Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

The Legacy of The Temptations Lives on at the Ahmanson Theatre

Bobby Martinez — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 13:04:00 -0800

The narrator, Otis Williams (played by Marcus Paul James), shares his journey navigating the challenges and excitement of fame and success while maintaining his brotherhood and family ties. We sat down with the last living member of The Temptations, Otis Williams and Ain’t Too Proud’s Tony Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo, to discuss the success of the show, the legacy of The Temptations, and what it was like to return to Los Angeles following the show’s successful Broadway run.

Why Ain’t Too Proud is such a success

Adoring audiences, electrifying music, and show-stopping talent are just some of the factors that make Ain’t Too Proud a hit, but Trujillo and Williams offer more to the conversation when reflecting on the show. With a long list of successes and timeless appeal, the group has forever immortalized itself as legends within soul music. But for Otis, The Temptations are a humble reminder of our mortality, which contributes to the importance of having purpose and joy for the work and life one leads.

“I think when [audiences] see the play, they can relate to [The Temptations because] we all got to leave here. I lost four of my guys,” Williams said. “We [were] all relative in the sense of being human...but doing what we do, we bring enjoyment.”

Despite the enticing rise of The Temptations to Motown fame, Ain’t Too Proud does not shy away from the darker moments in the lives of the group members. The show highlights some of the hardships the group faced, such as the deaths of the founding members of The Temptations, as well as the death of Williams’ son, Lamont.

“The fans around me would do a slow crane. Look around to see what's up. And I said yeah, I'm tearing up too. ‘Oh Mr. Williams, your story. You really lived that?’ I say, ‘Yes, I... I lived through that,’” he reflected.

But Williams knows the importance of sharing these difficult moments. “It's great that we can test the human emotion, the heart. And that's what's important. Because it ain't just about the music.... that's a very important part, but we are touching the soul."

The joy that the story of The Temptations brought was intoxicating to audiences on opening night. Emotions were high as the audience sat for the show and greeted the cast to thunderous applause upon entry. Audience members clapped with all their might, cried along to the somber moments, and vocally connected to the storytelling onstage. It was as though The Temptations had lit a fire in the audience. The room was electric. The audience jumped to their feet at the end of the show for a standing ovation as Williams and longtime manager of The Temptation's Shelley Berger took the stage to speak.

“For me and Shelley to have gone through so many challenges, and here we are [still] standing. I’ve always said it's not about the talent...it’s [about the] heart.” Williams shared to an enamored audience.

Sergio Trujillo was also in the audience on opening night and shared what he felt was the reason for such a powerful response from the audience.

“[Opening] night was indicative of what people are craving. It is that communal thing that happens when you come to live theatre. We gather as people for these two hours, and no performance is ever going to be the same. It's such a sacred space...” he said.

Though no two performances are the same, the timelessness of the group lives on, with audience members leaving the theatre tapping their feet or letting a lyric or two escape their mouths. The Temptations fill us with that nostalgic feeling of joy, continuing their legacy of bringing music and joy to fans across the nation.

Honoring The Temptations’ legacy for new and older audiences

The legacy of The Temptations is only one factor in the successes of Ain’t Too Proud, but it is one that is important to the soul of the show. For Williams, that legacy isn’t something that one person holds, but rather a symbol of his brotherhood with the musical group.

“When I heard that Eddie was getting ready to make his transition, I called him and said, ‘Eddie, we did something that's gonna last. I'm so glad we did it together,’” he shared.

But the pressure to honor the original influence of The Temptations was present, especially for Trujillo, who was tasked with creating the show’s choreography. He had to navigate choreographing the legacy of an iconic group while still placing his own original twist on it.

“When I was asked to choreograph this show, I was incredibly intimidated by the task. The Temptations changed the way that dance was perceived.” Trujillo said. “They're known as the icons of dance in the music industry. So, for me, the challenge was how I take all of that, reinvent it in a way that feels like it still pays homage to [them], while still putting my stamp on it.”

For Trujillo, it was a question of putting it all together. After all, The Temptations are known for some of the smoothest moves around, so it had to be done in a way that honors their history while also supporting the story and energy of Ain’t Too Proud for the audiences of today.

“I had done enough research to be able to empower myself. [But it was] also important for me to look at it through the lens of dance today. How do I take all the different dance influences that are relevant today? And how do I masterfully weave them into the choreography of The Temps?”

Ain’t Too Proud is not only an opportunity for existing fans to enjoy the music of The Temptations, but for the group to reach newer and younger audiences. Sergio understood this when he was choreographing the show, and felt it was important to highlight when considering the evolving story of the group.

“I wanted a younger audience, who've never seen The Temps to look at [the choreography] and say, ‘Wow, those are some really cool, slick moves.”

The Tony Award-winning choreography of Ain’t Too Proud is a new chapter for The Temptations, filling the theatre with energy as audiences, both old and new, are entranced by the magic onstage. But this isn’t the first-time audiences were able to experience The Temptations at the Ahmanson.

Returning to LA Post Pandemic

In 2018, the Ahmanson Theatre presented Ain’t Too Proud to Los Angeles audiences for the first time, giving Angelenos the opportunity to experience The Temptations before their Broadway run. The production went on to be a success, but closed on Broadway in early 2022 as a result of the challenges surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Trujillo was excited to return to Los Angeles with the touring production following the show’s success on Broadway.

“It’s great for us to come back and get the kind of response we received [on opening] night. Having been here four years ago, [we were] able to take notice of the audience's response, and then go back to New York and really work on our show.” Trujillo shared. “[To] come back and get even more support, more of that joyous, thunderous applause...It's just reassuring to know that the work we did was important and incredibly successful.”

And even with all that support, one factor that really stood out to Trujillo was the safety the theatre held regarding Covid-19 protocols.

“What I noticed [that] night was the level of safety. [Center Theatre Group] has really been making sure that people feel safe. They are taking all the precautions [so] people that come into the theatre feel like they're being taken care of.”

The success of Ain’t Too Proud may not be new, but it is a beacon of light during a time when an entire industry has had to surpass challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “To have a shutdown of two plus years...and experience the financial [and] emotional [challenges that have] changed our industry... we’re just beginning to [come] out of it.” Trujillo shared.

