Category Archives: Theater

Canadian Actress Lisa Jai Stars in the Upcoming Film “Runaway Dream”

May 7, 2015 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

Lisa Jai as Birdie in "What of the Night?" at the Vagrancy in Los Angeles — Lisa Jai as Birdie in “What of the Night?” at the Vagrancy in Los Angeles

Audiences across the world know the work of internationally acclaimed actress Lisa Jai. With an impressive career that has spanned more than two decades, viewers old and young have had a lot of opportunities to see Jai’s diverse talents on the screen in everything from the hit television shows Barbar, Rupert and The Magic School Bus, to the films Balance of Power, Creed and Lost Angels.

Jai recently finished filming Runaway Dream, a film about two Hollywood transplants who get a whole lot more than they bargained for when they make the move to tinsel town with stars in their eyes.

Directed by award-winning cinematographer Daniel Abreu, Runaway Dream stars Jai in the role of Linn, and Vivian Ahn (Sisters, Inside Carly, Trail Mix, Lost Angels, Henry Danger) as Jess.

Jai says, “It is a story of the length’s people could go to when in need of more money than they are earning and what happens to someone when they have lost sight of their dream.”

A sad tale with an unpredictable twist, Runaway Dream follows Jai’s character Linn, a down and out aspiring actress who works as a maid to make ends meet. When things don’t pan out as Linn hoped, desperation leads her to hatch a plan to rob the home of an ex-boss who she believes is out of town—a move that leaves her in circumstances that are far more dire than those she faced before.

The film is currently in post-production and is scheduled for release later this year. Originally from Sweden, director Daniel Abreu received the Best Cinematographer Award for his film James & Quinn from the Sherry Theater’s 120Hour film fest, a prestigious festival run by Scott Haze (Star of Child of God directed by James Franco) and Jim Parrick (True Blood).

“Lisa is a dream to work with, she’s captivating onscreen – a gifted talent,” says Abreu. “She’s improved me as a filmmaker, truly.”

It is not surprising that Abreu says Jai’s contributions to the film improved him as a filmmaker considering the actress’s longstanding position in the industry as both a performer and a producer.

When she first rose to fame as an actress she was barely 4-years-old– an age where it is difficult for a person to be unequivocally dedicated to one thing. For the following decade Jai continued to land starring roles in a long list of international television shows and blockbuster films, as well as innumerable commercials for brands including Hasbro, Ocean Spray, Hallmark cards, Charmin, Ivory soap, Tang, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds and more.

While many children dream of becoming stars on the screen, the spotlight wasn’t always an easy thing to handle.

Jai recalls, “I was being teased at school and bullied for being on television. I was accused of being a show off and also keeping up with schoolwork caused a lot of tension with teachers.”

Despite the difficulties, the foundation Jai laid for herself as a performer in the entertainment industry in her early childhood definitely helped make her the incredible actress she is today.

“I worked a lot for the Canadian Broadcast Company. I was a guest regular on the children show Mr. Dressup where I had to sing and worked alongside puppeteers,” explains Jai. “We would tape live so that truly taught me how to think on my feet as an actress; plus having dialogue with puppets and making that ‘relationship’ believable to the audience only bettered my craft — like, there I was, staring into a pair of man made paper-mache eyes having a conversation: can you imagine?”

Naturally, as Jai transitioned into adulthood, it took a few years for her to affirm her individuality as a person outside of the spotlight, and really discover what it was that she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

She says “Even after trying to quit and go to University so I could get a ‘real job,’ I missed acting so much, even at its roughest points… That’s how I know it’s my true passion and chosen profession. I love it too much.”

After returning to show biz a few years later, Jai realized that her love for performing extended beyond the film and television industry alone. She was immediately recognized for talents on stage going on to land starring role after starring role.

When it comes to acting in comedies in the theater, Jai says, “I love hearing peoples laughter; there’s a joy in bringing smiles to the faces of others.”

She adds, “On stage you’re not limited by being out of frame if you move too much…. as long as the true feeling is there, you can justify every move – use up the whole stage.”

Last year she gave a riveting performance in the leading roles of Birdie and Wang in the Pulitzer-Prize Nominated play “What of the Night?” written by Cuban-American playwright Maria Irene Fornes. The play, which was staged at the Vagrancy Theatre in Los Angeles and directed by Caitlin Hart, was just another opportunity for Jai to showcase her unparalleled talents on stage. The production was so well received that it garnered a prestigious Ovation Recommendation from LA Stage Alliance in 2014.

