Little Fish Theatre http://www.littlefishtheatre.org/wp/ opens "Italian American Reconciliation" at 8:00 PM.
It is still hard for me to believe that this is already the FOURTH production by the theatre company, this season.
My 'hole in the wall' apparently will be utilized with this production. So when you enter the theatre and if you haven't seen the new 'hole' turn around and look up. Lisa and Sara gave Phil and I permission to have me use my sawsall last year and the new access has been utilized in several shows, so far.
The Relevant Stage Theatre Company http://www.therelevantstage.com/ opens its third annual production of "I Love You. You're Perfect. Now Change." also at 8:00 PM at a NEW VENUE in San Pedro.
The production will take place in a new and intimate setting in the basement of People's Yoga and Health studio, on 6TH Street.
This third annual production has three of the cast members returning from the highly reviewed 2009 production and the recurring production is a true highlight for theatre goers in the area.
ILYYPNC can be thought of as akin to Little Fish's Pick of the Vine as being shows that are must attend.
Marymount College http://www.marymountpv.edu/ will open its production of "You Can't Take It With You" on April 28 at the historic Warner Grand Theatre, in San Pedro.
This show is also a 'must see' in my opinion. I think audience members will enjoy a company of talented and energetic players and technicians who will provide great entertainment in this comedy, based on an extended family's experiences.
The evening of April 27, 2010 sees the three-week, Wednesday and Thursday night production of "Stones In His Pockets" at Little Fish Theatre, in San Pedro.
What Little Fish Theatre is now considered by many to be is a 'black box' local theatre that continually offers the best comedies and dramas in the greater L.A. Basin.
Some of us are beginning to think that there small audience area of 65 seats is becoming a tougher seat to get, with all the excellent productions continuously produced there.
Most weekend productions in this season and the last have so many sellouts that folks need to order their tickets early or purchase 'anytime' tickets, packages of 10 tickets, or just by an entire season of tickets before all the tickets are taken up.
As a disclaimer, I haven't worked any Relevant Stage, Marymount, or Little Fish shows this season, but there are plans for Phil and I to work on a fall production with Little Fish.
Phil and I have worked with Mr. Rodney Rincon at Chadwick and we expect to work on "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", later this spring, at Chadwick.
Moving on.
After considering all that could or might happen should I videotape Marymount's production of "What the Butler Saw", I finally decided that I will not tape it.
What that does is frees me up to offer some tantalizing 'suggestions' I have recently heard about, when considering everything Marymount College.
What I am ready to report is still 'officially' unconfirmed, but it comes from multiple sources, on multiple levels of those involved with Marymount, and not necessarily considered bad by me.
Apparently World wide recruiting by Dr. Brophy and others is paying off. More than one individual has told me that the incoming Freshman Class will be the largest ever.
This MAY lead to a classroom shortage, especially for the upper classes of Juniors and Seniors.
The possible solution to overcrowding looks to be Marymount's possible acquisition of a building or buildings in San Pedro that might become an annex that will be used for classrooms for Juniors, Seniors, AND POSSIBLY IN THE FUTURE Masters' candidates!
The opportunity Marymount may take to open an 'annex' to its Rancho Palos Verdes campus means that the limits on the number of students allowed to attend Marymount College may continue within Rancho Palos Verdes, but College officials may consider that educating students in San Pedro does not go against the "793 students" limits in place on the Rancho Palos Verdes Campus.
You just might wonder what my current opinion on offering an 'annex' in San Pedro to educate upper division students and POSSIBLY graduate students, so here it is.
First off, I like the concept of having an annex in San Pedro.
Second, I need to repeat some concerns I have about housing students.
The repeated statements by Marymount officials that they would sell off the Pacific Heights off-campus student housing, will grow moot because that location may be the location Marymount will offer more housing to upper class level students.
Adding an annex will surely mean Marymount will continue to seek on-campus housing for students, but the officials will probably take on new reasoning for their demands for student housing in R.P.V.
With an annex in San Pedro, AND a new very large Freshman class, Marymount officials will state that their current student housing sites will not accommodate the influx of students needing housing.
