WHY: Manny’s is back with its political and civic programming and what better day to bring back our events and programming than independence day! It’s been 461 days since we’ve hosted in person programming in the space and we wanted to thank our community for supporting us this whole time while also launching full force into the future. We already have events in July with Mayor London Breed, District Attorney Chesa Boudin, SCOTUS Expert Ben Feuer, Tech for Campaigns Co-founder Jessica Alter, and Relationship Science Expert Logan Ury.
QUOTE: “We made it! After so many months of being shut Manny’s breathes and lives again,”said Manny’s founder, Manny Yekutiel. “We can’t wait to bring the whole community back inside to celebrate America’s independence and our survival through this horrific global pandemic.”
1 July 2021 – Palm Springs, CA: Like an oasis springing up in the Desert after a year of theatrical drought, the award-winning Dezart Performs of Palm Springs (www.dezartperforms.org) returns with a full four-play schedule that brings music, mayhem, mirth and an exploration of mental health to the fore in their 14th Season. First up is the critically-acclaimed Todd Almond / Matthew Sweet musical GIRLFRIEND (October 27 – 30) taking place outside at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater. Kicking off the new year, the company returns to its traditional home at thePearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs) with Katori Hall’s THE MOUNTAINTOP (January 14 – 23), a bold reimagining of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s final night. Next is Heidi Schreck’sdramatic exploration of compassion and forgiveness as seen through the eyes of a nun in a Bronx soup kitchen, GRAND CONCOURSE (March 4 – 13). Rounding out the calendar is the one-person comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING(April 1 – 10) by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and directed by Deborah Harmon. EVERY BRILLIANT THING was originally the final production of the 2020 Season, delayed by COVID.
“We are so looking forward to welcoming everyone back in October with a play that is a first in many ways,” said Dezart Performs Artistic Director Michael Shaw who directs the first three plays in the upcoming season. “ ‘GIRLFRIEND is the first musical for Dezart Performs, the first play to be presented outdoors, and it’s the first play after a long, dark shutdown.”
Following its final live, with-audience performance, SWEAT, on March 8, 2020, Dezart Performs engaged its audience with a series of live online events during COVID: Creating for the Stage: Discussions with the People that Make Shows Happen (November 11 – December 2, 2020) and the interactive online sensation Mental Amusements (January 13 – 31, 2021) with award-winning Mentalist Vinny DePonto.
“Our motto during the pandemic was that we were here, and still dreaming,” said Shaw who co-founded the company in 2008. “Now, the dream is being realized again, and we’re ready to turn a new decade of dreams into reality.”
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. Dates for Season Subscriptions and Single Ticket Sales will be announced later this summer.
14th Dezart Performs Complete Season Listing
GIRLFRIEND
October 27-30, 2021
Book by Todd Almond
Music by Matthew Sweet
Directed by Michael Shaw
Musical Direction by Joshua Carr
Choreography by Ray Limon
Musical Comedy
Rancho Mirage Amphitheater
Set in Nebraska in the ’90s, Will, a bit of a social outcast, and Mike, the popular football player, figure out that there is more to life than what high school has taught them. Days after graduation they explore their relationship and begin to ask themselves where their lives begin.
“The songwriter and book writer demonstrate both an ear for the rousing energy of circa-1990 pop music, and a sensitivity about the manner in which a pair of young men might find their way to each other in an unwelcoming environment.” – The Washington Post
* * *
THE MOUNTAINTOP
January 14-23, 2022
Written by Katori Hall
Drama
Directed by Michael Shaw
Pearl McManus Theater
2010 Winner, Olivier Award for Best Play
A re-imagined depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. After delivering his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech”, King goes to the Lorraine Motel to rest. His world is spun on his axis when he meets Camae, a young, feisty and foul-mouthed maid, who delivers his room service.
“Funny and emotionally charged… a powerful, poetic take on [King’s] legacy.” -Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times
“Intriguing, shocking, funny… a stunning evening.” – Dale Reynolds, EDGE Los Angeles
* * *
GRAND CONCOURSE
March 4-13, 2022
Written by Heidi Schreck
Directed by Michael Shaw
Drama
Pearl McManus Theater
2015 Lucille Lortel Award Nominee
Having dedicated her life to religious service, Shelley runs a Bronx soup kitchen with unsentimental efficiency, but lately her heart’s not quite in it. Her brisk nature masks an unsettling fear that her efforts are meaningless. When Emma – an idealistic but confused college dropout – arrives to volunteer, her reckless mix of generosity and self-involvement pushes Shelley to the breaking point.
