​La Jolla Playhouse has revealed the complete cast and creative team for its world-premiere production of Velour: A Drag Spectacular, by Sasha Velour and Moisés Kaufman, directed by Moisés Kaufman, in a co-production with Tectonic Theater Project. Velour: A Drag Spectacular will run August 13 through the extended date of September 15 in the Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. 
 
Created by groundbreaking drag artist Sasha Velour (Smoke & Mirrors, NightGowns, The Big Reveal Live Show) and legendary theatre artist Moisés Kaufman (Here There Are Blueberries, The Laramie Project), Velour: A Drag Spectacular is a sweeping, coming-of-age tale interwoven with the radical history of drag and queer expression. Inspired by Velour's origin story as a small-town, genderfluid child turned globally-renowned drag superstar, the show unfolds through a dazzling blend of innovative projection mapping, video animation, awe-inspiring lip-sync performances, and bold personal storytelling. Known for her emotional and shocking performance art, Velour harnesses the power of drag spectacle to immerse the audience in queer fantasia all while revealing her deepest fears and joys. From the often confusing yet joyous search for belonging, to the deep wells of grief that catapult us to face our inner truths, Velour: A Drag Spectacular is a tour de force, rich with humanity, beauty, and above all else – DRAG.
 
The cast features Sasha Velour, along with Ezra Reaves, Moscato Sky, San Diegan Amber St. James, and understudy Shaun Tuazon.
 
The creative team includes David Rockwell, Scenic Designer; Diego Montoya Studio, Costume Designer; Amanda Zieve, Lighting Designer; Palmer Hefferan, Sound Designer; Ettie Pin, Projection Designer; House of Velour, Video Creation; Angela Phillips, Aerial Designer; Stephen Oremus, Music Supervisor; Ann C. James, Sensitivity Specialist; tbd casting co.; Stephanie Yankwitt, CSA/Jacole Kitchen, Casting; Jacob Russell, Stage Manager; and Topaz Cooks, Assistant Stage Manager.
 
“Velour: A Drag Spectacular marks the continuation of our rich, decades-long relationship with one of the luminaries of American theatre, Moisés Kaufman, and his company, Tectonic Theater Project. Moisés’s partnership with Sasha Velour – one of the most entertaining, visionary talents in the drag art form – promises a unique and jaw-dropping performance that charts Sasha’s origin story alongside the history of drag,” said Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse.

Hedwig & the Angry Inch
​​at the Maverick Theater
Fullerton, CA
Lyrics and Music by Stephen Trask
Text by John Cameron Mitchell
Direction and Choreography by Juztine Tuazon-Martin
Vocal Direction by Michelle Hernandez

Starring:
Dennis Tong as Hedwig
Michelle Hernandez as Yitzhak
Kobe Darby, Sho Fujieda, Chris Marshall, Chris Gage, Kyle Rinehart... as The Angry Inch Band

By Inda Craig-Galván
SATURDAY, JANUARY 13
7:30 p.m.

Mary Ellen Pleasant was a 19th-century abolitionist, an entrepreneur, a real estate tycoon, and the first African American millionaire... and you’ve probably never heard of her. Pleasant uses contemporary music, humor, and unconventional storytelling to explore the life of this self-described “capitalist by profession” who used her role as a humble domestic worker to cloak her badassery. Scandals, rumors, and one angry Karen threatened to bury her legacy, but Pleasant seeks to unearth her invaluable and lasting accomplishments.

​Tickets to all festival readings require reservations and are free. Reservations for Globe subscribers and donors are available Friday, December 15, 2023 at 12:00 noon. Subject to availability, reservations for the general public will be available beginning Thursday, January 4 at 12:00 noon. A line for standby seating will form 30 minutes before each performance of the Powers New Voices Festival. Based on ticket-holder attendance, those standing in the standby line may be seated. Seating is based on seat availability and is not guaranteed. Latecomers with tickets are also not guaranteed admittance.

HUMAN MUSEUM

By Miyoko Conley
Directed by Jesca Prudencio

Friday, Dec 1 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, Dec 3 at 3:00 pm
Rao and Padma Makineni Play Development Center (PDC) at La Jolla Playhouse

Set in a future where humans have gone extinct, Human Museum follows a group of robots on Earth that run a museum dedicated to organizing the physical and digital artifacts of human life. On the centenary of human extinction, a sudden radio call upends everything the robots thought they knew about the last days of humanity.  Human Museum explores what we will leave behind when we’re gone, and who will carry on our legacy.

Shaun plays robot 65. Come see what movies like Wall-E, Waterworld, & Independence Day have to do with this utopian future!

Little Amal is the 12 foot puppet of  a 10 year old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk.  She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. 

Between September 7th and November 26th, 2023, Amal is journeying 9,000 miles across the United States and Mexico in one of the largest free public festivals ever created.  40 towns and cities from Boston to San Diego and 7 cities from Tijuana to Tapachula will create 100+ free public events to welcome her.

Since July 2021, Amal has travelled over 6,000 miles to 97 towns and cities in 14 countries and been welcomed by more than a million people on the street, including hundreds of artists and civil society and faith leaders, as well as by tens of millions online. Her journeys are festivals of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Her urgent message to the world is “Don’t forget about us”.​​

​Step outside the lines...

Date: 4 Nov 2023
Local Start Time: 2:00pm
Location: Balboa Park, San Diego, CA


La Jolla Playhouse will take Amal on a joyous adventure in San Diego to celebrate the power of theatre and the city’s rich cultural diversity. In partnership with La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls program.

Date: Saturday November 4th
Start time: 2:00pm
Location: Bea Evenson Fountain, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
----------
It is always free to walk with Amal. To help make a difference The Amal Fund with Choose Love supports displaced children across the world. If you can, please make a donation today: chooselove.org/theamalfund ​

In July of 2022, East West Players (EWP) produced a workshop of On This Side of the World, written by Paulo K. Tiról and directed by Noam Shapiro.

A year later, the heartfelt musical made its way to East West Players' main stage at the David Henry Hwang Theater. The show was extended, proving its impact on the Filipino-American and immigrant community in Los Angeles and beyond, and becoming the highest grossing new musical in EWP’s history. 

Now, for the first time since 2005, EWP is recording an original cast album for On This Side of the World- but we can't do it alone. EWP is committed to completing the project, and has already invested $10,000 into ensuring we rightly compensate the incredible artists involved in the creation of the show. Today, we are humbly asking for your support in raising an additional $5,000 for a total of $15,000 to help us recoup the additional costs that come with recording, mixing, mastering, artists’ royalties, and distributing this very special cast album. 

We're launching this Indiegogo to ask for your support in making this project the best that it can be. As we aim to continue creating impactful work, every dollar counts towards helping us immortalize the magic of Paulo's work.

Please join us on this journey of creating the On This Side of the World Cast Album. Make a tax-deductible contribution today to help us bring a piece of EWP magic straight to you!