Regional
Th e LA City Council voted 12-0 June 20 to elect Marqueece Harris-Dawson as president pro tempore.
Harris-Dawson replaces Councilmember Curren Price, who was charged June 13 with five counts of grand theft, three counts of perjury, and two counts of conflict of interest. As part of those charges, Price is accused of obtaining medical coverage for his now-wife while married to another woman and voting in favor of city contracts that would monetarily benefit his her without disclosing the connection to the city council.
Council President Paul Krekorian motioned to elect Harris-Dawson.
Price said the charges are unfounded, but he stepped down as president pro tempore and from his committee positions to prevent distraction from council business. Price did not resign from his position as city council member.
“While I navigate through the judicial system to defend my name against unwarranted charges filed against me, the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to the people’s business,” Price wrote in his resignation letter to Krekorian.
Shortly after the charges were announced, Krekorian introduced a motion to suspend Price as the representative for District 9. Krekorian acted quickly in announcing the intent to suspend Price after the city council received criticism that they dithered in suspending Councilmember Kevin de Leon after he was heard on tape making a racially charged statement with then-council President Nury Martinez.
On June 21, the day after Harris-Dawson’s appointment, Price released a statement pleading with the city council not to suspend him.
“I have lived my entire life in public service honorably and with no other focus than the best interests of my constituents,” Price wrote. “Until I have had an opportunity to address the charges in court, it is inappropriate for the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee to recommend my suspension from the city council.
“While I respect that Krekorian has to take any allegations against a member of the council seriously, I am presumed innocent, as indeed I am, and the best
way to protect the voices and concerns of those in my district is to allow me and my dedicated staff to continue to serve the needs of District 9.”
Krekorian said a part of the discussion to suspend Price will include reaching out to the constituents and leadership of District 9 to ensure the move would not create too much upheaval.
Harris-Dawson represents the 8th District, which spans a section of South LA. According to city data, the community consists primarily of people of color and is home to more than 248,000 people. Harris-Dawson also chair’s the city’s Planning Land Use and Management committee and has introduced policies
to combat homelessness, increase job equity and encourage community policing.
The city council voted to approve Harris-Dawson’s appointment without discussion, along with a series of collective agenda items. Only Price and Monica Rodriguez were absent from the vote.
“With that vote, I’m pleased to congratulate our new council President Pro Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson,” Krekorian said after the vote. “I’d like to ask you to come up and take the desk.”
Harris-Dawson appeared pleased as he took the desk and concluded the meeting as president pro tempore but made no further comments.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to reinvite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night amid national controversy drew crowds of protesters, briefly shutting down Dodger Stadium’s main entrance on June 16.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a drag and LGBTQ+ activist group that dresses as Catholic nuns for performances and appearances. They describe themselves as “an Order of 21st Century Nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt.”
The group has received criticism from the religious community for its performances, which seem to mock the Catholic faith. Some of the performances include an act in which a Christ-like figure pole dances on a cross, among other parodies
of the faith and its clergy.
Several thousand protestors, many donning red shirts, assembled in the stadium parking lot in the hours before the game. Several speakers took to a stage assembled by religious activist group Catholics for Catholics, to decry the Sisters and shame the Dodgers for honoring them, including former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
“Respect religion. It’s a real simple thing. So, if anyone had the occasion to read that letter that long, painful letter that the Dodgers wrote apologizing, how many believe they have another longer painful letter to write?” said Villanueva, drawing cheers from the crowd.
When the Dodgers first announced plans to honor the Sisters with their Community Hero award during their Pride
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Night celebrations, the team faced backlash from fans and activists of Catholic and other faiths who felt disrespected by the team’s decision to invite the group. The Dodgers chose to disinvite the Sisters, which drew protests from several lawmakers and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Really sad to see the Dodgers cave to pressure & kick drag queens out of a Pride celebration,” California State Sen. Scott Wiener tweeted. “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence do amazing, life-saving work in the community.”
Such commentary eventually forced the team to reinvite the drag group to receive their award at the game. The team apologized to the Sisters, as referenced by Villanueva, which lauded the group for their “lifesaving” work.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families. We have asked the Sisters of Per-
petual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16,” said a statement released by the team.
“In the weeks ahead, we will continue to work with our LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.”
