Coming up! UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts - Joel Veenstra, current Chair of the Drama Department at the University of California, Irvine, specializes in stage management, improvisation, and collaborative production

Joel Veenstra
Chair, Department of Drama

Head of Stage Management

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Joel Veenstra is a professional stage manager, production manager, producer, and improviser. He also has a new book out now with the late Robert Cohen, the founding Chair of Drama. The book is called Working Together In Theatre - Collaboration and Leadership. 

Read more about the extraordinary work and legacy of Robert Cohen:
Robert Cohen, the founding chair of the Department of Drama at UC Irvine passes | Department of Drama | Claire Trevor School of the Arts

ABOUT JOEL VEENSTRA
As a proud Actors’ Equity Association stage manager, Veenstra coordinates collaborations and productions with renowned regional theaters, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, El Portal Theatre, the Matrix Theatre, and Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center. He also stage manages large scale celebrity galas, including the Legacy Awards, honoring luminaries including Tom Hanks, Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), Jill Soloway (Transparent), and Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black); the California Science Center’s Discovery Ball featuring the Space Shuttle Endeavor; KindredSPIRITS 2012 at The Walt Disney Concert Hall; and The Detroit Creativity Project's Detroit Party featuring Keegan Michael-Key (Key and Peele, MADtv). In 2019, he had to honor to stage manage Maestro Impro™ in London, UK.

Veenstra serves as the University of California’s (UCI) Claire Trevor School of the Arts’ (CTSA) Drama Department's Vice Chair of Production. He has collaborated as a Production Manager for Counter Balance Theater and for special CTSA events, including Dance Conversations: Theatres in Dance and the Dramatic Transformations productions, which examined the need for cultural inclusivity. Prior to joining UCI’s faculty, he was the Production Manager for the nationally recognized Cornerstone Theater Company based in Los Angeles. He oversaw the critically acclaimed production of Café Vida, written by Lisa Loomer (Girl Interupted, The Waiting Room) and directed by Michael John Garcés (Los Illegals), in partnership with Homeboy Industries and presented by The Los Angeles Theatre Center operated by the Latino Theater Company. He also coordinated Creative Seeds: An Exploration of Hunger, a one-of-a-kind 14-day festival comprised of 33 events in 20 different locations throughout Los Angeles with over a thousand attendees. 

His experience opened up more opportunities to produce and consult on increasingly complex conferences, symposiums, festivals, and film productions. In 2018, he collaborated with Cirque du Soleil to present the Cirque du Soleil KÀ Symposium at UCI and took a group of over 50 UCI students, alumni, and faculty backstage on several Cirque du Soleil productions in Las Vegas. As the Western Regional Director of the Stage Managers’ Association (SMA), a national organization headquartered in New York City, Veenstra helped recognize western region stage managers for the Del Hughes Awards and provided continuing education and networking opportunities for stage managers in the western region. Events included View from the Wings Symposiums; SMA Go Out Networking events; Speed Networking Events with Regional Theatres; and panels with stage managers including two with the stage management teams from Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In 2017, Veenstra and Theresa Robbins Dudeck launched the Global Improvisation Initiative (GII) Symposium at UCI in conjunction with Chapman University. In 2019, he assisted in presenting the GII Symposium in London in collaboration with Improbable, the world-renowned company of pioneering improvisers, theatre makers, and conversation facilitators. Also in 2017, he brought the Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) World Conference, held at Oxford University in 2016, to UCI and Los Angeles and served as the Conference Chair. He has subsequently mentored the AIN conference teams to host the conference in Paris, New York, and Spain. He also conceived in 2013 and has annually produced UCI's Coup de Comedy Festival, a free 4-day comedy celebration for the community with over 30 performances and workshops. He has also produced a series of documentary shorts exploring the art of improvisational theater, titled Improv Legends: Ideas, Insights, Icons, as well as supporting other film projects.

Improvisation also plays a key component in Veenstra’s teaching, research and creative ventures. Veenstra promotes the interconnection of improvisation, stage management, and production in his work as well as in life itself. He teaches applied improvisation to business executives (both international and domestic) at The Paul Merage School of Business. He is also exploring the application of improvisation within healthcare with UCI's Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing and UCI’s School of Medicine. He also has developed an Intergenerational Improvisation Workshop curriculum to bridge the gap between the generations that was highlighted by California AARP and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). In addition, Veenstra teaches improvisation for performance (core improvisational concepts; narrative improvisation; long form; improvised film; and improvisation for sketch) and mentors UCI’s two improvisation teams: Live Nude People* (*with clothes on) and Improv Revolution.

