Author: Alfredo Casuso

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

WHO: AsiaSF / Palm Springs Opens Tonight with Sold Out First Weekend

WHAT: Cal-Asian Restaurant, Cabaret, Dinner Theater and Night Club Features Transgender Performers

WHERE: 1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

WHEN: Saturday, February 8: 5:30pm dinner and show

Sunday, February 9: 7pm dinner and show
“Lotus Lounge” Bar opening at 3pm

Regular Hours Starting Wednesday, February 12:

Dinner & Shows: Wednesday / Thursday / Sunday: 7pm
Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm & 8pm
Lotus Lounge Bar: every day, 3pm – close
(Happy Hour Prices: 3pm – 6pm)
Forbidden City Dance Club: Friday & Saturday, 10pm – 2am)

WEB: www.palmsprings.asiasf.com 

HOW TO RESERVE: For individual reservations, groups and special events go to www.palmsprings.asiasf.comcall (760) 249-2766.  

WHY: With Vegas commercial style choreography by Ronnie Reddick and award-winning Cal-Asian cuisine from Chef Jen Solomon, AsiaSF/Palm Springs is a unique interactive, cabaret and dinner entertainment experience. From the moment one enters, the internationally acclaimed “Ladies of AsiaSF” will entertain and enlighten you, complete with stand-out-performances featuring original creations by Julian Mendez Couture and Prime Kreations of Los Angeles who has designed for Beyoncé and Kendall Jenner.  AsiaSF’s spectacular interiors, calling to mind a “1930s Shanghai” aesthetic are by Joshua Rowland Interiors.  In addition, taking advantage of the Coachella Valley’s indoor/outdoor lifestyle, the new location will also feature a special outdoor pool club event space with cabanas, bar and luxurious lawn known as The Sonoran. 

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Films Announced for 17^th Annual International Ocean Film Festival:
San Francisco March 12 – 15, 2020

Celebration of cinema about marine life, the ocean, coastal cultures and conservation features works from 15 countries:

Four World, Six U.S., Nine West and Six Bay Area Premieres

www.intloceanfilmfest.org 

5 February 2020 – San Francisco, CA: “Far and away, the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance,” Dr. Sylvia Earle once remarked: “But we can do something about that.” For 17 years, San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) has been doing just that – dispelling ignorance with its simple, cinematic and emotion packed mission: Saving Our Oceans –  One Film at a Time. As we head into an election year, arguably the most important one for issues facing environmental awareness and climate change, this year’s Festival taking place March 12 – 15 features 56 films from 15 countries including four world premieres, six United States premieres, nine West Coast premieres and six Bay Area Premieres.

“This is easily the most diverse group of films we’ve ever had, with the greatest international participation,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director of the International Ocean Film Festival, the largest ocean film destination event in the world. 

According to Blanco, for the 2020 Festival, 160 submissions were received from around the world, including films from the USA, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Turkey, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Korea, Madagascar and South Africa. The list includes films of all genres – documentaries, narratives, shorts, and animation films of all lengths. As always, the Festival focuses on all ocean centric themes including but not limited to: ocean exploration, wildlife, environmental, conservation, oceanography, seafaring adventures, maritime issues, ocean sports and coastal cultures. 

In addition to screening the films, the IOFF will be aligning itself with the Oceans Unite #Love30X30 initiative to bring more awareness to this global effort. #Love30X30 is a call to action to safeguard at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 through a network of highly protected marine areas where no destructive or extractive activities like fishing or mining can take place. 

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented over 600 films from 50 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Current sponsors for the 17^th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuary, BigBus of San Francisco, Gray Line Tours, SSA, Alcatraz Cruises, the Port of San Francisco, the Consul General of Canada, Blue and Gold Ferry, RBC Wealth Management, and Pacific Gas & Electric. 

The 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival takes place March 12 – 15, 2020 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, as well as the Smith Rafael Film Center in Marin County and the Roxie Theater in the Mission District of SF. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit. www.intloceanfilmfest.org and social at: 

• https://www.facebook.com/intloceanfilmfest
• Twitter @oceanfilmfest
• Instagram @intloceanfilmfest