Dodger pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen, both of Christian faith, voiced their disappointment in the team’s decision before the game.
“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” Kershaw said. “This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion, that I don’t agree with.”
The evening marked the Major League debut of Dodgers pitcher Emmett Sheehan, who became only the second player to be called up to The Show directly from Double-A by Dodgers President Andrew Friedman. Sheehan allowed no hits through six innings, but the Dodgers lost 7-5 in extra innings.
One of my dearest friends was at an idyllic wooded meditation retreat in Pennsylvania when her phone rang.
“Hi, Mom; I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?”
“I’m a girl.”
“Oh, OK. What?”
This came out of the mouth of what was, up to then, a very tall and large man. The timing of the phone call was intentional so that my friend — as a mom — could provide comfort and support to her newly minted daughter’s spouse.
The pair had only been married for four months in what seemed like a heterosexual marriage. Knowing that the new bride didn’t have a supportive family to speak to, my friend’s daughter chose a time when her wife and mother were together to make the announcement.
“Does that mean I’m a lesbian now?” the new spouse wondered. With years of life experience, my friend had the wisdom to comfort her new daughter-in-law through the initial shock of her husband’s announcement. Of course, she was also dealing with her astonishment.
This year’s Pride Month, plus the proliferation of anti-transgender legislation and associated violence, adds a new level of worry for the parents of trans kids.
I have two other cherished friends whose children have come out to them as adults. All three families are supportive and accepting. Putting myself in their shoes, I know I would be criticizing myself, asking “How did I not know? Was I missing something obvious?” and the ever-popular “What did I do wrong?” Answer: Nothing!
This may be obvious for many of my readers, but it bears repeating if necessary: Cultures worldwide have more than two genders. In many of the over 500 nations of Indigenous Americans, their ancient understanding that there are more than two genders is honored and not considered outside of “normal.” Some refer to the nonbinary tribal members as “two-spirit.”
Even Pakistan, a country as conservative as you can get, granted equal rights to third-gender trans folks in 2019. Many Muslim clerics were supportive of the legislation in the Pakistani Parliament.
I never thought it’d be safer to be trans in
Pakistan than in some parts of the American South. This is not to say that being trans is easy anywhere, but it’s good to know there are islands of safety where you’d least expect it.
One of my friends said the process of transitioning was far from cut and dry but happened incrementally. For instance, his daughter, now his son, never wanted to wear dresses. He said, “Betty had beautiful long hair and large breasts. She shaved her head during her last year in high school. Her friends were girls, but she dated boys in the first year of college.”
Now his pronouns are he/him. He dated a straight white cis woman and is now married to another trans man. They plan to have a family… and both have intact wombs. If you overthink the situation, you may go cross-eyed.
Once you see that gender is a construct — an obvious one, at that — you can’t “unsee” it. As a mild example, I was what would now be called gender-fluid; instead, I was called a “tomboy.” I was good at sports and resented not being allowed to be on boys’ sports teams.
My parents didn’t think there was anything “off” about me, because there wasn’t. I was simply myself. I didn’t fit neatly into the rigid negative “feminine” stereotypes of helplessness, passivity, and an obsessive concern with beauty.
Regarding my third friend, whose son declared his newly found daughter status, she’s not been ready to talk about it. Perhaps she’ll read about others with similar experiences.
So I have been flirting with the idea of
creating an anthology of what the parents of trans offspring experience. It would be a collection of first-person accounts of what it’s been like for them. Remember that the LGBTQIA+ community is exactly that: a community that provides strength and support. Their parents need community, too. Perhaps a book would be a great way to start pulling them together instead of feeling so alone.
As humans, it’s common sense and common knowledge that change is not our favorite pastime. Another friend, Tien Neo Eamas, is trans with a few more distinctions: a person of color whose first language is not English. He talks to straight people honestly and openly about his journey and has created a seminar that clears up the confusion. If you’d like to schedule a class or consultation, he can be reached by emailing support@ilumn8.life.
If you are on this journey, don’t do it alone. Your head will most likely become an echo chamber of doubts, shame and recriminations. You could be like Indigenous people and consider it good luck to be related to a two-spirit person. We can be grateful for our differences and remember that stretching our minds — while sometimes initially painful — results in more flexibility rather than rigid
2023 marks the 30th year that Ellen Snortland has written this column. She has an LA Press Club nomination for Journalist of the Year. She also teaches creative writing online and can be reached at ellen@ beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-winning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ ondemand/beautybitesbeast.
