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3 Free Things to Do in L.A. This Week (Plus 2 for Under $25)
Comments (0)By Sascha Bos
Fri, Oct 24, 2014 at 5:33 AM
Categories: Events
Let's face it – you don't need to go crazy this week (that's what Halloween weekend is for). But that doesn't mean you have to sit on your couch crafting your costume and sneaking candy all week. Get out there!
With so many great events happening this week, you don't have any excuses. There's a free opera performance in Union Station, a live retelling of Orson Welles' infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, and a family-friendly celebration on a Long Beach farm, inspired by the upcoming Día de los Muertos holiday. And, if you've got money to spend, check out the L.A. Dance Project's latest three-part program at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, which we recently named Best Revitalized Theater.
5. Dance L.A.
Despite its name and its growing number of staff and dancers based here, the L.A. Dance Project spends most of its time away from L.A., touring Europe and the United States. Fortunately, this collection of riveting dancers returns to its namesake town with a triptych program that includes the reprise of a modern dance classic, a U.S. premiere based on the choreographer’s time in L.A., and a preview of a new work from artistic director Benjamin Millepied. The reprise is William Forsythe’s 1993 Quintett, which was part of the Dance Project’s Music Center debut in 2012, and one of the first times Forsythe allowed the piece to be performed outside his own company. The U.S. premiere on the program is Emanuel Gat’s Morgan’s Last Chug. Born in Israel and in recent years based in France, Gat reports that his new work was inspired by his time in L.A. working with the company. In the third slot, Millepied previews a new work. Set to music by Philip Glass, the new (apparently unnamed) dance is only being previewed here, the official premiere being saved for performances outside Los Angeles. Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, dwntwn.; Fri., Oct. 24, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 25, 7 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 26, 3 p.m.; $25-$75. (213) 623-3233, ladanceproject.com, acehotel.com/#losangeles/theatre. —Ann Haskins
4.Celebrate Life
Although Día de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of honoring and celebrating the dearly departed, won’t start until Oct. 31, there’s a new Día coming to Long Beach today — Día de los Verdes. The festival takes place at the Growing Experience, a seven-acre farm that once was an empty lot within the Carmelitos Housing Projects. The farm now provides plots where Carmelitos’ residents can grow their own food, as well as a paid job-training program for youth and an affordable CSA open to anyone who wants to eat healthy and locally. Hosted with Green Long Beach, Squeeze Art Collective and Mixt Media Arts, the event will feature live music, crafting, face painting and a squash cook-off. At this twist on the classic ritual, the ofrendas honor not dead relatives but our tenuous relationship with nature — including one remembering extinct animals. The altars will be lit at 6 p.m. as part of the closing ceremony. Inspired by the diversity of Long Beach and the “celebration of life, family and culture” that is Día de los Muertos, Día de los Verdes is “a nod to our community and the ways in which we work together on a daily basis to strive for a sustainable, thriving future,” Green Long Beach organizer Tiffany Chen says. The Growing Experience Urban Farm, 750 Via Carmelitos, Long Beach; Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; free. facebook.com/events/517615185050404. —Sascha Bos
See also: The Hottest Halloween Parties in L.A. (2014 Edition)
3. Soldier On
America’s policy of never-ending war comes at an incalculable price, and it’s our military — our youth — who get stuck carrying the debt. At The Warrior’s Return: From Surge to Suburbia, that ghastly cost, reckoned in loss of life, limbs, innocence and even sanity, will be addressed by two particularly capable speakers: Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Finkel, author of acclaimed books The Good Soldiers and Thank You for Your Service, and clinical psychologist Albert “Skip” Rizzo, director for medical virtual reality at the Institute for Creative Technologies at USC. Finkel, through his exhaustive research, experience and interviews, is intimately acquainted with the struggles and distress that burden our veterans, but Rizzo actively confronts PTSD with immersive simulations that directly re-create specific instances of trauma. He returns his patients to the very moment that plagues them, allowing them to confront the terror head-on. It’s a fascinating field: Rizzo gives these ex-soldiers a set of virtual-reality goggles, hands them a weapon and fires up the tech gear. They’re plunged back into combat mode, replete with goosebumps and adrenaline surges, negotiating what Rizzo calls an “emotional obstacle course.” The slightly sci-fi trappings of virtual reality aside, this discussion is all about human emotion, relief and recovery from trauma — the most boundlessly engaging subject of them all. Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., dwntwn.; Mon., Oct. 27, 7:15 p.m.; free, resv. required. (213) 228-7025, lfla.org. —Jonny Whiteside
Keep reading for two more great events – a free opera at Union Station, and spooky live radio.
