Latest news with #Taper
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From 'The Pitt' to 'Hamlet': Patrick Ball and a twisty take on Shakespeare come to the L.A. stage
To be or not to be a crazed murderer, that is the question at the bloody heart of the world premiere adaptation of "Hamlet" opening Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum with Patrick Ball in the central role, fresh off his star-making turn as Dr. Frank Langdon in the Max hit series "The Pitt." Co-starring Gina Torres from "Suits," this adaptation from director Robert O'Hara spins one of theater's most famous plays into a modern-day world of decaying Hollywood glamour. There is a mansion on the coast and the remnants of a 1930s soundstage. Hamlet's family runs a movie studio. The Danish prince is Hollywood royalty, and rather than being a tragic hero, his sanity and motive for murder are interrogated "CSI"-style in a bracing second act that flips the script on the first 90 minutes, which are viewed entirely from Hamlet's perspective. There are added scenes and plenty of salty language, with dialogue that shifts from classical to 21st century vernacular. To be in this position at all — with his face on billboards, bus benches and streetlight banners across the city — is a "miracle," Ball says. He was a relative unknown before scoring a starring role on the zeitgeisty medical drama "The Pitt," which premiered in January and averaged more than 10 million viewers per episode, becoming one of Max's top five original series premieres of all time. Prior to that his only screen experience was a single episode of "Law & Order." He had, however, spent a decade "grinding," he says, "auditioning for film and TV, getting close but never happening." He also spent four years traveling for regional theater, performing in shows including "Romeo & Juliet," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "The Lover" in places like Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Boston and San Diego. "I had settled upon the fact that that was going to be it for me. And I was happy with that," Ball says. "And the dream of Hollywood was something that I had let go of, and I made peace with the fact that that wasn't going to be my life." Then all of a sudden "The Pitt" happened — and it felt like kismet. The North Carolina native's mother is an emergency room nurse and his father is a paramedic. The stories told on the Noah Wyle-led drama resonated with him. His parents read through the pilot episode and said, "This checks out. This is real medicine," Ball says, recalling how excited they were for him. To be able to tell stories that are meaningful to the community he grew up in, he says, feels like a blessing. So does working with seasoned pros like O'Hara and Torres. O'Hara, who is also an established playwright, received a Tony nomination in 2020 for directing Jeremy O. Harris' critically acclaimed "Slave Play," which set a box-office record during its West Coast premiere at the Taper, grossing $1.4 million in five weeks. Ball says that after seeing the show in New York, he spent the next four hours straight discussing it with the friend he went with. Read more: ADUs made of shipping containers and robot-built bungalows are a growing trend as L.A. rebuilds post-fire O'Hara is obsessed with true-crime shows like "48 Hours," in which culprits stick to their stories of innocence even when faced with video replays of their guilt, so he built the second act of his production in a moody, film-noir, flashback style, with a detective questioning characters after the play's end-of-show massacre. Think David Lynch meets Alfred Hitchcock with a Salvador Dali-painted set. "I think that the audience watching will go: 'Wait a second, really, you put poison in his ear? Who puts poison in an ear?" O'Hara says during an interview after rehearsal, while Ball and Torres sit laughing beside him. "And where are you guys getting all this poison? Poison in the glass, poison on the sword. This is something I didn't make up, but somehow Claudius has a stash of poison." And what about that ghost? Shakespeare's Hamlet sees a ghost who tells him that his uncle Claudius murdered his father; O'Hara's Hamlet may or may not have seen a ghost. He might just be a crazy person pretending to act extra crazy in order to get away with murder. In the highly stylized universe of Hollywood noir, glamour and mental illness walk hand-in-hand; entitlement and privilege run amok. Shakespeare rarely writes about common people, O'Hara notes. "Which goes back to the L.A.-ness of it all," Ball chimes in. "My title is 'prince,' right? And what's the American equivalent of that? It's celebrity. The Elsinore of America is Hollywood. So to be able to tell this story, in that way, in this town, is a very cool opportunity." To Ball's surprise, O'Hara hadn't seen "The Pitt" when he decided to cast Ball as Hamlet. O'Hara, rather, reacted to the strength of Ball's audition, which Ball self-taped on his phone in a frenetic style that Ball later felt was "insane." "You have to have confidence, you have to have the audacity to believe that you are going to do Hamlet — and that you can do Hamlet," O'Hara says. "Because if I had to deal with someone who I had to pump up, or I had to make him believe that he can do it, it would be a whole different process." O'Hara knew one thing for sure: He wanted Torres to play Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. He