But even after facing one of the most challenging times for the theatre industry, Trujillo finds reward in the return of live audiences. Los Angeles is an especially unique and rewarding experience for him because of the diversity amongst the audiences.

“The other thing that's been great about being here in L.A. is how incredibly diverse the audiences [have been.]” he shared. “I want audiences of all diverse cultures to come and watch our show.”

With harmonies that are sure to leave you in awe, and moves that make you want to get up and dance, Ain’t Too Proud reminds us all that with some hard work, love, and a whole lot of soul, the unimaginable can be achievable. It’s a heartwarming story that reminds us of the humanity necessary for success, and what determined minds can achieve. But it's not just a story, it’s the life and times of The Temptations.

“When I sit back and reflect on it, I love those guys,” Williams shared. “We did something. I'm thankful that my life story can be told.”

Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations runs at the Ahmanson Theatre until January 1^st, 2023. Tickets are currently on sale and start at $40. They will be available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in-person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. See the smash-hit production where it all began.

Highlighting Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Sip & Sonder and Lura’s Kitchen are two of the businesses we’d like to highlight.

Sip & Sonder is a global Black woman-owned coffee brand, with a portfolio of coffee houses in Inglewood and the Music Center. Community building is also at the core of Sip & Sonder’s business—they have a nonprofit, Sonder Impact, which empowers Black community members through personal and professional development programs and initiatives. At the event, they showcased their single-origin Peru brewed coffee and the Onyx charcoal and vanilla specialty latte. Co-Founder of Sip & Sonder Shanita Nicholas said that “coalescing communities within [the] event was beautiful to experience.” She added that she and her team made new friends and connections with not only the patrons in attendance but with the other participating businesses.

Lura’s Kitchen is a multi-generational family business selling packaged cookie mixes inspired by family recipes. Owner Lura Ball’s cookie mixes have stories inspired by important events and people in her life, be it the history of the Tea Cake or an homage to her favorite person (and picky eater), her sister. “[Baking] is something that I could do to show my love for somebody with something you can't buy,” she said. At the event, she provided baked samples of her mixes for patrons to try. “It was really a great evening–I was able to talk with people, share my story, bring a little love with [my] sweets, and watch people have a great time before they saw the [play],” Ball said.

Kiyomi Emi, Center Theatre Group’s Senior Manager [of] Marketing Events & Partnerships, said, “When planning this event, we wanted to feature Black-owned business in the community of Los Angeles. This was the first time [Center Theatre Group] has done an event like this. We were able to introduce many to the Mark Taper Forum, and these businesses.”

Take a look at some of the photos from that night!

Coming Together at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

Alexandra Meda — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:24:00 -0800

Something remarkable took place on the stage of the Kirk Douglas Theatre on Friday, October 14th, 2022: a group of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) theatre makers and administrators from Center Theatre Group (CTG), Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, and Pasadena Playhouse came together to build relationships, explore shared histories, and identify how to collaborate across theatres on shared AREDI (anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion) and culture change efforts. For some, this was their first time meeting in person. For others, it was a notable reunion of colleagues with decades of history.

This event was hosted as a first step in bringing the internal change efforts of the last three years into community practice by CTG’s BIPOC Steering Committee, a volunteer group of staff from all levels of the organization dedicated to strategizing culture change and harm-amelioration that was launched in 2021.

Facilitated by Leslie Ishii, Artistic Director of Perseverance Theatre in Alaska, previous CTG Teaching Artist, and leader in the L.A. theatrical landscape, the day launched with a land acknowledgment practice that celebrated the Indigenous communities that cultivated and cared for this land. It also called participants in to honor and build deeper relationships with these caretakers in all aspects of their theatrical work.

As we sat in the age-old tradition of a circle, we listened to each other’s responses to the prompt: what part of the theatre are we most passionate about? I was struck with a powerful sense that my mentor and former Associate Artistic Director for CTG, the late Diane Rodriguez, was present with us on one of her favorite stages. Her career was filled with significant highlights, including being appointed by Barack Obama to the National Council for the Arts, but none more important to her than creating opportunities for people of color in the professional theatre.

She would have loved this circle. She would have loved this day of community building and organizing. But hers was not the only energy shepherding this group through this work. Ishii eventually moved the group into a meditation reflecting on the seven generations that came before them in their family and what gifts have been passed down across time—and participants were able to share some of those inheritances. CTG’s Tessitura & Web Administration Director Janelle Cabrera Torres noted that, “Leslie Ishii is always an inspiration. With her guidance, there was a moment during our meditation session where I felt a genuine connection to my ancestors.”

After a supercharged boost from coffee partner Coffee Cart Boys, we moved into the juicy bit of the day—a brave and honest reflection from each theatre around what has been successful and challenging about their anti-racism & culture change work over the last two years. After having time to break out into small groups to probe deeper, each group reported the primary programs, policy changes, and long-term conversations their organization engaged in.

And, wow, was this an eye-opening moment for a lot of us! There were joyful moments of shared laughter and some harrowing moments where stories of harm resonated among participants. But it is in this same complexity that we were able to find some healing, a sense of deeper community, and an overwhelming amount of learning about each other and our theatres.

Late in the day, we arrived at the central question that had us gathering in the first place, “what might your organization be able to do if other theatres collaborated or partnered with you?” Honestly, there was no way we had enough time to answer this question fully. Yet, it was understood that this day was only one of many steps in becoming a more transparent and collaborative theatrical community.

Gathering with BIPOC theatre artists and BIPOC independent artists is the next priority for CTG’s BIPOC Steering Committee, but starting slowly and intentionally with theatres of similar sizes was an important first step. An essential learning of this conversation was a call to bring our affinity and accountability spaces across theatres together.

To close out, we shared a meal catered by A Beautiful Life Jamaican Kitchen, and, over a bounty of coconut rice, vegan curry, and jerk chicken, shared our top takeaways from the day. One that sticks with me the most was when an emerging leader and staff member acknowledged what it meant to see themselves represented in leadership through Krystin Matsumoto and Katie Chen, both of whom are members of the Production Department at CTG. Representation is one of many answers to our inequities in this field, but not the only one. Still, it is essential to remember the power that it holds to expand the imagination of those who have never been able to see themselves reflected in positions of influence in the theatre.

