Playhouse Village Association

SCCM: Mindful Mondays
2025-02-17 10:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
Southern California Children’s Museum invites families to start the week with mindfulness through a gentle introduction to breathing exercises, sensory awareness, stretching, mantras, and easy meditations. This weekly program includes a storytime and mindfulness exercise, offering techniques that benefit all ages. No special equipment is needed—just come as you are!

Vroman's Bookstore: Alejandro Heredia, in conversation with Myriam Gurba, discusses Loca
2025-02-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
If Junot Diaz’s critically acclaimed collection Drown and Janet Mock’s Emmy-winning series Pose produced offspring, Alejandro Heredia’s Loca would be their firstborn.
It’s 1999, and best friends Sal and Charo are striving to hold on to their dreams in a New York determined to grind them down. Sal is a book-loving science nerd trying to grow beyond his dead-end job in a new city, but he’s held back by tragic memories from his past in Santo Domingo. Free-spirited Charo is surprised to find herself a mother at twenty-five, partnered with a controlling man, working at the same supermarket for years, her world shrunk to the very domesticity she thought she’d escaped in her old country. When Sal finds love at a gay club one night, both his and Charo’s worlds unexpectedly open up to a vibrant social circle that pushes them to reckon with what they owe to their own selves, pasts, futures, and, always, each otherdd
Loca follows one daring year in the lives of young people living at the edge of their own patience and desires. With expansive grace, it reveals both the grueling conditions that force people to migrate and the possibility of friendship as home when family, nations, and identity groups fall short.

SCCM: Messy Play
2025-02-18 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-02-25 14:00 - 14:30 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
At Southern California Children’s Museum, children and grown-ups can explore sensory experiences together while embracing a little mess! Each week features new hands-on activities designed to spark imagination, support language development, enhance fine motor skills, and encourage sensory exploration—all in a fun and engaging environment.

Music at Noon: Hugo Maia Nogueira Trio, flute, guitar & cello
2025-02-19 12:10 - 12:40 | Pasadena Presbyterian Church Musical Events, 585 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California, 91101
Pasadena Presbyterian Church presents Music at Noon a free lunchtime concert spotlighting local artists this week enjoy Hugo Maia Nogueira featuring flute, guitar, and cello. Can’t make it in person check out their YouTube channel for new virtual concerts every week.

SCCM: Story & Craft
2025-02-19 14:00 - 14:30 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
At Southern California Children’s Museum, Story & Craft brings stories to life through arts, crafts, and interactive play! Designed for toddlers to kindergarteners, this weekly program introduces children to diverse authors, illustrators, cultures, and characters through storytelling, music, and hands-on creativity. Cultural lessons are woven in, celebrating heritage months and awareness days in a fun and engaging way.

Vroman's Bookstore: Julie Tieu, in conversation with Erin La Rosa, discusses Girl Most Likely To
2025-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A frenemies-to-lovers contemporary romance by Julie Tieu which takes place over the course of one make-or-break evening, almost entirely at a high school reunion….
“For the rom-com fans, you can never go wrong with a Julie Tieu book.”— Buzzfeed
Rachel Dang once voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in high school, is unemployed for the first time. After years of doing everything her boss asked, it’s time to say yes to new opportunities. So when she gets invited to her twentieth high school reunion by none other than her former frenemy, Danny Phan, Rachel agrees despite their unresolved past.
As a teenager, Danny was seen as smart, but unfocused. Teachers often paired him with Rachel, hoping her work ethic would rub off on him. Though Danny and Rachel weren’t exactly friends, she had seen a different side of him, one that only existed online over intimate late-night AIM chats that never translated into real life. When they meet again, Rachel discovers their roles have reversed. Danny is thriving in his career while she’s the one flailing.
The reunion takes an unexpected turn when a simple errand takes them into town for a night of mishaps and misadventures where they run into a colorful cast of characters from their childhood. Rachel and Danny soon rediscover the feelings they once shared and must decide if this is only a quick trip down memory lane or a second chance for their happily ever after.
Erin La Rosa is the author of The Backtrack, Plot Twist, For Butter or Worse, Womanskills, and The Big Redhead Book. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four daughters (two human, and two feline).