From 2000 until 2005, Veenstra performed regularly with River City Improv, a professional improv ensemble based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the Los Angeles area, he performed with improv ensembles at The Second City Hollywood, iO West, Westside Comedy Theater (formerly Westside Eclectic), and the STAGEStheatre. He has a created, directed, and mentored multiple improv teams, including Gull Lake Improv, S.W.A.T., and Improv Revolution. He graduated from The Second City Conservatory in Hollywood, Paul Sills’ Theater Game Workshop, and Keith Johnstone’s Improvisational Theatre Intensive.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles in 2005, Veenstra began working as a Story Editor at Alcon Entertainment, which produced films including My Dog Skip, Insomnia, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and The Blind Side, distributed through Warner Bros. He worked on the release of Richard Donner’s 16 Blocks and Neil LaBute’s The Wicker Man. Veenstra earned production credits for his work on Richard LaGravenese’s P.S. I Love You, which starred Hilary Swank and Gerard Bulter and grossed over $156 million worldwide, One Missed Call, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

In 1999, Veenstra created Veenstra Enterprises as a producing umbrella company for his creative ventures in film, video, and theatre. At that time, he began directing and teaching theatre for the historic Peddy Players' Summerstock Program in Detroit. In 2000 he delved into television production at Grand Rapids' ABC Affiliate WZZM 13. In 2001, he began a relationship with Compass Film Academy where he produced a number of award winning short films and taught film production and screenwriting. Between the inception of Veentra Enterprises and Veenstra’s relocation to Los Angeles in 2005, he facilitated over 100 film, video, and theatrical productions.

His accolades include the Excellence in Theatre Education Award by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Festival 50 Region 8, given in recognition of valued service to students as an educator and mentor; the 2018 UCI Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research, given in recognition of outstanding work in mentoring undergraduate students engaged in research and/or creative activity; Student Organization Advisor of the Year in 2015, out of over 600 student organizations; and acceptance into UCI’s Provost Leadership Academy.

He has been a requested educator and speaker at the UCLA Extension, UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business, Calvin College, Compass Film Academy, the Damah Film Festival, Act One: Training for Hollywood, and the AIN World Conferences. His Board of Directors service includes work with the Applied Improvisation Network, the William and Anna VandenBosch Gospel Foundation, and the Stage Managers’ Association. Veenstra earned his MFA in Drama from UCI and his BA in Communication Arts and Sciences, with a Theatre focus, from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Veenstra is active member in his faith community and a practitioner of mindfulness, improvisation, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He lives in Irvine with his partner, a licensed psychologist, and their two sons.

Here's where you can find Joel's new book with the late Robert Cohen, the founding Chair of Drama. The book is called Working Together In Theatre - Collaboration and Leadership. 

About Robert Cohen
Robert Cohen (1938-2024) the Claire Trevor Professor of Drama Emeritus passed away on Nov. 15, 2024, at 86. A towering figure in the theater world, Cohen was a founding faculty of the Department of Drama at UC Irvine. Cohen joined UCI in 1965 after earning his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and his D.F.A. from Yale University. Instrumental in shaping the drama department, Cohen served as its founding chair for 25 years and established the M.F.A. in Drama program. As a transformative leader in theater education, direction and scholarship, he created programs that set national benchmarks, including the Students’ Repertory Theatre, the first of its kind in the United States. Under his leadership, UC Irvine’s drama program emerged as a preeminent training ground for actors, directors, and scholars, solidifying its reputation as a leader in theater education.

Read more about the extraordinary work and legacy of Robert Cohen:
Robert Cohen, the founding chair of the Department of Drama at UC Irvine passes | Department of Drama | Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Book link: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/working-together-in-theatre-9781350333598/

UCI CTSA events page: https://www.arts.uci.edu/events

Looking for great entertainment this holiday season and throughout the New Year? Christopher Adriance, Vice President of Marketing - Irvine Barclay Theatre, joins Janeane 12/18 9:00am to share details on upcoming Barclay events!

LISTEN to today's show featuring Christopher Adriance, 
Vice President of Marketing with the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Irvine, CA, October 29, 2021 – Irvine Barclay Theatre has announced that Christopher Adriance has joined the staff as Vice President of Marketing.

Adriance joins the Barclay after having worked at Pacific Symphony over the past eight years. During his time at the Symphony, Adriance worked in various roles with both the marketing and development teams. He most recently served as the Director of Marketing and Loyalty Campaigns.

In this role, Adriance helped steer marketing strategy, promotions, season ticket sales, departmental project management, patron loyalty campaigns, direct mail campaigns, and digital marketing. He managed Pacific Symphony’s six subscription series, achieving an annual sales goal of $3.3 million, and developed other subscriber programs, including Symphony Pass, a monthly membership program resulting in $85,000 increased revenue annually.

He holds a certificate in digital marketing through Duke University and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from UC Irvine in 2011.

