Playhouse Village Association

Boston Court Pasadena: A Going Away Party Play
2024-09-13 14:00, 2024-09-19 20:00, 2024-09-20 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
Mina is throwing a party for her closest friends and for you, the audience. Over the course of the party, the friends play games, reflect on the current American socio-political landscape, and discover truths about the story of Mina’s parents falling in love and staying in love while fleeing the Iranian Revolution. A Going Away Party Play is a celebration of multicultural identities and an exploration of what it means to leave or lose your home country.

Vroman's Bookstore: Désirée Zamorano, in conversation with Naomi Hirahara, discusses Dispossessed
2024-09-13 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Manuel Galvan is separated from his parents and sister during the mass expatriation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the 1930s. He grows from a small, lost and confused boy into a wandering and angry teenager pushed out of high school and into the dockyards. Later as a loyal, passionate husband he is a man searching for a life of value and dignity despite his losses. Set against the backdrop of (Mexican) American history in Los Angeles, forced deportations, the demolition of Chavez Ravine, sterilization of Latinas, student protests and rising political consciousness, this story spans his life, from 6 to 60, and his search for his missing family, the missing pieces of his life.
About Désirée Zamorano: Born and raised in Los Angeles Désirée Zamorano is the author of the highly acclaimed literary novel, The Amado Women. Her novel Human Cargo was Latinidad’s mystery pick of the year. She is a Pushcart prize nominee and award-winning short story writer. Her work is often an exploration of issues of invisibility, injustice, or inequity. A selection of her writing can be found in Catapult, Cultural Weekly, The Kenyon Review Online, and Akashic’ s South Central Noir. She teaches linguistic and cultural diversity at Cal State Long Beach.
About Naomi Hirahara: Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar® Award-winning author of the Officer Ellie Rush Mysteries, including Grave on Grand Avenue and Murder on Bamboo Lane (which received the T. Jefferson Parker Mystery Award). Born and raised in Pasadena, Naomi received her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and studied at the Inter-University Center for Advanced Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo. She worked as a reporter and editor of The Rafu Shimpo in downtown Los Angeles. She is also the author of the Mas Arai Mysteries (including Summer of the Big Bachi, Gasa-Gasa Girl, and Snakeskin Shamisen) and the middle-grade novel 1001 Cranes, and has written, edited, and published several nonfiction books, largely about the Japanese American experience.

Ice House Comedy: Barbies! W/ Esther Povitsky & Doug Benson
2024-09-13 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Barbies! W/ Esther Povitsky & Doug Benson! Live in the California Room! The show starts at 8:00pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy: Jiaoying Summers
2024-09-13 21:30 - 23:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice house Comedy presents Jiaoying Summers. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! The show Starts at 9:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Vroman’s Special Storytime featuring Linda Liu discussing Sour Apple
2024-09-14 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the creator of Hidden Gem comes a funny and delightful new picture book about an apple who learns the importance of self-acceptance and patience after being left behind during picking season.
Ever been picked last? Well, this sour apple knows a thing or two about what it feels like to be forgotten. When apple season passes and he’s left on the cold, hard ground, he questions his place in the world.
As his introspection branches out into different ideas of what could have been if he was chosen, he learns some core truths about what it means to be alive.
About Linda Liu: Linda Liu is an illustrator and a designer based in Southern California with a taste for tactile textures, saucy shapes, and palatable palettes. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and now works freelance and full-time so she can be a girl boss and a girl employee at the same time. She is the author and illustrator of Hidden Gem and Sour Apple.

Vroman's Annual Teachers' Night Out! (Free ticket link)
2024-09-14 18:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
You are cordially invited to join us for our annual Teacher’s Night Out!
Join us for an evening that celebrates you – the incredible teachers and librarians of our community! We will have snacks and beverages, plus a bunch of goodies (including books!) to give away. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to recommend great new books for your classroom discussions and libraries and share some services we offer to teachers. We will have a publisher-sponsored table full of reading and classroom recommendations.
Browse the table of recommendations, speak with our booksellers, mingle with fellow educators, and enjoy some treats. You’ll also receive a 20% off coupon to use for any personal shopping that night.
As a special added bonus this evening, we will be honoring 2023-2024’s Teacher of the Year, Miss Helena Alves and her school, Madison Elementary! We will have the award presentation at 6PM in our Events Space!