Vroman's Bookstore: Jenn Bregman discusses The Last Hamilton
2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
After the last heir of Alexander Hamilton’s line is murdered, her heartbroken husband and best friend team up in this twisty thriller where a mysterious death uncovers not just an ancient secret society, but the treasures it holds—perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Sarah Penner.
The more they know, the more danger they’re in.
When Elizabeth Walker, the last heir of the Alexander Hamilton line, is tragically killed by a subway train in New York, foul play is immediately suspected. Elizabeth had been terrified, frantic, and manic during her last days, running mysterious errands, searching for a strange antique key, and sending cryptic messages to her best friend, Sarah Brockman.
The morning after Elizabeth’s death, a box of tattered documents lands on Sarah’s doorstep, confirming her suspicions about Elizabeth’s strange behavior and shocking death. She brings the box to Elizabeth’s grieving husband, Ralph. Working together, they are stunned to discover that Elizabeth was part of a secret society established by Hamilton himself to keep the United States just and free, its influence woven into every corner of the country’s history. As Sarah and Ralph race through the streets of New York to uncover the truth behind Elizabeth’s death, they must stop an ingenious and sinister plot before someone else catches up to them–and the secrets of Hamilton’s society are lost forever.
With fascinating details from the shadows of American history, The Last Hamilton is a sweeping and fast-paced thriller reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code.

SCCM: Wild California Explorers
2025-02-21 14:00 - 14:30 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
Did you know that the Washingtonia filifera is the only palm tree species native to California? Southern California Children’s Museum brings history to life through storytime, art activities, games, scavenger hunts, and more, offering engaging ways for children to learn about the state and the people who shaped it.

Vroman's Bookstore: Stacey Simmons discusses Mushroom Pharmacy
2025-02-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A practical, approachable guide to using psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in mushrooms, for health and wellness, including information on varietals, microdosing, and the treatment of an array of mental and psychical ailments.
Psilocybin is proving to have profound impact on health and wellness, particularly in the areas of mental health and addiction. From author and certified psychedelic therapist Stacey Simmons, MA, PhD, LMFT, Mushroom Pharmacy is the first comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide to using mushrooms safely and effectively to alleviate symptoms, and potentially cure the underlying causes, of dozens of ailments from depression, anxiety, and addiction to OCD, PTSD, Lyme Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Migraines and more. In this deeply researched, practically oriented guide, Dr. Simmons helps readers understand how psilocybin acts on the brain, the key elements of responsible psychedelic therapy, and how the effects of this practice can lead to deep and permanent healing. The book also educates readers in the practical aspects of how to responsibly forage for or grow their own mushrooms, how to identify and use different more than 30 different psychedelic mushroom varieties, and how to understand the dosing and administration of psychedelics.
Written by an expert in the field, this groundbreaking work is a mu dit-have for anyone interested in the brave new world of psychedelic medical treatment.staceyy Simmons

Boston Court: Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts
2025-02-21 19:30 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
L is a stoner with social anxiety, Harold is an aspiring ballerina, and their mother is a woman from another time. Driven by archaic dreams for her children, all Mamma wants is for a man to marry L to rescue the family from financial ruin. So when a big, burly traveler turns up at their doorstep, she thinks her prayers have been answered. But it is Harold, her tutu-wearing son, who seems most attracted to this strange man, while L, her chronically online “daughter,” doesn’t seem to want him – but wants to become him. By turns raucous, poetic, touching, and dangerous, Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts riffs on Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie in this story of two queer siblings yearning to be understood.

Ice House: Lin Sun & The Renegades
2025-02-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Lin Sun & The Renegades! LIVE IN THE California Room! Ice House doors open at 4:30pm. Seating in the showroom begins 30 minutes before showtime. The show Starts at 10pm. 2-drink minimum required!

Ice House: Scott Blugrind & Friends
2025-02-21 21:30 - 23:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Scott Blugrind & Friends! LIVE IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM! Ice House doors open at 6:30pm. Seating in the showroom begins 30 minutes prior to showtime. The show Starts at 9:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Patrick Renna signs A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life
2025-02-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Patrick Renna (The Sandlot) signs copies of his book A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life.
Patrick Renna, best known for his role in the 1993 film The Sandlot, offers baseball-themed anecdotes and affirmations. Heartfelt reminders that life’s a marathon, not a sprint, may be familiar, but many young readers will find them revelatory. The author also stresses that failure is just as much a part of life as success, encourages children to embrace individuality and work hard despite being the underdog, and emphasizes that practice shows commitment and “prepares you for the big game or the test.” All these lessons will be relatable to young people, and many are supported by real-life stories: basketball superstar Michael Jordan’s short-lived stint in minor league baseball, an unexpected victory during Game One of the 2015 World Series, and Renna’s willingness to swallow his fear when, as a young teen, he was handed a new script just an hour before shooting a pivotal scene inThe Sandlot. Each tidbit stands alone, but taken together, all 20 tenets provide a lively road map to life. The colorful spot art features images of diverse young baseball players, plus some visually appealing double-page spreads filled with movement and action. White space is used thoughtfully, allowing readers to reflect on how these words of wisdom might apply to them. A solid base hit, with guidance on the great American pastime–and life itself.
This ticketed event is a book signing & photo op only and tickets include a copy of A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life, to be picked up at check in the day of the event.
Event Guidelines:
Patrick Renna will be signing the book only, no memorabilia.
Photo op pictures will be taken with your camera by a Vroman’s employee.plays
Questions? Please email us at email@vromansbookstore.com

SCCM: Saturday Sing-Along
2025-02-22 14:00 - 14:30 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
At Southern California Children’s Museum, children of all ages can explore a variety of musical instruments while singing along to their favorite songs! From shakers to drums, this hands-on experience is all about making music and having fun.