By Luke Netzley
LA Downtown News Deputy Editor
Th e newly opened Metro regional connector in Downtown LA, uniting the Gold, Blue, Expo, Red and Purple lines, has been described by Metro officials as one of the most important transit developments in the city’s history. It’s a project that has not only stitched together LA’s light rail network but has united several of the region’s local con -
tractors to turn Metro’s dream into a reality.
For Pasadena-based KPA Constructors, playing a part in the $1.8 billion regional connector project, was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Founded in 2017, the systems electrical contracting company had been working “small jobs” on Metro projects until it was approached by Regional Connector Constructors (RCC), the prime contractor
for the Regional Connector Transit Project, in 2019. RCC needed a radio communication system for the 1.9-mile lightrail addition, and KPA Constructors was awarded a $3.7 million contract.
“It was transformational,” said Karl Percell, president of KPA Constructors. “It was like, ‘OK, this is it. This is the shot. This is where we become who we’re trying to become … because we’ve been building for this.’”
Despite receiving the contract, Percell noticed that it required a payment and performance bond, which is used as an “insurance policy to verify that they’re going to get the work that we said we were going to provide and that we could pay everyone we said we were going to pay.”
Percell and his team approached a bonding agent he was familiar with but who was not related to the regional con-
nector project, and they began working together in January 2020.
“He was like, ‘You’re going to have to get a certain percentage of the contract amount,’” Percell recalled. “I think he said 10%, so $400,000, which we didn’t have.”
As time ticked away and the project commencement date loomed, Percell felt as though he was jumping through hurdles with each passing month trying to secure his contract.
“One day I called him and I’m just like, ‘They want us to start this project in May. We need to get this contract signed. … They want to start soon; we’ve got to get going.’ And then he was like, ‘OK, well you need to come up with 20% of the contract value.’ … That’s $800,000,” Percell said. “How do you just tell me that now? … And by that time, we had gone out to friends, family, (and said,) ‘Hey, this is our opportunity. This is our chance. Can you take a chance on us? Will you support us in this?’ And we were able to do that.”
Under pressure from the deadline and frustrated by his ongoing battle with the bonding agent, Percell looked for alternative forms of bonding assistance through LA Metro. His search led him to the LA Regional Contractor Development and Bonding Program (CDABP), which assists small and diverse firms in overcoming barriers to win government contracts.
“They were able to put some money in escrow for us and give us a collateral, so we got the $4 million payment performance bond,” Percell said. “At the time, I talked to the general contractor and they’re like, ‘No one else does this. No one else was able to do what you guys did.’ … We only did it with the assistance of this program for sure, which is why we’re trying to encourage more contractors to participate.”
A three-pronged effort that includes LA Metro, the city of LA and the county of LA, CDABP has served over 2,720 contractors by providing free services like bonding assistance, contract financing, technical support, education and training, networking and matchmaking facilitation. Contractors can submit an enrollment form through the program’s website.
For KPA Constructors, CDABP allowed them to become a crucial player in the construction of Downtown’s regional connector. They were able to furnish and install the project’s radio communication system, which allows Metro and first responders to communicate with the outside world from inside the system’s underground stations and tunnels.
“These Metro jobs, they are all com -
plex undertakings,” Percell said. “We’re talking about utility relocation, new construction, restoration of existing construction, and protection of existing construction. The light rail system itself is a complicated thing, so we knew going in that it was going to be a challenge. It was going to be rewarding, but it was going to be difficult and it was going to push us to our limits. And it did not disappoint in that aspect.”
Percell explained that he and his team faced the challenges with a willing spirit, as projects like the regional connector are what originally inspired him to become an engineer and co-found the company. He had moved to LA from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, when he was 17 years old to study civil engineering at USC, while his business partner, Kit Wong, was born in LA and attended Cal Poly Pomona.
“The reason that we started our company was we saw the opportunity that, ‘Hey, they’re about to build out light rail transportation throughout LA County,’” Percell explained. “We also saw the transformational effect that this was going to have on the LA area.”