The Monarca Collective: Varrio Soul Exhibition Opening
2024-09-14 18:00 - 20:00 | The Monarca Collective, 696 E. Colorado Blvd STE 19, Pasadena, 91101, United States
Celebrate Hispanic heritage at The Monarca Collective with a special event offering an unforgettable blend of art, culture, and community. The Varrio Soul exhibition showcases the talents of Art Meza, capturing the spirit of lowrider cultura through photography, and Amber Tilden, whose “Varrio Love is…” features illustrations reflecting real-life moments and cultural pride. Enjoy food from East Los Musubi and live music by @backn.39. This event is free!

Ice House Comedy: Mark Smalls
2024-09-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Mark Smalls. Live in the California Room! The show Starts at 7:00pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy: Gumbo & Friends: Battle of The Jams
2024-09-14 21:30 - 23:00 | CA
Ice House Comedy presents Gumbo & Friends: Battle of The Jams. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! The show starts at 9:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy: Sean Porter and friends
2024-09-14 21:30 - 23:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Sean Porter and friends. Live in the California Room! The show starts at 9:30pm. 21+ only with a 2-item minimum per seat.

El Portal: Mexican Independence Day
2024-09-15 11:00 - 20:30 | El Portal Restaurant, 695 East Green Street , Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
El Portal invites everyone to celebrate Mexican Independence Day in style. Guests are encouraged to make reservations and join the festivities for El Grito, featuring the vibrant sounds of Mariachi Real de Oro. It promises to be a night filled with tradition, music, and unforgettable moments.

Vroman's Bookstore: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration with Lil' Libros
2024-09-15 14:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
We welcome our friends from Lil’ Libros, the Go-To Destination for Bilingual Children’s Books, Games, & Toys, as we celebrate the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! We will be joined by an amazing panel: Cindy Montenegro (author My Mind is a My Mind is a Mountain / Mi mente es una montaña), Mariana Galvez (author/illustrator My Pet Flamingo), CHOGRIN (author Kid del Toro), and Cynthia Gonzalez (author The Life of / La vida de Llort). The panel will discuss their books before we have a Special Storytime that will be followed by activities for kids and a book signing.

Cindy Montenegro is a Salvadoran American mental health therapist and storyteller from Paramount, California. She received her graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University and a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara. In the therapy room, Cindy works with people of all ages to explore their emotions and strengths to create a roadmap to self-love, growth, and healing. Her imagination is influenced by her childhood, love of the outdoors, and passion for mental health. Cindy hopes that her writing will inspire readers to celebrate all of their emotions, no matter how big or small they may be! This is her first children’s book.
Mariana Galvez was born in Mexico and grew up in South Los Angeles. In her childhood, it was during weekend trips to the library that her love for illustrating and writing was forged. After a number of years in the corporate world, she was called back to illustrating when creating art for her three children. She currently resides in Whittier, CA with her husband where she loves to garden, cook vegan food, and chase after her beloved dog and cat.
CHOGRIN is an artist & storyteller from Guayaquil, Ecuador. His work is inspired by his neverending childhood and pop-culture. For the last decade, he has worked in the animation industry for companies like Cartoon Network and currently works at Disney. His artwork has been featured in multiple galleries and publications around the world. He’s currently designing vinyl toys like “Guru del Toro,” as well as writing, drawing, and directing other art projects from his secret art lair in Burbank (CA).
Cynthia Gonzalez was born in El Salvador and raised in South Los Angeles. She’s multi-faceted with talents as an author, poet, Cultural Advisor, and Entertainment Director for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Cynthia has served as an executive board member for non-profits in Los Angeles and Long Beach, has written articles for the local Long Beach press, and was featured in the L.A. Times. Her passion for seeing a positive representation of the Salvadoran community led her to establish Salvies Who Lunch, a platform dedicated to connecting and empowering Salvadorans of all backgrounds through events. Cynthia’s recent contributions include translating eight books for Lil’ Libros’ VÁMONOS series and serving as Associate Producer and Cultural Advisor on award-winning filmmaker Kase Peña’s upcoming new film. On her free days, she enjoys watching sci-fi movies and Rocky Road ice cream.

Ice House Comedy: Jiaoying Summers
2024-09-15 17:00 - 18:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Jiaoying Summers. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! The show Starts at 5pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy Club: Paul Rodriguez & His So Called Friends
2024-09-15 19:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Catch comedy legend Paul Rodriguez live at the iconic Ice House Comedy Club! Get ready for a night of non-stop laughter as Rodriguez brings his signature humor and wit to the stage. Don’t miss the chance to see one of the greatest Latino voices in comedy!