loved her in "The Matrix" sequels and also as the formidable lawyer Jessica Pearson on "Suits." He was so certain that he didn't even ask her to audition. Torres, however, had reservations. "My first thought was, 'I don't know if my peri-menopausal brain can do this,'" she says, laughing. But then she read O'Hara's script and she was sold. "I was so seduced by the idea that we get to see a Gertrude that we've never seen before." Torres' screen resume is miles long but her stage credits, not so much. Which is funny, she says, because as a New York native, her only goal was to be a Broadway star. But she got cast in a recurring role on a soap opera, and then a pilot and away she went. "Talk to any New York actor, and they're like, 'I'm just doing enough TV so that I can go back home and do theater.' I hear it all the time. And then eight years go by," she says. Read more: Trump fires Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet There is an electric moment between the time a stage manager calls "places" and the curtain rises, Torres says. That's the feeling actors live for. "We just fly," she says. "And we're chasing that sense of flight and connecting on stage, and if something goes wrong, we're using it. We're not starting over, we're not gonna stop. There's no safety net." That feeling is something O'Hara sought to harness with his adaptation. He doesn't ask for more than one run-through a day. He wants to keep things fresh, with the possibility of freedom and breakthroughs. The cast, he says, must have room to find the play. "I don't want it to be drilled in," he says. "I want there to be a little bit of titillating and vibration going on." Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
From ‘The Pitt' to ‘Hamlet': Patrick Ball and a twisty take on Shakespeare come to the L.A. stage
To be or not to be a crazed murderer, that is the question at the bloody heart of the world premiere adaptation of 'Hamlet' opening Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum with Patrick Ball in the central role, fresh off his star-making turn as Dr. Frank Langdon in the Max hit series 'The Pitt.' Co-starring Gina Torres from 'Suits,' this adaptation from director Robert O'Hara spins one of theater's most famous plays into a modern-day world of decaying Hollywood glamour. There is a mansion on the coast and the remnants of a 1930s soundstage. Hamlet's family runs a movie studio. The Danish prince is Hollywood royalty, and rather than being a tragic hero, his sanity and motive for murder are interrogated 'CSI'-style in a bracing second act that flips the script on the first 90 minutes, which are viewed entirely from Hamlet's perspective. There are added scenes and plenty of salty language, with dialogue that shifts from classical to 21st century vernacular. To be in this position at all — with his face on billboards, bus benches and streetlight banners across the city — is a 'miracle,' Ball says. He was a relative unknown before scoring a starring role on the zeitgeisty medical drama 'The Pitt,' which premiered in January and averaged more than 10 million viewers per episode, becoming one of Max's top five original series premieres of all time. Prior to that his only screen experience was a single episode of 'Law & Order.' He had, however, spent a decade 'grinding,' he says, 'auditioning for film and TV, getting close but never happening.' He also spent four years traveling for regional theater, performing in shows including 'Romeo & Juliet,' 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and 'The Lover' in places like Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Boston and San Diego. 'I had settled upon the fact that that was going to be it for me. And I was happy with that,' Ball says. 'And the dream of Hollywood was something that I had let go of, and I made peace with the fact that that wasn't going to be my life.' Then all of a sudden 'The Pitt' happened — and it felt like kismet. The North Carolina native's mother is an emergency room nurse and his father is a paramedic. The stories told on the Noah Wyle-led drama resonated with him. His parents read through the pilot episode and said, 'This checks out. This is real medicine,' Ball says, recalling how excited they were for him. To be able to tell stories that are meaningful to the community he grew up in, he says, feels like a blessing. So does working with seasoned pros like O'Hara and Torres. O'Hara, who is also an established playwright, received a Tony nomination in 2020 for directing Jeremy O. Harris' critically acclaimed 'Slave Play,' which set a box-office record during its West Coast premiere at the Taper, grossing $1.4 million in five weeks. Ball says that after seeing the show in New York, he spent the next four hours straight discussing it with the friend he went with. O'Hara is obsessed with true-crime shows like '48 Hours,' in which culprits stick to their stories of innocence even when faced with video replays of their guilt, so he built the second act of his production in a moody, film-noir, flashback style, with a detective questioning characters after the play's end-of-show massacre. Think David Lynch meets Alfred Hitchcock with a Salvador Dali-painted set. 'I think that the audience watching will go: 'Wait a second, really, you put poison in his ear? Who puts poison in an ear?' O'Hara says during an interview after rehearsal, while Ball and Torres sit laughing beside him. 