As a USC student from 2005 to 2009, Percell related living on campus before the Expo line’s installment to living on an island. He felt stuck.
“How do you get around? Everything’s so far,” he said. “Public transportation unlocks an area to you. … My business partner and I are extremely proud and feel extremely privileged to be a part of these Metro projects because we believe in what they’re doing.”
Percell recalled a moment when he was asked why he decided to become an engineer. He replied by saying that certain people are written into history for building great structures and that he wants to be one of those people.
“I hope that we work towards the goal of building KPA to be that level, so we can be remembered and mentioned like, ‘KPA helped build the Metro light rail system,’” he said. “That would be a dream, if we’re able to make it to that level through our hard work. … Our goal is to prove that we are capable of doing the work of being the systems electrical contractor of choice for our clients and the community.
“We want to work on projects that make our communities more connected, greener and better to live in overall for everyone who’s involved. … Our future is to keep looking for public projects that seem to be beneficial to the public at large.”
Downtown LA’s annual Dog Day Celebration on June 16 and June 17 celebrated our four-legged friends. Guests were invited to take pho -
tos with their pups and enjoy freebies and specials from DTLA pet-focused retailers. Staff photographer Chris Mortenson was there to capture the moment.
Angel City Sports will host its ninth annual Angel City Games this weekend in a new setting: the University of Southern California.
The new venue will allow the games to more effectively market to their target audience of low-income individuals with disabilities who may not have seen sports as an option, Angel City Sports CEO and founder Clayton Frech said
“We felt like being closer to the lower income ZIP codes was a really good thing for us locally,” Frech said. “Ten of the top (16) poorest ZIP codes are in close proximity to USC. … I also just really loved the way that USC fits in to the community.”
The Angel City Games is one of the largest adaptive multisport competitions in the nation. Each year the games gather hundreds of athletes with physical disabilities for clinics and competitions, as well as the opportunity to network with current and former Olympians, Paralympians and coaches.
Frech was introduced to the world of adaptive sports when his son Ezra was born missing his left knee and fibula, along with all but one of the fingers on his left hand. Determined not to allow his son’s condition to keep him from experiencing sports, he began learning as much as he could about the possibility of adaptive sports.
“When he was eight, I took him to a Paralympic competition out in Oklahoma that’s very similar to the Angel City Games,” Frech said . “I just fell in love with this idea of bringing a whole com -
munity together and learning in a clinic and then competing in sport together, and so I became sort of obsessed with bringing this idea to Southern California.”
Two years later, in 2015, UCLA hosted the first Angel City Games. In the eight years since, what was once a small event consisting of just track and basketball has grown to offer clinics and competitions in 17 different sports.
Athletes fall into one of three categories: blind or visually impaired athletes; seated athletes who rely on wheelchairs for mobility; and ambulatory athletes, or those who can walk without assistance despite an amputation or other physical disability.
Some sports, like wheelchair basketball or blind soccer, are specifically intended for one of these groups. Others, like track and field, have classifications for athletes with any sort of disability.
What makes the Angel City Games unique, however, is their role as not just an athletic competition but a community event. Each year the games bring together a community of athletes, coaches, volunteers, supporters and fans with disabilities of all kinds — and some without disabilities at all.
“We don’t really discriminate. If you don’t have a disability, it’s OK,” Frech said. “You can still sign up as an athlete and do whatever sports, and so that’s really cool for siblings, parents, even, of kids with disabilities, that can play alongside their kids.”
The games also provide a variety of events and programming outside of competitions and clinics to allow more
newcomers to get involved with adaptive sports. Frech expects spectators to particularly enjoy the Hartford Experience Zone. Angel City Sports partner Hartford Insurance brings together what Frech describes as Angel City’s “Athlete Village,” consisting of several games, vendors and sponsor activities, as well as resources like massage tents, information booths for new athletes,
and a veteran meet and greet.
“Anyone that’s there — volunteer, spectator or athlete — can pop into the experience zone and do a little rowing or do a little golf and shoot some hoops,” Frech said . “That’s kind of cool because there really aren’t that many opportunities for the broader community to try our sports, and so this is a place for them to do that.”
