Beautiful darlings,
How are you? <— Such a classic and unimpeachable way to kick off a newsletter. Uninspired? SURE! But offensive? HARDLY.
It’s starting to feel like summer out here, which has us ready for the beach*! (*More inside-nights at the theater! All the fun of the beach without the sand in your trousers!) Things got steamy last week, with a roster of shows that were turning up the heatttt, hun! The SHELF LIFE screening was an amazing opportunity to get to watch a bizarre comedy gem never given the chance to shine in the theater. What a treat! JOHN EARLY can add moderator to the list of things at which he’s flawless. The MOTHER JONES Food For Thought event was delllllicious, insightful, and we can now say with certainty, yes, FRAN DRESCHER is the icon you need. Regardless of how you feel about her Nanny work, she was in UHF, which makes her indelible in our* (*Jamie's) book and Spinal Tap which gives her Goddess Status in our OTHER* (*Vanessa's) book . The event ended with humanitarian and grammy-nominated musician ROCKY DAWUNI getting the entire crowd on their feet singing, and it sounded so beautiful and gave us hope for the future! Ah, MAGIC, Dynasty Style. Thursday we emo-ed out with Every Place I Cry (so many feelings! So much eyeliner!) and then felt very hip at the Subtle Pride show! It was an honor to host their West Coast debut! They are triple threats: great musicians, delightfully absurd, and sooooo cool. Like, cooler than a sun wearing sunglasses. WE KNOW. Friday GREG BEHRENDT presented an epic hour of a concert performance / story telling that had the room boppin’ and laughin’ along to the evergreen tale of an American musician turned Japanese cosmetics mogul. Podcast the Ride was a RIDE: sold out show, lovely crowd, and the Dynasty walls have 100% never seen more Hawaiian shirts or jean jackets bedazzled with Disney enamel pins. And we ain’t complaining, sweetie. Saturday TIM HIEDECKER’s album release was pitch perfect, except that we were left to wrestle with the unfair facts of life that some people can be that funny and that earnestly good at music. Then, CLOWNVIS took the stage… and our hearts. (Also we had some hot audience sightings! Clownvis fans include VIC BERGER and RICHIE THE BARBER!)
Last night was RUSSELL BRAND and honestly, we didn’t know what to expect! From his huge roles in film to his Instagram guru presence, what brand of brand was coming in? Safe to say it was all of them (with a heavy lean into guru, including stories about hanging with ECKHART TOLLE and the DALAI LAMA. Soon he'll be able to add stories about hanging out with VANESSA RAGLAND and JAMIE FLAM to that list!) After Russell, JACQUELINE NOVAK and JOHN EARLY split the bill, and the bill was, per usual, priiiiiiceless.
THIS WEEK is going to be a rainbow of goodness, starting with TONIGHT and WEDNESDAY's debut performances of a new one-person show from one of our favorite brains/humans, the incomparable DREW DROEGE! Get ready to celebrate, it’s Happy Birthday Doug! The show description is so good we have to share it: "Doug is turning 41 today. He’s visited by friends, nightmares, a few exes, and even a ghost. Imagine a gay Christmas Carol/modern day exorcism set in a wine bar in Silverlake. Welcome to the party!” If you’ve ever seen Drew perform you’ve already gotten tickets to this no-brainer, and if you HAVEN’T seen him, make this the time. He’s hilarious, has a singular talent for insane characters that teeter on the line between reality and absurdity, and beyond that he’s just a really great human.
THURSDAY we’re celebrating Pride! But since it’s a Dynasty show we’re spelling it PRYDE because, we love Ys. It’s Dynasty Tonight, Pryde of Dynasty Edition! And we are beyond PROUD to have this lineup: JOEL KIM BOOSTER, MARGARET CHO, SAM PANCAKE, DAN FRANZESE, ERIN FOLEY and more!
FRIDAY get ready to get scared, boos! At 5:30 grab your snacks and drinks and get cozy (on the edge of your seat) for a triple feature from Cranked Up & Shudder: An Evening of Nightmares with JOE DANTE, MICK GARRIS, and ALEJANDRO BRUGUES. Films on the docket include: Sleep Walkers, Juan of the Dead, and Piranha. In addition to the films, there will be Q & A with the directors! Then a 11pm, Friday Night Frights presents a screening of SHAKMA. What’s Shakma? Just a story about an RPG game gone wrong and a bloodthirsty lab baboon, and guess what? MONTY COX, owner of TYPHOON the baboon (who portrayed Shakma) is going to join in for a Q & A, and will have his memoir about a life working with exotic animals on film with him! Finally, Jamie and Vanessa will have a forum to ask their burning questions about MR. ED, LUCKY from ALF, and re-hash some issues regarding the criminally overrated EDDIE from Frasier (just another average Jack Russell delivering a generic performance. It shoulda been a mutt!)
SATURDAY we are so truly hyped (pumped? AMPED!) for The Fast and The Furious: Musical Parody but, the tickets sold in the manor of the film: fastly and with fury. It is sold out, but who’s to say if that’s because the cast, crew, and producer are truly amazing (and the sneak peeks of musical numbers we’ve seen are DREAMS) or if it’s just the contagious Midas touch of being connected to the Best Movie Franchise Ever. See you Saturday, family.