In addition to “What of the Night?,” the actress has also led several other productions to success with her unforgettable performances as Fiona in “99 Ways to F*ck a Swan,” Masha in Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at the Irene Gilbert Theater, Ruth in Timothy McNeil’s “Dead Pussy,” Mrs. Banks in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park,” Titus in “Titus Andronicus,” Kate Keller in “All My Sons” and many more.

Out of all of the characters she has played on the stage, Jai notes her role as Isela Sanchez from Lynn Manning’s play “The Unrequited: A Tale Between Two Worlds,” which was directed by Shishir Kurup and staged at the Cornerstone Theater in 2011, as her favorite to date.

The production followed Jai’s character Isela, a young woman living in a wheelchair due to Polio during the 40’s in LA, as she prepares to marry a man she doesn’t love; and the mysterious events that arise to keep her from betraying the soul of the man to whom her heart is truly devoted.

Today Jai has established a a glowing reputation for her ability to touch audiences emotionally through her portrayal of characters across genres on both the screen and stage; and with several upcoming projects in the works, and the release of Runaway Dream slated for later this year, there is literally no stopping her.

Actors, International Actor, Theater

Alex Luukkonen, A Phenom of the Stage!

May 6, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

A great actor is more than an entertainer, more than an artist, more than the sum of their roles. A great actor has a rare form of empathy—he or she is a student of humanity, a philosopher who uses their understanding of the world and the people in it to become somebody else, even it is only for a little while. Originally from Finland, actor Alex Luukkonen has spent his entire life traveling the world, meeting people from Scandinavia to Japan, China to L.A., Poland to London. He has used his worldly experience to become a master of his craft, and in so doing he has worked alongside visionaries of both stage and screen.

In Slavs!, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America), Luukkonen plays the lead role of Yegor Tremens Rodent. Set during the collapse of the Soviet Union, Slavs! explores love and loss in a rapidly crumbling empire, examining the lives of characters who are suffering from radiation poisoning caused by the USSR’s nuclear programs. Rodent (Alex Lukkonen) is a bureaucrat dispatched to Siberia, where he bears witness to the agony of a family torn apart by the effects of the radioactive waste left behind by the brutal communist regime, which has neither the resources nor the will to protect its own people.

In the Clifford Odets’ 1935 classic Waiting for Lefty, Luukkonen took on the role of Miller, a lab assistant who grapples with the moral issues of a promotion he is asked to accept. The new job would see Miller working with, and secretly spying on, a chemist who is designing a new chemical weapon for the imminent war in Europe. Having lost family in World War I, Miller refuses to become involved in what he views as a wholly unethical project. The production of Waiting for Lefty was directed by Academy Award-winning director Milton Justice (Down and Out in America) and staged in Los Angeles.

“In Lefty, I played Miller, an honest to-a-fault researcher who loses his job due to refusing to compromise on his principles,” Luukkonen said, lending his personal insight to a character with whom he became intimately familiar.

Out of all his work though, Luukkonen’s stage presence shined through with unseen magnetism during his performance as Inspector Ruffing, the lead in Ravenscroft, written by Don Nigro and directed by May Quigley (Murder C.O.D., Picture Perfect). The play, which was adapted into the 1999 hit The Manor, is an Agatha Christie-esque comedic mystery. Luukkonen’s character is dispatched to the Ravenscroft manor to investigate a murder at the secluded mansion.

“Inspector Ruffing is a sure-of-himself Sherlock Holmes-type detective who comes to the Ravenscroft manor to investigate an apparent murder,” Luukkonen said of the character, joking that the character’s impressive investigatory skills are dulled by drinking as the play unfolds. “Throughout the investigation, his sureness in his own instincts slips from him at the same rate as his sobriety does.”

After his arrival at the Ravenscroft manor, Ruffing begins to examine the mysterious death of a man who suspiciously fell headfirst down a flight of stairs. Surrounded by a group of five femme fatales, each of whom is a suspect in the death with their own motives, Ruffing begins to dig through the facts in a story that leaves the audience in suspense until the very last minute.

The intercontinental phenom’s talents on stage are just one facet of his incredibly diverse creative skillset, and his ever-growing repertoire of roles has ensured his place in the zeitgeist across cultural and national boundaries.

Actors, Film, South Korean Actors, Television, Theater

For Jay Kim, Acting is an Avenue for Endless Exploration

April 5, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

As a young boy, South Korean-born actor Jay Kim wanted to be a police officer, a Jedi and a myriad of other occupations one could simply not accomplish in one lifetime.

He recalled, “In the 6th grade, I had an epiphany and realized I that could be all those things if I became an actor. Over the years, the reason I kept to this path has changed, but that was the initial starting point.”