The Angel City Games
WHEN: Games run from Thursday, June 29, through Sunday, July 2
WHERE: University of Southern California, University Park Campus
COST: Free with registration INFO: angelcitygames.org
By Jeff Moeller
LA Downtown News Contributing Writer
One of the highlights of the 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) schedule is a special edition of El Tráfico featured as a special attraction.
LAFC, reigning MLS champs, travels to the Rose Bowl on July 4 to face the host, LA Galaxy. The intercity rivalry makes its debut in Pasadena at a historic venue the home squad knows well.
Before moving to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson in 2003, the Galaxy played at the Rose Bowl from 19962002. The first game in franchise history drew 69,255 fans. The team’s tenure at the Rose Bowl also ended with a championship, the first of an MLS-best of five for the Galaxy.
One of the team’s initial stars, goal -
keeper Jorge Campos, enjoyed playing at the Bowl in an upstart league.
“After we scored out first goal, I knew it was home,” he said. “It was interesting to try and play professional soccer in the United State for the first time.”
Campos, like many then, was curious about MLS. He became the first international player in MLS/Galaxy history when he signed his contract. He ended up playing two seasons in LA and was a fan favorite for his acrobatic style of play and the colorful attire he wore in goal.
His favorite memory? That’s easy, he said. It’s his first game.
“I was not sure I was going to be in the first game because I was playing in the Mexican league playoffs, but when I got there, it was a crazy lot of people,” the former Mexican standout goal -
ie said
Campos believes the strong Mexican soccer tradition in Los Angeles helped the fledgling league in those early days in particular. The league has grown since, but nobody really knew what to expect on any given week.
From a business perspective, the attendance for each game fluctuated. Campos believes a big reason for that can be attributed to the purchasing habits of Mexican American fans. Campos said they generally lean toward buying tickets the day of the game, which can lead to apathy if the team is losing.
In 1998 the Galaxy, one of the original 10 teams in the league, had an MLSbest 21,784 season tickets sold. For one game in 1999, the team played before an announced crowd of 7,581 fans. Not
a great look in a cavernous stadium.
On the field, Campos never forgot the first time he saw his new playing surface.
“There were no rocks,” he said with a smile. “When I came here, we practiced in a parking lot outside, fields that were maybe for baseball or football. But as kids that is what we always did. But now, of course, it’s more popular. Everywhere I look I see soccer teams; I see the kids playing.”
Players such as Campos, Eduardo Hurtado and Martin Machon eventually left LA. Mauricio Cienfuegos’ run with the franchise came to an end, too, after eight seasons. These moves had an overall negative effect.
But one player in particular — Cobi Jones — quickly grew into the face of LA
Galaxy.
Before Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane and Zlatan Ibrahimović, Jones was Mr. Galaxy. He grew up in Southern California. He attended UCLA. With his dreadlocks, it was no stretch he would be the “hair apparent” to soccer greatness.
“His mentality was different, and I loved to play with him,” Campos said. “He enjoyed playing, and he is a funny guy along with being a very good player.”
In 1998, Jones enjoyed his best year with Galaxy. He finished second in MLS with 51 points, and several individual awards followed. In 2005, he became the last player in MLS to remain with his original team since 1996. He is now in the Hall of Fame.
As a local high school player, Jones had zero plans for playing college soccer. Later he would be the ultimate performer inside a venue that regularly hosts Bruins football games.
The game on July 4 will be the next great spectacle in the 100-plus history
of the Rose Bowl. A sellout crowd will set a new attendance record for an MLS match, which has soccer fans excited.
“This rivalry has, from day one, delivered an energy and electricity that, together with incredible moments and memories on the pitch, has established it among the most engaging not only in Los Angeles but across MLS,” LAFC Co-President Larry Freedman said. “It is only fitting that we are now taking it to one of the most iconic venues in all of sports.”
The 2023 campaign marks the 28th season in Major League Soccer and the sixth season in LAFC history. The game in Pasadena is also a rematch of a 2022 Western Conference Semifinal, which LAFC won, 2-1, on Oct. 21 en route to their first MLS Trophy to cap off a terrific season (LAFC became the second team since 2012 to win MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield in the same year). El Tráfico is the nickname for the rivalry between the two LA-based clubs.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4
WHERE: Rose Bowl Stadium, 10001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
COST: Tickets start at $44
INFO: stubhub.com
Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, LA artist Maureen Tepedino creates work that radiates the warmth and energy of her childhood home. Tepedino, who uses art as a means of communication, will showcase 21 paintings at City Club Los Angeles from Friday, June 30, to Friday, July 21.