SUNDAY at 6pm come hear the tale of a Wild, Wild Christian. SIMONE MCALONEN’s hilarious and true coming of age story… set on a ranch in Central Oregon which was transformed from the Rajneeshee’s murderous sext cult stomping grounds to a wholesome Christian Summer Camp. (Yes, there are similarities.) Sunday is also Father’s Day! Send your sweet cards right now! Or if it’s a complicated day for you, celebrate or ignore in a manner that serves you. It's your life, hon, and we celebrate what you celebrate and how you celebrate it (exceptions apply)!
MONDAY, Harmontown will be back in session with special guest YEARDLEY SMITH. Yep! LISA SIMPSON will be at the Dynasty. EYES WILL ROLL (in a good way)!
get bent,
Vanessa & Jamie
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 REFLECTIONS FOR REFLECTING ON
A New Occasional Dynasty Newsletter Mini-Section
by Jamie Flam
Hi, it's me, Jamie Flam from Dynasty Typewriter! If you were at the theater last week you may have been like "I'm having the best time like I do every time I'm here but something feels just slightly off." You may have suspected it was the ghosts that live here (and usually it is), but this time it was definitely because I wasn't on the premises. You see, last week I was able to get away and completely disconnect for the first time since we opened the theater a year and a half ago! I spent a few nights at a silent retreat at a hermitage up in the mountains near Big Sur, where internet and cell connections were rendered useless and the views of the Pacific were rendered priceless! FYI, The Pacific is what's called an "ocean." Go figure! Not being able to use my phone was terrifying, as like for so many of us it's become quite the addiction, but it was ultimately liberating AF! I highly recommend you try it as it forces you to be ok to just exist. And existence can be not torturous if you pay attention! Great insights were had as I gazed into the clouds or the trees or the ocean or the animals (I saw a bunch of birds and a bunny and a dern snake!), and now I am back in Los Angeles feeling revived and relaxed and less self-judgey. I've even including a selfie I took... of myself! But don't focus on me, focus on the lush greenery... My eyes! The good news is that with all my new enlightenment I haven't lost my brilliant zaniness or penchant for exclamation points!!! Why am I writing this and including it in our newsletter where we usually tell you about shows? Because we are more than just a theater. We are human beings trying to make sense of this flarkin' life and we want to share what we learn, even if it's not directly related to the theater. But really it is, because everything is connected. I learned that last week. Point is, put your phone down, take some deep breaths, look at some plants, take a trip if you are able, and love yourself best you can because you're a damn treasure. And do yourself a favor and get yourself a Dynasty t-shirt. They are as stylish as they are comfortable.
Oh, I went to the aquarium in Monterey, and sea otters are fucking great!
TO BE CONTINUED
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Tues, June 11 + Wed June 12 | 8pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUG by Drew Droege
Doug is turning 41. He’s visited by friends, nightmares, a few exes, and even a ghost. Imagine a gay Christmas Carol/ modern day exorcism set in a wine bar in Silverlake. Welcome to the party!
Purchase Tickets →
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Thursday, June 13 | 8pm
DYNASTY TONIGHT: THE PRYDE OF DYNASTY
A night of comedy and enchantertainment featuring: Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho, Sam Pancake, Daniel Webb, Dan Franzese, Erin Foley, + More!
Purchase Tickets →
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Friday, June 14 | 5:30pm
An Evening of Nightmares
Cranked Up + Shudder Present a triple feature presented by some of Horrors most legendary directors: Joe Dante, Mick Garris, and Alejandro Brugues.
Purchase Tickets →
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Friday, June 14 | 11pm
Friday Night Frights Presents: Shakma
Did you know that when a baboon is injected with experimental serum it transforms into a maximum butt-shit insane murder machine? Come see for yourself when Friday Night Frights presents this cult classic with a special Q&A.
Purchase Tickets →
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Saturday, June 15 | 8pm
The Fast and the Furious: A Musical Parody
Your favorite car-driving gang members battle their greatest foe yet-- singing and dancing at the same time.
SOLD OUT
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Sunday, June 16 | 6pm
Wild Wild Christian
A hilarious and true coming-of-age story about puberty, spiritual evolution, and sexual frustration....all while living on a Christian Summer Camp
Purchase Tickets →
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Monday, June 17 | 8pm
Harmontown
Dan Harmon (Rick & Morty), “comptroller” Jeff B. Davis, game master, Spencer Crittenden present their wildly popular podcast in front of a live audience. With Special Guest Yeardley Smith (The voice of Lisa Simpson).
Purchase Tickets →
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Wednesday, June 19th
An Evening With Beth Stelling
Beth Stelling is a stand-up comedian and writer. She has performed in the Netflix series The Standups and currently serves as a writer for the HBO television series, Crashing. Stelling has released two comedy albums, Sweet Beth and Simply the Beth.
Purchase Tickets →
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Tuesday, June 25th
KPCC Presents NANCY — Live!
BFFs Kathy Tu and Tobin Low share stories and conversations about the LGBTQ experience on their podcast “Nancy”, named a top podcast by Entertainment Weekly and TIME and hailed by Vice as “a gentle investigation into the courage it takes to live outside social norms.”
Purchase Tickets →
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Friday, June 21 | 10pm
Everything's Great! with Demi, Nick, & Addie
Nick Kocher, Demi Adejuyigbe, & Addie Weyrich presents a comedy variety show celebrating joy and positivity - so don't be a stupid fucking shitsucker and come see it, you dummy.
Purchase Tickets →
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