Cast

One hundred years ago, California women gained the right to vote — by a margin of 240 votes. That’s right, just 240 citizens choosing to cast their ballots made the difference. They rode their horses and buggies down mountain roads, across deserts and along bumpy rural tracks, or took trolleys and walked blocks in cities. In short, all of them had to stop work and make a real effort to cast their ballots. Today, all Burbank voters have to do to cast their votes is get their ballots back to the City Clerk by Tuesday.

Mark R. Madler In a booming voice, Stephen James calls out instructions to his cast and crew of eighth-graders at John Muir Middle School. "When I cue [the trumpet player], open up the curtain and raise the lights," James directed from the front of the school's auditorium during a rehearsal earlier this week. Most of the cast of "The Spell of Sleeping Beauty" then disappeared behind the green curtain, leaving just a handful of students out front, including Becca Mirnoff, 13, and Anush Iritsyan, 14, who is dressed for her role as a cat. Becca and Anush knelt over a poster board, drawing letters with markers.

Dink O'Neal, Weekend BURBANK -- Ray Bradbury's writing, whether prose or verse, is poetic in its use of sound and images. It's impossible to envision a more perfect synergy of these qualities than his collection of Irish life lessons titled "Falling Upward!" now playing at the Falcon Theatre after a recent two-month run at L.A.'s Theatre West. Bradbury spent seven months in Ireland serving as screenwriter on John Huston's immortal film "Moby Dick."

Mary Burkin, Weekend GLENDALE -- Glendale Community College's production of "Aloha, Say The Pretty Girls" starts with Vivian's boyfriend Will saying aloha to their two-year affair. This is just the beginning of a yearlong search from Hawaii to Borneo for love, Christmas trees, lost killer dogs and a tribal identity. Passing around and through Vivian's life while she deals with her loss and unplanned pregnancy are a wild variety of people (and animals)

Amid the hectic preparations of a dress rehearsal for the Providence High School musical “Godspell” on Thursday, a phantom voice suddenly resounded in the auditorium. “I need to get a test on Jesus here,” said the soundman, Dayne Adams. “Godspell” seemed an apt choice for the school’s annual musical this year, said Debbie Learned, musical director of the production. “Our Easter season comes early this year, and we thought it was good to do ‘Godspell’ and then go right into it,” she said.

Laura Sturza MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- "Business is booming in 'beautiful downtown Burbank,' " Mayor Bob Kramer said at his State of the City Address, a Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday that featured cast members from "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." Gary Owens, master of ceremonies for the event, originated the line that promoted Burbank on the Emmy-winning, landmark NBC program that aired 1968-73. When introducing Kramer, Owens said, "Today, he joined the Big Brothers of America, and now every Saturday some guy comes over to his house and takes him over to the ball game."

There?s some foot-stompin?, old time religion on display as Burbank?s Theatre Banshee hosts the Los Angeles premiere of ?Tent Meeting.? Director Rebecca Wackler, also one of this piece?s authors, demonstrates her insight into the material with a seamless production. Set in 1946, the play chronicles the travels of the Rev. Edward O. Tarbox, a traveling preacher, and his two rather mixed-up, adult-aged children, from Arkansas to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. A curiosity-piquing story to be sure, especially when you toss in a kidnapped baby possessing seemingly supernatural powers.

Hollywood's casting directors have ratified a new three-year contract. Teamsters Local 399 business agent Steve Dayan said the union's casting directors overwhelmingly approved a new contract Tuesday that gives them modest increases in wages and contributions to their health plans, according to the Los Angeles Times . Dayan did not disclose terms of the contract, but the agreement is patterned after similar contracts negotiated by...

[Editor's note: This story has updated from an earlier version] Former City Council candidate Bob Frutos lost his seat on the Burbank Police Commission this week after failing to garner enough confirmation votes. Frutos, who lost to Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy in the runoff general election last month by less than 100 votes, expressed surprise at the decision after Mayor Jess Talamantes on Tuesday cast the swing vote to appoint someone else to the commission. “It’s going to take some time to process,” Frutos said the next day during his last commission meeting.

One hundred years ago, California women gained the right to vote — by a margin of 240 votes. That’s right, just 240 citizens choosing to cast their ballots made the difference. They rode their horses and buggies down mountain roads, across deserts and along bumpy rural tracks, or took trolleys and walked blocks in cities. In short, all of them had to stop work and make a real effort to cast their ballots. Today, all Burbank voters have to do to cast their votes is get their ballots back to the City Clerk by Tuesday.

Head cold. Uncomfortable chair. Rude woman in the next row chatting with her friend. These all are things that might cause a writer to give an otherwise decent play a bad review. It may be unfair to the playwright, the actors and the crew of the show, but details such as these always factor into the overall sense of enjoyment — or lack thereof — one feels when at the theater. The unhappy subconscious takes out its negative emotions on the play, blaming it for the entire miserable experience.

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday voted 4 to 1 to adopt a balanced $774-million budget starting July 1 that included a series of program cuts, position freezes and fee hikes to bridge an anticipated $7.2-million general-fund shortfall for next year. The state budget crisis, growing unemployment and sliding revenues contributed to the projected deficit, which is expected to grow to $11.5 million by fiscal year 2013-14. Each department was asked to cap costs, refrain from creating new positions and cut spending by 5%. City officials, facing the first forecasted decline in sales revenue in nine years, offered a slimmed-down general-fund budget of $147 million.