‘In the Heights’ Emotional, upbeat film
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Museum Tower is in a prime location
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Covered California CONSIDER THIS will help
Here’s the scoop on dog poop By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist
I
am throwing down a gauntlet: Someone, please invent a way to recycle and repurpose doggie doo-doo! I’m a bit pooped lately — forgive the expression — and I’ve had way too much time to mull this over, which is perhaps a “waste” of my intellect. That said, consider the megatons of bowser boom-booms that simply go into landfills. Ewww. There are scientific innovators in the climate crisis field who are experimenting with capturing and recycling cattle gas emanations. Bovine methane could be tomorrow’s fashionable fuel. Why not? Speaking of gas, I know a couple of Boston Terriers who could power a small town with their “emissions.” I am one of those dutiful dog parents who walk and scoop… except when I don’t. If one of our dogs poops in an inaccessible place — for example, under a bush — where no one walks, I cover it with dirt and let nature take its course. I know I’ll probably get hate mail, but hear me out. I fret about using dog poop bags, even our compostable ones, that still end up in a landfill with the contents eventually exposed. Can’t you just hear future archaeologists? “We seem to have stepped into a culture that worships animal excrement, so much so that they sought to preserve it for the future.” Annie Archaeologist takes a whiff. “P-U! This could have been excreted yesterday. It’s so fresh! Yet the bags themselves have a perfume odor. Very odd worship indeed.” In the meantime, I do my best to use poop bags efficiently. You may be aware of the soldiers in trenches during WWI who used one match to light three cigarettes. Snipers looked for match lights, so “three on a match” became trench etiquette. I use
“three on a poop bag” so I don’t squander an entire bag on one tiny turd. Nope, I go for a full bag on our walks. If I don’t attain this goal, I bring the almost-empty home, leave it open to dry, and take it out again the next day. Am I weird? Maybe. I’m at peace with that. Here’s a quandary I grapple with. We use compostable bags, but we also have craploads of the older, nonbiodegradable plastic bags still sitting in our cupboard. Is it more ecologically responsible to simply throw them into the recycling bin or use them up? And if the so-called “biodegradable” bags actually take 40 years to disintegrate, are they really worth using? I think it’s fascinating that the brain bandwidth I once devoted to All Things Drumpf is now occupied with All Things Dog Poop. Coincidence? I think not. I used to know a dog who looked forward to “potty time” because, if left unsupervised, she would promptly gobble it all up! Now that’s recycling and a method that — although meritorious — is revolting. Apparently, it doesn’t hurt the dog, but geez… I hate to even think about it. I went with my friend to the pet store to see if there was any kind of over-the-counter medicine to stop coprophagia, the grownup word for poop eating. They had one product that claimed it “makes feces taste bad!” Isn’t that redundant? It appears that some dogs don’t agree. One of my side hustles is taking care of other people’s dogs. For my friends, I used to do that for free because I’m a dog-loving geek. However, after the economic disaster of 2008, I racked my brain for what I could do for money that also involved things I love. The answer was right in front of my face: dog care! I’ve been doing it ever since. One of my first clients had a large poodle named Scribble who grew up in an apartment in a big European city. As such,
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her doggie toilet habits had to be super alize how much we take our indoor toilets efficient. Scribble was a genius dog, so for granted. Back to my gauntlet throw, and my chalher parents taught her to go on demand whenever they said, “Scribble, spend your lenge stands. No. 1: If you can imagine it, EXECUTIVE Christina Fuoco-Karasinski pennies!” And voilá! EDITOR: Scribble spent her you can do it. No. 2: Well, you know, grab STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero pennies, and I quickly learned that she it and run with it. Oh, sorry… but you get CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk what I’m driving at. Dog byproducts could wouldn’t go without that command. ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis phrase Chavez truly be put to better use than bagging I wonderedSTAFF where such an odd CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriamand Santos tossing. Come on, people — let’s get came from. In the mid-1800s, when the ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb off the pot and do this. new-fangledFOUNDER flush EMERITUS: toilets were introSue Laris Ellen Snortland has written Consider duced, they were featured at a world’s fair where a fairgoer could try the magic com- This… for decades. A writing coach, contact mode for a penny a pop. It makes me re- her at ellen@authoratbitebybite.com.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITER: Doyoon Kim, Matthew Rodriguez, Annika Tomlin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Bliss Bowen, Andrew Checchia, Frier McCollister, Bridgette M. Redman ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Erik Carter for the Drama League, Macall Polay for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris
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Covered help LETTERSCalifornia TO THE will EDITOR COVID-19 panic Editor: here is no fomite transmission of COVID-19. Masks and distance are useless. The LA County fall spike came when rules and restrictions were in full effect. The lockdowns were a hideous failure — 90% caught COVID-19 at their house following the insane hide-inside orders, while healthy locations like beaches, parks, trails, gyms and fields were closed. Shelter in place was disgusting. COVID-19 deaths are not stalking the streets like a mass shooter. Florida is open and has fewer COVID-19 cases than locked-down northeastern states. People younger than 50 had mild symptoms, children none. COVID-19 killed overweight, elderly people with at least three morbid diseases. They died not from COVID-19. Lockdown does not appear in any epidemiology textbook. It was an idea hatched by the Chinese Communist Party, and everyone overreacted like cowards. Oh, but look, the restrictions will all magically disappear on June 15. Meanwhile, lives and livelihoods are ruined and children damaged.
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BELL’S OPINION
For what? All the destruction. There’s so much to answer for.
Chris Michiels
Not vaccinated Editor:
G
igi Gaskins, the owner of Hatwrks in Tennessee, is a disgusting profile in antisemitic insanity. Gigi is profiting from the Holocaust by selling yellow stars saying, “Not vaccinated.” This is a new reason to be incarcerated. Put Gigi in a straitjacket in her padded cell for the rest of her life until she goes to hell. Six million Jews died because of this hate. Tennessee, don’t let Gigi define your state. Antisemitism is a crutch for low-IQ fools, just like Gigi Gaskins, so hateful and cruel. GOP Gigi will probably run for office in 2022 because the Republican Party is home to fools. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the new queen of the GOP. But that’s OK, as a partisan Democrat, I say. Instead of wearing a yellow star, wear your dunce caps.