'And where are you guys getting all this poison? Poison in the glass, poison on the sword. This is something I didn't make up, but somehow Claudius has a stash of poison.' And what about that ghost? Shakespeare's Hamlet sees a ghost who tells him that his uncle Claudius murdered his father; O'Hara's Hamlet may or may not have seen a ghost. He might just be a crazy person pretending to act extra crazy in order to get away with murder. In the highly stylized universe of Hollywood noir, glamour and mental illness walk hand-in-hand; entitlement and privilege run amok. Shakespeare rarely writes about common people, O'Hara notes. 'Which goes back to the L.A.-ness of it all,' Ball chimes in. 'My title is 'prince,' right? And what's the American equivalent of that? It's celebrity. The Elsinore of America is Hollywood. So to be able to tell this story, in that way, in this town, is a very cool opportunity.' To Ball's surprise, O'Hara hadn't seen 'The Pitt' when he decided to cast Ball as Hamlet. O'Hara, rather, reacted to the strength of Ball's audition, which Ball self-taped on his phone in a frenetic style that Ball later felt was 'insane.' 'You have to have confidence, you have to have the audacity to believe that you are going to do Hamlet — and that you can do Hamlet,' O'Hara says. 'Because if I had to deal with someone who I had to pump up, or I had to make him believe that he can do it, it would be a whole different process.' O'Hara knew one thing for sure: He wanted Torres to play Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. He loved her in 'The Matrix' sequels and also as the formidable lawyer Jessica Pearson on 'Suits.' He was so certain that he didn't even ask her to audition. Torres, however, had reservations. 'My first thought was, 'I don't know if my peri-menopausal brain can do this,'' she says, laughing. But then she read O'Hara's script and she was sold. 'I was so seduced by the idea that we get to see a Gertrude that we've never seen before.' Torres' screen resume is miles long but her stage credits, not so much. Which is funny, she says, because as a New York native, her only goal was to be a Broadway star. But she got cast in a recurring role on a soap opera, and then a pilot and away she went. 'Talk to any New York actor, and they're like, 'I'm just doing enough TV so that I can go back home and do theater.' I hear it all the time. And then eight years go by,' she says. There is an electric moment between the time a stage manager calls 'places' and the curtain rises, Torres says. That's the feeling actors live for. 'We just fly,' she says. 'And we're chasing that sense of flight and connecting on stage, and if something goes wrong, we're using it. We're not starting over, we're not gonna stop. There's no safety net.' That feeling is something O'Hara sought to harness with his adaptation. He doesn't ask for more than one run-through a day. He wants to keep things fresh, with the possibility of freedom and breakthroughs. The cast, he says, must have room to find the play. 'I don't want it to be drilled in,' he says. 'I want there to be a little bit of titillating and vibration going on.'
Los Angeles Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Center Theatre Group's 2025-26 season: David Byrne's 'Here Lies Love,' 'Paranormal Activity' and more
Bisserat Tseggai, left, and Mia Ellis in 'JaJa's African Hair Braiding.' The Imelda Marcos bio-musical 'Here Lies Love' injects some disco shimmer to the Center Theatre Group 2025-26 season announced Tuesday. The company behind the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum in downtown L.A. and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City released a lineup that also includes the Jocelyn Bioh play 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding'; Eboni Booth's new play 'Primary Trust'; a stage riff on the 'Paranormal Activity' movies; the musical '& Juliet' and a 25th anniversary revival of 'Mamma Mia!' 'Here Lies Love,' featuring music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, and lyrics by Byrne, made history as Broadway's first musical with an all-Filipino cast. The production earned 2024 Tony nominations for score, sound design, scene design and choreography as well as praise from critics including the New York Times' Jesse Green, who applauded the 'infernally catchy songs.' The musical also faced criticism for historical distortion and what some saw as the underplaying of corruption, censorship and violent political oppression in the Philippines during the Marcos regime. The musical has been updated since its 2013 Off-Broadway premiere at the Public Theater to emphasize the People Power Revolution that spurred the end of the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos era. In New York, producers transformed the Broadway Theater to evoke Studio 54. Center Theatre Group will present 'Here Lies Love' in the Taper in a run scheduled to open Feb. 11. Snehal Desai, CTG's artistic director, will helm the production. The comedy 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding' earned Tony nominations last year for best play, direction, scenic design and sound design, and Dede Ayite won the award for her costumes. Set in Harlem, Bioh's play centers on a community of West African immigrants who 'confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood.' Whitney White will direct a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. It opens at the Taper on Oct. 1. Booth's 'Primary Trust' was the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama. The Pulitzer citation called it 'a simple and elegantly crafted story of an emotionally damaged man who finds a new job, new friends and a new sense of worth, illustrating how small acts of kindness can change a person's life and enrich an entire community.' Caleb Eberhardt in La Jolla Playhouse's West Coast-premiere production of 'Primary Trust' last year. After seeing the play's West Coast premiere at La Jolla Playhouse last year, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote: 'This is a quirky, small-scale, quietly reflective work that's as tenderhearted as it is spryly comic and as poignant as it is ultimately uplifting. 