CTG’s Associate Director of Institutional Grants, Paula Matallana, names the enthusiasm for continued gathering clearly, “The summit was such a special opportunity to build community, deepening bonds with other CTG staff and connecting with BIPOC theatre makers from other organizations. I appreciated the honesty and vulnerability that everyone brought into the space, and it was especially powerful to assemble in person after exclusively holding these types of conversations via Zoom over the last two years. I hope this becomes a regular event and look forward to continuing to gather in the future.”

We certainly didn’t end racism in the American Theatre with one gathering. Still, we took a big, bold, and authentic step together in building a safer and more equitable landscape in the L.A. theatrical community.

Alexandra Meda is the Artistic Director of Studio Luna (fka Teatro Luna) and the founder of Culture Change Labs, a culture change navigation firm of facilitators and mediators who have been working since July 2020 with CTG as AREDI consultants. Meda has specifically worked with the BIPOC Affinity space, BIPOC Steering Committee, and the Accountability Team in implementing the CTG Commitments to Change and the staff BIPOC Letter that followed those commitments. This Summit is the first of a three-part strategy for engaging specifically with BIPOC artists, theatre makers, and administrators externally in the change work that has been ongoing internally across the board at CTG.

Center Theatre Group’s BIPOC Summit is an initiative of the Bank of America ACTivate Awards, a Theatre Forward grants program which seeks to foster and accelerate theatres’ efforts to become more equitable, diverse, welcoming, and inclusive of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and groups. As Center Theatre Group continues to advance our mission to serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles, we are thankful to Bank of America and Theatre Forward for making this programming possible.

HOLIDAY CHEER

Bobby Martinez — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:24:00 -0800

DEAR EVAN HANSEN: Plants!

This past summer, the Tony Award®-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen returned to the Ahmanson Theatre, captivating audiences with its score and story. The musical is often represented by Evan’sinfamous hand cast, but we think that wouldn’t be the most suitable gift for your loved ones. At the end of the show, we see Evan meet his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, at a newly renovated Orchard dedicated to the memory of her brother. The Orchard is full of appletree seedlings, which are a beautiful metaphor for the closure Evan feels at the end of the show and the bright future ahead of him. In the spirit of renewal and the future, we suggest gifting your loved ones a plant for their home. An apple tree might be too big to include as a holiday present, but a potted plant is sure to bring a sense of renewal and freshness to the theatre-lover in your life. It’s also an excellent way to prepare for the coming of spring, bringing a touch of green to your home or office space.

TAMBO AND BONES: Puppet!

This production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre started a conversation of class, race, and capitalism through a satirical-comedic lens, shedding light on a serious topic while still entertaining audiences. Sometimes, it is uncomfortable to have these conversations, but playwright Dave Harris pushed the scope of comedy and reality within this body of work. In the show, Tambo and Bones discover they are characters in a minstrel show and break free from the grasp of “the playwright,” represented by a puppet pulled from the audience. They argue with the puppet for putting them in the confines of the show, while taking initiative and control over their autonomy. Though the topics of the show highlight the grim aspects of life, we appreciate the satirical perspective the show brings to its storytelling. And for that reason, we recommend a puppet as a gift! You may be wondering, “Why would I give anyone I like a puppet?” Well, we never said you had to like the person, so if there is someone you need to hash things out with… or someone you feel needs an item to channel their emotional turmoil towards... a puppet may be a good olive branch to start with! Break free from the stigma!

2:22 – A GHOST STORY: AI Alarm Clock!

Halloween may be long over, but we kept the spooky festivities going all through November with our production of 2:22 –A Ghost Story. Jenny (played by Constance Wu) had to stay up late seeking out ghosts, so we hope this gift will help you stay up…instead of falling back asleep when your alarm goes off at 7am. Your AI alarm clock can help you do it all: wake up in the morning, plan your shopping list, or call a group of men for some ghost-busting action. Who knows… your AI clock might be all that will help when 2:22am rolls around… Happy Holidays!

THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE: Trench Coat!

Search... is a piece that has reminded us of the meaning of life here on Earth, captivating audiences through the comedic talent of SNL’s Cecily Strong. Though you may have gone home laughing, one thing that is not funny is going home after a show in the harsh L.A. winter nights. Now, it’s universally known that L.A. does not get very cold (I went to Chicago for the first time in January, now that is cold…), but it still would be nice to have a stylish piece of clothing to show off your pizzazz and stay warm. That is why our next gift recommendation is a warm trench coat! Trench coats are a timeless article of clothing, that can eventually be worn into the well-loved one we saw Cecily Strong in. It is a wonderful way to help someone stay in style this holiday season while feeling warm and cozy. Who knows, they may have a flight to Chicago after watching a show. I bet a coat would come in handy then.

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE: Red Heels!

We started off our 2022 calendar year with the North American premiere of the hit West End musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Jamie reminded us of the importance of being yourself and owning your power. That is why we recommend a pair of bright ruby-red heels as an amazing gift for that special someone in your life! Why not start off 2023 as the sparkling diamond that lives within you? With heels like these, you’re sure to be the star of the show at any New Year’s Eve party you may attend, with your shoes shining just as bright as you.

KING JAMES: Basketball Mug!

Over at the Mark Taper Forum, we met Shawn and Matt, who bond over the rise of the Cavaliers’ Lebron James. Basketball is a sport known to many, and sometimes it can be hard to find a gift for the sports lover in your life. Sure, you can buy a basketball or tickets to a game as a gift, but we wanted to share something that highlights the fun relationship between our two characters and that is sure to excite the sports lover in your life! For you sports lovers, begin every morning with a fun game of shooting hoops with your cereal, or enjoy throwing three-pointers with the marshmallows in your hot cocoa! Whether you are a theatre-lover, sports fan, both, or neither−this gift is sure to be a slam dunk!