Vroman’s Ed - Boookbinding Workshop with Madeline Helland
2024-09-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Atrium Building, 709 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Curious about bookbinding but not sure where to start? This is the class for you! During this hands-on workshop, participants will create a series of 3 different soft-cover book structures that can be easily recreated at home. This class will show how to properly cut, fold, and sew a book as well as what tools and materials to use. All supplies will be provided, and beginners are welcome.
Madeline Helland is a Los Angeles based bookbinder and letterpress printer. She received her BA in art conservation and studio art, with a concentration in book arts and digital design, from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. Since 2018, she has been self-publishing artist books and zines featuring found ephemera and her illustrations. She has previously led bookbinding workshops at the International Printing Museum, Hiromi Paper Inc., and Otis College of Art & Design, among others. When she’s not making books, she works as a studio technician at Laboratory Press.

Vroman's Bookstore: Attica Locke discusses Guide Me Home
2024-09-17 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In the final novel in the “timely and evocative” (NPR) Highway 59 trilogy, from Edgar Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author Attica Locke, Darren Matthews is pulled out of an early retirement to investigate the disappearance of a Black college student from an all-white sorority and soon finds nothing is as it seems.
Texas Ranger Darren Mathews isn’t sure he’s been a good cop, but believes he’s got a shot at being a good man—if he manages to dodge the potential indictment hanging over his head and if he, from here on out, pledges allegiance to the truth. It’s a virtue the country appears to have wholly lost its grip on, but one Darren sees as his salvation. He is in the midst of remaking his life with the woman he loves, hoping for the peace of country living at his beloved farmhouse, when he is visited by someone who couldn’t hold the truth on her tongue if it was dipped in sugar, a woman who’s always been bent of tearing his life apart. His mother. Armed with a tall tale about a missing Black college student, Sera (whose white sorority sisters insist she isn’t missing at all). Darren must decide if his can trust his mother is telling the truth—and what her ulterior motive may be, and what if that motive has to do with a grand jury deciding his fate.
Darren gets his hooks into the investigation, along the way discovering things about Sera’s family and her hometown that are odd at best, vaguely sinister at worst. Hamstrung by local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers who likewise doubt the account of a missing girl, if Darren wants answers, he’ll need help from the person whom he swore to never trust again—his mother.
In this emotionally stirring conclusion to the singular Highway 59 series, set three years after the events of Heaven, My Home, Darren reckons with his life’s purpose as he’s forced to choose between his own peace and the higher call to do good.

About Attica Locke: Attica Locke is a NY Times best-selling author of five novels, including Bluebird, Bluebird, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She is also a winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and she has been short listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and nominated for an LA Times Book Prize and an NAACP Image award for her work as a novelist. Locke is also a screenwriter and TV producer, with credits that include Empire, When They See Us and the Emmy-nominated Little Fires Everywhere, for which she won an NAACP Image award for television writing. She co-created and executive produced an adaptation of her sister Tembi Locke’s memoir From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home for Netflix. A native of Houston, Texas, Attica lives in Los Angeles, California.

Retro Replay: 1999 The Year That Changed Cinema: The Iron Giant (PG)
2024-09-17 19:00 | Landmark Theatre, 673 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Landmark Theatre Pasadena presents Retro Replay, a weekly series of modern and vintage film favorites screened every Tuesday night. This September enjoy: 1999 The Year That Changed Cinema—or see for the first time!

Ice House Comedy: Giggle Gaggle Comedy
2024-09-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Giggle Gaggle Comedy. Live in the California Room. The show Starts at 7:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Vroman's Bookstore: Storytime with Mr. Steve!
2024-09-18 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Join Mr. Steve and the gang at our Colorado Blvd. location at 11 am for storytime!

Beach Party in the Park
2024-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Playhouse Village Park, 701 Union St, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Get in on the fun at Beach Party in the Park! Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Playhouse Village Association, and Playhouse Village Foundation present a FREE celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Cheeseburger on September 18 from 6 pm to 8 pm at Playhouse Village Park. On National Cheeseburger Day, this event honors Pasadena’s unique claim as the birthplace of the cheeseburger, set to infectious tunes from Rock Candy by Art Deco Entertainment playing a mix of classic and contemporary rock ‘n roll hits including Jimmy Buffet’s Cheeseburger in Paradise. Celebrate this culinary icon and savor specialty cheeseburgers and fries offered for sale by local spot Smash House Burger Co. Embrace the beach vibe by wearing your favorite tropical garb — Hawaiian shirts are highly encouraged!