Hey you! Speak up! Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community. Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.
Jake Pickering
When emergencies can’t wait. Let’s face it: No one wants to go to the ER. But if you need emergency medical care, it’s reassuring to know that Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center is taking every precaution to keep you safe. And with our online arrival system, our emergency care team will be alerted that you’re on your way. So you can spend less time in our ER—and more time at home. See available arrival times at DignityHealth.org/ER.
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Covered California will help COVID COUNT Reported cases in DTLA and surrounding areas as of May 30 Chinatown: 736; Little Tokyo: 404; Los Feliz: 1,062; Silverlake: 3,215; South Park: 7,376; Wilshire Center: 5,639 Total confirmed cases in DTLA: 4,111 Total deaths in DTLA: 52 Total confirmed cases in LA County: 1,244,161 Total deaths in LA County: 24,346 Los Angeles County reported three additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 24,346. There were also 108 new infections, and there are currently 1,244,161 total confirmed cases. As of May 28, 9,564,035 vaccine doses have been administered in Los Angeles County. The county’s average daily infection rate fell to 0.7 per 100,000 residents, a decrease from 0.9 last week. The testing positivity rate is 0.4%, which is also a decrease from 0.5% the previous week. The county continues to see small decreases in
hospitalizations and deaths, but officials are still stressing the importance of getting vaccinated and following safety guidelines. About 64% of the Los Angeles County population that are 16 and older have received at least one dose. Among those 65 and older, 85% have received at least one dose, with 72% fully vaccinated. As the number of people getting vaccinated each week decreases, health officials are not expecting Los Angeles County to reach herd immunity, a vaccination rate of 80%, until late August. Another 1.1 million county residents will need to get their first dose before 80% of people ages 16 and older are vaccinated. The county is administering 100,000 vaccine doses per week, which compares to about 500,000 doses at the peak vaccination rate. Officials are hoping incentive programs and the expansion of mobile sites will increase the
vaccination rate. City sites and the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center are offering the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the 2021-22 home season of the LA King or LA Galaxy for everyone 18 and older who gets their first dose. Vaccination rates are still lagging among Black and Latino residents. County health officials are trying to combat this by setting up more mobile vaccine centers. In addition, a recent partnership with the gang-rehabilitation organization
Homeboy Industries was announced by officials for a series of public service announcements to encourage inoculations in vaccine-hesitant communities. Only 41% and 48% of Black and Latino residents, respectively, ages 16 and older have received at least one dose, compared to 64% of the general county population. Black residents are now having the highest rates of infection, hospitalization and death. —Compiled by staff writer Doyoon Kim
JUNE 7, 2021
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TRAX
BY BLISS
MARA CONNOR, Decades (Side Hustle): HHH Over the past 15 months, many listeners have found new meaning in old music that stirs or soothes, and Connor accomplishes something similar with this EP of astutely selected covers — one per decade, from the 1950s through the ’90s. The bestknown, Neil Young’s 1972 classic “Old Man,” complements Connor’s Joni-influenced upper register and comes across in full-band performance as timely commentary, while ebullient rock ’n’ roll trailblazer Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” sheds its 1955 doo-wop trappings for a torchy, atmospheric redo. The LA-raised artist most fully inhabits Jackson C. Frank’s “Blues Run the Game,” brightening the 1965 original’s stately pace with chiming guitar chords and organ, and — joined by Goon guitarist Kenny Becker — Elliott Smith’s “Ballad of Big Nothing” (1997), which similarly transforms sorrow into hope. maraconnor.com BOUBACAR “BADIAN” DIABATÉ, Mande Guitar: African Guitar Series, Volume 1 (Lion Songs): HHHH Esteemed music journalist and podcaster Banning Eyre launched his label with this new release — and small wonder. The Malian artist he describes in liner notes as “one of Africa’s great unsung guitarists” justifies that accolade with this stunning acoustic set. Playing six- and 12-string guitars, Diabaté echoes his grandfathers’ ngoni performance style (“Bagounou”), celebrates harvest time (the cheerful “Sene”), brings Eyre in for a duet vibrant with feeling for Diabaté’s grandmother (“Bayini”), and teams with guitarist brother Manfa for entrancing traditionals “Douga” and “Fadento” (the latter animated by Baye Kouyaté’s percussion). The melodic beauty and rippling complexity of Diabaté’s guitar runs should satisfy fretheads and folk aficionados alike. lionsongsrecords.com, banningeyre.com
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SHANNON MCNALLY, The Waylon Sessions (Compass): HHH Paying tribute to influential heroes while interpreting their songs through your own creative filter requires as much self-awareness as insight into another’s music. It’s a tricky process McNally finesses with earthy grace throughout this self-described “affectionate feminine reinterpretation” of “outlaw standards” associated with Waylon Jennings. Steve Young’s “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean,” a Waylon anthem, has long been a fan favorite at her live shows. Here she explores 13 other Waylon tracks, her smoky alto backed by A-grade players such as guitarist Kenny Vaughan and bassist Chris Scruggs (nailing the upfront bass lines that helped define Jennings’ sound). Highlights: a saucy romp through “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” with Rodney Crowell and “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” shannonmcnally.com JON ALLEN, …Meanwhile (OK! Good/Monologue):
HHH½ Kicking off his fifth album with the cathartic heartbreak anthem “Blame It All on Me” and hooky, upbeat rocker “Can’t Hold Back the Sun,” the British singer-songwriter plunges forward between those poles of light and dark for the remainder of this engagingly composed set. His expressive, lightly grained baritone and instrumentation (guitar, bass, Hammond organ, drums) recall classic pop without being derivative, baring wounds so they may heal. RIYL Marc Cohn, Damian Rice, Foy Vance. Highlights: “Mercy,” “Wrong,” “Looking for the Light,” “Cruel World” (“Got no faith in my feelings, they’ve betrayed me before/ My heart is full of stories I don’t believe anymore”). jonallenmusic.com
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Museum Tower offers a new standard for Downtown living. (Photo courtesy of Museum Tower)
A Thriving Scene
Prestigious Bunker Hill is in a prime location By Museum Tower Museum Tower is conveniently located in Downtown LA’s prestigious Bunker Hill, the go-to neighborhood for world-class museums, fine dining and a thriving arts and entertainment scene. Museum Tower offers residents immediate proximity to some of the best attractions Los Angeles has to offer, including Broad Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Park and Grand Central Market by way of historic Angel’s Flight. With Museum Tower being part of Cal Plaza, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Omni Hotel and Colburn School of Art are just a few enjoyable steps away. An elegant, 24-hour-attended lobby with artistic design features and modern finishes warmly welcomes residents and visitors. In addition, the ground floor plays home to a new fitness and cardio studio with state-of-the-art Life Fitness equipment, a Freedom Climber rotating rock-climbing wall, cycling bikes and Well Beats on-demand virtual classes. The third floor, which opens to Cal Plaza and MOCA, hosts a modern resident lounge and library, a leasing showroom, a screening
room and a modern pool deck with heated pool, spa, gas fireplaces, gourmet barbecue areas and loungers. Incredible views, private balconies and spacious floorplans are offered in Museum Tower’s 211 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom residences, complete with high-speed internet capabilities, luxury wood-style flooring, white quartz counters and stainless-steel appliances. The 20th floor is home to Museum Tower’s five ultra-luxurious penthouse residences, where no expense has been spared and no detail overlooked in a design that features top-of-the-line GE Monogram appliances and the latest in smart home technology. Museum Tower has taken things to the next level—the 21st level to be exact. It’s home to a new rooftop amenity deck, offering panoramic views of Los Angeles in a modern, relaxing indoor/outdoor setting. Luxury gas fireplaces and architectural lighting set the stage for a peaceful evening under the city lights. Whether an enthusiast of the arts or a professional looking to ditch the commute, Museum Tower offers the perfect downtown retreat. For more information, call 213-805-7728.