Getting to know Kristina Wong

Jessica Doherty — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:24:00 -0800

Wong initially did not intend to make a life in theatre. While growing up in San Francisco, her parents would clip articles about the highest-paying jobs and leave them on her bedspread. Jobs in “theatre” weren’t even in these articles. In high school, she did theatre, but always worked with other people’s words. Her perception on the form changed completely after she took a performance art class at UCLA. The visiting artists spoke of their autobiographical and devised work, which resonated with Wong.

“Theatre gave me both a social circle and a chance to be looked at as something different than I was,” Wong said. “It gave me somewhat of a sense of control and a sense of feeling like I could present myself in front of other people on my terms.”

Her work almost always involves herself in some way, laying in the intersection of political activism and performance. “I’m always a character named Kristina Wong in all of my shows. The aesthetic is, ‘Kristina does something crazy,’ and then the show is the book report of that thing,” she said.

Wong finds a great similarity between her work as a performance artist and politicians running for elected office. She explored this connection in Kristina Wong for Public Office, which ran as a part of Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage initiative in 2020. Politicians too, she said, play characters with the same names. “It felt like politicians and artists switched jobs. We used to listen to politicians and laugh at comedians, and now we laugh at politicians and listen to comedians. We didn’t need more spectacle-makers, because the politicians were the clowns. And it felt like the most subversive thing I could do was not write a crazy play about our crazy world, but instead run for office and try to get my job back as a clown.”

Wong not only ran for public office, but was elected. She’s finishing out her tenure as a neighborhood council member in Koreatown until April 2023. She does not think she will run for reelection, as she hopes someone who has more time to commit to the position can do more meaningful work. Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord began as a “naïve promise” that resulted in a group of about 800 people across 33 states. Wong posted that she was willing to help make masks for those who needed them at the start of the pandemic, when demand and lockdown orders were delaying supplies and materials. In just four days, she had a list of 200 masks to make from people messaging her about needing them for their elderly family members and their jobs.

“I’ve never been in the position in my life where my labor was the difference between life and death,” Wong said. “I was suddenly so proud that I wasn’t an unessential artist but an artist with an essential skill of being able to sew PPE that did not exist.”

But this was too much for Wong to handle alone. She started her own Facebook group, “Auntie Sewing Squad” (A.S.S.), with a few friends, before the collective grew exponentially and requests started to get bigger. Soon, she was receiving requests for farmworkers and prisoners.

There were many of these sewing groups that popped up at the start of the pandemic, but Wong said the “Auntie Sewing Squad” was special because, “we made a more concerted effort to give the Aunties some agency where their labor was going.” Aunties could choose how many masks to make and where to send their masks. And instead of tackling “the whole big world—all the anti-maskers and the outbreaks— we had a tangible task that could support people who needed it,” Wong said.

Individual action meant a lot throughout the pandemic, especially as COVID-19 response plans were mainly left up to state jurisdiction, not nationwide protocols. “The systems that are in place, capitalism and democracy, didn’t save us. We had to step up and do it. But the good news is that we are capable of doing things to support other people, and that is probably the best instinct to act on.”

The A.S.S. also made Wong feel like she had a community during a tumultuous and isolating time for many people. “I did not feel lonely at all during the pandemic,” Wong said. Between the work of organizing and sewing and the Zoom “stitch and bitch” sessions, the group of Aunties went from “people sending us support to supporting each other.”

After meeting the Aunties in real life as travel and businesses began to reopen, she realized just how large and impactful the A.S.S. community had become. “These people are willing to leave their house for no money just to protect people they’ve never met before. That level of generosity was something I never experienced in my life or in Los Angeles. And I remember having this thought that I wish I had more relationships like this, outside of the context of, ‘We’re all going to die because of this pandemic,’” she said.

While the Aunties are no longer sewing masks, they are still a community and continue to inspire others to do mutual aid work in their own communities. They even have a book, The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice, that documents their work and serves as inspiration to others.

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is a co-production with East West Players Theatre, the first and longest-running AAPI theatre company in the nation. Wong has previously worked with the organization, telling another community-driven story about individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. Wong directed From Number to Name in partnership with API RISE, which was a play devised from the real lives and experiences of incarcerated individuals in the Asian American community.

Wong is also currently working on Kristina Wong Food Bank Influencer, which will premiere in 2026 as a part of a three-year residency at ASU Gammage. She was inspired by World Harvest Food Bank in Venice, where patrons donate $55 to take home a heaping cart of healthy groceries.

“During the pandemic when there [were] no museums, no theatre, [there] was the excitement of going to the food bank and [thinking], ‘What will we make?’” Wong said. She then started seeing the grocery store as an immersive theatre experience, especially when thinking about how there are so many influencers who create content showing off what they buy elsewhere. Now, the project is focused on getting food to different communities and point people to healthier food options even when in a food desert, like a market in the Navajo Nation she is working with.

As much as Wong’s career focuses on herself as a character, the communities she works with in Los Angeles and beyond also play a key role in her writing and life. “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is about celebrating that community and the possibility that happened,” she said. “I really thought that this is when Red and Blue and humanity comes together, and we fight this virus together because we realize how vulnerable and interconnected we are. We lost that opportunity. We’re worse off. But at least when I look at this community, I see a possibility of how people can come together in a crisis.”

Three Cheers

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:24:00 -0800

Each month, they collaborate with each venue, offering specialty drinks for each show. Whether you’re looking forward to a tasty beverage at intermission or for some holiday party inspiration, check out their menu for this month of programming at the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum! For more information, visit www.themullinla.com

Negroni Sbagliato
2:22 - A GHOST STORY

Equal Parts (recommend 1.5oz each):
Sweet Vermouth
Campari Prosecco

This blood-red negroni is inspired by the haunted story behind 2:22 — A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre. This drink was all the rage this fall on TikTok, which is fitting for our star-studded cast!

The Temptation
AIN’T TOO PROUD

1.5oz Cognac
.5oz Simple Syrup
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Top with Soda Water
Garnish with lime

Take a trip down memory lane with this classic cocktail inspired by Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations.