“We are excited to have Christopher join the Irvine Barclay team as we develop innovative new ways to provide value to our patrons,” said Jerry Mandel, Chairman and President of Irvine Barclay Theatre. “We look forward to continuing our season of great performances and to celebrating the return of live performances with all of Orange County throughout the year.

Irvine Barclay Theatre presents one of the leading jazz series on the West Coast; a variety of music genres featuring world renowned artists; classic ballet and contemporary dance; National Geographic Live’s fascinating presentations by leading explorers, scientists, and photographers; and a speaker series with esteemed authors and other thought leaders.

Irvine Barclay Theatre was busy during the pandemic’s downtime, installing new seats and carpet in the auditorium, as well as painting, and upgrading its HVAC system and air-handlers to use hospital-grade filters throughout the building.

Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci Their Smash Show to Orange County:

HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis on the “Yes, It’s Real” Tour

HYPROV (pronounced hip-rawv), a hit show that has sold out venues across the U.S., Canada, and the UK, comes to Irvine Barclay Theatre on Friday, Jan. 10 at 8pm with the "Yes, It’s Real” Tour.


Hypnotist extraordinaire Asad Mecci will welcome 20 volunteers on stage to be hypnotized. The most receptive to hypnosis then join Colin Mochrie (Whose Line is it, Anyway?) to improvise the rest of the show, while hypnotized. In the hands of two experts, and solely crafted from the volunteers' uninhibited, unconscious minds and audience suggestions, each 90-minute show is an entirely original and completely unforgettable theatrical experience.


Stunning audiences throughout North America and Europe and making them ask “Is this real?”, the duo is set to prove it with their latest tour. The live show, which has been called “hilarious and fascinating" by Time Out New York, combines hypnosis and improv for a one-of-a-kind comedy experience.


"We are so excited to launch this new tour and return to some of our favourite cities and visit some new ones." said Asad Mecci. "It’s been an incredible journey.”

“And we just want to remind everyone, YES! It’s real,” exclaims Colin Mochrie.


HYPROV has been acclaimed by prestigious publications, with The New York Times declaring, “The audience erupted in laughter. It killed” The Wall Street Journal praised it as "catnip for those who relish spontaneity and informality," and The New Yorker advised, "Say yes to HYPROV."

HYPROV was created in 2016 at Toronto's Second City. After working it out on stage, they took the show on the road to Just for Laughs London, Just for Laughs Montreal and the Edinburgh Fringe where it was received with rave reviews in 2016 and 2017. The duo set out on a 100-city tour from 2019-2023, performed 12 weeks Off Broadway in NYC and six months at Harrah’s Las Vegas, and a 16-show residency at the CAA Theatre in Toronto.

Tickets are $39 to $135 and can be purchased at www.thebarclay.org. Irvine Barclay Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, California 92612 adjacent to UC Irvine. For tickets or more information, please visit www.thebarclay.org or call (949) 854-4646.

# # # 

 

About Irvine Barclay Theatre

Irvine Barclay Theatre is a 750-seat “jewel box” theatre renowned for its intimate atmosphere and superb acoustics. Since opening its doors in 1990, Irvine Barclay Theatre has developed into one of California's most imaginative performing arts showcases, welcoming more than 2.6 million patrons over the last 30 years to an impressive array of varied performances by internationally recognized artists.

A unique collaborative venture between the City of Irvine, the University of California, Irvine, and private donors, Irvine Barclay Theatre is operated as an independent 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.

Irvine Barclay Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Drive, adjacent to UC Irvine. For tickets or more information, please visit www.thebarclay.org or call (949) 854-4646.

Looking to make a difference this holiday season? There are numerous ways to donate your time and volunteer throughout Orange County this month and throughtout 2025

About Volunteer Network OC


Volunteer Network OC provides a social media platform designed to simplify the process of connecting volunteers with local community groups who provide shelter, food, clothing and other basic necessities to people in need.


Mission Statement

Volunteer Network OC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect volunteers to organizations who provide services to people in need. Our goal is to bridge the gap between volunteers who want to help but aren’t sure where to start, and organizations who need volunteers but don’t know where to find them. Through our website, user-friendly app, and social media platform, we aim to inspire volunteers and to provide support to the organizations who help feed, clothe, shelter and support disadvantaged and vulnerable people in Orange County.

Search Volunteer Events - Volunteer Network OC | Helping you help others

Here is one opportunity for December 31st, 2024.

Bracken's Kitchen is looking for volunteers!

https://www.brackenskitchen.org/volunteer

brackenskitchen


A non-profit organization that’s —
Rescuing today’s food 🥦
Training tomorrow's Chefs 👨🏽‍🍳
Feeding those in need, always...
more
13941 Nautilus Drive, Garden Grove, California 92649

linktr.ee/brackenskitchen

Ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro who has been captivating audiences around the world with his unique and dynamic style for the past two decades joins Janeane on 12/11 9:00am pst

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Ukulele superstar, Jake Shimabukuro, has been captivating audiences around the world with his unique and dynamic style for the past two decades.

