Congratulations to the Cast and Crew of THE ART of DREAMING on 3 fantastic shows this past weekend! We’d like to thank director—Marlene BELTRAN and our writer/performers—Sayda TRUJILLO, Brandon RACHAL, Catherine Dee HOLLY, and Marta PORTILLO, for their hard work and dedication to bringing this unique and inspiring work to the stage. For a closed audience last Thursday, THE ART of DREAMING also included a special performance featuring students from Mendez, Marshall, and the Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School where they performed their own original monologues from our “Art of the Monologue Workshops”.
To conclude our weekend, our fabulous Board held a successful fundraiser to celebrate the 25th ANNIVERSARY of YOUNG THEATERWORKS and raise crucial funds for our future youth programs. Huge thank you to everyone who came out to support us this weekend including fundraiser attendees, silent auction donors, individual donors, and audience members, and the cast and crew of THE ART of DREAMING. We’re so grateful to be able to share this dream with you all!
#lathtr #latinotheatre #socialjusticeart #artseducation #pasadena
“THE ART of DREAMING” is the cover story in this week’s edition of Pasadena Weekly, featuring a front-page photo of teaching artist and writer-performer Sayda TRUJILLO. You can check the article out at bit.ly/pasadenaweekly-aod
“THE ART of DREAMING” will premiere this SATURDAY at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. The cast includes our four writer/performers, Catherine Dee HOLLY, Brandon RACHAL, Marta PORTILLO, and Sayda TRUJILLO, directed by Marlene BELTRAN. Performances are on SAT, MAR 28 at 8 PM and SUN, MAR 29 at 2 PM. For general and reserved tickets and more info go to bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26. Hoping to see you there!
#lathtr #pasadenaart #socialjusticeart #latinotheatre #pasadena
About...Productions’ original theaterwork “THE ART of DREAMING” premieres this weekend and is featured in an article for THE PASADENA NOW! The article features highlights on our four writer/performers, Catherine Dee HOLLY, Brandon RACHAL, Marta PORTILLO, and Sayda TRUJILLO, as well as an interview with Director Marlene BELTRAN. You can check the article out at bit.ly/pasadenanow-artofdreaming
“THE ART of DREAMING” will premiere tomorrow morning for students from our ART OF THE MONOLOGUE workshops and will open to the public this weekend at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. PUBLIC performances are on SAT, MAR 28 at 8 PM and SUN, MAR 29 at 2 PM. For general and reserved tickets and more info go to bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26. We hope you come dream with us and we can’t wait to see you there!
#lathtr #pasadenaart #socialjusticeart #latinotheatre #pasadena
Meet our fourth writer/performer, MARTA PORTILLO, featured in About...Productions’ upcoming original theaterwork “THE ART of DREAMING”. Marta, a native Angeleno, has used theatre education as a vehicle to work with communities in health education, social justice, intergenerational theatre, and in-school and after-school programming. She currently teaches in our “Social Justice Residency” and the “Art of the Monologue” workshop. She’s had the opportunity to work with various theaters around SoCal including La Jolla Playhouse, Laguna Beach Playhouse, The Frida Kahlo Theater, and more! Through her art, Marta helps people find their voice and tell their stories.
Marta will present her own original monologue as part of About...Productions’ “THE ART of DREAMING” on SAT, MAR 28th and SUN, MAR 29th at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. Tickets at bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26
#lathtr #pasadenaart #socialjusticeart #latinotheatre #pasadena
The third writer/performer we’d like to introduce from About...Productions’ upcoming original theaterwork “THE ART of DREAMING” is BRANDON RACHAL. Brandon is a theatremaker, arts educator, and consultant in Los Angeles. As a teaching artist, Brandon focuses on using devised theatre methods to inspire creative expression and social change. He has taught and developed curriculum for organizations like artworxLA, The Young Shakespeareans, Unusual Suspects, Harold Robinson Foundation, and of course About...Productions. He has also been a featured performer with Black Light Arts Collective, Anteaus Theatre, Inkwell Theatre Lab and more!