Greasy Spoon Rum Punch
CLYDE’S

1.5oz Dark Rum (+.5oz to top)
2oz Orange Juice
2oz Pineapple Juice
Splash of Grenadine

The Clyde’s inspired drink is sweet and punchy, perfectly describing the optimism of the staff and the temper of the owner of Clyde’s Truck Stop Diner!

Order Up!

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:21:00 -0800

Order Up

ROMA MARKET AND DELI, PASADENA
Eighty-three-year-old Rosario Mazzeo has been making “The Sandwich” at Roma Market and Deli every day since 1959—so it’s safe to say that he probably knows what he’s doing. “The Sandwich” is simple: fresh bread, capicola, mortadella, salami, provolone, and olive oil. And, despite being the king of Italian subs, he does not do SUBstitutions.

BUB AND GRANDMA’S, GLASSELL PARK
Bub and Grandma’s is churning out their own sandwiches on their fresh baked bread after years of wholesale sales to restaurants like Dune and Highly Likely, and their own Hollywood Farmers’ Market stand. Owner Andy Kadin hopes to bring together Jewish and Italian cuisine, reminiscent of the New Jersey delis of his youth. They have picks for both breakfast and lunch, ranging from a classic Bacon, Egg, and Cheese to the vegetable filled “Rainbow” sandwich with sprouts, beets, pickles, and more.

MACIEL’S PLANTBASED BUTCHER & DELI, HIGHLAND PARK
Many sandwiches consist of meats and cheeses between bread. But Maciel’s is the first vegan butcher in Los Angeles, offering made-in-house meat free sandwiches, cheeses, and cold cuts to those looking for an animal product-free alternative. Owner Maciel Bañales Luna is influenced by her Mexican heritage as well as her parents’ passion for health and environmentalism by making legume-based, minimally processed meat alternatives that may make meat-eaters do a double take (or double bite). For example, “The Flores” features Mexican inspired adobo ribs made from jackfruit that is spiced and sweetened with Mexican spices and a bit of maple syrup.

KONBI, CULVER CITY
Konbi is a Michelin-rated sandwich shop specializing in sandwiches frequently found in Japanese convenience stores. Their notable sandwiches are neatly cut into thirds, not halves, on thick yet light milk bread that are filled with katsu (a term for meats or vegetables covered in breadcrumbs and fried), egg salad, or tuna salad. The tuna salad is a new addition, with nori, mayonnaise, cucumber, and pickled celery.

HOWLIN’ RAY’S, DTLA, PASADENA
The “Luis Style Sando” at Howlin’ Ray’s proves you don’t need a trip to Tennessee for Tennessee-style hot chicken sandwiches. And they have spice level selections for everyone, ranging from nonexistent to “X-Hot” and “Howlin’!”

PHILLIPE’S, CHINATOWN
Phillipe’s has doled out their signature “French Dip” sandwiches in Los Angeles since 1908. The sandwiches are filled with meat and cheese and dipped into gravy. Located by Dodger Stadium, depending on who you’re rooting for, it might be a good alternative to a Dodger Dog.

LEE’S SANDWICHES, ALHAMBRA
Founder Chieu Le’s parents served banh mi to students in San Jose in the 1980s, and ended up inspiring a chain of restaurants across California and statelines. Now, they’re known for a variety of sandwiches. The “Lee’s Combination” is one of their classic fusions of Asian and European influences: a french baguette with ham, head cheese, paté, pickled daikon and carrot, onion, cilantro, soy sauce, and mustard.

BAY CITIES ITALIAN DELI, SANTA MONICA
Bay Cities opened in 1925 and have had lines for their classic Italian sandwiches and sides ever since. Their fresh-baked bread is the base for “The Grandmother:” prosciutto, ham, capicola, mortadella, genoa salami, provolone cheese, and “the works,” with veggies and mild or hot peppers. And if you’re looking to make your own magic sandwich, take home a bottle or two of their wide arrays of vinegars and olive oils.

MOO’S CRAFT BARBECUE, LINCOLN HEIGHTS
Some of the best barbeque in the country can be found right here in Los Angeles. Snag a “Sloppy Moo,” a loaded brioche bun with their backyard smoked brisket and sausage with pickled peppers, pickles, and onions, from them if you can—they sell out fast.

CEMITAS DON ADRIAN, VAN NUYS
The cemita sandwiches here are named after the sesame seeds that sit atop the browned and crispy bun and are inspired by the iconic flavors of the Mexican city, Puebla. All of the sandwiches are both big in size and flavor—especially the “Cecina Asada,” with cured beef, cilantro, jalapeños, red onion, chipotle sauce, and either panela or Oaxacan cheese.

PERRY’S JOINT, PASADENA
Just outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena is Perry’s Joint, offering towering sandwiches with a side of jazz inspiration. Not only do they have live jazz music on Tuesday nights, but the sandwiches are named after jazz songs and singers, like “The Egg From Ipanema” egg salad sandwich or the “Tuna Simone” tuna melt.

GRAND CASINO, CULVER CITY
Grand Casino has made their Argentinian baked goods fresh on their Culver City premises since 1987. In addition to their empanadas and pastries, they make sandwiches on homemade bread, like the “choripán,” with grilled sausage and chimichurri.

CHERRY PICK CAFÉ, DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
If you’re at the Music Center for either the Ahmanson Theatre or the Mark Taper Forum, Cherry Pick Café is a Center Theatre Group staff favorite. This café, run by a husband-and-wife duo, offers a mix of Italian and American sandwiches, with some wildcards, like the wasabi tuna sandwich.

A New Season of Storytelling

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:05:00 -0800

The Education & Community Partnerships department welcomed the new cohort of Teaching Artists for the 2022/2023 Season this fall. Teaching Artists take on a variety of roles and projects throughout a season, be it working directly with students in classrooms or community members in workshops in our Boyle Heights costume shop, developing storytelling series in local community spaces, or creating digital resources and programming related to our shows on stage. They work alongside Center Theatre Group’s resident Education & Community Partnership team, Traci Kwon, Jesus Reyes, Aurora Ilog, Nico Rosario, and Meighan La Rocca, to collaborate with and inspire the greater Los Angeles community of artists and storytellers.