Ice House: Elijah Nevel
2025-02-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy Presents Elijah Nevels! LIVE IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM! Ice House doors open at 6:00pm. Seating in showroom begins 30 minutes prior to showtime. The show starts at 7:00pm 18+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Elijah Nevels is a rising star in the world of comedy, hailing from Cleveland, OH. He has quickly become one of the most sought-after newcomers in the comedy scene, boasting an impressive social media following of over 190,000 fans on instagram. Elijah consistently draws crowds eager to experience his unique brand of humor. Starting his comedy career at just 14 years old, now 20 Elijah headlines clubs across the country, captivating audiences with his storytelling and quick-witted comedy style.

Ice House: Craig Shoemaker
2025-02-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Craig Shoemaker! LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! Ice House doors open at 3:30pm. Seating inthe showroom begins 30 minutes before showtime. Show Starts at 7:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House: Heather Pasternak & Friends
2025-02-22 21:00 - 22:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Heather Pasternak & Friends! LIVE IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM! Ice House doors open at 6:30pm. Seating in the showroom begins 30 minutes prior to showtime. Show starts at 9pm. 21+ only with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House: Gianmarco Soresi, Usama Siddiquee, Fumi Abe
2025-02-22 21:30 - 23:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Gianmarco Soresi, Usama Siddiquee, Fumi Abe! LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! Ice House doors open at 6:30pm. Seating in the showroom begins 30 minutes before showtime. Show Starts at 9:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Cheeseburger Week: Feb 23 - March 1
2025-02-23 08:00 - 12:00 | CA
Playhouse Village Serves Up Cheeseburger Week!
Celebrate the birthplace of the cheeseburger right here in Pasadena with Cheeseburger Week! Local Playhouse Village restaurants will showcase their best burgers and beyond as part of the Cheeseburger Challenge. Cast your vote for categories like “Best Lunch Counter Burger,” “Best Veggie Burger,” and more while enjoying exclusive meitems and special deals throughout the week.

Pasadena Playhouse: Top Dog / Underdog
2025-02-23 14:00 | Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Two brothers in freefall struggle to find their footing as they hustle their way through life. Haunted by the past and their obsession with street cons and cards, the brothers come to learn the true nature of their fate. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Suzan-Lori Parks’ darkly comic fable is poetic, gripping, and unforgettable.

Vroman's Bookstore: Unsolicited Press Reading featuring Raki Kopernik, Darci Schummer, Robin Leigh Lear, and Kerry Donoghue
2025-02-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Raki Kopernik Bio:
Raki is a first generation American, queer, Jewish writer. She is the author of The Things You Left and The Memory House, both Minnesota Book Award finalists. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and has been shortlisted and nominated for several other awards, including the Pushcart Prize for Fiction and the Pen Faulkner Award in Fiction. Her queer travel novel, No One’s Leaving, is forthcoming from Unsolicited Press in 2025. She teaches creative writing both at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design and at Augsburg University. You can find her here and follow on Instagram @rakikopernik
Website: https://www.rakikopernik.com/
Darci Schummer Bio:
Darci Schummer is the author of the story collection Six Months in the Midwest (Unsolicited Press), the novel The Ballad of Two Sisters (Unsolicited Press), and the poetry chapbook The Book of Orion (Bottlecap Press). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in Ninth Letter, Folio, Jet Fuel Review, MAYDAY, Matchbook, Necessary Fiction, Sundog Lit, and Pithead Chapel, among many other places. She has been nominated both for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and in 2023, she was the artist-in-residence at the LaPointe Center for the Arts in LaPointe, Wisconsin, on Madeline Island. She is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and the Director of Creative Writing at Colorado State University Pueblo.
Website: https://www.darcischummer.com/
Robyn Leigh Lear Bio:
Robyn Leigh Lear is the Creative Director for April Gloaming Publishing, Associate Professor, and poet living in Nashville, TN. She is currently finalizing her second manuscript, Yonderling, written under the mentorship of Diane Seuss.