“Insightful with a moving, even shocking epiphany.” – Huffington Post
“[Heidi Schreck] writes fluid, natural dialogue and creates detailed characters that offer generous opportunities for actors… the words have the ring of plain truth.” – The New York Times
* * *
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
April 1-10, 2022
Written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe
Directed by Deborah Harmon
Comedy/Drama
Pearl McManus Theater
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. Constructions 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 for those we love.
“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
LIVES OF THE LINERS:CRUISING & CRUISE SHIPS – July 4, 2021
From Bill Miller
July 4th 2021
Mon Jun 21st Bits’n Pieces: After confirming its service resumption in Alaska, Princess Cruises has announced its intent to return to service in other US ports, sailing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale this fall. By the Nov, eight big Princess ships will be once again taking guests to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii and the California Coast. … Cruise lines are planning restarts in various phases in 2021, including a number of smaller European niche brands. … Although I won’t list them, some cruise lines are offering “insane” deals to recruit passengers following the long, otherwise very costly pandemic shutdown.
Tue Jun 22nd Holland America Line is gearing up to restart cruising out of Port of San Diego in California beginning with a season of cruises to Mexico, Hawaii and along the California coast aboard Koningsdam and Zuiderdam. The cruise line has expanded the season with the addition of six new cruise departures for Zuiderdam and two new cruises on Koningsdam, offering a total of 40 cruises from San Diego from Sep 2021 through Apr 2022. With the resumption of service on the West Coast, Holland America also is looking toward cruising in the Caribbean with four ships. All sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the season will begin Oct 23rd 2021, with Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship will be joined by the new Rotterdam Nov 3, Eurodam Nov 14 and Nieuw Statendam Nov 21. Caribbean cruises range in length from four to 14 days, span the entire region and include a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private island.
Royal Caribbean International embarked on its first simulated voyage Sunday as the cruise industry continues moving in the direction of resuming regular sailings. Last Sunday, the 3,600-bed Freedom of the Seas welcomed employee volunteers on board at Port Miami.
Celebrity Cruises: Excitement, anticipation, and awe. These three words captured the feeling of passengers and onlookers as Celebrity Apex sailed out of the Port of Athens, on Sat Jun 19th, to begin her maiden voyage and first summer season in the Aegean. The much-anticipated sailing marks an historic moment for the company, which had originally planned to introduce its newest ship in late Mar 2020. Guests and fans of the brand have waited ever-since with huge anticipation to experience the fleet’s new flagship.
Wed Jun 23rd More Bits’n Pieces: Christmas-New Year holiday cruises are just about heavily wait-listed across the board. Travelers are anxious to get away. Disney, as example, is promising the best holiday trips yet! … Denmark: From Jun 26th, vaccinated cruise guests will be allowed to go ashore in Denmark without any restrictions.
P&O Cruises has announced its expected deployment and phased re-start plan for the remainder of 2021 and into early 2022. The Britannia will begin the planned western Mediterranean itineraries on Sep 25th and the brand new Iona will start her Atlantic coast holidays from the same date. These cruises will follow the series of UK coastal cruises beginning in June. The Ventura’s first cruises will be the planned program of Atlantic islands holidays from Oct 3rd. Following the Mediterranean season, running until Oct, the Britannia will reposition to the Caribbean for her winter season as scheduled, followed by the Azura which will begin Caribbean fly/cruises slightly later than published from Dec 10th.
Thu Jun 24th Carnival Cruise Line announced plans yesterday to grow its fleet by two additional ships by 2023, taking the delivery position of an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of the Costa Magica from another of its European sister lines, with that ship going through a dry dock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022.
More News from Carnival Corp: Eight cruise line brands from Carnival Corporation have announced plans to resume guest cruise operations, with AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Seabourn sailing in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe. The company said it expects to have 42 ships in service through the end of its fiscal year 2021 (Nov 30th), representing 52 percent of the company’s total capacity across its global fleet of 91 cruise ships.
Hurtigruten, best known for its Norwegian coastal service and expedition cruising, is heading into Galapagos cruising, having inked a deal with Metropolitan Touring to take guests to the region starting in Jan 2022. Hurtigruten now has a satellite: Hurtigruten Expeditions.
Sea Days! While it is all a matter of choice, the well respected Cruise Critic has selected 8 ships for the “best days at sea”.