'It's refreshing to see such a prodigious honor bestowed on a piece of writing that's content to go about its human business without the need to inflate its own importance.' Knud Adams will direct the Taper production, which opens in May 2026. Here are the six major productions in the 2025-26 CTG schedule (in chronological order) announced by Desai, managing director and chief executive Meghan Pressman and producing director Douglas C. Baker. A seventh production will be announced at a later date. '& Juliet'Book by David West ReadMusic by Max Martin & FriendsDirected By Luke SheppardAhmanson Theatre Aug. 13-Sept. 7 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding'Mark Taper Forum Oct. 1-Nov. 9 'Paranormal Activity'Based on the 'Paranormal Activity' films from Blumhouse and Solana Films, adapted here by arrangement with Paramount Pictures and Melting PotWritten by Levi HollowayDirected by Felix BarrettCo-production with American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington, D.C. Ahmanson Theatre Nov. 13-Dec. 7 'Here Lies Love'Mark Taper Forum Feb. 11-March 22 'Primary Trust'Mark Taper Forum May 20-June 28, 2026 'Mamma Mia!'Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn UlvaeusBook by Catherine JohnsonDirected by Phyllida LloydAhmanson Theatre June 23-July 19, 2026 The company's 'CTG:FWD' programming includes three shows at the Kirk Douglas: 'Puppet Up! — Uncensored,' an audience-driven affair featuring creations from the Jim Henson Co., running July 16-27; 'Guac,' writer and star Manuel Oliver's one-man show, from the father of a son who was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., running Oct. 14-Nov. 2; and 'The Enormous Crocodile,' a musical based on the work of Roald Dahl, Dec. 5-Jan. 4. 'Like It Like Harlem,' a production in partnership with Muse/ique, is scheduled for Aug. 8-10 at the Taper.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Don't Miss Out: Multiple Feet of Snow To Blast Ski Resorts Across the West
Big snows are lining up across the West as multiple cold troughs and moist Pacific flow team up to deliver rounds of fresh powder, with California's Sierra poised for the biggest multi-day dumps followed closely by Utah, then the Northern Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, and Colorado. If you're looking to chase the deepest turns, focus on the late-week and weekend windows in the Sierra and Wasatch for significant totals, though the Northern Rockies won't be far behind. Additional storms look primed for early next week in many areas, so if you miss the first round, you'll have another shot at quality snowfall. Keep an eye on snow levels and potential warmer surges mixed in, but overall, confidence is high in a busy stretch of frequent refills. Chase Advice: If you can target Thursday or Friday at Mammoth or the Tahoe-area resorts, you'll likely score deep turns — especially from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning. Kirkwood and the higher summits of Palisades Tahoe and Sugar Bowl are prime for the best coverage by Friday. Roads and travel in the Sierra can be challenging during these storms, so plan accordingly and aim for first-chair powder laps during breaks in the heaviest snowfall. A cold trough will move ashore late Wednesday into Thursday, setting the stage for heavy Sierra snowfall. Initial energy moving inland Wednesday night will rapidly increase precipitation across the region, with snow levels generally near 4000-5000 feet initially. Gusty southwest winds will accompany the front, and snowfall will become heavy at times, especially above 5500 feet. The Thursday-into-Friday Storm will continue bringing significant snow accumulations, particularly across the Sierra crest and favored western slopes. Periods of moderate to heavy snow should linger through Friday, with totals of over two feet in some high-elevation locations. Some resort access roads and passes will likely be impacted, with whiteout conditions possible in bursts of heavier snow. The Friday Afternoon-Saturday Taper may see the main bulk of snowfall wind down, but showers could persist across higher terrain. Snow levels could inch up slightly late Friday, so keep that in mind if you plan to chase bigger upper-mountain totals. Conditions should begin improving midday Saturday, though lingering instability can still create snow showers in spots. By late weekend into early next week, another weaker wave may clip Northern California. Right now, it doesn't look as potent, but it could bring light additional accumulations to round out the holiday weekend. Winds will also stay gusty at times, which might keep drifting snow in play on exposed slopes. Medium/Long-Range Outlook: A