Kerry Donoghue Bio:
Kerry Donoghue’s poetry and stories have appeared in Ninth Letter, Painted Bride Quarterly, Permafrost, the Louisville Review, and the South Carolina Review, among other journals. She also wrote The Loudest Voice of All, a children’s book, to fundraise for an organization that educates girls about the power of voting. She earned an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and lives in the Bay Area with her family. Mouth is her first book.
Website: www.kerrydonoghue.com

Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer Finney Boylan, in conversation with Colm Tóibín, discusses Cleavage
2025-02-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
This event is co-sponsored by PEN America.
What is the difference between men and women? Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She’s Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, examines the divisions—as well as the common ground—between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American.
Jennifer Finney Boylan’s She’s Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it’s also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000—when many people reacted to Boylan’s transition with love—and the present era of blowback and fear.
How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose—and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, she illustrates the feeling of liminality that followed her to adulthood, but demonstrates the redemptive power of love through it all.
With Boylan’s trademark humor and poignancy, Cleavage is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Cleavage provides hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us.

Vroman's Bookstore: Rick Jackson and Matthew McGough discuss Black Tunnel White Magic: A Murder, a Detective’s Obsession, and ’90s Los Angeles at the Brink
2025-02-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Detective Rick Jackson, a decorated LAPD detective and a key inspiration in the development of Harry Bosch, delivers a shocking and immersive look into the one case he could never let go.
In June 1990, Ronald Baker, a straight-A UCLA student, was found repeatedly stabbed to death in a tunnel near Spahn Ranch, where Charles Manson and his followers once lived. Shortly thereafter, Detective Rick Jackson and his partner, Frank Garcia, were assigned the case. Yet the facts made no sense. Who would have a motive to kill Ron Baker in such a grisly manor? Was the proximity to the Manson ranch related to the murder? And what about the pentagram pendant Ron wore around his neck?
Jackson and Garcia soon focused their investigation on Baker’s two male roommates, one Black, and one white. What emerges is at once a story of confounding betrayal and cold-hearted intentions, as well as a larger portrait of an embattled Los Angeles, a city in the grip of the Satanic Panic and grappling with questions of racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of Rodney King.
In straightforward, matter-of-fact prose, Rick Jackson, the now-retired police detective who helped inspire Michael Connelly’s beloved Harry Bosch, along with co-writer, Matthew McGough, take us through the events as he and his partner experienced them, piecing together the truth with each emerging clue. Black Tunnel White Magic is the true story of a murder in cold blood, deception and betrayal, and a city at the brink, set forth by the only man who could tell it.

Ice House: Guy Torry's Phat Tuesdays
2025-02-25 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House comedy presents Guy Torry’s Phat Tuesdays! LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! Ice House doors open at 7pm. Seating in the showroom begins 30 minutes prior to showtime. The show Starts at 8pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.
In the tradition of comedians who have made the transition from the stage to the screen, such as Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby, multi-talented Guy Torry has made the leap to comedic actor with great success. Guy has been seen on BET’s “Comic View,” Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” “Showtime at the Apollo” and “Russell Simmons: Def Comedy Jam” where he made his stand up debut to a national audience. Guy also hosted the enormously successful 52 city comedy tour The Kings of Comedy, which grossed over $37M. He created a unique concept called Phat Comedy Tuesdays which was a weekly showcase for up and coming comedians. This evolved into a weekly spotlight at the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip entitled The Guy Torry Show where Guy hosts and produces a comedy showcase featuring an improv comedy troupe. This event was regularly attended by the comedy A-List including Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, and Chris Rock.

Music at Noon: Danny Holt, pianist
2025-02-26 12:10 - 12:40 | Pasadena Presbyterian Church Musical Events, 585 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California, 91101
Pasadena Presbyterian Church presents Music at Noon a free lunchtime concert spotlighting local artists this week enjoy Evan Marshall showcasing his work on the Mandolin. Can’t make it in person check out their YouTube channel for new virtual concerts every week.

FUMC: Sing America Part One: I, Too
2025-02-26 19:30 | First United Methodist Church, 500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Sing America Part One: I, Too features two powerful beautiful large-scale works by Black American composers Florence Price and Margaret Bonds and a new piece, Wayfaring Stranger, composed by Jen Wang for the Pasadena Chorale in 2024.

Top Dog / Underdog
2025-02-26 20:00 | Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States

Ice House: Wednesday's at the DL w/ DL Hughley & friends
2025-02-26 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Wednesday’s at the DL with DL Hughley & friends. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! Ice House doors open at 7:00pm. The show Starts at 8pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Monopole Wine by RX: House of Brown (Black History Month Event)
2025-02-27 17:30 - 19:30 | Monopole Wine By RX, 21 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Sip, savor, and discover the bold flavors of House of Brown, Napa Valley’s first Black-owned winery, at Monopole Wine by RX. This special tasting experience brings a selection of their finest wines, paired with small bites, for an evening of refined indulgence.