He will be performing in Cerritos at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Dec 13. Audiences will be treated to a mix of Jake’s signature favorites, reimagined holiday classics like “O Holy Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and songs from his new album, Blues Experience. 

Joining Jake on stage will be bassist Jackson Waldhoff and special guest singer-songwriter Justin Kawika Young, rounding out a spectacular evening of holiday cheer. 

Jake's new album, Blues Experience, is a combo of the best - Shimabukuro and Mick Fleetwood who breathe new life into classic blues tunes, resulting in an exhilarating and unique reinterpretation of some of the genre's greatest hits.

Albums Of The Week: Jake Shimabukuro & Mick Fleetwood | Blues Experience - Tinnitist

ABOUT

Since gaining prominence in the early 2000’s, ukulele marvel Jake Shimabukuro has mesmerized audiences with his innovative and dynamic style, taking the instrument to dizzying new heights. Over a dozen solo albums, Shimabukuro has shown a knack for moving effortlessly between genres, sometimes in the same song. After being taught the instrument by his mother at age four, Jake became a local phenom, performing on his own and in a local group Pure Heart. Early in his solo career he became a YouTube sensation when his cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral. 

Since then, Jake has gone on to play the world’s most venerable venues, from The Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center to the Sydney Opera House and The N.O. Jazz Fests and collaborated with some of the world’s greatest musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, Bette Midler, Ziggy Marley, Sonny Landreth, Billy Strings, Lukas & Willie Nelson and Warren Haynes. Shimabukuro has also won his share of awards and, just a few years ago he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a Member for the National Council on the Arts.

One strong thread that runs through much of Shimabukuro’s work is that of collaboration. From the Trio album to Jake & Friends to Grateful and beyond, Shimabukuro thrives in the ability to feed off and inspire his fellow musicians. For his brand-new project Blues Experience, Shimabukuro joins forces with his friend, drumming legend and founding member of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, to create a fresh new take on the Blues. “I’ve always wanted to do a Blues album and when Mick and I started talking about working together, I thought who better to work with than Mick Fleetwood?” The result is something exhilarating and unique, as these two titans of their instruments reinterpret some of the greatest songs written by some of their favorite songwriters in a Blues setting.

It’s a union whose roots go back to the late 1990s when a young Shimabukuro met and played with Fleetwood at the Hawaiian Music Awards ceremony along with singer songwriter Kenny Loggins. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that the two were reconnected by a mutual friend at a Fleetwood Mac reunion concert in Nashville. That night, the seeds of the collaboration were planted at Fleetwood’s suggestion. Not long thereafter the two convened along with Jake’s touring bassist Jackson Waldhoff and keyboard player Michael Grande to start work on a new studio album in Maui. Mark Johnstone from The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band plays keys on two songs, “Need Your Love So Bad”, and “Rockin’ In The Free World”.

Over the course of two 3-day sessions, the band recorded 9 songs live in the studio. The only track that was not recorded with all of the musicians playing together was Sonny Landreth’s brilliant slide guitar on the Jeff Beck/Stevie Wonder classic “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”. This soaring track full of peaks and valleys was a tremendous way to start the album. The interplay between Landreth and Shimabukuro is so seamless, you’d never know that they did not play together in the same room. The Chemistry is due in large part to the two performing the song w ww.sarapetite.com | www.fortybelowrecords.com together during a recent tour. In addition, Sonny would often sit in with Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band back when Jake was a member.

Up next is a truly unique interpretation of the Blues standard, “Rollin’ N Tumblin’”. The song fades inwith a swirling, delay-drenched psychedelic uke over top of Fleetwood’s tribal drumming pattern, giving credence to why Jake is often referred to as the “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele”. Then, on a dime, Jake changes his sound and cuts to playing the song’s theme which is echoed nicely by the Hammond Organ.

Jake’s playing on the track is experimental and otherworldly, at times ascending into a psych jazz rock fusion in the most visceral ways. “Mick’s energy when he plays is so infectious. He’s such an intense musician. He pushes everyone around him and it’s so inspiring to see his facial expressions and watch his movements and the way he hits the drums,” says Shimabukuro exuberantly.

About “Kula Blues” Jake explains, “I’d never written anything that sounded this bluesy or a shuffle, so I wanted to take a stab at it and have a song where any musician could sit in without needing a chart”. Again, Jake credits Mick Fleetwood with bringing the track to life. “He just got behind the drums and without even counting it off came charging in. You either jump on the train or get outta the way!”