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Promenade Towers’ north tower is majestic.
The catwalk has a beautiful view of the pool. (Photos courtesy of Promenade Towers)
Promenade Towers Love it! Lease it! Live it! By Promenade Towers Promenade Towers features unique and spacious apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows and contemporary solariums displaying breathtaking views of the DTLA skyline or mountains. High-rise towers offer a relaxing setting — a sparkling pool, a tranquil fountain and a lush landscape. The community offers residents a variety of amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center, 24-hour attended lobby, on-site parking garage and a café, Crepe de Paris. Located in the Bunker Hill area, Promenade Towers has convenient freeways access and is just minutes from LA Live and the Music Center, as well as upscale museums, fine dining, great shopping and exciting night spots. For a tour, call 213-687-8440 or visit thepromenadetowers.com.
The fitness center has state-of-the-art equipment. ADVERTORIAL
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Outdoor amenities at 255 Grand include a pool deck. (Photo courtesy of 255 Grand)
JUNE 7, 2021
Luxury Sky Level apartments have breathtaking views. (Photo courtesy of 255 Grand)
Living in ‘Grand’ Style
255 Grand boasts sumptuous amenities By 255 Grand 255 Grand, a Goldrich Kest apartment community, is located in the prestigious Bunker Hill neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. Bunker Hill is the go-to spot for dining, world-class museums and a thriving arts and entertainment scene with immediate proximity to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Arts and The Broad Museum. Life atop Bunker Hill awaits you. A friendly front desk staff greets visitors in the beautifully appointed lobby. The community of 255 Grand offers breathtaking views, awe-inspiring balconies and patios, and spacious floor plans ranging from 480 to 1335 square feet. It’s a 391-unit high rise that includes
recently renovated studios, one- and two-bedroom apartment homes showcasing floor-to-ceiling windows, which frame picturesque city and mountain views. The beautifully renovated apartment homes have stainless steel Whirlpool appliances, quartz countertops, deep soaking tubs and Moen faucets. The luxurious top two floors, known as the Sky Level, feature exclusive premium highend features such as Bosch stainless steel appliances, Danze and Kohler fixtures, Nest third-generation programmable thermostats and oversized rainfall showerheads. All residents enjoy complimentary basic cable with Showtime included as well as Wi-Fi. The community of 255 Grand features a host of amenities for residents to enjoy. The spacious Wi-Fi lounge is equipped with
a gourmet kitchen with a Starbucks coffee bar, large televisions and public Wi-Fi, which provides residents the ideal place to mingle with friends or entertain a private party. Residents can also enjoy movie nights or the big game in the state-of-the-art theater. There is also an ultramodern fitness studio with yoga room, weight stations as well as cardio and weight machines. The sumptuous amenities continue outside with a beautifully landscaped deck which offers four barbecue areas and warm and inviting firepits to relax and take advantage of the beautiful California climate. Additionally, residents can lounge by the pool and spa in what feels like a lush oasis in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles. Come experience the 255 Grand lifestyle, (213) 229-9777.
Units have amazing views. (Photo courtesy of 255 Grand)