2020 Film Listings

1. 7 Lessons from Japan, Rafael Mellin & Gustavo Ferolla, Brazil, 13 min
2. A Better Life – Blue Habits Baja (Sustainable Travel), Ben Hamilton**, United States, 7 min – Bay Area Premiere
3. A la Mar (To the Sea), Bruno Monteferri & Dana Bonilla, Peru, 32 min – West Coast Premiere
4. A Voice Above Nature, Annie Moir, United Kingdom, 13 min – West Coast Premiere
5. All Inclusive, Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Switzerland, 10 min
6. Anna and the Thresher Shark, Franck Sanson, France, 52 min
7. Artifishal, Josh Murphy*, Ecuador, 80 min
8. Back to the Roots, Alessandro Piu, Italy, 27 min – US Premiere
9. Be a Better Roommate, Patrick Gilmore, United States, 3 min
10. Black Moon Trent Mitchell, Robert Sherwood, Australia, 5 min
11. The Beauty, Pascal Schelbli, Germany, 4 min – Bay Area Premiere
12. By the Sea, Lynn Bianchi, United States, 3 min – Education Program Only – Bay Area Premiere
13. Changing Seas: Mystery of the Humpback Whale Song, Alexa Elliott*, United States, 27 min – West Coast Premiere
14. Changing Seas: The Cordell Bank: A National Treasure, Alexa Elliott*, United States, 26 min 
15. Dammed to Extinction, Michael Peterson, United States, 51 min – Bay Area Premiere
16. Dick Ogg: Fisherman, Cynthia Abbott*, United States, 9 min – West Coast Premiere
17. Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, Mimi Armstrong deGruy*, United States, 83 min – Bay Area Premiere
18. Eco-Drone, Michael Hanrahan**, United States, 10 min – World Premiere
19. Elude Surf Film, Perry Gershkow*, United States, 33 min 
20. freeFLY, Avery Bazan**, United States, 4 min  – West Coast Premiere
21. Future Planning Trilogy Blue Green War Part. 1, Woo-gwang Hwang, South Korea, 49 min  – US Premiere
22. Galapagos Evolution, Roberto Ochoa**, Ecuador, 32 min
23. George & The Whales, Nessim Stevenson**, United Kingdom, 8 min – World Premiere
24. In Your Hands, Brandon Moore, United States, 1 min
25. Junk, Chris Jones, United States, 29 min
26. Just Keep Swimming – A Waterlust Film about Sockeye Salmon, Patrick Rynne, United States, 12 min 
27. Kodiak Queen, Rob Sorrenti, United Kingdom, 17 min – Education Program Only
28. Kokoly, Matthew Judge – Blue Ventures*, United Kingdom, 15 min – Bay Area Premiere
29. Last Cast, Ashley Siana, United States, 13 min  – World Premiere
30. Lionfish, David Chang, United States, USA, 5 min – Education Program Only
31. Made in Paradise, Yang Yang*, United States, 34 min – US Premiere 
32. The Mill, David Craig, Canada, 52 min – US Premiere
33. The Mother, Lutfi Tanriover, Turkey, 4 min
34. Norway’s Magical Fjords, Jan Haft, Germany, 52 min
35. Octopus: Making Contact, Anna Fitch*, United Kingdom, 59 min 
36. One Breath Around the World, Guillaume Néry, France, 13 min 
37. Only One World Left, Alican Abacı*, Turkey, 3 min – West Coast Premiere
38. Our Atoll Speaks, Ko Talatala Mai Tō Mātou Wenua, Gemma Cubero del Barrio*, United States, 12 min – West Coast Premiere
39. Picture of His Life, Yonatan Nir & Dani Menkin**, United States, 71 min
40. Rock-Paper-Fish, Colin Arisman & Connor Gallagher, United States, 26 min – Bay Area Premiere
41. Saving Gentle Giants, Justin Dalaba*, United States, 6 min  – Education Program Only
42. Scott Portelli | Swimming with Gentle Giants, Stefan Andrews, Australia, 10 min 
43. Sea of Shadows, Richard Ladkani & Sean Bogle, United States, 65 min
44. Space Sharks, Stefan Schumacher*, United States, 5 min – West Coast Premiere
45. Spinnaker Documentary, Nadine Licostie, United States, 14 min – Bay Area Premiere
46. Spot Stands Up, Zach McCune, United States, 2 min
47. Stories from the Blue: Million Waves Project, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries*, United States, 6 min – West Coast Premiere
48. Street Surfers, Arthur Neumeier, South Africa, 9 min – Bay Area Premiere
49. Tahiry Honko, Matthew Judge – Blue Ventures*, Madagascar, 6 min – US Premiere
50. Tassy, Sarah Niemann, Germany, 8 min – US Premiere
51. The Tide Pool: Where the Ocean Begins, Lim, Hyung Mook*, South Korea, 58 min
52. Transformation, Gui Garcia & Cathryn Castle Garcia, United States, 4 min – West Coast Premiere
53. Under the Sea, Paula Schwabe, Germany, 1 min
54. Under Thin Ice, Denis Blaquière, Canada, 88 min – Bay Area Premiere
55. Warty Sea Cucumbers: A Story of Collaboration in California, Natasha Benjamin*, United States, 6 min – World Premiere
56. Whale Wisdom, Rick Rosenthal*, United States, 50 min