A couple of other standouts on the album are “Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Rockin’ in the Free World”. Of the former, Shimabukuro recalls “I was so in the moment, I remember just closing my eyes and really forgetting my pedal board and everything and just reacting to Mick and the band.”

Fortuitously, The Bridge School Benefit, founded by Neil Young had asked Jake if he would do a cover of “Rockin’ in the Free World" the same week he and Mick were in the studio. The track has an explosive energy that builds to an incendiary psychedelic guitar, ‘er make that ukulele solo spurred on by Fleetwood’s thunderous drums.

One of the things that really comes across speaking to Jake about this record is the ‘spirits in the air’ during the recordings. This is particularly apparent on their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird”. Recorded not long after Christine McVie’s passing, the band only did one take. You can feel the emotion in the performance. “I remember Mick took a moment of silence after the song ended and you could see that he felt Christine’s presence.” Fleetwood’s tom tom groove provides the heartbeat for Shimabukuro’s floaty, ethereal uke, as he moves naturally between fast strumming chords and lilting melodic phrases. “I felt so fortunate to be able to experience that with Mick. It was very powerful to see the effect it had on him.”

Another ‘ghost in the machine’ or ‘happy accident’ was the sound of the drums leaking into the ukulele’s electric pickup. Because the musicians were so close together, you can hear all the drums on the ukulele track. When the fx are going on the uke, you get this cool subtle layer of the drum fx in the mix, contributing to the overall vibe and cohesion of the record. Not long after the completion of the record, Maui was devastated by historic wildfires. At the benefit concert in Honolulu Fleetwood once again joined Shimabukuro and the band to perform the songs on Blues Experience for the first time. 

Before the performance, Fleetwood gave a powerful and inspirational speech to the community. Shimabukuro expands on this, , “Mick’s like the point guard on a basketball team making everyone around him play better. It’s really incredible. He has such a huge presence, charisma and energy. It was such an honor to do this project together.

https://jakeshimabukuro.com/

December 4th 9:30am live on KUCI 88.9fm - Director Anna Toomey talks about her Powerful film, Left Behind, an inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to create the first public dyslexic school in the largest school district in America, New York City.

 

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Left Behind is the inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to create the first public dyslexic school in the largest school district in America, New York City.

Approximately 200,000 New York City public school students are dyslexic, yet there is no public initiative that provides the specialized skill and care necessary for these learners.

Frustrated that they had to remove their own kids from the public school system, a group of determined moms band together to do something that’s never been done before – open New York City’s first public school for dyslexic students. The journey is not a smooth ride, and they face both institutional and personal hurdles as they try to upend a system .

A new mayoral candidate bolsters their fight after he reveals his own dyslexia. But will they be able to convince a bureaucratic education system to overhaul outdated politics to ensure a brighter future for the city’s dyslexic youth?

DIRECTOR ANNA TOOMEY

Anna Toomey an Emmy Award-winning producer with 20 years of experience. She has worked for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News’ long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She creates compelling, character-driven stories with passion and integrity.

Anna’s credits include Emmy Award-winning The Gun Fight, an inside look at the National Rifle Association, as well as The American Game, The Century and The Beatles Anthology.

As a producer on the six-part series In the Jury Room, Anna spent months in the field covering murder trials and combing through hours of footage to develop an intriguing story line, which culminated in a prime time six-hour series aired on ABC News.

Anna won two Daytime Emmy Awards at Good Morning America. She directed multiple camera shoots, including a roundtable discussion with Robin Roberts and Sheryl Sandberg for her book Lean In. She also produced a series of breast cancer awareness segments, including ABC News Correspondent Amy Robach’s emotional journey after her diagnosis.

Anna lives in New York with her husband and two children. She owns her own production company, Sandy Dog Productions.

https://www.leftbehindthefilm.com/

“Powerful…Inspiring…Left Behind is an urgent call to action to help dyslexic kids.”

– Anderson Cooper, CNN

“One of the best truly political documentaries of this or any other year.”

– DOMINIC PATTEN, DEADLINE

New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA -- Abramorama announced they have acquired North American theatrical rights to the documentary Left Behind, directed by Emmy Award winner Anna Toomey and produced by David Beal, Emmy Award winner Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr.

A film awards contender this year, Left Behind will kick off the theatrical release on January 17, 2025, with a week-long engagement at NYC’s QUAD Cinema. The film will expand to select theaters nationwide thereafter.

This gripping new feature documentary tells the story of five tenacious mothers determined to establish the first public school in New York City for children with dyslexia. Addressing a learning disability that impacts an estimated 200,000 students in NYC, and roughly 20% of the public at large, the mothers’ struggle to upend the nation’s largest public school system and garner support to open the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September 2023.