Get to know each of the Teaching Artists for this year.

AJA HOUSTON (SHE/HER)
“I think it is super necessary and important to nurture the next group of artists and artists of color...For the future of storytelling theatre...we need to nurture the voices that I feel aren’t heard enough and for it to be more multifaceted and nuanced. [I try to] find a safe space for my students to form their voices and be confident in their voices and create brave, bold, creative, imaginative work.”

JOHNATHON JACKSON (HE/HIM)
“As an educator, I come from the standpoint of making sure that...kid knows that their story is valuable, that it’s worthy, and it has dignity and it’s worthy of art. I do it to try and change their lives the way [the arts] have literally changed the course of my life.”

DEBRA E. PIVER (SHE/HER)
“I love that we approach this program collaboratively. I love that we have a team of Teaching Artists and we are really collaborative through the whole thing. It starts with us. I love the student matinees...I’m always delighted by what students have to say and, if you ask them a big question, how they respond.”

ESTELA GARCIA (SHE/HER)
“That’s really at the core of who I am as an educator, of meeting people where they’re at and help[ing] amplify and give you skills to really...enunciate the storyteller in you. It’s not about changing you or breaking you down or showing you my method, but giving you tools and taking you through an experience where you’re going to feel more confident and able to tell your story...Because there’s such talent already in the communities that we’re not tapping into.”

TARA RICASA (SHE/HER)
“I believe that theatre connects us. And, because of that, it is an essential part of...that journey to being better human beings. Experiencing theatre, both as an audience member and experiencing it as a creator, are very different experiences, but equally valuable in terms of life skills...those basic soft skills–communication, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, all those things that you can get in other contexts, right? But theatre, for me, boils down to healthy communities.”

RAMY EL-ETREBY (HE/HIM)
“[Students are] not [being] taught that their stories are important. They’ve not been taught that there’s beauty and magic and power [in where they come from]. A lot of youth that we have met, you know, are trying to imagine a brighter future rather than assess who they are and what they know. I really like investing in people and getting them to own who they are and celebrate who they are. And I think the arts is the best way to do that.”

CHRISTINE BREIHAN (SHE/HER)
“I do this work because I think that art makes you a better person. I think it makes your soul grow. I think I want to be in the world with more people who’ve done it...You’re looking for excellence in everyone first, there’s excellence in everyone. Just looking for that all the time and honoring and naming curiosity...and being okay sitting in the mystery of things. Not needing the answers all the time. A lot of learning happens when you don’t know the answer.”

MARA PALMA
“The skills we are teaching through theatre, creativity, and writing are going to serve [students] for the rest of their lives. We’re helping build these future leaders of our society and growing arts appreciators. I find it really meaningful to see [students] with a little more pep in their step, a little more inspired, from the beginning of the workshop to the end.”

ZACHARY BROWN (HE/HIM)
“All of my art [and] theatre classes as a kid had a huge impact on the way that I turned out. And I believe that the creation of art and learning to express yourself is imperative to our development as human beings...of empathy and understanding in the world...I really love the moment that I can prove to someone, prove to a student that they do have something to say or that they can create or produce something.”

CARENE MEKERTICHYAN (SHE/HER)
“I always want to make sure that the youth that I work with know that their perspective and their values and the values of their ancestors are critical, and they have a voice. And I believe art is inherently political and is something that can use to change the world and spark empathy and to create a revolution, so I love to instill that in the youth and the community members that I work with, as well.”

A Historic Season of Firsts

Center Theatre Group — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 12:55:00 -0800

The panel was moderated by ANDREA AMBAM, a politically engaged storyteller, playwright, and actress who is also the host of the entertainment company Level Forward’s podcast, More To Talk About, which unpacks the deeper themes in new work created by artists who are pushing the boundaries of entertainment.

The season starts with JANE WAGNER’s The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Written in 1985, this one-woman show originally performed by Wagner’s wife, Lily Tomlin, shocked and excited audiences with its feminist perspectives and opinions. The show has been revitalized for a new generation and changing conversations around the housing crisis and feminism, starring Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 tackles a multitude of identities and political perspectives. Smith interviewed 320 people across Los Angeles about their experiences during the Los Angeles Riots thirty years ago. She is credited as one of the pioneers of documentary theatre, a theatre making process that builds upon real subjects and interviews for dialogue and characterizations. When the production premiered at the Taper in 1993, she took on each character herself. But now, it has been reimagined for cast of five.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner LYNN NOTTAGE is also well versed in documentary storytelling. Nottage began interviewing subjects in Redding, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest cities in the nation, in 2011 for her 2015 play, Sweat, which then played at the Taper in 2018. Nottage said she is building off of her interview work in Redding for her play this season, Clyde’s, which follows a group of formerly incarcerated kitchen workers as they reach for their dreams.

JOEY and FAITH SOLOWAY and MJ KAUFMAN are the first transgender and nonbinary creators to have work produced at the Taper as well. A Transparent Musical is based off of the hit Amazon Prime Original TV show Transparent, which debuted in 2014, breaking ground for new opportunities for transgender and nonbinary stories and starting conversations around transgender representation on stage and screen.

LARISSA FASTHORSE will not only be the first Native woman, but the first Native person to ever have a play produced at the Taper, with her World premiere of Fake It Until You Make It. This play is a satirical look at what it means to be who you want to be, when it is not who you are. Check out just some of the insight these writers provided to audiences at the roundtable event.

On Representative Firsts

LARISSA FASTHORSE
This is stolen land and yet no Native person has been allowed on these stages, that we know of... It just reminds me how incredibly far behind American theatre is...in representation of Indigenous peoples. I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I am still first all the time. I still feel like I have to be perfect at everything because if I’m not, they’re not going to hire another [Native American woman] because I’m the first one and...I’m going to screw everyone else up. I’m always fighting for my community and finding the next people and making sure that we’re recognizing that I stand on the shoulders of so many others. There’s that constant of trying to represent everyone when you’re the first and only. It’s exhausting. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be a white, male writer. I’ve never been given that opportunity to just write and not worry about what it does or who I’m representing. I just can’t imagine how freeing that would be.