generally active pattern remains possible into next week, though ensembles suggest slightly milder weather for California by Sunday into Monday. Another system may sneak inland late Sunday or Monday, especially targeting the northern Sierra, so keep tabs on updated forecasts. Mammoth – 28-48' Wed night (02/12)-Fri night (02/14) Kirkwood – 25-43' Wed night (02/12)-Fri night (02/14) Sugar Bowl – 21-36' Wed night (02/12)-Fri night (02/14) Palisades Tahoe – 19-34' Wed night (02/12)-Fri night (02/14) Mt. Rose – 11-19' Wed night (02/12)-Fri (02/14) Heavenly – 11-19' Wed night (02/12)-Fri (02/14) Northstar – 14-24' Wed night (02/12)-Fri (02/14) Chase Advice: Consider hitting Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, or Solitude Thursday afternoon through Friday for some of the deepest powder. Park City and Deer Valley will also see impressive totals — look to mid and upper mountain areas. Southwest winds can create drifting and localized wind holds, so watch for updates and be flexible. Saturday morning may hold leftover powder if you want to avoid storm-day chaos. A deep, moisture-rich system arrives Thursday and drives heavy snow, especially in the Cottonwoods and northern mountains. Conditions remain cold Wednesday into Thursday morning, with a wave of warmer but wet southwest flow overtaking the region Thursday afternoon. Snow levels will initially be relatively low, favoring most ski terrain. The Thursday-Saturday Storm looks potent. Heavy mountain snow breaks out Thursday, intensifying overnight into Friday. The storm taps into a robust atmospheric river, bringing snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour in the Wasatch. Winds will be gusty from the southwest, potentially affecting upper-mountain lift operations. Accumulations will pile up quickly for the Wasatch Range, including the Cottonwood Canyons and up north toward Powder Mountain. Saturday Evening Into Sunday may offer a brief lull in the central and northern Wasatch, although residual showers will linger. The southern Wasatch could see additional light accumulations if any bands shift further south, but overall intensities should back off for most of Sunday. Sunday Night-Early Next Week features another wave in the pipeline. Flow turns more west or northwest, reintroducing snow showers to the Wasatch crest. Totals appear lighter than the main event but could refresh surfaces for Monday turns, especially at upper elevations. Medium/Long-Range Outlook: The weekend into early next week remains somewhat active, especially for the northern mountains, with additional moderate snow possible. Temperatures could inch up slightly, but no major warm-up is expected into midweek. Alta/Snowbird – 27-46' total (19-32' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 8-14' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Solitude/Brighton – 25-44' total (18-31' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 7-13' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Powder Mountain – 22-39' total (16-28' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 6-11' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Park City/Deer Valley – 20-36' total (15-26' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 5-10' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Eagle Point – 12–22' total (11-20' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 1-2' Mon (02/17)-Mon night (02/17)) Chase Advice: Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole, and Brundage look prime for robust accumulations from Thursday onward. Sun Valley and Big Sky catch moderate amounts, especially higher up. The best windows for consistent powder appear Friday through Sunday. If you like storm riding, plan accordingly for late-week or weekend lines. Much colder air is entrenched early this week, but moisture streaming in from the west will fire up rounds of snowfall starting late Wednesday or Thursday. Temperatures remain well below seasonal norms through midweek, with ongoing patchy light snow. A stronger wave moves in late Wednesday/Thursday to begin piling up more widespread mountain accumulations. The Thursday–Saturday Wave brings moderate to heavy snowfall to western Montana, northern Idaho, and western Wyoming. The main axis of moisture will favor the high terrain of Idaho (e.g., areas near Brundage and Bogus Basin) and western Wyoming (Teton Range and Grand Targhee). Mountain valleys will see a bit less, though overall coverage should be decent. Gusty winds are possible in some passes and ridgelines. The Saturday Night–Monday Reinforcement arrives as flow turns west-northwest. This prolonged period of unsettled weather should maintain occasional snow showers over the mountains of central Idaho, southwestern Montana, and western Wyoming. Heavier bursts remain possible near the Continental Divide. Valley floors may mix in some brief warmer breaks, but overall, temps stay wintry. By Monday night into Tuesday, additional impulses could keep the storm train rolling in favored orographic areas (e.g., Targhee or the West Central Mountains of Idaho). Look for lingering light accumulations and possibly steady coverage if the main moisture axis stalls. Medium/Long-Range Outlook: Confidence is growing in a continued active pattern, with repeated waves of moisture. Marginally warmer air could sneak in early next week, but ensemble forecasts still point toward predominantly colder-than-normal conditions and continued