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Dearest Dynasty Darlings,
Who on our email list goes to therapy and reads books on Buddhism and radical acceptance and works on things like self-love and self advocacy and total surrender and actively confronts triggers that bring up reactivity from past traumas in order to heal so they can create more space with which to shine their light brighter into the world, thus making it a better place for themselves and the rest of humanity? Anyone? Is it just us, or is all this important and vital personal work EXHAUSTING? Like, yes, soooo many breakthroughs and epiphanies and re-piphanies™*, but like when does it end?? When are we completely healed?? It's like for us, we just want to run an enchanting theater with the best shows and talent and have so much fun all the time because this is all so absurd! Not have to also work through people pleasing dilemmas for the 1,785th time. ARE WE RIGHT?! Is any of this resonating? Is this the 🔥 content you opened the Dynasty Typewriter newsletter to see?? Great! You're welcome! And you are not alone! Consider this a shout out to all the folks who are doing this insanely challenging/sometimes rewarding journey work and a DESPERATE PLEA to anyone not doing this work to maybe start doing this work? We’re not making it sound fun, but it does create the actual space for fun! So give it a shot, stagnant sweethearts! From all of us to you… respectfully, you are making the work so much more difficult for us. Not even kidding, we'll give you free tickets to a Dynasty Tonight! show if you show proof of signing up for your first therapy session or send us a receipt of a purchase for The Body Keeps The Score or anything by Pema Chodron or Sadghuru or Alan Watts. Now THAT's The Dynasty Difference!™ Glad to get that off our chest. Got any life changing reads along these lines to share with us? We're here for it!
In other news, our Dynasty Tonight! Fire Relief fundraiser on Saturday couldn't have gone smoother! Well, that's not entirely true, but the audience (live and livestream!) had the best time, the performers had the best time, VanJam and The Dynasties had the best time, and how could you possibly have a show in January 2025 that didn't perfectly reflect our less than smooth 2025 so far. Highlight of the night was what we learned was only the second improvised collaboration ever (and first on stage!) between Craig Robinson and Reggie Watts! And learning how much we absolutely love auctioning things! (re-piphany) We raised a bunch of money for Greenline Housing Foundation and California Community Foundation ( <— this link will lead you to a page we just created, in the event you’d like to give and support!), and we opened a portal to the skies and everyone left into the rainy night we've all needed for a few weeks now. Also important to note: Our first ever 🦇 Guano Guano Club 🦇 screening on Friday night was a huge success! Our wonderful hosts BOTTOMLESS MIMOSA and LEIA BIA put together a perfectly weird and hilarious assortment of entertainment to bookend (and split open?) the showing of TWILIGHT. It was the most fun ever and THE CONCEPT WAS PROVED. Stay tuned for The Twilight Saga: New Moon coming real soon!! Final important note: Last Tuesday's tribute to David Lynch was also a night to remember. Thanks to Dynasty Darling Eric Edelstein and all the other darlings who helped bring a really special evening to our theater to remember one of the greats! (Last book recommendation of the newsie.)
Ok, another awesome week of programming at Dynasty is coming up, all the details below! If the therapy talk stuff above wasn't your bag, know that whatever football team you are rooting for, we are also rooting for them. And man, beer is SO YUMMY!!! ;) Now THAT's The Dynasty Difference!™
Manifesting Magical Mantras,
VanJam
*Re-piphanies is our phrase for when you have the same epiphany over and over. For example, if in, say, 2017 you were like "omg I figured it out, it's as simple as creating boundaries in order to have a successful relationship!" and then you forget how to create boundaries for 8 years and in 2025 you are like "omg I figured it out, it's as simple as creating boundaries in order to have a successful relationship!" as if it's a totally new idea. But then you remember that you had the epiphany in 2016 and you have to do extra work to not beat yourself up for forgetting it for the span of two full Olympics.)
🚨 Livestreams still available: Doug Loves Movies, Fuck This Month and Holy Shit Improv, and Bad Drag Race
🌟THIS WEEK AT DYNASTY 🌟
WEDNESDAY, 1/29, 7:30PM: Business Casual Presents: Cowboys
BUSINESS CASUAL is a sketch comedy trio hailing from Los Angeles, CA. The group consists of JEREMY ELDER (@jeremyelderr), CORY PETER LANE (@corypeterlane), and HUNTER SALING (@idealstepdad), all graduates from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. The trio embody a unique blend of physicality, absurdist sketch comedy, and clown. Or as one drunken woman in Louisville titled it: comedy rock n’ roll.
Critics have called their previous works “physical comedy perfection” (Three Weeks), “sheer Fringe genius” (The Scotsman), and “an evening of stupidity you’ll be sure to remember” (Broadway World).
COWBOYS was most recently showcased as an Off-Broadway production at AsylumNYC. Prior to that, the show was presented as part of the Netflix is a Joke Festival and Moontower Comedy Festival, both to sold-out audiences. Their previous show FERAL has been featured at the Moontower Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, SF Sketch Fest, and the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (produced under the Stamptown banner).