255 Grand offers a gym.
255 Grand features a Wi-Fi lounge. (Photo courtesy of 255 Grand)
(Photo courtesy of 255 Grand) ADVERTORIAL
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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE
Emotional, upbeat ‘Heights’ recalls old Hollywood By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor n the Heights” stars Olga Merediz and Jimmy Smits say their musical masterpiece is the perfect anecdote to a rough 18 months. “It’s balanced with emotional and deep moments, but there’s a lot of happiness and joy,” said Merediz, who plays the matriarch Abuela Claudia. “The musical numbers are just right. The music cuts right through to you, and Jon Chu has done an amazing, amazing job with his incredible visuals. I think people are really going to resonate with the characters, and I think people are really going to enjoy it.” With a wide smile, Smits said “ditto,” but he takes it a step further. “We’ve also had to reckon with a lot of social issues in the past year and a half,” said Smits, who plays Kevin Rosario, a father who butts heads with his ambitious daughter. “We’re hoping that this film provides joy. Musicals tend to be uplifting and inspirational, but the universal themes
“I
resonate very strongly. I think this film is something all audiences will be able to grasp.” Set to hit screens on Friday, June 11, “In the Heights” fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and lyrics with director Chu’s lively eye for storytelling. Chu also directed 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians.” The film takes viewers to the streets of Washington Heights, where the scent of cafecito caliente hangs in the air outside of the 181st Street subway stop. Led by bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos, “A Star is Born”), the tight-knit, multicultural community shares its dreams and wishes with each other — in the hopes of paving a way out, while maintaining its ties to Washington Heights. “I hope people recognize themselves and see themselves and feel proud,” Merediz said. Smits added that viewers mustn’t live in Washington Heights to feel for the characters. “I’m sure you had your nanas, your grandmothers and that,” he said. “The city
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Anthony Ramos, left center, stars as Usnavi, and Melissa Barrera, right center, appears as Vanessa in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “In the Heights.” Photo by Macall Polay for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Help us level the playing field Foothill Transit has multiple projects in the coming years, through September 30, 2024, and we want to work with you! We’re hosting a public hearing to hear what our vendor community thinks about our proposed Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of four percent. The public hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. foothilltransit.zoom.us/j/87119707728 Dial (669) 900-6833; Meeting ID: 871 1970 7728 Can’t make it? Email or mail us. Deadline for written comments is Monday, June 14. Email: procurement@foothilltransit.org Mail:
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might be different, and the cultural specificity might be a little different, but the feelings of community and family and how the generation who comes here from another place has expectations for their (children and grandchildren) are all the same. “Those are universal things.” Merediz starred as Abuela Claudia in the stage version of “In the Heights.” She’s excited to spread her character’s word among the mass of movie lovers. “I wanted to give Claudia the platform she deserves,” said Merediz, referring to her character’s age. “She’s a character who is overlooked in our society. It’s just such a youth-oriented society. It gives me such pleasure to give her that platform.” She explained that she enjoyed translating the stage version for film, although it was a little challenging. “The difference is, on stage, you’re delivering to the last row and you’re doing things chronologically. In a film, everything is very internal, and you shoot out of sequence. That is a challenge for an actor to keep your place, to where you are to keep that flow and that intensity of the moment
in the song. It was definitely challenging, but I was up for the challenge. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” “In the Heights” will be available in cinemas and on HBO Max. Smits and Merediz said that although it will be available to watch at home, “In the Heights” is worthy of a trip to the movie theater. “The film has to be seen in the cinema,” Merediz said. “These huge numbers are epic, and they need the biggest screen you have. I know in the past year we were in lockdown. We didn’t have a choice. “I think it’s a good idea to have the option to see it in the movies and also at home if you don’t have the ability to go to the cinema. I hope people see it in the theater.” The singing and dancing numbers can translate to a cellphone or computer, but Smits agrees — go to the cinema. “Jon’s chosen to give these visual flourishes to old Hollywood,” he added. “It takes your breath away. He really did such a great job. I hope we bring richness, light and happiness to their (cinemagoers’) lives. After the horrible year that we’ve had, people
“In the Heights” Opens Friday, June 11, in theaters and HBO Max
Jimmy Smits plays Kevin Rosario in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “In the Heights.” Photo by Macall Polay for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE
‘1 Hour Photo’ is a snapshot of a family By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer tories hide everywhere and are often discovered in bits and pieces. For Tetsuro Shigematsu, a Canadian broadcaster, playwright and performer, the window into his one-man biopic was a coffee mug. Shigematsu’s award-winning solo show “1 Hour Photo” will make its U.S. debut at East West Players from June 12 to June 20. The story is that of Mas Yamamoto’s life from his internment in a Canadian World War II incarceration camp to his life as a scientist, businessman and father. Shigematsu was staying in Yamamoto’s daughter’s house, caring for his own father, when he noticed merchandise from Japan Camera like a coffee mug and towels. He vaguely remembered the company. It sold cameras and developed film. He asked his friend why she had the merchandise, and she told him about her father.
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“She told me stories about how he was an interesting proprietor, showed me how in the store newsletter, he would gently roast fellow employees and poke fun at himself,” Shigematsu said. “Morale was so high, everyone loved working there. I thought this is an interesting story about a Japanese Canadian with a family business.”
Discovering a story within a story Shigematsu — whose 2015 play about his father “The Empire of the Son” was named “the best play of 2015” by the Vancouver Sun — interviewed Yamamoto. He soon discovered his story was going to be much more than a story about a one-hour photo development lab that was privy to life events. “This was before YouTube,” Shigematsu said. “It was the first living archive that was always changing. I thought that would be a good premise for a play.”
Then they began to talk, and more stories emerged. He heard stories of growing up on the banks of the Fraser River in Vancouver. His father was a fisher who had immigrated from Japan on a steam ship.
Uncovering a touching love story With Pearl Harbor, he was incarcerated along with other Japanese Canadians. There, he met and fell in love with a woman named Midge. “He spent the rest of his life not being in touch with her but trying to be the kind of person who would be worthy of her,” Shigematsu said. Shigematsu wasn’t sure at first whether he should include that part of his story. Yamamoto went on to live, as Shigematsu described, a happily ever after with his life partner, Joan. “They had three kids, a really wonderful life and the best possible marriage, but he never forgot about the girl he met in the incarceration camp,” Shigematsu said. “That not only informed the path of his life, but toward the end, he actually ran into her, and they had this incredible moment.” Yamamoto and his family were still alive, but he had mixed feelings about including it. “If I learned that my dad carried a torch for someone who was not my mom, I’m not sure I would want it told,” Shigematsu said. “But he was insistent, and I was drawn to this idea of a love story that was so unconventional. Even if you are in a happy relationship, there is always this one person you can never forget.”
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Exhaustive interviews Shigematsu spent six months interviewing and recording Yamamoto’s stories and recollections. Then, Shigematsu’s mother transcribed every word of the 36 hours of audio files. “1 Hour Photo” became not just a love or business story but the story of a century. It included his time helping to build the Distant Early Warning Line in the Canadian Arctic during the height of the Cold War, helping to defend the country that incarcerated him because of his lineage. It included his time as a scientist, a businessman and a father.” Shigematsu did not shy away from the more traumatic moments either. “It shows someone who was very depressed at one point, who considered killing himself because he thought he was a failure,” Shigematsu said. “It is not meant to be a glowing biography. It’s meant to show the complexity and nuance of one person’s life over the course of a century.” He didn’t hesitate to show the ups and downs, but his subject approved of the final show. “I think Mas found it very gratifying to see the entirety of his life over 70 minutes,” Shigematsu said. “He loved it.”