snow potential. Grand Targhee – 27-46' Thu (02/13)-Tue (02/18) Jackson Hole – 16-28' total (8-14' Thu (02/13)-Sat (02/15) + 8-14' Sun (02/16)-Mon night (02/17)) Brundage – 10-20' total (3-7' Thu (02/13)-Fri night (02/14) + 7-13' Sat night (02/15)-Mon night (02/17)) Bogus Basin – 11-21' total (5-9' Thu (02/13)-Fri night (02/14) + 6-12' Sun (02/16)-Mon night (02/17)) Big Sky – 7-15' total (1-4' Fri (02/14)–Sat (02/15) + 6-11' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Sun Valley – 4-9' total (3-7' Thu (02/13)-Fri (02/14) + 1-2' Sun (02/16)-Sun night (02/16)) Bridger Bowl – 6-12' total (1-3' Fri (02/14)-Fri night (02/14) + 5-9' Sun (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Schweitzer – 5-10' total (1-2' Thu night (02/13)-Fri (02/14) + 4-8' Sat night (02/15)-Mon night (02/17)) Whitefish Mountain – 1-3' Sun (02/16)-Sun night (02/16) Chase Advice: If you want the most consistent snow, target Timberline and Mt Bachelor from Friday onward. Washington areas like Crystal and Stevens will see decent refreshes, but might have to watch fluctuating snow levels. The weekend should offer incremental pow days, with Sunday potentially delivering a sneaky mid-storm jackpot for portions of Oregon's Cascades. A cold, stable pattern early this week yields to milder onshore flow and increasing snowfall over the Cascades starting Wednesday night into Thursday. A relatively weak midweek system may drop light to moderate snow on the higher Cascades of Oregon and Washington, with fairly modest accumulations. However, a stronger, moister push arrives late in the week into the weekend. The Friday-Saturday Surge brings a transition to a more robust onshore flow. Snow levels will gradually climb from around 3000–4000 feet up to nearer 4500–5000 feet in some spots, which means the deepest snow should stick to higher lifts. The Washington Cascades near Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass will see moderate accumulations. Timberline and Mt Bachelor in Oregon could pick up heavier totals from late Friday into Saturday night. The Sunday-Monday Wave continues the unsettled pattern with additional moisture funneling in. Snow showers will persist for the Cascades, likely heaviest in Oregon. Temperatures might hover near the rain-snow boundary at pass elevations, so the best chance for quality powder remains at mid to upper mountain. Winds from the west or southwest may be blustery at times. The Monday Night-Tuesday Lingering sees the system shift inland, with slowly tapering showers. Some brief bursts of orographic snow could still deposit fresh inches at top elevations. Lower slopes may see diminishing accumulations or a change to drizzle if snow levels spike higher. Medium/Long-Range Outlook: Guidance suggests the pattern remains somewhat progressive, with occasional drier breaks, but overall more storms are likely next week. Confidence is moderate that the PNW will stay on the cooler side in the extended, which bodes well for preserving mountain snowpack. Timberline – 20-37' total (5-10' Thu (02/13)-Fri night (02/14) + 15-27' Sat (02/15)-Tue (02/18)) Mt Bachelor – 15-29' total (6-12' Wed night (02/12)–Fri night (02/14) + 9-17' Sat (02/15)-Mon night (02/17)) Stevens Pass – 10-20' total (1-3' Thu (02/13)-Fri (02/14) + 9-17' Sat (02/15)-Tue (02/18)) Snoqualmie Pass – 12-21' total (1-2' Thu night (02/13)-Fri (02/14) + 11-19' Sat (02/15)-Tue (02/18)) Crystal Mountain – 8-18' total (1-4' Thu (02/13)-Fri (02/14) + 7-14' Sat (02/15)-Mon night (02/17)) Mt Baker – 7-13' Sat (02/15)-Tue (02/18) Whistler – 1-4' Sat (02/15)-Sun (02/16) Chase Advice: Wednesday morning might offer fresh cold snow around Steamboat or along the I-70 corridor, but expect suboptimal travel conditions. Bigger accumulations likely come Friday into Saturday, especially targeting the southern zones like Wolf Creek and Telluride. The central mountains around Crested Butte and Aspen/Snowmass should also see decent refreshes during that timeframe. Frigid Arctic air settles in this week, reinforcing occasional snow rounds across the Front Range and high mountains. Light snow is ongoing across northern Colorado with sub-zero or single-digit overnight lows in the forecast. The next stronger wave will swing in from the northwest tonight (Tuesday night) into early Wednesday, distributing moderate snow across the northern and central mountains and providing less but still impactful accumulations along I-25 from Denver northward. The Wednesday-Thursday Arctic Cold keeps highs in the teens or lower. Snow diminishes by Wednesday afternoon for many areas except the higher peaks. Travel remains slick, especially over mountain passes and along portions of the Front Range foothills. Thursday sees limited new snow, but bitter temps persist. The Late-Week/Weekend Storm arrives Thursday night into Friday for the western slope, with heavier snowfall likely for the central and southern mountains (e.g., the San Juans). Though many valleys may start cold enough for snow, some southwestern valleys might briefly mix with or turn to rain if mild air intrudes. Snow totals will be healthy on favored slopes of Wolf Creek Pass and portions of the West Elk/San Juans by Friday night or Saturday. Sunday-Monday Outlook looks somewhat unsettled, as additional impulses bring fresh snow to the central and northern mountains, though coverage and intensity appear lighter than Friday's event. Temperatures should moderate slightly each day, but remain