After serving his country as a Korean Special Forces commando, Jay Kim went on to become an actor, an occupation that, even if only for a few months at a time during the shooting of a film, has allowed him to fulfill a wildly diverse range of professions through his characters.

The young actor is absolutely devoted to his craft, and he has continued to prove his ability to blend into any role he is cast with natural ease. His work on both the stage and screen over the past decade has also put him alongside some of the most prestigious names in the business.

In his latest film, Purgatory, Kim gave a truly heart-wrenching performance. The film takes place in purgatory, and follows a man who was killed in a horrific car crash. Kim’s character Tod was an addict, a man with a hard habit and a harder life whose suicide brought him to the realm of repentance. Kim said the challenge of playing such a tormented character was an experience that was equally as dark as it was fulfilling.

“I loved the part and fought hard to get it. It was dark, and ‘getting inside’ the character required a lot of unpleasantness,” Kim said. “The character was miserable, but it was intriguing to attempt to really, really live in Tod’s shoes.”

Several years before Purgatory, Kim worked with award-winning Greek stage and screen actor Yorgos Karamihos whose credits include Without Borders, Beware of Bear, Matomena homata, Tale 52, Bang-Bang Wedding!, El Greco, Fugitive Pieces and over 30 other film and television shows.

Not only were Kim and Karamihos costars in past projects, but Karamihos also had a huge impact on Kim’s development as an actor in the early stages of his career.

After seeing Kim’s performance as Tod in Purgatory, Karamihos said, “Dark stuff, and I absolutely enjoyed watching. Amazing, superbly organic and truthful, disturbingly beautiful to watch… I feel honored for having been [his] teacher once, and I am looking forward to watching [his] new film.”

Kim’s prior work with Karamihos included the gripping film Maestro, in which Kim played Ken, the “tough guy” and right hand man to Karamihos’ character, the titular “maestro.”

About working with Karamihos, Kim recalled, “I learned an incredible amount from him, not just acting technique-wise, but how all aspects of life apply to acting… I truly looked up to him and admired his knowledge, so it was a thrill to work alongside him.”

Maestro was a thrilling, fast-paced story of manipulation, greed, and backstabbing.

“The film was about a conniving, snake-like ‘maestro’ who stole his colleague’s lover and work clients,” Kim said. “Luis Fernandez-Gil also starred in the film and he was a fantastic actor to watch. The intensity he brought was genuine and proved that his talents are of the highest caliber.”

In 2014, Kim’s talent caught the attention of esteemed playwright and actor Tim McNeil, who cast Kim in The Straight Bozo, a one act play about a Wall Street man with a secret which gradually comes to light as the audience follows him in his commute from Long Island to Manhattan.

Other plays on Kim’s impressive list of stage works include Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, and Bertolt Brecht’s The Irresistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Kim’s upcoming releases include Purgatory and The Dragon’s Lair, which is set to finish production later this year. Audiences should brace themselves now, because the world will soon be seeing a lot more of this young phenomenon’s face.

Actors, Behind the Scenes, Film, Television, Theater

One of Mexico’s Brightest Stars, Actress Ale Fips!

January 1, 2015 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

Originally born in Guadalajara, Mexico, actress Ale Fips began her career on some of the most prestigious stages in Mexico at the age of 8. The young Fips was first chosen to work with the International Book Festival known as the FIL, with which she performed for four years putting on a new a play each season for audiences in the hundreds.

Ale Fips got her first big break when she was cast in the starring role of Princess Nadia in the musical theatre production of “El Príncipe Rana,” also known as “The Frog Prince,” when she was barely 16-years-old. The production follows Princess Nadia, a spoiled young girl who loses a golden ball in the water, as she begins to cry a mysterious frog appears and promises to return her prized possession as long as she promises to let him live in the palace from then on. The princess agrees, but quickly forgets her promise until the frog appears at the palace as an honored dinner guest later that night. The moral of the story revolves around honoring one’s promises, as well as not judging others by their outer appearance a point which is furthered by the fact that frog turns into a prince towards the end of the story.

Ale Fips proved her tenacious dedication to her craft as she continually wowed audiences in her portrayal of Princess Nadia over the course of the production’s three season run in Mexico. While “El Príncipe Rana” proved the power of Fips’s magnetic stage presence as an actress, the production also gave her the opportunity to vocalize her impressive range as a singer, an asset to the production that kept audiences coming back over and over again. “El Príncipe Rana” was performed in several theaters in Guadalajara including Foro de Arte y Cultura de Guadalajara, Centro Cultural Jaime Torres Bodet, and Guadalajara Teatro del IMSS.