To the cinema Premiering live in 2019, “1 Hour Photo” was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Drama. Then came the COVID-19 pandem-
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She suggested he try to imagine someone in the audience — “It’s called acting.” Eventually, though, she relented and allowed one person, safely distanced and masked, to be in the room watching the show. “Knowing that this story was entering their ears for the first time, it became a piece of theater again,” Shigematsu said. “That enabled me to come alive despite all these gigantic and intimidating cinema cameras.”
Longtime dream
Tetsuro Shigematsu holds up a camera as he tells the story of a Japanese Canadian scientist, entrepreneur and family man. Submitted photo
ic, and live productions were canceled. Working with the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct), Shigematsu, directed by Richard Wolfe, created a 75-minute cinematic adaptation of the show and paired it with live talkbacks. They partnered with Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures to make it a show that worked well on film and stage. Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre creates work at all levels — from the script to the stage to the producer’s chair. The biggest challenge,
he said, was his abilities. He’d only acted in theater, and he found it difficult to perform surrounded by people who were focused on their equipment and not him. He had no one to connect with. “I asked my producer, ‘Could we have one person who hasn’t seen the show before in the audience?’” Shigematsu said. She refused because of COVID-19 restrictions. “I said, ‘Donna (Yamamoto, the artistic producer), I need this or I won’t be able to get there. There will be nothing to record.’”
He is thrilled that the work is coming to East West Players. It is fulfilling his long-running dream. “I’m a bit of a geek regarding the history of the diaspora, Asian theater, here in the West,” Shigematsu said. “For so long, we’ve been invisible from the big screen and small screen. East West is the very first Asian American theater, and so many writers, playwrights, directors and actors go there to tell their stories. It’s indescribable for me. It’s one of those things I dreamt of but didn’t think would happen.”
Challenging hate With each performance, Shigematsu does a
talkback with guests. Twice during the tour, he learned in chat that the subject of the solo show was watching and wanted to turn on his camera. “When the audience is able to witness Mas coming on screen, that’s always really tremendous,” Shigematsu said. “1 Hour Photo” is the fourth offering in East West’s Virtual 55th anniversary season, “Between Worlds.” The 4-year-old show has taken on new meaning. “In 2017, we just wanted to share the story of one person’s life,” Shigematsu said. “Now in 2021, with COVID and the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes — those kinds of acts of violence are only possible as a result of dehumanization. Part of it is rendering a culture invisible. ‘1 Hour Photo’ really humanizes people who look like Mas or myself.” He said it is normal for people to look at him and see the “other.” “To go from someone you look at and say ‘this is someone not like me’ in less than an hour, you’re going to think to yourself, ‘Wow, Mas is just like me — his heartaches, hopes, dreams, disappointments,’ maybe even ‘I want to be like Mas,’” Shigematsu said.
“1 Hour Photo” by Tetsuro Shigematsu WHEN: Various times from Saturday, June 12, to Sunday, June 20 WHERE: Virtual COST: $34.99 INFO: eastwestplayers.org/1hourphoto
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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE
Actors Fund survey finds artists still deeply impacted by COVID-19 By Andrew Checchia LA Downtown News Contributing Writer he Actors Fund, a charitable services organization that provides support for artists, recently conducted a national survey to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its findings foreshadow severe long-term impacts for artists of all kinds, with the majority of respondents reporting lost income and housing, sustained food insecurity and declining mental health. The survey was conducted to help the Actors Fund understand what it can do to better serve the needs of the actors, musicians, dancers, radio workers, and other artists and performers it aids. With programs traditionally focused around health care, housing and direct payments, leaders at the fund realized the pandemic would dramatically impact their future operations. Joe Benincasa, president and CEO of the Actors Fund, specifically pointed out the ways the fund will need to step up to help artists as the world starts moving past the pandemic. “We wanted to better understand their needs,” Benincasa said. “We know that the pandemic may be ending in many ways, but for people in the entertainment community it has a long tail. They haven’t been working. They may have accumulated debt.” That lack of work manifested in the survey’s economic findings. First, it found artists’ median household income last year was $34,186 — barely over half the overall median household income in Los Angeles. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed reported this as a loss of income. In entertainment, 62% of respondents lost part-time employment, and nearly 50% lost full-time employment. This loss of income combined with the lack of savings usually associated with gig employment led many struggling artists to the Actors Fund, putting pressure on the organization’s health care and direct payment programs as they shifted to online services. “Overnight, we basically converted how we provide service,” Benincasa said. “The service side we got going right away. Our organization has grown a great deal, but it reflects what the community tells us we need.” By far the most pervasive issue was mental health. The survey found nearly 80% of artists had suffered some kind of negative mental health impact. While not explicit in its definition, the mounting pressure for the 40% who reported food insecurity and 28% who fell behind on rent or mortgage likely contributed to the en masse decline. BIPOC respondents felt these effects even harder. They were also more likely across the board to experience food insecurity, forced housing change, and increased credit card or other debt. “The last year has exposed how vulnerable people in our community are,” Benincasa said. “We need to continue to provide critical support while the industry safely returns to
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Joe Benincasa is the president and CEO of the Actors Fund and has served in the organization since 1989. Photo courtesy of the Actors Fund
The Palm View apartment complex is a property established by the Actors Fund for low-income disabled workers in the entertainment industry. Photo by Andrew Checchia