 *Filmmaker expected for post-screening Q&A

**Film representative expected for post-screening Q&A

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com  

Pulitzer Prize Winning SWEAT by Lynn Nottage Continues 12^th Season for Dezart Performs of Palm Springs: February 28 – March 8

www.dezartperforms.org

31 January 2020 – Palm Springs, CA:  In 1949, Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesmanraised capitalism’s crushing weight on “Everyman” Willie Loman to the level of Shakespearean tragedy. Six decades on, SWEAT by playwright Lynn Nottage, likewise honored with the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Literature,brings the collapse of the American working class to the stage in a wrenching production directed by Michael Shaw for Dezart Performs of Palms Springs, February 28 – March 8.

“For the last two decades, small towns across the United States have been devastated by the loss of union labor, decreasing wages and a changing workplace. Jobs once thought secure, literally, vanished overnight,” said Shaw, founding artistic director for Dezart Performs. “This play brings home the economic, blue-collar misery of the Rust Belt in an uncompromising fashion.”

It’s the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Three childhood friends work together in a steel mill in Reading, Pennsylvania, just like their parents and grandparents did. After work, they decompress at the local bar like they’ve been doing for many years. But, when the plant threatens to cut wages and layoff workers, the friends turn against each other and they struggle to stay afloat. SWEAT reminds us that there’s always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss.

“The emotion is raw and real,” notes Shaw, who has been wanting to somehow capture the ethos of the last few years, politically, on stage. “Unless we find a way to speak with each other – left to right, working-class to upper/middle-class – our country will continue to be fractured. Both sides of the political and social spectrums have work to do to heal this nation.”

During the play one of the characters, Stan, observes as much: “I watch these politicians talking bullshit and I get no sense that they even know what’s going on beyond the windshield of their cars as they speed past. But, I decided a month ago that I’m not voting, cuz no matter what lever I pull it will lead to disappointment.”

The cast for SWEAT is: Eddie Stephens (Evan),  Corydon Melgoza (Jason), Cortez Johnson (Chris) Mike Truelock (Stan), Miguel Arballo (Oscar), Theresa Jewett (Tracey), Desireé Clarke (Cynthia), Melanie Blue (Jessie) and Cary Thompson (Brucie).

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm.After SWEAT the season concludes with the comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe (April 3 – 12). 

12^th Dezart Performs Remaining Season  & Cast Listing

EVERY BRILLIANT THING
Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe  Directed by Deborah Harmon
Comedy/Drama
April 3-12, 2020

Cast / Narrator – Joel Bryant

“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” —The Guardian

You’re six years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com  

Al Jones Named to Board for Nonprofit Dezart Performs of Palm Springs

Esteemed Education Leader Appointed by Presidents Bush and Obama to Advisory Roles Among Other Accomplishments

www.dezartperforms.org

27 January 2020 – Palm Springs, CA:  Al Jones, an internationally known leader in higher education, has been named to the board of directors for the nonprofit Dezart Performs theatre company of Palm Springs. Jones currently serves as chairman of the Palm Springs International Airport Commission, on the Desert AIDS Project Partners for Life Leadership Committee, and on the CSU Palm Desert Campus Advancement Board and its Executive Committee. He is also an Allegro member of the Palm Springs Opera Guild and a former board member of Sanctuary Palm Springs, The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, CV Repertory Theatre, and the Waring International Piano Competition.

“Al  brings incredible experience, wisdom and insight to our volunteer board,” said Clark Dugger, Board President for Dezart Performs. “We are honored and excited to have him as part of our leadership.”

“I’m excited to join the board of Dezart Performs and help further expand their mission of providing incredibly thought-provoking and relevant theatre to our community,” said Jones. “Together, I believe we can expand our programming and provide new areas of growth, particularly in outreach programs for our youth.”

Jones spent 45 years in higher education administration that included 30 years in the Chancellor’s Office of  California State University as the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Student Academic Support, where  he coordinated academic support in twenty-six programs to 23 CSU campuses.  This was followed by a five-year assignment in Washington, D.C.  as the Vice President for Postsecondary Collaboration to states implementing new English/language arts and mathematics standards known as the Common Core.  He currently serves as the Project Director of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant awarded to the California Education Round Table, which consists of the California Department of Education, California Community Colleges, California State University, University of California, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.

He was appointed by Presidents Bush and Obama to serve on the 11-member Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which provided advice and counsel to the Secretary of Education and Congress on student financial aid policy issues.  He also was appointed to California’s  Scholarshare Investment Board (529 Family Savings Plan), California’s Governors Interagency Coordinating Council on the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, California’s P-16 Council charged with examining ways to improve student achievement at all levels, and as a nationally-elected Trustee of The College Board.

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.