Some of Ale Fips’s other theater productions include “Monstruos El Musical” where she played the role of Dr. Jekyll’s daughter Belinda, “La Mulata de Cordova” where she played the starring role of La Mulata, “Fondo De Cultura Económica” where she played the role of Maya, as well as many others. While Fips’s dynamic abilities as both an actress and a singer have made her a highly sought after talent for high profile musical theater productions, her abilities have also made her an integral actress on some of the most popular television shows in Mexico.

“I moved to Mexico City when I was 18 because I was cast for the Latin version of High School Musical on TV Azteca. It was an amazing experience; we were on primetime television for five months on Canal 13, TV Azteca’s most popular channel,” recalled Ale Fips. “Then I continued my career in theater until I was called to start working on La Rosa de Guadalupe on Televisa.”

Ale Fips played several leading roles in the hit series La Rosa de Guadalupe, a dramatic anthology series that began in 2008 and continues to bring high viewership ratings today. Fips has starred in eight episodes of the series including “La Luz de la Verdad,” “La Semilla del Bien,” “Perdonar con Amor,” “Vivir en Paz,” “Con pies de Plomo,” “Donde está el Sol,” as well as others.

Now in her early 20s, the actress has advanced her craft with leaps and bounds and has come to be recognized throughout Mexico for her diverse acting skills. Fips is currently working on the production of “Judgment on A Gray Beach” where she will play the starring role of Leni. The production is scheduled to open at New York’s renowned La MaMa theater in 2015.

Actors, Celebrity, Film, Theater

From the Theater to the Silver Screen, Actress Daniela Mandoki!

November 26, 2014 Lorraine Wilder 1 Comment

Actress Daniela Mandoki in the film "Obediencia Perfecta" — Actress Daniela Mandoki in the film “Obediencia Perfecta”

Recognized throughout Mexico for her roles on the popular shows María Belén and La Rosa de Guadalupe, Daniela Mandoki has created an astonishing reputation as a go-to actress for a variety of challenging roles.

Mandoki’s most recent film roles include Valeria in Divina Confusión and Laura in Obediencia Perfecta. Unfolding like a love story gone sour, Divina Confusión opens with a melancholy dialogue about moving on between Dante, played by Damer, and Javier, played by Xabiani Ponce de Leon who plays Marco on Disney’s hit series Violetta. The way the dialogue proceeds on an emotional level leads audiences to believe that the two men are lovers, however, with the appearance of Valeria, played by Daniela Mandoki, we quickly learn that the two men are talking about moving on from their band and Valeria is in fact Javier’s girlfriend.

“It was a very smart way to distract the audience,” explained Mandoki. “It’s incredible how we as the audience jump to conclusions forgetting that close relationships go beyond romance.”

In addition to her work on-camera, Daniela Mandoki has also starred in a lengthy list of well-known theater productions under the direction of world renowned directors including Emmy and Oscar Award winner Milton Justice and Christopher Thornton who is known for the films Sympathy for Delicious, Hitched, I’m With Stupid, Pretty Persuasion, Welcome To California, as well as many others.

Putting the vast nature of her craft on display, Mandoki took on two drastically different roles in Milton Justice’s production of “Our Town.” Taking the stage as both Rebecca Gibbs, an 8-year-old girl, and Mrs. Louella Soames, a 60-year-old woman, Mandoki transitioned with ease between the role of the young and naïve Gibbs and the elderly town gossip and choir singer Mrs. Soames. A talented singer and musician herself, Mandoki amazed audiences across Los Angeles with her capacity as a vocalist in her performance of Mrs. Soames.

The actress proved her diversity once again when she took the stage in the male role of Schuppanzigh in the production of “Black Comedy” under the direction of Christopher Thornton. Mandoki’s remarkable theater resume also includes the productions of Juan Gabriel Moreno’s Delitto All’isola Delle Capre (Crime on Goat-Island), Ana Lourdes Lopez and Margarita Mandoki’s Abrir La Ventana (Open The Window), Israel Velasco’s El Paraiso De Los Gatos (Cat’s Paradise), and more.

Audiences in New York will have the opportunity to see Daniela perform this March in Elia K. Schneider’s upcoming theater production of “Judgment on a Gray Beach” where the actress will take the stage in the starring role of Josephine. A new production based on the work of Franz Kafka, the production will be held at the La MaMa theater. One of the most recognized venues for experimental theater in New York, La MaMa has received more than 30 OBIE Awards, as well as a long list of Drama Desk, Bessie and Villager Awards since its founding 50 years ago.