on the cool side of normal. Medium/Long-Range Outlook: Several ensemble members keep an active storm track into next week, with a potential next wave around Monday or Tuesday. Mountain areas should retain below-normal temperatures and periodic light to moderate snow showers. Steamboat – 21-38' total (3-7' Tue (02/11)-Wed (02/12) + 11-19' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 7-12'Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Wolf Creek – 18-34' total (2-4' Tue (02/11)-Tue night (02/11) + 15-27' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 1-3' Mon night (02/17)–Tue (02/18)) Snowmass – 16-30' total (3-6' Tue (02/11)–Wed (02/12) + 10-18' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 3-6'Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Crested Butte – 16-33' total (1-4' Tue (02/11)-Tue night (02/11) + 12-22' Thu (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 3-7' Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Vail/Beaver Creek – 15-29' total (3-7' Tue (02/11)-Wed (02/12) + 8-14' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 4-8' Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Telluride – 13-27' total (1-4' Tue (02/11)-Tue night (02/11) + 10-18' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 2-5'Mon night (02/17)-Tue (02/18)) Monarch – 5-11' total (1-3' Tue (02/11)-Tue night (02/11) + 3-6' Thu night (02/13)-Fri night (02/14) + 1-2'Mon night (02/17)-Tue (02/18)) Copper Mountain/Breckenridge – 7-14' total (1-2' Tue night (02/11) + 4-7' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 2-5' Mon (02/17)-Tue (02/18)) Loveland/Arapahoe Basin – 9-19' total (1-3' Tue night (02/11) + 5-10' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 3-6' Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18)) Winter Park – 12-24' total (2-5' Tue (02/11)-Wed (02/12) + 6-11' Thu night (02/13)-Sat night (02/15) + 4-8'Sun night (02/16)-Tue (02/18))Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. 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Los Angeles Times
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
At last, Larissa FastHorse is the first Native American playwright at Mark Taper Forum
'Do you think it's funnier if I do the spin to my left or my right?' asked Julie Bowen. The cast of 'Fake It Until You Make It' is rehearsing a complicated, climactic sequence, finalizing when exactly to slam each door and how high Tonantzin Carmelo should toss a prop for Eric Stanton Betts to catch it. The farcical comedy, which begins performances Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, is set in a co-working office building for nonprofit organizations serving Native American populations. Think 'Noises Off' but with bows and arrows, beaded curtains and big questions about who gets to rightfully claim a racial, national or cultural identity. Larissa FastHorse applauds the actors with glee. It's a scene the playwright has waited some time to rehearse: This world-premiere run of the Center Theatre Group commission was supposed to play the Taper in 2023 but was canceled during the venue's programming pause. Running through March 9, the co-production — also featuring Noah Bean, Brandon Delsid and Dakota Ray Hebert, and directed by Michael John Garcés — then will play Washington, D.C's Arena Stage (April 3-May 4), with Amy Brenneman replacing Bowen. FastHorse tells The Times about opening 'Fake It' at the Taper after all, questioning 'pretendians' with satire and making commercially viable Native theater. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How do you feel about finally opening this show? It's been pretty incredible. We got the cancellation news when we were two weeks out from starting rehearsal. I got a lot of attention for it, but what was so heartbreaking and upsetting about it that kind of got lost in everything was that Michael lost his production. I'm the playwright, I still have the play, I can do it somewhere else. I immediately sent it out to 20 other artistic directors, and with budgets and things, there's no guarantee any of them would bring him in as an out-of-town director. What changed everything was that [Arena Stage artistic director] Hana S. Sharif signed on immediately, with Michael directing, with a co-production option. That put us in a place of power and choice: We could walk away from CTG and just do it at Arena. It gave us the opportunity to say, actually, it matters to us to do it in our hometown, it was created for that space, it would be the first piece of theater at the Taper by a Native playwright. I've known [CTG artistic director] Snehal [Desai] and [managing director] Meghan [Pressman] for a long time, and there were a lot of painful Zooms back and forth, some miscommunications that happened. We talked about it and worked through it, and because I know them well, we were able to kind of fight it out and get there. If [Arena hadn't signed on], I think there still would have been a lot of hurt and unhealed pain, which would have made this process difficult. Now, we're so happy to be here. We both love Snehal and wanted to be a part of his first season. Knowing it was our choice to be a part of it made a difference. This play explores the world of nonprofit organizations. Where did the idea come from? I was in the middle of fundraising for the community project Michael and I are doing in South Dakota, and I got interested in who gets funded, who doesn't and why. The