MJ KAUFMAN
I love what you said, Larissa, about, “[the] first that we know of,” [because] I think about that all the time with trans things because we actually have so many trans ancestors who didn’t know [they] were trans, who were in the closet or had other names for how they expressed their gender identity, or never had the language or framework to realize their true selves...There are so many talented trans writers out there—so why am I the only one here? And it’s because of this desire to tokenize...the industry wants one person to represent everyone and it always tips toward the least intersectional [identity]—I’m white, I come from a certain amount of class privilege, I got to go to the Yale School of Drama, all of these things I think are part of why I’ve been able to be the first [and] only trans writer in a number of spaces.

On the Politics of Identity

JOEY SOLOWAY
I’m happy to talk about this moment. There’s a writer named Olivia Lang and she says, “fascism loves a binary.” And so in [A Transparent Musical], we’re going back to Berlin right before Hitler rose to power...Magnus Hirschfeld was defining trans science, they knew all this stuff that we’re trying to get people to say—there’s more than two genders, there’s such a thing as both—this was known in 1930s Berlin.

JANE WAGNER
I think there’s so much similarity in what’s happening today. Fascism is the right word.

JOEY SOLOWAY
It’s my hope that...with all of us writing from a trans perspective...I really want people to be shifted in their belief in...whatever people believe about trans people and to not only make a play that says we’re real, but for Faith to be writing songs that people are going to be singing on the way home. It is the reason why I get up in the morning, Jane, the belief that we can make art that addresses this idea of fascism.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
You said, Joey, that fascism likes that which is binary—it also likes us to be divided into different camps...When I wrote Twilight...I got a call from two Korean American graduate students at USC and they said, “We know you’re going to get it wrong,” referring to how I suppose, as a Black woman, I would represent what happened in the Korean American community. And here’s the important part—they said, “We want to help you.” And they took me around Los Angeles where I couldn’t possibly have gone, places I didn’t even know about, they translated for me—there’s no way I could have that part of the story. Jane, you may remember this, it was something I came across when doing research for a project. Lily Tomlin on The Dick Cavett Show...and there was some male television star on the show talking about what he owned and he said he owned his wife, and Lily Tomlin said, “I have to leave the show” and she got up and walked off the set of national television. And Dick Cavett kept talking as though she had not done that.

JANE WAGNER
I was devastated. You’re right, that’s the point. They didn’t honor her outrage at all. They didn’t understand. But we all saw...she was always proud of that. I was, too.

MJ KAUFMAN
A cultural critic, Lili Loofbourow, says...what’s more dangerous to female artists and trans artists than the male gaze is the male glance. It reminds me of what you said, Anna, about [their reaction to] Lily’s outrage was that they were going to glance and return back. When women and trans people and anybody who’s outside finally gets their art made, we’re faced with a white, male, industrial critic world. We’re still having our work seen through the eyes of people who actually don’t feel comfortable sitting in our shoes for a couple of hours. It doesn’t feel good if you have privilege and you center yourself all day long, to not see yourself.

Where Do We Go From Here?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
I’m 72. I’ve watched these landmark moments of cultural revision and they don’t last very long. How do we leverage this moment so that more people can participate?

ANDREA AMBAM
How do we sustain this? How do we make sure that it’s not just one incredible landmark season that was so cool, and never been done before? And then not done again for years and years to come? We are activated as allies across identities that indirectly affect us all. Because all of us are in community with each other, whether we like it or not.

JOEY SOLOWAY
‘Men seasons’ have been the norm and we just accepted that things can be exclusively one way and haven’t thought to reimagine that things could be exclusively the other way. It’s a new precedent. It’s a new way to say that this is the norm—to have a season that does not include a man, that is all women,

that is all nonbinary, that is all trans, that is all Native, that is all Black. I can’t even begin to imagine what [this season] will mean to the audiences, of people who are not cis men to begin to...be able to see themselves...and not have to see themselves as an object to find themselves in the theatre. It’s just so exciting to be able to call it out and say it is a season of non-men. It’s so dangerous that we barely have a way to say it. But if this is a turning point, it will become something that is easier to say.

Finding Hope in Horror and Hauntings with Danny Robins

Jessica Doherty — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 16:30:00 -0700

How did you first become interested in ghosts?

I was a ghost-obsessed kid, but I think it comes from two places. I think one is being brought up in an atheist household. My mom [was] brought up as a Catholic and then became devoutly atheist. [So] I was brought up in this belief-free household. But I’d visit my grandparents and they would have pictures of the Pope up on the wall and slightly scary pictures of Jesus with his Sacred Heart all over the place. I was intrigued by the idea that there might be something I was missing out on, some magic that I could tap into. Some people would have found God—I found ghosts.

The other key incident was when I was in my early twenties, I had a moment where I thought I was dying. I was sure I was having a heart attack and I was hallucinating angels coming down. It wasn’t a heart attack—it was a panic attack. It was something that a lot of people go through and it’s not genuinely life threatening, but at that moment it felt like it was. I think that fear that it instilled in me and the idea that everything was just going to end—all the fun of living and being a part of the universe and having all these amazing relationships with the people you love would cease, I found that more terrifying than any ghost story.

What is it about ghosts that you find so fascinating?

I’m fascinated by belief and by moments in people’s lives that make them change what they believe. That road to Damascus conversation—where you see something that seems to totally rewire your sense of reality. If you’ve seen a ghost, you can’t undo that. You’ve stepped across this threshold, and you’ve entered another world where the rules are different. Maybe there’s life after death and maybe the people we love can come back...I found that really exciting.

I think there’s a paradox at the heart of ghost stories—they are simultaneously frightening but also comforting. Because if that really is a dead person coming back to life, that means there’s hope for us all and that we might get to come back, or the people we loved and lost might come back.

What inspired 2:22 – A Ghost Story?

It was a conversation I had with a friend of mine who told me she had seen a ghost. I thought, how will people in our friendship group react? There’s gonna be people who laugh at you...who judge you and...who find it annoying...and who absolutely believe you. I was really interested about what would happen if you put that life experience into a couple and what would happen if one half of the couple utterly believed that they’d seen a ghost and the other half totally refused to believe those exist. It was a clash of belief systems and cultures and emotions—where does that go? What do you do if that person you love doesn’t believe you? That’s really what 2:22 – A Ghost Story is about.