The world premiere festival screening of Left Behind was held at the 25th annual Woodstock Film Festival this October, followed by a Q&A hosted by one of the film’s executive producers Juju Chang (Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline). Producer Larry Mullen, Jr. was also in attendance for the Q&A. Mullen Jr. collaborated with GAYLE to create an original song for the film, “Between The Lines”. The Metropolis Competition screening in NYC is set for November 20 & 21 as part of DOC NYC, with screenings at Village East by Angelika and IFC Center. Tickets and more information here.

Director Anna Toomey stated, “Our goal for this film has always been reaching the most number of viewers; partnering with the Abramorama team to bring this film to theaters will allow us to shed light on this important issue. It is a travesty that so many struggling readers are left behind and able unable to reach their full potential. This film is deeply personal to me and all of the filmmakers involved and we hope that by bringing awareness to this issue we can change the lives of millions of kids across the country and the world. ”

Producers added, “We were honored to take this journey with Anna Toomey on her first film. Anna’s incredible passion for this story, combined with the drive of the moms and the authentic power of Larry and GAYLE’s song makes this a remarkable film. Abramorama is the perfect theatrical distributor for this film.”

Left Behind was produced by Green Hummingbird Entertainment’s David Beal and Sian Edwards-Beal and Velvet Strand’s Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr. Executive Producers Juju Chang (ABC Nightline co-anchor), actor Jean Reno and his wife, producer/philanthropist Zofia Moreno, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Dan and Stephanie Fougere. Screenwriting by Karen K. H. Sim, director of photography James Fideler, composers Olivier Manchon and Clare Manchon, editor Brittany Kaplan and two original songs by Larry Mullen Jr. and David Baron, “Between the Lines" written with GAYLE and Reed Berin and "One of Us” featuring Donna Lewis.

Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster shared, “We are thrilled to work with Anna Toomey, the dedicated producing team, and the extended support groups behind Left Behind, who have collaborated to bring this important subject into the foreground. We’ve seen the film’s conversation-starting power at festivals and special screenings and are looking forward to sharing the film widely and have it inspire many more conversations leading to needed changes.”

Along with the establishment of The South Bronx Literacy Academy, New York City has now committed to opening additional schools focused on struggling readers through the Literacy Academy Collective. It has also begun to provide individual dyslexia testing for students. In recent years, successful people across a range of professions have come forward to share their personal struggles with dyslexia and inspire others. Among them are Anderson Cooper, Salma Hayek, Steven Spielberg, Gwen Stefani, Tim Tebow, Tom Cruise, Octavia Spencer and more. Many dyslexics cite ‘thinking differently’ as a personal superpower for creativity and thinking outside the box.

LEFT BEHIND (USA) 74 minutes, English - Abramorama Presents a Green Hummingbird Entertainment and Velvet Strand Production of an Anna Toomey Film “Left Behind”. Animation by IKARTOONS. Writer Karen K H Sim. Director of Photography James Fideler. Editor Brittany Kaplan. Executive Producers Juju Chang, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Dan Fougere, Stephanie Fougere, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Zofia Moreno & Jean Reno. Producers Anna Toomey, Mari Keiko-Gonzalez, ACE. Produced by David Beal, Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell, Larry Mullen Jr. Original Score by Olivier Manchon, Clare Manchon. Original Song by Larry Mullen Jr. & GAYLE. Directed by Anna Toomey. An Abramorama North American Theatrical Release. For more information visit www.leftbehindthefilm.com.

* * *

ABOUT LEFT BEHIND
Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with learning disabilities and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. No matter how much a person may stand by the power and importance of public schools, there’s just no disputing that the current public education system is not built to help students with learning disabilities to succeed or thrive, and just about every single dyslexia-centered school in the country is privately-owned. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. For more info - www.leftbehindthefilm.com

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Anna Toomey is an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She worked on projects including The Gun Fight, an inside look at the NRA, The Century, Beatles Anthology, and the six-part series In the Jury Room. Anna developed and directed her first feature length independent documentary Left Behind after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.

ABOUT GREEN HUMMINGBIRD ENTERTAINMENT
Green Hummingbird Entertainment is a boutique studio based in New York and London with co-heads David Beal (former President of National Geographic Entertainment and Palm Pictures) and Emmy Award winning producer Sian Edwards-Beal. With a global development slate, Green Hummingbird is focused on inspirational, thought-provoking entertainment and telling heroic stories that harness the power of music.

ABOUT VELVET STRAND
Velvet Strand is the production company of Irish musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. and American producer Chris Farrell. Velvet Strand looks to collaborate with filmmakers to bring surprising or unknown stories to the screen, particularly those which celebrate artists and musicians or those seeking to make a positive impact.