Vroman's Bookstore: Kwei Quartey discusses The Whitewashed Tombs
2024-09-18 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Marcelo Tetteh, a twenty-seven-year-old LGBTQ activist, is butchered one night after being lured on Grindr to a deserted building site. With rampant homophobia in Ghana, Marcelo’s wealthy father doesn’t trust the Ghana Police Service to find the killer, so he goes to the Sowah Private Investigators Agency for help, partly because he still feels guilty for disowning his son when he came out.
Emma is assigned the case but quickly learns of a complication that prevents her from teaming up as usual with Jojo, her trusted colleague. Emma is the only one at work who knows Jojo is gay, and now he reveals something else: for some time, Jojo was dating Marcelo, the victim.
Working with Manu, whom she’s never gotten along with, Emma goes undercover in the International Congress of Families, a powerful organization seeking to criminalize homosexuality in African countries. As Emma infiltrates the ICF, she uncovers a web of deceit and hypocrisy and discovers that the mastermind behind the murders is someone much closer than she ever imagined. Emma must race against time to unmask the killer, protect the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community, and bring justice to the victims, all while navigating the dangerous waters of politics, power, and personal secrets.

Ice House Comedy: Wednesday's at the DL w/ DL Hughley & friends
2024-09-18 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Wednesdays at the DL w/ DL Hughley & friends. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! The show starts at 8pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Vroman's Bookstore: Jessica Hoppe discusses First in the Family
2024-09-19 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
An unflinching and intimate memoir of recovery by Jessica Hoppe, Latinx writer, advocate, and creator of NuevaYorka.
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024: Today, LupitaReads, Electric Literature, Esquire
In this deeply moving and lyrical memoir, Hoppe shares an intimate, courageous account of what it means to truly interrupt cycles of harm. For readers of The Recovering by Leslie Jamison, Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, and Heavy by Kiese Laymon.
During the first year of quarantine, drug overdoses spiked, the highest ever recorded. And Hoppe’s cousin was one of them. “I never learned the true history of substance use disorder in my family,” Hoppe writes. “People just disappeared.” At the time of her cousin’s death, she’d been in recovery for nearly four years, but she hadn’t told anyone.
In First in the Family, Hoppe shares her journey, the first in her family to do so, and takes the reader on a remarkable investigation of her family’s history, the American Dream, and the erasure of BIPOC from recovery institutions and narratives, leaving the reader with an urgent message of hope.

The Monarca Collective: Mujeres De Maiz (Book Discussion)
2024-09-19 19:00 - 21:00 | The Monarca Collective, 696 E. Colorado Blvd STE 19, Pasadena, 91101, United States
The Monarca Collective invites you to join the Mujeres de Maiz Book Club, which will meet in person to discuss the new Mujeres de Maiz anthology! Whether you’re an avid reader or simply looking for a meaningful way to connect with other mujeres, this club offers an inspiring space to share thoughts and questions. Dive into the deep, decades-long herstory of Mujeres de Maiz with this powerful collection of stories. Books are available for purchase at The Monarca Collective, and all who pre-register receive 10% off their entire purchase.
📙 Thursday, September 19th, 7PM-9PM (Book Discussion)
📙 Sunday, September 29th, 6PM-8PM (Culminating Celebration & Book Signing)

Ice House Comedy: TRIVIA NIGHT: Hosted by Wolves of Glendale
2024-09-19 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents TRIVIA NIGHT hosted by Wolves of Glendale! LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM. The show Starts at 8:00pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy: Laurie Douglas, Ray Lau, Monarey Martinez
2024-09-19 21:00 - 22:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Laurie Douglas, Ray Lau, Monarey Martinez. LIVE IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM! The show starts at 9pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Vroman's Bookstore: Eli Greenbaum discusses Hell, No, We Didn't Go! Firsthand Accounts of Vietnam War Protest and Resistance
2024-09-20 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In Hell, No, We Didn’t Go!, Eli Greenbaum presents firsthand accounts of men who were driven to resist or dodge the Vietnam draft at all costs. He introduces readers to a cross section of individuals who found ways to defy the draft by leaving the country, going to prison, becoming conscientious objectors, gaming the system, conspiring to fail physicals, and even enlisting—anything to avoid being drafted. These vivid essays and candid oral histories detail events that were often controversial, sometimes volatile, and almost always emotionally charged. Greenbaum brings together a chorus of first-person accounts of draft resistance and protest held together by an overarching personal narrative while providing context, commentary, and an unusual fifty-year perspective on the men’s decisions to avoid the Vietnam War, no matter what.

Ice House Comedy: Raanan Hershberg, Gabe Gibbs, Jack Shaw
2024-09-20 19:45 - 21:15 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents Rannan Hershbery, Gabe Gibbs, and Jack Shaw. Live in the Legendary Room! The show starts at 7:45pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.