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work, and we intend to continue to explore ways to ensure more access to our services going forward.” Under Benincasa’s leadership, the Actors Fund centers its services around health care and housing. The former targets gig workers, whose unstable employment often leads to a lack of coverage or high health care costs, especially as their work dried up over the past year. The health care program has become even more important, as workers who once relied on professional guilds — like the Screen Actors Guild — for their insurance were unable to work enough weeks during the pandemic to qualify for coverage. But aside from comprehensive insurance, the fund also provides emergency supplementary aid to artists undergoing expensive treatments they might not be able to afford even with coverage. For housing, the fund has built affordable residences across the United States, including housing in New York City for people living with HIV and an assisted living home for former artists in New Jersey. In LA, the fund built the Palm View in West Hollywood, which offers apartments to entertainment industry professionals, specifically targeting those working with disabilities who make less than $38,000 a year. Benincasa described the Palm View complex as a “space for working artists, very broadly defined.” The Palm View was recently caught in controversy after the Actors Fund requested residents leave for building renovations last September. This inspired limited demonstrations by a small number of residents who felt they were being pushed out of their homes during the throes of the pandemic. “We’ve always known that these gig workers have low incomes,” Benincasa said. “Not every person working in entertainment is a multibillionaire. So they need affordable housing; they need health insurance and health care. We’ve been able to help a lot of people get health insurance on the marketplace.” Changing housing reveals another of the survey’s significant findings — how artists moved. As many artists struggled to make rent, some 20% had to move from their previous homes. Of them, a full 7% were forced to not only leave LA but the state of California. And an additional 12% of respondents expressed concern they would lose their housing once eviction moratoriums end. “Performers, they’re going to be taking a while to get back to earning a living,” Benincasa said. “It’s really hard to tell (what will happen. It’s the) one thing that we do know in our strategic plan that’s still being built right now.” This survey was largely in service to that upcoming public-facing strategic plan — which is set to be published in June. It aimed to take stock of the entertainment community post-
A sign for the Palm View apartment complex is laid down during street construction. Photo by Andrew Checchia
COVID-19 and allow the fund to shift its service efforts to better serve impacted workers. As it moves to better address their needs, the fund hopes to raise awareness for its work and continue to provide housing, health care and general support to entertainment workers across the nation. “I think the work of the Actors Fund (is) essential,” Benincasa said. “I kept thinking, especially during the pandemic, what the world would be like without Netflix, without those artists lifting their spirits. They’re dedicated to their craft, dedicated to the arts and they’re responsible. I think that’s inspiring.”
Palm View Apartment Complex 980 Palm Avenue, West Hollywood
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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE
‘Chalk Lines’ celebrates Los Angeles with sitespecific audio plays Jennifer Chang, one of the co-founders of Chalk Repertory Theatre, directs the five site-specific audio plays.
Photo by Erik Carter for the Drama League
By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer he Chalk Repertory Theatre received funding and planned to host audio site-specific plays before the pandemic-forced shutdown of March 2020. Now, the public can see it. “Chalk Lines” are five short plays that take in districts 8, 9 and 10, and include Leimert Park, Historic West Adams and Expo Park. “We’ve been exploring the modality of the project since before the pandemic,” said Jennifer Chang, director and Chalk co-founding member. “We had invested money and done beta testing on an app that would unlock the story based on your geographic location. You would go to a site — like Pokémon Go — and an adventure would be unlocked. You could then access an audio play.” The plan was to host it along the Expo line, with stories taking place either at the stations or within walking distance of the trains. Once public transportation was all but closed, a listen-at home option was added to the site-specific alternative. “Our mission is to reveal Los Angeles to Angelenos,” Chang said.
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Making work in the community Chalk Repertory Theatre has been making site-specific work since it was founded in 2008 by five graduates of the MFA theater program at the University of California, San Diego. Since then, it has produced works at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, and garages in private homes. It performed an Oscar Wilde play in the gardens of the Clark Memorial Library, which has the nation’s largest collection of Wilde’s works, complete with original manuscripts. Chang said the library put out the play’s original manuscript, and she noted the time was marked as the present day. “We looked at the play through a modern lens,” Chang said. “We think of them as period (pieces), but Wilde thought of them as modern-day observations of the world. We looked at what the cultural currency would be in terms of society and hierarchy. What would those be for Americans? It would be money and celebrity.” It was just one example of how the theater tied what it was doing to the place where it was performing it, something it has continued to do for all 13 years of its existence.
Writers chosen for their ties to Los Angeles Since 2014, Chalk Repertory Theatre has hosted a monthly Writers Group of LA playwrights. These playwrights work on scripts, and Chalk Repertory Theatre often gives them cold readings and developmental workshops. It was to this group it turned when it wanted to find playwrights for the “Chalk Lines” audio play project. Rather than advertise for a wide submission, it commissioned writers with whom it had worked, looking specifically for writers who had grown up in the districts and continued to live there. It also found a few writers whom it hadn’t worked with before. “We identified five writers of varying gender, age, experience and artistic trajectory who were all either born or raised in the districts or have lived in and worked extensively in the districts so that they had a real intimate knowledge of the districts,” Chang said. Deborah Stein was appointed as a dramaturg and showrunner so that each of the shows would tie together, even if it was in a subtle manner. “There isn’t a need for these plays to be consumed in any kind of order,” Chang said. “We wanted the playwrights to be in conversation with each other. I don’t know if that will be obvious — if people will see the connections — but we’re really excited about them.” Chalk Repertory Theatre personnel provided some initial research about the districts and where the borders were to the playwrights, but otherwise left it up to them, trusting in their lived experiences of the areas. “The stories really did go over and beyond what we expected,” Chang said.
Each site-specific audio play tells a story in an LA district with sounds captured on location near the Expo lines. Photo courtesy of the Chalk Repertory Theatre
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The five short audio plays are: • “Mutual Life,” written by Giovanni Adams, is set in 1992 at the former Carl Bean AIDS Care Center in Historic West Adams. A young Latinx orphan living out his last days in hospice receives a mysterious sales visit for life insurance. Features Tonatiuh Elizarraraz (Arturo) and Xan Churchwell (Dee). • “March of Time – Time Warp,” written by Luis Alfaro, follows an unusually frank tour guide through 150-plus years of LA history and a morphing district from Union Station to Chinatown to the Coliseum and much more. Features Tonatiuh Elizarraraz (tourist), Emily Kuroda (tour guide) and Giovanni Adams (chorus). • “8 for 16,” written by Kimrie Lewis, rides the Expo line from Vermont to Crenshaw and back while a seasoned street vendor and a young college student navigate intricate negotiations. Features Emily Stout (Karly) and Veralyn Jones (Diamond). • “From Your Homeworld to Mine,” written by Joseph Guy Maldonado, begins at the Expo/ Vermont station, where passengers exiting the train encounter a man preaching the word of alien life. But perhaps he has much more to offer and share about history and humankind. Features Gregg Daniel (Rodney). • “Leimert Park Drum Circle, Sunday Afternoon,” written by Colette Robert, beckons listeners with the beat of a drum down to Leimert Park Plaza on a journey of time, memory and self-discovery. Features Veralyn Jones (parent).