With so many great events happening this week, you don't have any excuses. There's a free opera performance in Union Station, a live retelling of Orson Welles' infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, and a family-friendly celebration on a Long Beach farm, inspired by the upcoming Día de los Muertos holiday. And, if you've got money to spend, check out the L.A. Dance Project's latest three-part program at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, which we recently named Best Revitalized Theater.
5. Dance L.A.
Despite its name and its growing number of staff and dancers based here, the L.A. Dance Project spends most of its time away from L.A., touring Europe and the United States. Fortunately, this collection of riveting dancers returns to its namesake town with a triptych program that includes the reprise of a modern dance classic, a U.S. premiere based on the choreographer’s time in L.A., and a preview of a new work from artistic director Benjamin Millepied. The reprise is William Forsythe’s 1993 Quintett, which was part of the Dance Project’s Music Center debut in 2012, and one of the first times Forsythe allowed the piece to be performed outside his own company. The U.S. premiere on the program is Emanuel Gat’s Morgan’s Last Chug. Born in Israel and in recent years based in France, Gat reports that his new work was inspired by his time in L.A. working with the company. In the third slot, Millepied previews a new work. Set to music by Philip Glass, the new (apparently unnamed) dance is only being previewed here, the official premiere being saved for performances outside Los Angeles. Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, dwntwn.; Fri., Oct. 24, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 25, 7 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 26, 3 p.m.; $25-$75. (213) 623-3233, ladanceproject.com, acehotel.com/#losangeles/theatre. —Ann Haskins
4.Celebrate Life
Although Día de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of honoring and celebrating the dearly departed, won’t start until Oct. 31, there’s a new Día coming to Long Beach today — Día de los Verdes. The festival takes place at the Growing Experience, a seven-acre farm that once was an empty lot within the Carmelitos Housing Projects. The farm now provides plots where Carmelitos’ residents can grow their own food, as well as a paid job-training program for youth and an affordable CSA open to anyone who wants to eat healthy and locally. Hosted with Green Long Beach, Squeeze Art Collective and Mixt Media Arts, the event will feature live music, crafting, face painting and a squash cook-off. At this twist on the classic ritual, the ofrendas honor not dead relatives but our tenuous relationship with nature — including one remembering extinct animals. The altars will be lit at 6 p.m. as part of the closing ceremony. Inspired by the diversity of Long Beach and the “celebration of life, family and culture” that is Día de los Muertos, Día de los Verdes is “a nod to our community and the ways in which we work together on a daily basis to strive for a sustainable, thriving future,” Green Long Beach organizer Tiffany Chen says. The Growing Experience Urban Farm, 750 Via Carmelitos, Long Beach; Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; free. facebook.com/events/517615185050404. —Sascha Bos
See also: The Hottest Halloween Parties in L.A. (2014 Edition)
3. Soldier On
America’s policy of never-ending war comes at an incalculable price, and it’s our military — our youth — who get stuck carrying the debt. At The Warrior’s Return: From Surge to Suburbia, that ghastly cost, reckoned in loss of life, limbs, innocence and even sanity, will be addressed by two particularly capable speakers: Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Finkel, author of acclaimed books The Good Soldiers and Thank You for Your Service, and clinical psychologist Albert “Skip” Rizzo, director for medical virtual reality at the Institute for Creative Technologies at USC. Finkel, through his exhaustive research, experience and interviews, is intimately acquainted with the struggles and distress that burden our veterans, but Rizzo actively confronts PTSD with immersive simulations that directly re-create specific instances of trauma. He returns his patients to the very moment that plagues them, allowing them to confront the terror head-on. It’s a fascinating field: Rizzo gives these ex-soldiers a set of virtual-reality goggles, hands them a weapon and fires up the tech gear. They’re plunged back into combat mode, replete with goosebumps and adrenaline surges, negotiating what Rizzo calls an “emotional obstacle course.” The slightly sci-fi trappings of virtual reality aside, this discussion is all about human emotion, relief and recovery from trauma — the most boundlessly engaging subject of them all. Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., dwntwn.; Mon., Oct. 27, 7:15 p.m.; free, resv. required. (213) 228-7025, lfla.org. —Jonny Whiteside
Keep reading for two more great events – a free opera at Union Station, and spooky live radio.
Related Location
-
The Growing Experience Urban Farm
- 750 Via Carmelitos, Long Beach Long Beach CA 90805
-
Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium
- 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles Downtown CA 90071
-
213-228-7025
- www.lfla.org
-
Trepany House at the Steve Allen Theater
- 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles Los Feliz CA 90027
-
323-666-4268
- www.trepanyhouse.org
-
The Theatre at Ace Hotel
- 929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles Downtown CA 90015
-
213-623-3233
- www.acehotel.com/losangeles
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