When Royal Caribbean’s gargantuan and game-changing Oasis of the Seas debuted as the then-world’s largest ship in 2009, people wondered if anyone would bother to get off the ship in port, as it could take a week to try out all the onboard activities. With 24 dining options, 21 pools and hot tubs, multiple live performance venues (including an ice rink and AquaTheater for high-diving shows) and seven “neighborhoods,” the ship practically guarantees that no one will have trouble finding something to do. Well, lots of cruise travelers prefer spending time onboard – including during port calls – and the top 8 cruise ships for “stay aboard” cruising are:
Norwegian Escape
Carnival Vista
Harmony of the Seas
Disney Fantasy
Queen Mary 2
Crystal Serenity
Celebrity Reflection
Regal Princess
Fri Jun 25th Further News from Carnival: “Our strategic decision to accelerate the exit of 19 ships has lowered our capacity growth to roughly 2.5% compounded annually from 2019 through 2025, that’s down from 4.5% pre-COVID,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, on the company’s second quarter earnings call on Thursday. “Moreover, we have opportunistically rebalanced our portfolio through the ship exits as well as the ship transfer and a modification to our newbuild schedule, the combination of which will transfer 8,000 berths from our Continental European brands to America’s favorite cruise line, Carnival Cruise Line to optimize the current environment, maximize cash generation and improve our return on invested capital.”
For Sale! Carnival Corporation’s AIDA Cruises brand today announced the AIDAcara has been sold and will leave the fleet soon after 25 years in service for the German cruise brand. A buyer was not named.
Added News from AIDA: AIDA Cruises has announced it will open the 2021 season at a third German cruise port, Hamburg, with AIDAmar on Jul 31st.
Royal Caribbean: Two young unvaccinated passengers on a Royal Caribbean International cruise out of the Bahamas tested positive for the coronavirus. The passengers, who were younger than 16 and traveling in the same group, left the Adventure of the Seas before the end of the cruise on Thursday in Freeport with their companions. They returned home to Florida on a private flight arranged by the cruise company.
Single Travel:Solo cruising is about to get a major upgrade on Atlas Ocean Voyages. The cruise line just unveiled its first Solo Suites – 183-square-foot escapes that travelers won’t have to pay extra for to get all to themselves. Each suite comes with a queen-sized bed, television, desk, mini fridge, and en suite bathroom featuring a rainfall shower. Most suites also have balconies from which to enjoy the expansive ocean views.
Sat Jun 26th US Cruising: When the Celebrity Edge departs Port Everglades today, it will mark the first revenue cruise with paying passengers on a large cruise ship sailing from a U.S. port in more than 15 months.
Yes, it is all resuming – normalcy and step by step, cruise line by cruise line, ship by ship – bon voyage to all!
Out of the old shoebox: A Saturday afternoon sailing from New York’s Pier 95 for the very popular Queen of Bermuda.
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
Media Contact: David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com
Thursday, June 24 at 11am San Francisco’s Mission Neighborhood Centers Inc. Opens Its 12th Early Care & Education Facility www.mncsf.org
SF Mayor London N. Breed Leads Ribbon Cutting and Kicks Off Community Open House
24 June 2021 – San Francisco, CA: As California reopens, San Francisco’s esteemed Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (www.mncsf.org) turns its sights to serving its core constituency – families – with the opening of its twelfth early learning center, MNC Mission at 1954 Mission Street. Located in the La Fénix housing development, the center will serve 42 children and families with high-quality, wrap around services and is comprised of one pre-school, two toddler, and one infant classroom. MNC Mission will officially open with a community open house on Thursday, June 24, 10am – 1pm. San Francisco. At 11:05 am Mayor London N. Breed will cut the ribbon at the facility and make remarks.
“From children’s services to healthy aging and disability, Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. has been serving the community with empowering multi-cultural, cradle to rocking chair services for 60 years,” said Richard Ybarra, CEO for Mission Neighborhood Communities, Inc. “Mayor Breed has shown her commitment from day one to the health and welfare of our families here in the Mission, and we’re honored to have her with us for this event. Also, we’re especially proud of our team for its creative planning and re-use of this historic community property.”
“Now that San Francisco is reopening and our economic recovery is underway, it’s more important than ever that we continue expanding affordable, high-quality education and childcare opportunities,” said Mayor London Breed. “That is why we launched our Women and Families First Initiative, and why we’re continuing to invest in centers like this one through City programs, because we know that we need to do more to support our youth and families.”MNC Mission provides much needed early care and education for low-income families residing in the Mission and addresses the increasing need for early care and education in San Francisco. According to the SF Child Care Planning and Advisory Council, 6,122 children (ages 0-2) and 5,567 children (ages 3-5) in the city qualified for subsidized early care and education; 93% of subsidy eligible 3-5 year olds obtain care, while only 27% of infants and toddlers are able to obtain subsidized care.