Brandon will present his own original monologue as part of About...Productions’ “THE ART of DREAMING” on SAT, MAR 28th and SUN, MAR 29th at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. Tickets at bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26
#lathtr #pasadenaart #socialjusticeart #latinotheatre #pasadena
Join us in welcoming our second writer/performer, CATHERINE DEE HOLLY, featured in About...Productions’ upcoming original theaterwork “THE ART of DREAMING”. Kat is a classically trained actor, writer, and director who has performed on stages across the country. Her screen credits include This Is Us (NBC) and NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) as well as the Cannes-acclaimed short films Heartbreak Happy and Tragiometry. She has worked as a teaching artist in our Young Theaterworks’ “Art of the Monologue” workshops and our “Social Justice Residency”. As a director, Kat has helmed commercial work for brands such as CalFresh and Mattel. She also specializes in social-emotional storytelling and performance work with diverse communities, including incarcerated youth and and neurodivergent performers.
Kat will be presenting her own original monologue as part of About...Productions’ “THE ART of DREAMING” on SAT, MAR 28th and SUN, MAR 29th at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. Tickets at bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26
#lathtr #pasadenaart #latinotheatre #socialjusticeart #pasadena
About...Productions is thrilled to introduce the first of our talented writer/performers, SAYDA TRUJILLO—actor, director, and voice specialist, starring in the upcoming original production “THE ART of DREAMING”. Inspired by identity and storytelling, Sayda’s personal and collaborative work has premiered across Latin America, Europe, and more! She has written and performed her own solo shows both nationally and internationally and frequently volunteers with Clowns Without Borders performing for thousands of children in Latin America and the Middle East. In addition to her many works, including as a teaching artist for our Young Theaterworks program, Sayda is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sayda will be presenting her own original monologue as part of About...Productions’ “THE ART of DREAMING” on SAT, MAR 28th and SUN, MAR 29th at the LINEAGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Pasadena. Tickets at bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26
#lathtr #pasadenaart #socialjusticeart #latinotheater #pasadena
Bell Systems is thrilled to open for Girl in a Coma at the Echoplex featuring original songs written by Nina Diaz (Girl in a Coma) and Theresa Chavez. A spin-off of the theaterwork "Adobe Punk: a punk rehearsal in real-time" (2025), Bell Systems is a 3-piece punk band with members Margarita Brightman (bass), Sara Bunge (guitar), and Josh Duron (drums). The band’s name comes from the "Adobe Punk" fictional story about 3 punks squatting in a historic adobe in early 1980s Bell Gardens.
Songs were originally written for the Adobe Punk project which has had multiple iterations. In 2024 Nina Diaz fronted the band in Adobe Punk: the concert which also included a series of pre-concert Punkast interviews with punk trailblazers such as Mike Watt (Minutemen) and Teresa Covarrubias (The Brat).
Don’t miss Bell Systems at 8 PM at The Echoplex on FRI, MAR 27! Tickets on sale at Ticketmaster and The Echoplex website.
Photos by Rob Aft
#lapunkscene #theechoplex #echopark #bellsystems #girlinacoma
On Feb 13th, in collaboration with the Math, Science and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School, we presented “SEEDS OF RESISTANCE: Social Justice Plays Written & Performed by Youth Inspired by Community Leaders’ Stories.”
Our students did an incredible job performing their original plays to TWO packed audiences! Thank you to MSTMA for collaborating with us on our “Social Justice Residency” and “Seeds of Resistance.” We would also like to thank our wonderful community leaders—Dr. Martha GONZALEZ, Odilia ROMERO, and Moctesuma ESPARZA—for sharing their stories with our students; and thank our teaching artists—Marlene BELTRAN, Brandon RACHAL, and Marta PORTILLO—for directing our students. You can catch Brandon and Marta in our upcoming production “THE ART OF DREAMING” along with 2 other writer/performers Catherine Dee HOLLY and Sayda TRUJILLO on SAT, MAR 28 and SUN, MAR 29 at the Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena. (More info at bit.ly/art-of-dreaming26 or at the link in our bio)
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