“I was really thrilled with how (the collection) came out, and it wasn’t easy,” she said. “I chose paintings that spoke to me; that’s really the best way I can describe it.”
Tepedino’s love for the arts began during childhood, painting visages of her life in Jamaica at age 7. Her early passion, buoyed by her family’s support, would later become an integral part of her adult life.
“It was something that I really loved doing, and I had no idea that later on it was going to be a big part of my career,” she said. “As I became older, I lived in Toronto, and I worked for IBM Canada. I was lucky to be selected to attend a marketing seminar. … I was a secretary studying computer programming. While I was at this marketing event in Banff Springs, one of my assignments was to sell paintings, which I thought, ‘Wow, that’s right up my alley.’ There were paintings by Jackson Pollock … and Vincent Van Gogh.”
Tepedino was inspired by the legendary artists and their paintings. She was also playing the keyboard in a band at the time, which helped fuel a creative flame within her.
“It’s inspiring because even when I’m painting, I have music going,” Tepedino said. “It just sets the tone and the mood. And I guess it’s all from childhood because I remember playing the piano and my dad standing beside me singing.
“When I’m painting, I have to be inspired. When you’re inspired and you’re happy, you do great things.”
Today, Tepedino describes herself as an abstract figurative artist, crafting acrylic-based designs on canvas and mixed media at her Marina del Rey studio. She also works as an interior designer and has forged a connection between the two lines of work.
“Many times, I’m in the clients’ homes, so I get to have a feeling; I get to know them. And by knowing them, it allows me to have more focus on what they would like and what speaks to them. … Art is subjective, so what may speak to me may
not speak to you. But at the same time, it’s about being harmonious.
“In one case, it’s elements. In another case, it may be behavior. So, when I’m selecting art for my clients, even though they have the final word, we do it together.
… We look online, and I’ll say, ‘I think this would be fantastic for this area and so on. How do you feel about it?’ And then they’ll come visit my studio and make the final selections, so it’s a harmony.”
For her collection at City Club Los Angeles, Tepedino has amassed a body of work spanning several years, subjects and emotions. She emphasized that each painting is different and brings its own spirit to the space.
Her work “Ocean at Twilight,” for instance, reminds Tepedino of a piece of amethyst she brought home from the jungle-clad mountains and sun-kissed shores of Rio de Janeiro, while pieces like “Matador” depict the shapes and colors of a bullfight.
“There are also two small ones that are called ‘Date Night,’ (where) there’s a woman reflecting on whether she wants to go out with this fellow,” Tepedino said. “And it’s
so cute because it’s had so much attention.
… This man said, ‘Oh, I love that, but she shouldn’t go out with him. He’s not good enough for her because he looks like a shy little guy, and she is more of a sophisticated lady.’
“(The work) can evoke whatever it is you are experiencing in your life or not. … I’m grateful that people are responding. Whenever you do something and you’ve put your best into it, you hope that people’s responses will be positive. So far it has been, and it’s a nice feeling.”
Tepedino was once a member of City Club Los Angeles, which she described as a “lovely (and) elegant, yet comfortable,” venue. She will now see her work fill its walls.
Her hope is that, as visitors pass through
the two opening paintings, “Whispering Sweet Nothings” and “Couples Gathering,” that stand at the entryway, they recognize the power that paintings hold in transforming people’s interactions with the world around them.
“I hope they realize that a wall without art is incomplete,” Tepedino said. “It’s important because (art) evokes so many different emotions, and hopefully they’re positive … because that’s what it does for me.
“My hope is that people continue to appreciate art and just have respect for artists and how much of themselves they put into their work. It’s really the respect, which is everything, and for (the art) to continue to grow and blossom and enhance people’s homes.”
Maureen Tepedino reception at City Club Los Angeles
WHEN: Reception takes place 6 p.m. Friday, June 30; paintings will be on display through Friday, July 21
WHERE: 555 Flower Street, 51st Floor, Los Angeles
COST: Free with RSVP; designbymaureen@aol.com
INFO: designbymaureen.com
The crimson cape, mischievous manners and tongue-tripping lyrics are not new to Katy Geraghty.