You’ve worked a lot with television and radio. What went into the decision to make 2:22 – A Ghost Story a stage play?

I’ve always had this love affair with theatre. I spent all of my teenage years at an amateur theatre in Newcastle in the North of England and I spent my entire adult life not doing theatre, really. A few years ago, I got the chance to adapt a radio series made in the U.K. into a play and I got the bug back. [2:22 – A Ghost Story] just felt like a very theatrical piece. And the way that

Matthew [Dunster] has directed it, it feels very rock and roll and in your face. You’re going to jump a bit, you’re gonna want to talk to your neighbors, you’re going to accidentally send your drink flying. To be in a theatre and feel excited and have adrenaline coursing through you and feel scared—if makes you feel so alive. And coming out of the pandemic, we can have a whole audience packed and to see people grabbing onto each other and whooping and jumping is just amazing.

While this play is a ghost story, you manage to bring in mundane truths of marital struggles, parenting, and coping with loss. How do you balance the mundane and the supernatural?

I feel like a lot of horror lies in the mundane. The more real I could make my ghost stories, the more effective I felt it was going to be. I like to sometimes say I make horror for people who don’t think they like scary things, like gore or gruesomeness. And particularly when you’ve had a kid, I think you lose your threshold for scary stuff. But the fact that [these characters] are so real and recognizable, it draws you in and lets you come into this world where the scares build up gradually and you get to the point where you are scared but can cope with it.

[With 2:22 – A Ghost Story], there is this naturalism that you feel like you’re watching a slice of real life in these characters’ lives, so when scary stuff happens it’s particularly scary because it feels like it could happen to [you].

There are also many funny moments in the play. How do you manage to mix both horror and humor?

throughout the production? If you put the words “comedy” and “horror” together, that’s often something that has you running for the exits. [Scary and funny] are bedfellows, though. It’s interesting to look at how many people have moved from comedy into horror. I went to see a stage production of Woman in Black and what I noticed was every time it was a big scare, the reaction of the audience was to laugh afterwards. You try and make yourself feel better after the scare and bring yourself back into the real world and feel normal again. So, in 2:22 – A Ghost Story, we mix comedy moments and scary moments.

Especially in the United States, horror was originally seen as a cult-like medium, a niche genre that was very fandom driven, that has now become more mainstream with popular shows like Black Mirror or Stranger Things and films like Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Nope. Do you feel like there’s a reason why horror and supernatural stories appeal to a wider audience today?

We live in an age of chaos and uncertainty. Even before the pandemic, you were seeing in the U.K. the rise of Brexit and in the U.S. the rise of Trump, society was changing, and traditional structures were being torn up. Whatever side of the divide you fall onto, society looked quite different. And now we have war in Ukraine, the pandemic, this rising death toll, and the existential threat of climate change. There are different things that are making us confront our mortality in a way we haven’t had to for a long time.

You can draw parallels with just after the first World War or the second World War or even a link back to Jacobean times. When you have real horror in society the stage and the screen reflect it back at you. If we are surrounded by death, we want to know if there is any hope. Society feels a bit hopeless at the moment. So, I think ghosts weirdly do offer that. As much as [ghosts] are going to scare us, they do offer that little beacon of hope.

Another aspect of our rapidly changing society is the adoption of new technologies. Voice activated AI is a new technology that plays a role in 2:22 – A Ghost Story. Do you feel there’s something supernatural about the way we are becoming more of an automated and technological society?

I’m really interested in telling contemporary ghost stories [and] how ghosts can survive and thrive in the world we have now. Traditionally, ghost stories take place in dark castles, moody train stations, gaslit streets. How do ghosts exist in a world of Facebook and Spotify and Amazon Alexa? You can control the lights in your house talking to a little box. The idea of talking to a thing that is not human has that disembodied, almost ghostlike quality is incredibly affecting. Also, there’s this nature of tech that it’s constantly pushing us to be solitary...the more that we exist in the solitary way, the more we are in a place where we are vulnerable.

The home and town that the play takes place in plays a major role in the story. What has it been like to adapt this show to an American audience?

It has been a brilliant journey to go on. I recently spent some time in the States, traveling around a few different American cities, trying to find where my setting was. In Britain, the play is set where I live, in Walthamstow in East London. I know it intimately; I live and breathe it every day. It’s basically in a house like mine, an old, Victorian house that I moved into anddid up. So, the challenge was to find my equivalent Walthamstow in a world that feels real and accessible to an American audience. I did a lot of research and went to a lot of people’s houses and spent ages asking about their heating systems and things that are little plot points in the play and speaking to people who have been affected by gentrification, which is one of the themes of the play.

Now, the play is set in Boston, and I think, hopefully, it feels authentic and real. Massachusetts is rife with ghost stories and it’s a place that exudes history. It’s important that the house feels old and has had these layers of people living there, different layers of a community, which is something that happens a lot with gentrification.

I love the fact that [theatre] is never finished. There’s that moment that you have in any recorded medium where you have to walk away. [But] every night a play is evolving and living and breathing and it’s been beautiful to watch each [production] evolve and adapt. The U.S. version is very much the same play, but I think it has actually grown in many ways. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned from the British version and put it into this.

Anecdotally, there’s a huge rise in ghost sightings and accounts during the pandemic. And I think we can understand that...we spent a lot of the last two years cooped up in our houses...where your house starts to go from feeling friendly and comforting to feeling claustrophobic and that you are trapped in it. I think we relate to haunted houses and that sense of people feeling the house shift into something alien and threatening and unfamiliar.

Most ghost stories happen to people when they are alone, that moment where your senses are heightened and where you are cut off from the world and you’re maybe susceptible to all of those little noises and shadows on the walls. An interesting aspect of the rise in ghost sightings during the pandemic is that they’re taking place at a time when we are very disconnected from our support structures. We’re not around our friends and families as much, and maybe ghosts fill the gaps.