Look for Marymount demanding on-campus housing for Freshmen students and some Sophomore students and that they will claim there will not be enough housing available to house upper division students on Marymount's main campus.
Having upper division students educated in San Pedro may mean jobs intended for local residents will be taken by students from Marymount College. Since job seekers want to work, it should be up to the businesses to decide who they hire and we know most College students need jobs during their education, at some point.
Setting aside the housing issues, I think a Marymount 'annex' in San Pedro might be a very good idea for a number of good reasons.
The Port of Los Angeles is now considering a long set of berths closer to the outer harbor becoming an educational location for a number of institutions. While I doubt Marymount would have its annex in that area, what is going on now with the port demonstrates an interest in improving educational resources in San Pedro, and I really feel that is a good thing.
An annex means that some new jobs would be created. A new annex means students wishing to be entertained, fed, and wanting to socialize may do those and other things in San Pedro, rather than in other communities. This may mean increased business, revenues, and tax collection in and for San Pedro and I certainly support the revitalization of San Pedro's downtown area.
I'd much rather have students 21-years of age and older walking to and from Godmother's over having students driving to and from establishments of Godmother's type.
San Pedro provides many fine arts opportunities, marine interest opportunities, better transit and transportation opportunities than Rancho Palos Verdes does.
I think it could be a win-win set of opportunities for Marymount College and San Pedro.
I don't know the current status of plans to improve the housing owned by The Volunteers of America which site right next door to the Palos Verdes North off-campus housing site Marymount College owns.
Perhaps there may be opportunities for Marymount in which they could purchase the condominiums from VOA so Marymount could house more upper division students in northwest San Pedro. I do understand fully that placing more students living at Palos Verdes North means more traffic on Western Avenue, but we would need to accept that and find workarounds, should that happen.
I don't know the tenant count of the two larger office buildings along Western Avenue, in Rancho Palos Verdes. I doubt that relations between Marymount officials and our City Council and staff would allow for consideration of a possible change of ownership of those two buildings such that an annex would be along Western Avenue.
There are plenty of empty offices closer to the harbor in San Pedro where Marymount officials might look for their annex.
Another consideration I can have positive thinking about, when thinking about an annex is about the construction of a brick and mortar library on Marymount's campus.
As we head straight into the future, more Colleges and Universities are moving into having virtual libraries. Virtual Libraries can be accessed be the public all the way 'down' to allowing only limited access to those who possess a login and password.
I believe contributions have been made specifically for a new 'brick and mortar' Library on Marymount's campus. It may take a rescinding of such contributions to create a much less expensive virtual library or the money set aside for a brick and mortar structure might be channeled into an improved media center and student-study areas.
A virtual library for Marymount means that upper division students being taught in San Pedro would have no need to visit a physical library, possibly anywhere.
Land not used for a brick and mortar structure on Marymount's main campus could be used for other things or just left with a garden-type setting.
I continue to support and encourage the construction using The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project, but not The Marymount Plan.
I think with the creation of a Virtual Library over one approved in The Expansion Project, Marymount will be able to offer a much better package of information and study opportunities to a greater number of students, having more divisions of students than they currently have.
I will never support or condone student housing on the Palos Verdes Drive East campus of Marymount College. I would not mind having students of Marymount College living in apartments and condos along Western Avenue, even in the parts within Rancho Palos Verdes.
I will seek out and publish more information as I learn more.
Editor's Note:
ReplyDeleteAlong with most of what I recently learned about possible plans for Marymount, I also learned some things that disturbed me and don't put some Marymount students in the best lights possible.
I am holding off on the negative things I learned, but I won't forget them either.
Although the dream that Marymount's officials might meet with iStar officials on any considerations of a land swap between the college and the owners of Ponte Vista at San Pedro, that dream is shared by others and is considered by many in a very positive light, I don't think anything more than nothing will come of it.
However, having such a land swap that would allow iStar Financial offering fantastic view lots for large homes along P.V.D. East and allowing for a complete Marymount University, with all class divisions, post graduate studies, and centralized on-campus housing for all, along Western Avenue, continues to be something I would highly support.