ABOUT ABRAMORAMA
Abramorama is a leading innovator in worldwide event cinema, theatrical distribution, marketing and rights management for nonfiction, narrative and music films. For more than 20 years Abramorama has provided strategic services to Intellectual Property owners including filmmakers, networks, record labels, platforms and artists including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Melanie Martinez, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, AARP, Apple, Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Sony, among others. Abramorama is expert at maximizing reach, engagement and Impact ROI for films created for target audiences. Abramorama creates a unique distribution and audience development plan for each title, engaging a global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and marketing partners. For more information, visit abramorama.com.

PRESS CONTACT
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Coming up December 4th - 9:00am on KUCI 88.9fm - CREATION LAKE By Rachel Kushner - Longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize - NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024 by LitHub, The Millions, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly and many others

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Scribner is thrilled to announce the publication of Rachel Kushner’s new novel, CREATION LAKE. Rachel Kushner is one of the most exhilarating writers working today, one who continually upends our expectations about what a novel can do and can be. She is a national and New York Times bestseller and a Booker Prize finalist who has twice been shortlisted for the National Book Award, and her sublime CREATION LAKE is this dazzling writer at her finest.

Rachel Kushner’s New York Times and Indie Bestseller CREATION LAKE is

*A Finalist for the Booker Prize*
*Longlisted for the National Book Award*
*An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller*
*A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice*
*A #1 Indie Next Pick*

“A profound and irresistible page-turner about a spy-for-hire who infiltrates a commune of eco-activists in rural France. The prose is thrilling, the ideas electrifying.”  — The 2024 Booker Prize judges


From Rachel Kushner, two-time finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award, a “vital” (The Washington Post) and “wickedly entertaining” (The Guardian) novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.

Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics and clean beauty who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to her lover, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian she has met by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone she targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.

In this region of old farms and prehistoric caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who believes that the path to emancipation is not revolt but a return to the ancient past. Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.

Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet—a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.

SYNOPSIS
France, 2013: “Sadie Smith” is an American operative working undercover for mysterious and powerful private interests. She is a dissimulator: smart, ruthlessly effective, and beautiful by design, with a “tasteful” breast augmentation and a daily drinking habit. (This drinking, however, does not diminish her ability to see what most other people fail to see, and do what most other people cannot do.) 

The Europe she occupies is deromanticized, a zone of commerce: “truck ruts and panties snagged on a bush: that’s the real Europe.” Sadie has been sent to rural France to surveil, infiltrate and undermine a cagey, possibly subversive anarchist collective. Over the course of her stakeout, she becomes intrigued by Bruno Lacombe, a French philosopher and hero to the younger activists who has left our world and retreated to a massive complex of caves beneath his property. His correspondence with the activists captivates Sadie, offering as it does a glimpse of another world. Sadie is paid – handsomely – to utilize her cruel talents at manipulation to protect wealth and power. But will her entanglements with the collective and Bruno’s seductions threaten her allegiances?


Brilliant on the sentence level and brilliant in its observations, CREATION LAKE is also a total page-turner that subtly and hilariously explores this particular moment of late capitalism. It is an absolute triumph: both serious art and serious fun. In the words of The Guardian, it is both “profound and wickedly entertaining.”


“Surprising and delectable…Kushner’s long fascination with underground rebels and their uprisings attains new depths and resonance in this bravura improvisation on the secret-agent trope; this brain-spinning tale of lies, greed, surveillance, crimes against nature, and ecowarriors; this searing look at our perilous estrangement from nature.”—Booklist, STARRED review


“An undercover agent embeds with radical French environmentalists in this scintillating story of activism and espionage from Kushner...Most of the narrative is dedicated to the activists’ philosophizing and Sadie’s gimlet-eyed observations, which Kushner magically weaves together...Readers will be captivated.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review


“Sadie is similar to Kushner’s earlier fictional protagonists—astringent, thrill-seeking, serious, worldly—but here the author has tapped into a more melancholy, contemplative mode that weaves neatly around a spy story….Kushner has captured the internal crisis of ideology that spy yarns often ignore, while creating an engaging tale in its own right. A deft, brainy take on the espionage novel.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review





More Praise for CREATION LAKE:

“An immersive novel about an agent provocateur embedded within a group of environmental activists in south-western France, and slowly becoming mesmerized by the group elder’s theories about Neanderthals. It’s seductive, entrancing, and quite off the wall.”—Mick Herron, The Guardian


“By writing in the unillusioned voice of an ex-FBI agent infiltrating a bunch of rural French subversives, Rachel Kushner has cover to say whatever she damn well pleases. And because Kushner has the most bracing intelligence in American fiction, she rips the skin off what many of us like to think we believe.” —David Hare