“Access disparities exist based on race and ethnicity,” Ybarra said, noting that in 2017, 50.3% of childcare spaces were not available to children of working families. “2020-2021 has shown how critical early care and education and childcare are to supporting our workforce and is key to rebuilding a strong post-COVID economy.”
According to Ybarra, over 43% of Hispanic/Latino 3 to 5 year olds were not enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, compared with less than 33% of their Asian American, white, and multiracial peers. Recognizing this incredible need, Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. partnered with Mission Housing Development Corporation to obtain the space in their affordable housing development and received funding support from the Low Income Investment Fund for construction costs. Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc is supported through funding from the Office of Head Start, the California Department of Education, and the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education.
Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. is San Francisco’s preeminent Latino-led community-based organization. For over 124 years, in 62 of these years in early care, MNC has been at the forefront of providing early childhood education, social and supportive services to low-income youth, families, and seniors in an engaging, inclusive, culturally appropriate environment that promotes community empowerment and economic prosperity. For more info, please visit: www.mncsf.org
San Francisco Book Festival Gives Top Prize to “Upon This Rock”
David Eugene Perry’s Mystery Thriller Set in Orvieto, Italy Wins “Best Gay Book” of Spring 2021 www.quilldriverbooks.com
23 June 2021 – San Francisco, CA: On the heels of last month’s Silver Medal Ben Franklin Award win from the Independent Book Publishers Association, first-time author David Eugene Perry has taken top prize from the prestigious San Francisco Book Festival as “Best Gay Book of Spring 2021” for his critically-acclaimed mystery thriller set in Orvieto, Italy “Upon This Rock” from Pace Press.
“Coming during LGBT Pride Month makes this an even happier moment,” said Perry, 59, who has lived and worked in San Francisco since 1986. “I’m greatly humbled to have been nominated among so many fine writers and so grateful to Pace Press for the encouragement and support.”
“All of us at Pace Press have been excited by the success of ‘Upon This Rock’. It is a truly exceptional novel,” said Kent Sorsky, publisher of Linden Publications / Quilldriver Books. “It is a page-turning thriller and a deep dive into Renaissance history that straddles pop and high culture.”
The San Francisco Book Festival recognizes the best books of the spring cycle. A full list of other winners may be found at this link:
Upon This Rock is an “elegant twisty thriller” (Armistead Maupin, author ofthe international sensation Tales of the City) and “the gay DaVinci Code, but a lot better” (Fenton Johnson, Guggenheim Fellow, author of The Man Who Loved Birds); Upon This Rock is “for those readers who love Italy and who love crime fiction” (Lucinda Hawksley, great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, author of Dickens’s Artistic Daughter, Katey); “Perry’s novel sparkles with campy wit but is written with serious clues that keep you reading. And, oh yes, because it is a mystery, there’s a killer of a surprise at the end. Move over, Sam Spade and Nick and Nora Charles. Welcome the new kids to the neighborhood, Lee and Adriano.” (Will Snyder, Bay Area Reporter); Upon This Rock is “a perfect read for anyone who is into thrillers, mysteries and historical fiction, like John Grisham and Dan Brown for sure.”(Ankita Dasgupta, The Bookworm Resort); “This is a wild read. Perry’s ability to build suspense is impressive and the denouement of this thriller will not just surprise you, but literally stun.”(Erika Atkinson, author of Ode to the Castro).
“You will not find a more exquisite, captivating, well written first novel than David Eugene Perry’s Upon This Rock. I was literally hooked from the first chapter. Set in the Italian city of Orvieto, Perry takes us on a roller-coaster ride that begins with the Sixteenth Century papacy of the de Medici Pope, Clement VII, and then quickly plummets us to the present day. A wonderfully addictive and engrossing story with brilliant characters and an ending that will have you perusing your favorite bookstore looking for Perry’s next novel”(Dennis Koller, author of The Rhythm of Evil). “You will not be able to put his book down. It is a page-turner from the first sentence until the twisted unexpected ending.” (Lynn Ruth Miller, author of Getting the Last Laugh). In short, David Eugene Perry’s Upon This Rock is “A potboiler thriller with nail-biting suspense” (Lew J. Whittington, New York Journal of Books); a “sexy, historical thriller” (Julissa James, Nob Hill Gazette);”a love letter to Orvieto like Tales of the City is a love letter to San Francisco” (Eric Jansen, SF Bay Times & Out In the Bay).
Perhaps Emmy Award winning journalist, famed Hollywood reporter Jan Wahl put it best: “Upon This Rock is fabulous. This historical thriller is a sexy ‘DaVinci Code.’ I can’t wait for the movie.”
Upon This Rock by David Eugene Perry / 360 pages / $ 18.95 / Quilldriver Books, Fresno, CA.