Plays sprout from settings Every effort was made to center each of the stories on the districts in which the plays take place. Not only are the playwrights from those districts, but Chang cast actors from the districts in each play. The project’s technical staff visited each location and recorded the sounds. Sound designers Justin Asher and Colin Wambsgans planned out how each story would sound. “Our audio engineers and sound designers wanted to provide authenticity and site specificity to the oral landscape,” Chang said. “The audio designers felt like they could do it safely and capture with 3D mapping the authenticity of the location. We’re not just using foley and sound effects; we’re actually capturing the sound of these locations.”
Listeners can hear the audio plays on location by traveling along the Metro Rail. Photo courtesy of the Chalk Repertory Theatre
device. The plays will be available for free starting June 19, though donations are welcome. Streaming information and an experience guide are available at chalkrep.com. Chang recommended that people wear earphones when they experience the shows to get a better idea of how vast the work that designers are doing is. Also, while she said it isn’t necessary, going to the places where the stories take place gives listeners an opportunity to experience the richness of LA. “It’s been such a labor of love,” Chang said. “Everyone who has worked with it has been such a dream. I’m nothing but excited about being able to share these pieces. It is really moving, so I hope that people can check it out.”
Experience plays at home or on the Expo line “Chalk Lines” can be experienced online at home or on location at each site with a mobile
Studios from $2,375 | 1BRs from $2,695 | 2BRS from $3,795
“Chalk Lines” Chalk Repertory Theatre Streaming starting June 19 Tickets: Free chalkrep.com
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Covered DINING California will help
The Reuben is made with warmed corned beef, a special sauce, whiskey dill sauerkraut and provolone cheese on grilled rye bread.
Submitted photo
Summertime Plant-Based BBQ Grill Kits include ingredients for two BBQ Pulled Chickin’ sandwiches, two Sweet & Smokey Field Roast hot dogs, two Impossible burgers, smoked potato salad and corn on the cob.
Submitted photo
Veggie Grill selling BBQ grill kits this summer By Frier McCollister LA Downtown News Contributing Writer ummer is nearly here, and with statewide health restrictions due to lift entirely soon, it’s time to stock up on charcoal (or propane), clean that rusty grate and invite some friends over. This summer should be everything last summer wasn’t: fun. Veggie Grill is probably not the first place one would associate with summer barbecue fun, but the fast, casual and plant-based vegan chain has devised a clever Summertime Plant-Based BBQ Kit with a handy selection
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of nicely prepped, plant-based favorites designed for backyard grilling. (After all, it’s not called the Veggie Oven.) The national trend toward plant-based eating continues to gain momentum. These days, a new vegan plant-based concept seems to pop up every other week. From vegan sushi to vegan doughnuts, the spectrum of options seems to evolve continually. Not surprisingly, Southern California has been at the vanguard of the trend. Now with 28 locations nationwide, Veggie Grill was well ahead of the curve when it launched its first
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outlet in Irvine in 2006. Ingenuity combined with a vision for accessible, healthy food provided the original catalyst. T.K. Pillan is co-founder and chairperson of Veggie Grill. An M.I.T.-trained engineer and entrepreneur, he had recently sold off a successful e-commerce startup in 2005 and agreed to have a cup of coffee with his friend and colleague Kevin Boylan, an investment banker. “During that cup of coffee, I talked about what else I was working on, which was what I thought was a big need: to develop healthy, delicious, convenient food and bring it to people in the form of a convenient restaurant,” Pillan recalled. It happened that Boylan shared his interest. “I was just starting to work on it, and to my surprise, he (Boylan) was really a health-conscious guy and always struggled to eat out and find delicious, convenient healthy food as well. He was intrigued by the fact that I was trying to solve this and was ready to jump on board. Together we dove in, one thing led to another, and we got really passionate about the benefits of plant-based foods because we became plant-based eaters as part of our research,” Pillan explained. With no prior background in the restaurant or food industry, the enterprising pair brought in another partner, chef Ray White, to develop the first menu. White had already launched several successful vegetarian restaurant concepts locally. He was also an enthusiastic advocate for plant-based eating and was actively seeking vegan alternatives to the typical fast-casual fare of the time. After initially opening outlets in Orange County, Los Angeles was next, and the chain began to build from the popular response to its menu of vegan plant-based analogues to burgers, hot dogs, tacos and wings. A survey conducted by the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2019 determined that only 4% of Americans identify as vegetarian (no meat, seafood or poultry) and 2% as vegan (no meat, seafood, poultry, dairy or eggs). Those numbers can’t explain the success of Veggie Grill. “I would say the majority of our guests are flexitarians,” Pillan said. “70% of our guests aren’t specifically vegetarian or vegan, but they definitely like to incorporate more plantbased foods into their diet. We give them the ability to do that in a delicious, familiar way. “So that was the vision and the passion: to package plant-based foods and bring it to life in a way that would attract mainstream Americans who weren’t seeking out plant-based foods. “That was the original passion for starting Veggie Grill. Our vision today is still very much the same. The grill kit really fits into that, which is to help people begin, advance and enjoy their plant-based journey.”