“As I read Creation Lake, I was amazed that Kushner was pulling off such a feat. I kept thinking, 'this can’t possibly work’ and yet it kept working. I was completely immersed and mesmerized. It’s a highly plotted fast-paced noir and yet full of ideas and depth. I've never read anything like it. Rachel Kushner is the most exciting writer of her generation.”—Bret Easton Ellis


“Rachel Kushner wrote a secret agent book, and set it in France. What more must we know to anticipate it? Nothing, because no doubt, like nearly everything she writes, it will be an intellectual masterpiece while also reinventing a genre while also being wildly entertaining. That’s kind of her thing.”—Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2024


“Creation Lake reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture. Only Rachel Kushner could weave environmental activism, paranoia, and nihilism into a gripping philosophical thriller. Enthralling and sleekly devious, this book is also a lyrical reflection on both the origin and the fate of our species. A novel this brilliant and profound shouldn’t be this much fun.”—Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust

Coming up 11/20 9:30am - Meeting You, Meeting Me Feature film, 2024, Written and Directed by Lina Suh

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LOS ANGELES, October 30th -- MEETING YOU, MEETING ME an engrossing drama film about friendship by Korean American director Lina Suh will enjoy a week-long awards’ run from November 15-21st at Laemmle Noho 7. The film previously competed at CAAMFest, the Asian American International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival with a Best Director nomination, and LA Femme International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Feature.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME tells the story of two women from different walks of life who both need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is written and directed by Suh, produced by Sharon Sunjung Park, with executive producers Anna Park and Samuel Yeunju Ha, co-executive producers Junghwan Kim and Hyojung Shin, and associate producer Paul Ji Hoon Lee. The film stars Annika Foster (Deadly Girls Night Out), Sam Yim (Transformers: The Last Knight) and Patrick Luwis (Cobra Kai). Cinematography is by Heyjin Jun and Dawn Suhyun Shim, editing by Daniele Joi and Yu Jung Hou, and music composed by Henry O.

“This film is a testament of so many friendships, old and new, that enabled this, from the writing of the script through production, all the way to sharing it in theaters now. It’s surreal and exciting when people say they see their own friendships reflected back at them through these characters,” says Suh.

Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Sam Yim and Annika Foster in Meeting You, Meeting Me (2024)

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE, the latter developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max. Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the USC's School of Cinematic Arts in Film Production.

MEETING YOU, MEETING ME will screen from Friday, November 15 – Thursday November 21 at the Laemmle Noho 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd,, North Hollywood, 91601.

Watch the Trailer

Tickets can be bought at https://www.laemmle.com/theater/noho-7?date=2024-11-15



For more information, or to interview Lina Suh, please contact Deborah Gilels at gilelsdeborah@gmail.com or at 818-648-9513.
“Meeting You, Meeting Me”

Film Synopsis

 An unexpected, much-needed friendship arrives at your doorstep. Two women from very different walks of life -- a Korean American divorce attorney who is very rooted in her immigrant family's upbringing, and a Californian college dropout searching for herself after being canceled online -- both desperately need a friend in this moment, when they cross paths by chance and form an unlikely friendship.

Filmmaker Bio 

Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea; the American Midwest; and New York. Lina produced several fiction shorts in New York and Los Angeles, and directed a short humanitarian documentary FLOW ON THROUGH in Cambodia that was in a World Bank-issued “Water and Sanitation” guide distributed to NGOs in developing countries.

She has taught screenwriting at ESRA (Ecole Superieure de Realisation Audiovisuelle) a French film school satellite in NYC. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE which was later developed as a TV series with Sony Pictures TV and HBO Max.

Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye towards co-productions with Korea. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. MEETING YOU, MEETING ME is Lina’s first feature film as a writer and director. She received a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing and an MFA from the University of Southern California in film production.


Lina Suh - Director Statement 

My closest friendships have been the guiding forces throughout my life. Foremost are my two sisters who grew up with me across continents in Korea and in America. Then, my high school best friend is Mexican American living in Minnesota, and my college best friends are from Calcutta in India, Nebraska, New Jersey, Washington -- of Indian, Irish, Taiwanese, Lebanese descent. 

These women are all so different from each other, and different from me, but they have each challenged me with the ways they think and live their lives, they ground me with their awareness, we belly laugh together, they annoy me, they cry with me, they listen, and we have continually chosen to spend copious amounts of time together. A glimpse into a friendship like this, perfect with its imperfections, specific, intimate, surprising in its subtleties, is the story I want to share. I want the audience to walk away from this film, recognizing themselves and their closest friends in the characters Sav and Simone, and be moved by the transformative effect different people can have in our lives when we let them in.

Cast - Leads Annika Foster Sam Yim Cast - Additional Patrick Luwis Jennifer Pak Bornila Chatterjee Steve Greist Rachel Byrd Nicole Teeny Alex Egan Jamie Roy