when sports are realistically performed onstage. Spatial limitations along with unpredictable physical coordination generally rules out taking such dramatic risks, but Amir Abdullah's rousing play successfully incorporates the game of basketball into its enlightening drama concerning a friendship tested when one coverts to Islam.

The risky endeavors in terms of the subject matter and required athletic improvisation combined make for a rewarding payoff and an engaging storyline about two rising star NCAA players at University of Miami, Lou (Abdullah) and Hakeem (Y'Lan Noel) who seem to have the world by the tail. As they are surrounded by fans, groupie girls, and potential professional offers, the duo revel in their instant stardom until an unexpected loss forces Hakeem to reexamine his life and beliefs. A flyer inviting him to the Muslim Student Association sparks his interest and newfound discovery in Islam.

Lou rejects and undermines his best friend's efforts as Hakeem's budding faith grows under the guidance of an on-campus counselor and his Muslim tutor, Tamana (Ulka Simone Mohanty). The tension leads to frustrations both on and off the court, heated exchanges and seemingly impossible reconciliation as the men drift further apart until a career-changing accident takes one of them out for the season.

Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese Food Truck by Valerie Mitchell

The Stouffer's Food Truck made a special stop in Santa Monica!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be outside in the Southern California sun. The truck parked on Ocean Avenue near Santa Monica Blvd. The skies were blue and the view of the Pacific and Santa Monica Pier were stunning. It was a lovely day for a comfort food lunch.

Monorail, Disneyland, 1961 by Charles Phoenix

Whooshing by on the highway in the sky, passengers travel in supreme space-age style between the Disneyland Hotel and Tomorrowland. Hopefully they heard the "Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times" recording because there are no windows!

The monorail is like an airplane without wings, or a cross between a snake, shark and catfish. It also has a foot-long hot dog/Oscar Meyer Wienermobile feel to it. BTW, it's not too late for an Oscar Meyer sponsorship. They could called it the Oscar Meyer Weinermonorail!!!

Never have green tinted glass, ribbed stainless steel panels, lipstick red, and pinstriped white looked so great together. 

Go! National Theatre Live Screenings at L.A. Theatre Works by M.R. Hunter

Whether you're a theater lover or not, National Theatre in London reliably mounts the best productions in the world bar none. Unless you're flitting across the pond a few times a year, the chances of witnessing these outstanding, ground-breaking shows are slim. The NT productions are the kind of quality we can learn and be inspired from as artists regardless of our discipline. Unfortunately, some folks are reticent about attending a "screening." Theater purists for a lack of better word, reject the idea that a screening can be just as good as watching something live. Let me assure anyone with these misgivings of their error. It is as good and the cinematic quality put into these screenings allows even further appreciation, not less of both art forms (theater and film). These stagings will NOT be touring in the U.S. so there isn't much in the way of opportunity to see these shows unless you go to the screening (which is limited in its run and venues across the country).

“Fat Pig” is a Safe but Fair Revival at the Hudson Mainstage by M.R. Hunter

There's been an uptick in revivals for Neil LaBute's plays what with last year's L.A. Theatre Works' staging of "Reasons to Be Pretty" followed by the sequel "Reasons to Be Happy." "Fat Pig" now playing at the Hudson is a slightly tweaked version from its 2007 Los Angeles premiere at the Geffen Playhouse but in the intimate space the play still holds up, edited or not, and typifies the playwright's keen if not brutal insight into current sociological attitudes and conflicting mores.

The interest in LaBute most likely stems from his appalling yet accurate portrayal of Gen X'ers trying to maintain an uneasy balance between vapidity and a modern-age pragmatism that circumvents attachment and feeling in the quest for personal freedom, happiness or simply gain. Unlike some of his other works which takes an almost cynical tone amid a sparring showdown, "Fat Pig" is at its heart a tender love story wrought by outside influences and societal judgment.

Fabulous Ferris Wheel, Las Vegas, Nevada by Charles Phoenix

Fabulous Las Vegas, as it’s accurately and historically described, has done it again. They’ve gone and built another icon. This time it’s the biggest Ferris wheel on earth! The whole thing is SO futuristic. The nearby monorails whizzing by add to the effect. For a moment or two I thought I was on another planet.

Calling All Playwrights! Skylight Theatre Offers a Home for New Voices to Shine by M.R. Hunter

Like any art, theater is in a constant state of evolution. It enjoyed preeminence before the talkies appeared a century ago. Everything changes. Newspapers struggle against the internet, critics who once wrote essays and books on the state of theater let alone verbose reviews are reduced to a mere doubling of Twitter-sized word counts and a diminishing of their importance. Actors are not so nearly eager to dive into a six-week run at the expense of a better paying gig. The trickledown effect has been enormous and palpable. One role has remained the same, the playwright. Without him/her, there is no show excepting improvisation. Yet, much in how theater has been indelibly altered by technology and dwindling, less-than-captive audiences, so too has the playwright suffered the slings and arrows of theater's hegemony by lack of accessibility.  

For a playwright to find a foothold between his/her script and the stage door one has to crack the door, or in this case, a window to let opportunity and development shine its way through.  Artistic Director Gary Grossman of the Skylight Theatre Company (previously known as Katselas) is determined to offer a place for playwrights to experiment, hone, fail or succeed. Having produced over 300 plays and over 50 world premieres, Grossman is fearless in his conviction: emerging playwrights are the future of theater. Finding and developing raw talent is his goal. It is a lofty mission in the face of flagging audiences, competing revivals (where everyone knows at least the play is good) and word of mouth. In a city rife with writers like Los Angeles, the demand is great but the supply, up until the company's rebranded vision, has been poor with few options beyond the Fringe Festival or workshops. A playwright haven is an oasis.