Forget the industrial beef patties, mystery dogs and cage-fed wings. Veggie Grill makes it simple to throw a healthy summer barbecue (and a lower carbon footprint, even over hot coals). Veggie Grill’s Summertime Plant-Based BBQ Kit provides all of the following items: two Impossible burgers with Veggie Grill Special Sauce, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions and pickles on brioche buns; two BBQ Pulled Chickin’ sandwiches on brioche buns with pickles and roasted jalapeño picnic slaw; two Sweet & Smokey Field Roast hot dogs with house-made chili and spicy mustard; six pieces of corn on the cob with a side of chipotle lime butter; and a side of smoked potato salad. Priced at $65, cooking instructions are also provided. Downtown residents don’t need a backyard grill to use the kit — it’s just more fun that way. Other new items on the Veggie Grill menu include: the chili dog plate ($8.95) with potato salad and picnic slaw; the Reuben on rye ($11.25) with whiskey dill sauerkraut and provolone cheese; or the masala curry bowl ($9.95) featuring roasted butternut squash, turmeric cauliflower and braised cabbage served over curried chickpeas and wild rice. There are family meal deals ($39.95) with a generous combination of choices for four. There is also a kids menu and a dedicated gluten-free menu with over a dozen alternatives. The “Not So Secret Menu” features chili cheese fries ($7.95), chili cheese nachos ($6.95) and a seven-layer burrito ($8.95). Veggie Grill’s DTLA location near the Central Library at Sixth Street and South Grand Avenue suffered with the rest of its neighbors during the pandemic. “All of our Downtown locations — Downtown LA, Downtown Seattle, Downtown Portland — and New York City all got hit the hardest. So they are all still lower on our recovery spectrum, but we are encouraged. There are a decent number of people who live in the Downtown LA area who rely on Veggie Grill for their meals now,” Pillan noted. Pillan has kept busy over the last year. In January, he opened the vegan taco concept Mas Veggies as a virtual brand, using Veggie Grill outlets as effective ghost kitchens. In March, the first Stand-Up Burgers stand, serving vegan burgers and sandwiches exclusively, opened in Berkeley, with two more scheduled to open in Chicago later this year. The 29th Veggie Grill location will open this fall on the UCLA campus. “We’ve got great American classics that we’ve evolved into the best form they can be in the plant-based world. We would invite everybody to just give it a try. If you haven’t tried plant-based, we’re the place to come give it a try,” Pillan caid.
Veggie Grill 523 Sixth Street, Los Angeles 213-905-4500, veggiegrill.com
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Covered DINING California will help
Steak asada tacos come served with verde slaw, citrus marinade and pepita pesto. Photo courtesy of Trejo’s Tacos
Trejo’s Tacos comes to Banc of California Stadium By Annika Tomlin LA Downtown News Staff Writer anny Trejo is well known as an actor, but he is quickly gaining notoriety for his collaboration with producer Ash Shah — Trejo’s Tacos. “I was on set with Danny seven or eight years ago (filming ‘Bad Ass’) and we were talking about food, and the idea came up of opening a Mexican restaurant,” Shah said. “We kicked it around for a year and a half after that. We finally opened up our first one in March 2016, which was Trejo’s Tacos.” Serving 11 types of tacos, 12 kinds of burritos, and various other Mexican-style meals ranging from steak asada bowls to mushroom asada burritos, Trejo’s Tacos has a variety of food for any dietary preference. The chain has grown to eight dine-in and takeout locations, including in Hollywood, La Brea, the Los Angeles Farmers Market, as well as ghost kitchens in Westside Los Angeles, Pasadena, Miami and Chicago. “We just opened (a new Trejo’s Tacos) in Santa Monica (on May 6),” Shah said. “That’s our newest location, right by the Third Street Promenade.” Shah and Trejo are looking to open a location in the states that surround California. On April 17, the smallest location opened in the southeast corner of Banc of California Stadium, just in time for Los Angeles Football Club’s home opener against Austin FC. Early last year, Shah and Trejo’s publicist, Larry Fink, approached the duo about opening a location within the stadium. “Danny is a big fan of LAFC, and I think (the staff of Banc of California Stadium) wanted to bring in some local brands into the stadium,” Shah said. “I didn’t even know there was an
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available space. “That was last year, before the pandemic, and then because of the pandemic everything shut down. This (location) would have been open last year had it not been for the pandemic.” The venue location’s food and drink include chicken and steak tacos, chips, salsa or guacamole, beer and margaritas. “Because of the nature of the stadium and how the games run, it’s a very small menu,” Shah said. “We really only have an hour before the game starts to serve the fans and then 15 minutes at half time. Everything is only like a four-item menu, and it’s pretty divine to feed as many people as we possibly can quickly.” Shah said that the “No. 1 seller, probably by a longshot,” is the steak asada taco served with verde slaw, citrus marinade and pepita pesto. Rounding out the top three are the chicken tacos, served with achiote, verde slaw and pico de gallo, along with the steak asada burrito, with citrus marinated steak asada, farmers market beans, Spanish rice, cheese, pico de gallo and pepita pesto. “My favorite part of being in this business is kind of growing the business,” Shah said. “I had no experience owning or operating a restaurant, so it was kind of fun learning — and then to grow the restaurants but also grow the product side of the business as well.” Shah and Trejo expanded into the breakfast business with Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts in Los Angeles, off of Santa Monica Boulevard, and recently released their new Trejo’s Coffee Nitro Cold Brew. Info: trejostacos.com
JUNE 7, 2021
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Dodgers announce ‘Reopening Day’ following end of COVID-19 restrictions By Matthew Rodriguez LA Downtown News Staff Writer he Los Angeles Dodgers announced their promotional schedule following the end of the state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions. On June 15, California’s economy will fully reopen, dropping the mask requirements for fully-vaccinated individuals in most situations and allowing sports venues to return to full capacity. The beginning of the festivities starts on June 15, dubbed “Reopening Day”, with a Justin Turner bobblehead giveaway as the Dodgers face the Philadelphia Phillies. There are nine other bobblehead giveaways during the rest of the regular season. The first 40,000 fans will receive the giveaways, except on June 15, when only 25,000 Turner bobbleheads will be handed out. Other giveaways include a World Series replica ring and a Mookie Betts jersey. The Dodgers will continue to host special events, such as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the 1981 championship team on July 25 and the return of Friday Night Fireworks on June 11. Kids Run the Bases will also return after most Sunday games follow-
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ing June 15. Viva Los Dodgers will also return on the last Sunday of every month. The final Viva Los Dodgers event, La Gran Fiesta, will be on Oct. 2. Themed games will also return, beginning with LGBTQ+ night on June 11. Mexican Heritage Night, Teacher Appreciation Day, Filipino Heritage Night and Dia de Los Dodgers will also return later in the season. Tickets for special events and the rest of the season are on sale now at dodgers.com/ ticketpacks.
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