Alex Theatre

The Alex Film Society celebrates its 11th year with a variety of classic films leading off the new season with the fifth annual "Vaudeville Extravaganza!" at 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Several acts are scheduled, including Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys, playing music from the era. Also planned are Raffles & His Rainbow Poodle Fantasy, David Avadon, the Fastest Pickpocket in the West, the award-winning Native American Hoop Dancer Robert Whirlwind, and comic Chipper Lowell.

Joyce Rudolph GLENDALE -- Historical facts about The Alex Theatre in Glendale will be revealed along with a look behind the scenes during a free group tour scheduled for Saturday, May 5. Guests will be led through the courtyard and auditorium by a docent who will recount events and lore of the theater's early years as well as the docent's experiences as a member of the team guiding the theater's rehabilitation....

GLENDALE -- In its West Coast premiere, "The Immigrants" will be performed by the 35-year-old AMAN Folk Ensemble at The Alex Theatre this weekend. "The Immigrants" is a celebration of the immigrant experience and demonstrates how people from all over the world have brought their traditions here. The piece looks at what happens when those traditions bump up against each other and new traditions are created. A professional actor, playing the role of a philosophical street musician, weaves the context for the highly diverse segments, around the theme of E Pluribus Unum, or Out of Many One. "The Immigrants" is a fast-paced, contemporary collection of music and dance interspersed with the voices of AMAN's own performers articulating the importance of honoring traditional cultures.

This Sunday, December 5th at 6:30 p.m., the 29th Tuba Christmas in Los Angeles will be held in front of the Alex Theatre on Brand Boulevard in downtown Glendale. As many as 300 players make up the large tuba/euphonium choir. They range in age from 8 to 80 and come from all over Southern California. In addition there will be performances by the world famous Tubadours and the Los Tubas Pros. Conductors will be Jim Self, Tim O'Brien, Steve Klein (conducting some tuba Hanukah songs)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fund-raisers are in the works to produce the second ballet production for Burbank's Media City Ballet Company on May 18 at The Alex Theatre in Glendale. On the program will be the "Rach- maninov Sketches," choreo- graphed by Artistic Director Natasha Middleton and danced to Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto #3, and the famous Armenian ballet, "Gayane," choreographed by Associate Director Ruben Tonoyan. To raise money for the performance, the company is resuming the Sunday Afternoon at the Ballet series.

Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are hoping to spread the word that Los Angeles has its own ballet. So the husband and wife co-artistic directors of the Los Angeles Ballet have opted to produce their first work at three venues to cover the large territory encompassed by the city, they said. The Los Angeles Ballet is giving two performances of its inaugural production of "The Nutcracker," today at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. "In starting the company, we wanted to see how we fit in the picture," Christensen said.

Glendale took home its fourth consecutive trophy at Thursday’s 120th Tournament of Roses Parade for the flower-covered float that celebrated the Alex Theatre’s long history in the city. The 35-foot-long float was created to honor an era in the 1930s when the theater, which opened in 1925, was often used for Hollywood premieres for films such as “National Velvet” and “Going My Way.” At that time, the theater was the closest movie house to Los Angeles, said Joyce Sokoloff, Glendale Rose Float Assn.

The Glendale Youth Orchestra and Southern California Mormon Choir are joining forces for the first time for a one-night performance Tuesday at the Alex Theatre. The concert will feature about 70 members of the 54-year-old choir and the orchestra’s 37 young musicians who range in ages 11 to 18. “The choir sounds awesome, and the orchestra is amazing,” conductor Brad Keimach said. The choir decided to collaborate with the youngsters after a couple of members came to hear the orchestra perform, Keimach said.

For years, audience members have felt their presence while watching films and live performances or walking around the Alex Theatre. Board member Ron Bonk has been a volunteer with the Alex Film Society for 11 years and has heard tales from residents and employees about ghostly feelings or sightings. The history is certainly there: The former vaudeville movie palace opened in 1925. In June, Michael J. Kouri, psychic-medium and parapsychological investigator, visited the theater to check its haunted pulse.

