Author Archives: Jenae Cohn

The Gayley Avenue strip in Westwood may primarily be known for its greasy burger joints and sandwich shops that are ““ let’s face it ““ only palatable as emergency sustenance stops.

What really makes a man? Brawn, brains, and bravery may be acceptable answers, but for UCLA screenwriting professor and co-chair Hal Ackerman, embracing one’s masculinity means facing mortality and accepting the love and help of those who love you most.

Reading spurs the imagination, triggers contemplation and conjures new ideas, but, by nature, it is also a solitary pursuit.

In the 21st century digital age, it takes only two seconds to snap a picture on a cell phone or a digital camera.

Producing a musical theater production notoriously consumes hours of time. The audition, rehearsal and dress rehearsal processes typically require at least several months of work, so imagine organizing all aspects of a musical theater show within a 24-hour time frame.

Audiences recognize Sweeney Todd for raising his razors to the throats of his scruffy victims, but in the touring production of the Tony Award-winning 2005 Broadway revival of Sondheim’s macabre musical, “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Todd also raises his trumpet, bells and glockenspiel.

Getting into character is not just about putting on a costume and painting on makeup, it’s about understanding characters from the way they talk and think down to their movements and actions.