SUNDAY only! Celebrities vs. Kids for A Mid-City Night’s Dream – Los Angeles theater gala report

Celebrated Hollywood stars will take the stage opposite “the country’s youngest Shakespeare troupe” at a Los Angeles Drama Club (LADC) gala fundraiser, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014.

Joining the children, ages 6-17 – all members of the Shakespeare in the City Troupe – in a performance of A Mid-City Night’s Dream are Ed Asner, Khandi Alexander (CSI: Miami, There’s Something About Mary, Treme), Keith David (Mr. &  Mrs. Smith, Crash, Pitch Black, Platoon), Amy Hill (50 First Dates, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, Lilo & Stitch), Alex Kingston (ER, Like Crazy), John Michael Higgins (Bad Teacher, The Ugly Truth, Yes Man, Fun With Dick & Jane), Laraine Newman (Toy Story 3, Up, Wall-E, Saturday Night Live), Yara Martinez (Jane the Virgin, Alpha House), Andrea Navedo (Jane the Virgin, Law&Order SVU), Marque Richardson (Dear White People, Crossing Over), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley, The Internship) and Jose Zuniga ( Taxi Brooklyn, CSI)

Launched in 2004, LADC, a local youth arts and literacy organization, creates the opportunity for young people to experience exceptional artistic experiences –  immersed in the works of Shakespeare – in their own communities and neighborhoods. Dozens of children, many of them from underserved communities and some with handicaps, travel from across Los Angeles to participate in and stage five to six full productions each year.  The troupe also brings the Bard to senior centers, libraries and public spaces. Its arts programs earned the LADC PBS Community Champion status and a top rating from Great Non-Profits.

WHO:         Hollywood celebs take the stage with the country’s youngest Shakespeare troupe

WHAT:      Los Angeles Drama Club performance of A Mid-City Night’s Dream and gala fundraiser

Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014.

WHEN:      3 p.m. – Doors open/wine reception

3:30 p.m. – Show starts

5 p.m. – The feast & joyful noises ensue!

WHERE:   Studio 11, 4621 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles.


Following the performance, guests will enjoy music and a feast – from local eatery, My Two Cents – and explore Shakespeare-themed surprises hidden throughout the gardens and rooftop patio.

Tickets are $125.00 each and may be purchased here.

Commented Blaire Baron Larsen, LADC founder and artistic director, “Currently, we are housed at Club Fais Do Do on Adams. This fundraiser not only helps us continue our programs and bring the performing arts to children in underserved communities, but moves us closer to the goal of our own theater.”

“Our programs have grown tremendously,” adds LADC Executive Director Julia Walker Wyson.  “It is so gratifying to see new students develop a passion for Shakespeare and theater, and have them return again and again for more! You will be amazed at what can be done if you take the limits off a child.”

Event sponsors are:

Showtime Networks, My Two Cents soul food eatery and Nello Olivo boutique wines.

Funded through grants and donations, the Los Angeles Drama Club is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. For more information on LADC and sponsorship, visit their official site.

To see more about the LADC and the PBS Community Champions mini-documentary, go here to watch this clip.