The Peking Acrobats will flavor Friday’s show with some new feats, but some of the old favorites will be back onstage at the Alex Theatre. They bring with them the Chinese tradition of juggling, tumbling and gymnastics that has been around for centuries, said Cynthia Dike-Hughes, who with husband Don Hughes, has co-produced the show for 20 years. Directing the talent is artistic director Ken Hai, a third-generation member of a famous acrobatic family from China, Dike-Hughes said.

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center Guild recently held its annual Fall Card Party and Luncheon at Lakeside Golf Club. Grace Mylroie Patz was chairwoman the event, and the co-chair was Karen Barragan. There were 173 members and guests in attendance. Louise Arklin of Granada Hills brought enough women to play five tables of canasta. Sarah De La Torre and Carmen McClellan of Glendale enjoyed playing bridge. Other women in attendance were Lee Kaplan, Barbara Reese and Doris Talbert.

Armenian American voters have become a key focus for the two candidates running in the June 8 special runoff election for state Assembly, with both attending major community events and winning over key representatives for endorsements. With Glendale school board member Nayiri Nahabedian — the top Armenian American candidate in the April 13 primary — out of the contest, Republican Sunder Ramani, a small-business owner and past president of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, and Democrat Mike Gatto, an attorney and former district director for Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks)

Officials promise a diverse program of vocal and instrumental music punctuated by the highest caliber of talent when the Glendale Renaissance Orchestra makes its debut Thursday night at the Americana at Brand. The orchestra plans to blend light classical and pops repertoire throughout the season of three concerts at the outdoor venue before its season finale holiday concert at the Alex Theatre. The inaugural concert is titled “A Night at the Opera” and features soprano Dale Kristien, known for her portrayal of Christine on Broadway and in the Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” and tenor Joseph Pokorski, who has appeared in several major operas throughout North America and Europe.

In the wake of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan?s announcement to suspend all efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, hundreds of people gathered at the Alex Theatre to commemorate the first genocide of the 20th century. And while attendees Friday did not bear witness to the start of the mass exterminations, many mourned the losses of aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. On the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the word ?

Women made a strong showing in this year’s 168 Film Project, a two-day film festival that culminated with an awards ceremony Saturday evening at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Film crews created a short based on randomly chosen Bible verses and have one week, or 168 hours to film it. In this eighth year of the project, women won more awards than ever. “It was definitely a banner year for female producers, said John Ware, founder and president of the event. “Women have been empowered by many things.

TODAY The eighth annual 168 Film Festival featuring films from local and international groups will be presented beginning at 10 a.m. at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. The speed filmmaking contest began with contestants receiving a variety of passages from the Bible and seven days to create a film. Tickets are available for $15 to $27, and an All Festival Pass is $35. Visit www.168 project.com . Dark Delicacies will host a DVD signing for the release of the After Dark Film Festival releases at 2 p.m. at Dark Delicacies, 4213 W. Burbank Blvd.

Ghosts recently filled Glendale?s famed Alex Theatre as Musical Theatre Guild presented a staged reading of ?High Spirits,? the 1964 musical version of Noel Coward?s urbane comedy ?Blithe Spirit.? Under the expert tutelage of director Richard Israel, this company of 11, touting regional and Broadway credits galore, presented an amazing, one-night-only evening of entertainment. Headlining the list of earthly beings in this chamber musical were Damon Kirsche and Teri Bibb as mystery writer Charles Condimine and his second wife, Ruth.

A change of the guard was the order of the evening for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra?s concert last Saturday at the Alex Theatre. Conductor Jeffrey Kahane stepped aside in order to allow the depth of talent in the principal chairs from the string and woodwind section to take the spotlight. Showing their phenomenal skills were Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, Assistant Concertmaster Tereza Stanislav, principal second violin Josefina Vergara, associate principal second violin Sarah Thornblade, principal cello Andrew Shulman and principal oboe Allan Vogel.

The Peking Acrobats will flavor Friday’s show with some new feats, but some of the old favorites will be back onstage at the Alex Theatre. They bring with them the Chinese tradition of juggling, tumbling and gymnastics that has been around for centuries, said Cynthia Dike-Hughes, who with husband Don Hughes, has co-produced the show for 20 years. Directing the talent is artistic director Ken Hai, a third-generation member of a famous acrobatic family from China, Dike-Hughes said.