She first traipsed onto the stage and “Into the Woods” as Little Red Riding Hood when she was 9 while living in her hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts, singing the famed Stephen Sondheim song “I Know Things Now.”
The things she knows now, which have come from decades of training and performing, led to a return as the girl headed to granny’s house in the Broadway revival of the Sondheim’s 1987 musical (with book by James Lapine) based on several iconic fairytales.
What began last year as a concert performance by New York’s Encores! company led to a limited run on Broadway that was extended several times until January. Building on that success, most of the original cast was enticed into a brief eight-city engagement ending at Downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Lear deBessonet, “Into the Woods” opens Tuesday, June 27.
And while Geraghty feels at home in a role she played a few times, the entirety of her career still seems like a fairytale to her.
“I always say that I’m never convinced that this is what I do,” she explained. “I’m just aware that this is what I’m doing. My whole career has felt like a series of happy accidents, where I work very hard and I feel that I deserve everything that I get, but I have kind of just stumbled into some really brilliant pieces.”
That stumbling began when a teacher heard her singing and told her parents she had real talent. Unsure, her mother, as a lesson to show that being a professional actor is hard, took her to a huge open audition for “Annie.” But the lesson backfired … in a good way.
“There were many, many rounds during that whole audition process, because there was like 700-some odd of us at the beginning of the day,” she said. “At the end, I think there were 12. And throughout all of those cuts, when they would be calling names, I kept looking around and seeing all of these mothers and their children screaming and happy when their names got called. And each time I just respectfully raised my hand and said that I was here — and looked
at my mother being completely gobsmacked.”
Soon after studying theater at UMass Amherst, Geraghty made her Broadway debut in 2017’s “Groundhog Day.”
While she enjoyed that show, as well as her turns as Tracy in “Hairspray,” it’s Sondheim’s work, in particular “Into the Woods,” that holds a special place for her. And as she has aged, the role of Red Riding Hood has become more meaningful to her life.
“I like that she’s so ferocious, like she makes me feel fiercer because she’s this power-hungry little kid that maybe doesn’t necessarily know what she’s doing when she’s wielding a knife around like a crazy person,” she said. “But if a little kid can do it and stand up against the literal wolves in her life, then why shouldn’t I?”
While “Into the Woods” often is noted for its elaborate sets and production values, this version is simpler, because it was created quickly for the Encores! concert, which associate director Martavius Parrish appreciates.
“We have our orchestra located centrally onstage, and not have them shoved into a pit to actually make them a part of the process of seeing and understanding the rhetoric and the vocabulary that goes into the creation of the
experience of the show,” Parrish said. “And you partner that with the wonderful score and the wonderful book and you get a magical experience.”
That special quality prompted Center Theatre Group to become one of the few hosts across the country, according to Director of Communications Brett Webster.
“We’ve seen in our past seasons the shows that have really taken off with our audiences have been a celebration of music and performing, and ‘Into the Woods’ is all that and more,” Webster said. “And I think people are going to love seeing some of the biggest names on Broadway.”
The cast includes Tony winner Stephanie J. Block as the Baker’s Wife and Tony-nominated Montego Glover as the Witch. While Geraghty has less experience than many of her castmates, Parrish thinks her energy and wit bring a lot to the ensemble.
“She’s one of the funniest characters on the stage,” he said. “But when she has some realizations in the second act, it’s soul-crushing, because you see the loss of innocence that Red goes through as someone who thought that they knew so much and were so strong at the beginning of the play. She inhabits both the wit and the humor of that character but also the strength and groundedness that is unparalleled in my opinion.”
For Geraghty, it’s simply returning to a role that has felt right for her, whether as a 9-year-old beginner or as a seasoned performer. It’s because “Into the Woods” speaks not only to her life but to almost everyone.
“Because it is about humanity,” she said. “It is about hoping for something and yearning for something, and then what happens when you get it, and maybe realizing that you didn’t know what you wanted all along. There are so many stories in it that we all deal with in so many different ways in our lives that it applies to everyone.”
“Into the Woods”
WHEN: Various times Tuesday, June 27, to Sunday, July 30
WHERE: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
COST: Tickets start at $40
INFO: 213-628-2772, centertheatregroup.org