COWBOYS tells the story of a gunslinging hero seeking revenge on the three men who killed his family. He must assemble a posse and set out on the journey of a lifetime. Along the way, the group encounter gold miners, snake oil salesmen, and just about every Western trope you could think of. If you do think of a trope that they don’t mention, BUSINESS CASUAL kindly invites you to “keep it to yourself!”
“BUSINESS CASUAL are all going to be world famous in a few years and you are going to feel very cool about being able to say you saw them do a bizarre cowboy themed comedy show” —CHRIS GETHARD
“I love these boys with all of my heart”—NATALIE PALAMIDES
Yeehaw pardner! Snake in my boot! Big pot of gold!
THURSDAY, 1/30, 7:30PM: Lovett or Leave It
LOVETT OR LEAVE IT is a live variety show and podcast that breaks down the week’s politics and pop culture news with sketches, games, jokes that literally never miss, and everyone’s favorite: nuanced analysis. Join JON LOVETT and an all-star lineup of comedians, journalists, and other amazing guests in Los Angeles live on Thursdays at Dynasty Typewriter.
Featuring: KEVIN SMITH and HARLEY QUINN SMITH
FRIDAY, 1/24, 7:30PM: Real Housewives The Musical
🎥LIVE AND LIVESTREAMED🎥
We’re mentioning it allllllll.
Join us for a musical parody DRAG version of your favorite reality franchise THE REAL HOUSEWIVES set in fictional OPULANCTOWN, USA. We’ve got it all: a housewife who thinks she’s a pop star, federal investigations, fistfights, and lots of DELUSION.
Featuring original songs and fresh from a sold-out run at UCB THEATER and SF SKETCH FEST!
Starring:
MARY LOU as ANDY COHEN
CHANSE McCRARY
TONY RODRIGUEZ
ROB WARNER
ANDREW YOUNG
JAKE DELANEY
Book by RICHELLE MEISS, Music by SAM JOHNIDES and TONY GONZALES.
This is an unauthorized musical not affiliated with the show.
SATURDAY, 2/1
4:00PM: AsianBossGirl Live - The BFF Tour
⭐️SOLD OUT⭐️
ASIANBOSSGIRL is your go-to podcast for the modern-day Asian American Women who’s juggling it all. Hosted by HELEN, JANET, and MEL, ABG started as a way to spill the tea on their lives as 9-to-5 professionals in Los Angeles—navigating careers, cultural identities, social lives, and personal growth, all while trying to avoid a quarter-life crisis.
On their platforms, you’ll get deep dives into the complexities of being an Asian American Women in the corporate grind, raw conversations about mental health as children of immigrants, heart-to-hearts with inspiring Asian leaders (and a few fellas), and even juicy blind dates captured on the mic.
Their mission? To make everyday Asian American Women feel seen, heard, and totally understood—because we’ve all got a story worth sharing.
8:00PM: Dynasty Tonight!
TLDR Version: Dynasty Tonight! is a semi-weekly live show with performances from great stand-up comics and musical and variety acts! Often VERY famous people pop-in! We only pick performers we truly love (as artists and humans!) because that’s what YOU deserve.
Curious Version:
Dynasty Tonight! is a Dynasty entertainment tradition over 300 years young. Dynasty founders, Jamie Flam and Vanessa Ragland, have made it their mission to continue the centuries-old inspirational work of their forebearers, Orl & Halcyon Dynasty - that is, creating enchanting experiences for humans. The location has changed (from a bat-ruled cave on a secret island to a historic theater in the heart of Los Angeles) but the spirit remains: Dynasty Tonight! is a celebration of the human experience, human expression, human connection, and out-of-this worrrrlllld popcorn.
With Special Guests
CHRIS FAIRBANKS
HUGH MOORE
LIZZY COOPERMAN
SARAH TIANA
+ MORE! !
SUNDAY, 2/2
4:00PM: Artist on Artist on Artist on Artist LIVE!
🚨LOW TICKET WARNING🚨 🎥LIVE AND LIVESTREAMED🎥
The groundbreaking, eye-opening, and seminal podcast and YouTube series that answers the question "now that's why they call it showbusiness" is doing its FIRST-EVER LIVE SHOW. Join hosts KYLIE BRAKEMAN, JEREMY CULHANE, ANGELA GIARRATANA, and PATRICK MCDONALD (plus very special guests) as they get a roundtable suggestion from the audience and bring it to life in zero seconds flat. Will there be industry legends spilling industry secrets? Will there be shocking name-drops that have you questioning someone's credibility? Will there be screaming? Much like all of Hollywood, if you aren't there, you'll never know.
THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL GUESTS:
PAUL F. TOMPKINS
CAITLIN REILLY
KIMIA BEHPOORNIA
7:30PM: LUCAS O'NEIL Presents: Emotional Man
Comedian and writer LUCAS O'NEIL built his stand-up career talking about his family on stage. Now, they'd like him to stop. And, he will — right after this show.
Named one of the “Best Reviewed Edinburgh Fringe Shows 2023” (British Comedy Guide), EMOTIONAL MAN is a witty and insightful examination of the people and places that shape who we are and who we become without them.
In one final airing of grievances, the “endearingly cute” (NYT) comedian examines his anxious family, his role within it, and how it all changed after his mother’s passing. Over the course of a rapid hour (57 minutes), LUCAS outlines his mother’s gift for worrying, his father’s for over-preparing, and his own gift for looking like the men they cast as Spiderman.
As the show unfurls, what presents as a pure standup set makes room for something more. Layered amidst witty observations of male friendship and stories of being forced to shoot guns in The South, LUCAS earnestly unpacks his struggle to connect with men (despite, by all accounts, being one) and the interplay of gender expectations, comedy, and grief that can push us apart, far easier than they pull us together.
MONDAY, 2/3, 7:30PM: CONNOR RATLIFF Presents: The Acting Class
🎥 LIVE AND LIVESTREAMED 🎥
A one-person improv show disguised as an acting class, from the creator of the “Dead Eyes” podcast.
Professional actor (MEAN GIRLS 2024, GHOSTS, BOB'S BURGERS) and award-winning podcaster (DEAD EYES) CONNOR RATLIFF is a classically trained performer who graduated "with honours" from the prestigious Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts over a quarter of a century ago, making his professional debut on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End. During that same year, he also performed at Buckingham Palace for QUEEN ELIZABETH II. In the decades that followed, he has accumulated numerous credits as a star of stage, screen, and stream, appearing in multiple Netflix Original Films as well as content on CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, Home Box Office, Amazon Prime, and the now-defunct comedy platforms, Go90 and Seeso.
But none of that matters now.
What matters now is CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS, an unending series of feature-length workshop performances where he will, before your very eyes, demonstrate what acting truly IS.
Each performance will be slightly interactive and completely improvised, with occasional opportunities for students in attendance to ask questions.
Defiantly self-indulgent and beyond pointless, THE ACTING CLASS is your opportunity to witness the kind of greatness – only slightly appreciated by The Industry – that has kept CONNOR RATLIFF steadily employed for nearly half of the past 9 years.
TUESDAY, 2/4
7:30PM: The George Lucas Talk Show
🎥 LIVE AND LIVESTREAMED 🎥
A show for Star Wars fans and non-fans alike returns to Dynasty Typewriter! Comedian Connor Ratliff ("Dead Eyes", "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel") appears as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and interviews guests like a "normal talk show". He is joined by sidekick Watto, played by Griffin Newman ("Blank Check", "The Tick"), and show producer Patrick Cotnoir. The show has been running since 2014 and was a regular show at the UCB Theatre in New York City for years. It has been streaming on Twitch since 2020.
Past guests include Weird Al, Seth Meyers, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Hamm, Adam Scott, Tatiana Maslany, Jack Quaid, Meredith Vieira, Padma Lakshmi, Rachel Zegler, D'Arcy Carden, Bobby Moynihan, Heidi Gardner, David Harbour, Kevin Smith, and Lea Thompson
With Special Guests
LARAINE NEWMAN
ROBERT TIMOTHY SMITH
+ MORE!
9:30PM: The George Lucas Talk Show After Dark
🎥 LIVE AND LIVESTREAMED 🎥
A show for Star Wars fans and non-fans alike returns to Dynasty Typewriter! Comedian Connor Ratliff ("Dead Eyes", "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel") appears as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and interviews guests like a "normal talk show". He is joined by sidekick Watto, played by Griffin Newman ("Blank Check", "The Tick"), and show producer Patrick Cotnoir. The show has been running since 2014 and was a regular show at the UCB Theatre in New York City for years. It has been streaming on Twitch since 2020.
Past guests include Weird Al, Seth Meyers, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Hamm, Adam Scott, Tatiana Maslany, Jack Quaid, Meredith Vieira, Padma Lakshmi, Rachel Zegler, D'Arcy Carden, Bobby Moynihan, Heidi Gardner, David Harbour, Kevin Smith, and Lea Thompson
With Special Guests
SETH ROGAN
+ MORE!
WEDNESDAY, 2/5, 7:30PM: Montessori Boy
MONTESSORI BOY is a Brooklyn-based sketch comedy group consisting of best friends JULIA TESMOND, DIEGO ABRAHAM, and JT TSUCHIYA. Their sketches have amassed over 11 million views across TikTok and Instagram and have been featured in Vulture for their sketch ‘JT DOES A GOOD DEED’. MONTESSORI BOY's live shows can be seen in venues all around New York, where they combine their unique blend of live sketch, filmed shorts, and heinous sensibility.
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