amount of times white-led organizations just suddenly get dumped millions of dollars on them is incredible, because there's an assumption that they can scale up. But can a Native American-led organization — who is in the community, understands this community and has been doing incredible work as a nonprofit for years — scale up? Will they be responsible? Can they handle it? That difference in trust, maybe even if doing the exact same work, was really eye-opening to me and something we've experienced firsthand. [In this play,] we have a white-led organization that actually does good work, because there are tons that do. And honestly, I wanted to make sure my main Native woman character wasn't doing the most amazing work because I didn't want her to be this saint just because she's Native American. I wanted her to be flawed. The play also discusses the concept of race-shifting. Why did you want to address that here? In my community, we call them 'pretendians.' This country has a long history of folks wanting to be Native, and there are people in academia and in organizations who are benefiting pretty greatly from a created Indigenous ancestry that isn't there. And I was surprised: I looked around Reddit threads and chat rooms and found people of color who shift between communities of color — I didn't even know that was an option! — or, of course, shift into whiteness. You don't want to be who you are, and you feel more powerful as someone else. There are real advocates for race-shifting — as in, it's OK to do it, but do it ethically, don't take resources from someone else. So then, does it really matter if they're walking around and pretending to be somebody else? I don't want to just make fun of these people; I wanted a way to talk about it, and where the conversation around race and identity is heading, that hadn't been done yet. And Michael, whom I've collaborated with for 13 years, wanted to direct a farce. He's like, 'Your comedy and your satire already lean toward farce. I want to see what you'd do if you were to just let loose and go for it.' As in your other work, you ask big questions in this play but don't share any answers or definitive opinions. Why not? That's too easy. I totally don't need people to agree with me, because how useful is that in the world? If theater is both an entertainment and a tool, which are equally important in my mind, it's much more valuable to make people think for themselves and then articulate those thoughts than to just agree or disagree with me. That's exciting, that's the best theater can do. I hate going to the theater and feeling like I'm being punished, or like they didn't want me there. I love audiences, and I want to reward them for coming, which can be a challenge — it's expensive, it takes time and, here, they've got to get to freaking downtown L.A.! So whatever place you occupy on the political or moral spectrum, and however you end up feeling about these topics, I hope you laughed and had a good time. You've previously said 'The Thanksgiving Play' is a piece of Native theater with mostly white actors, which helps to make it more producible in the white American theater. Did you think about that for 'Fake It' and other works-in-progress? Honestly, I do have to think about that now. Because of the privileged position I'm in, people are going to produce my plays. So I think about the economics and math that these theaters are doing: What's the size of the house? How many Native actors can I get? Are there a couple roles that the Julie Bowens and Amy Brennemans can come in and sell some more tickets? The reality is, selling all these seats is still really hard, and it costs so much money to fill this place. So yeah, I think about putting in a character who can sell some tickets where most of our Native artists just haven't been given opportunities to be that person yet. CTG has done an incredible job of incorporating Native artists into all the departments, hiring local Native artists and sourcing from Native vendors whenever they can. Even down to the tote bags the characters wear, they're all from Native organizations and artists. And our set features the work of 40 or so Native artists; there are two prominent mural pieces from River Garza [who is Tongva/Mexican], and major work by Marlena Myles [who is Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee]. Jesse Calderon [who is Chumash/Tongva] created the floor's basket weave pattern, and all the frames inside these offices are by Native artists. What's really cool is that there'll be information and merchandise from all these artists in the lobby, so audiences can learn more about them. You're opening your first farce. What tip would you give to another playwright trying out the form? You have to think about humans. Humans do everything in theater. When I make a change, it's just words to me, but that's a physical reality to the people onstage and backstage who make it happen. What's the cost to their bodies, their safety, their stress levels? Someone in wardrobe was talking about being in a show where they were crying because they couldn't make a quick change. I told them, and folks in every department, that if a scene transition or something is becoming borderline dangerous, I can always just write more words — that's easy. These scenes go at a fast pace, but it can be a humane pace. There's no reason for people to suffer or get hurt or get a career-ending injury over this.
