Town Crier – Week of Sept. 23

David Ellenstein named new Interim Artistic Director of Laguna Playhouse

Laguna Playhouse and its Board of Directors announced today that North Coast Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director, David Ellenstein, has been named Interim Artistic Director for the Playhouse for the period of Oct. 3 through Jan. 1, 2023. 

“We are thrilled to have David and his remarkable talent guide us through this transition until we find a new Artistic Director for the Playhouse,” Laguna Playhouse Board of Directors said in a release. “Mr. Ellenstein will help us select our 2023-2024 season and monitor all artistic and production needs of the current season.” 

Ellenstein will continue as Artistic Director of North Coast Repertory Theatre during this transition. A new Artistic Director will be announced shortly.

Born into a theatrical family, David Ellenstein has worked in theatres across the country. Since 2003, Ellenstein has been the Artistic Director of North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, Calif. He is the former Artistic Director of Los Angeles Repertory Company and Arizona Jewish Theatre. A veteran of over 300 theatrical productions, he has worked at theatres across the country for nearly five decades, including Coconut Grove Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Alabama, Great Lakes and California Shakespeare Festivals, Portland Stage, 59E59, The Meadowbrook Theatre, Colony Theatre and Laguna Playhouse.

Among the more than 60 productions that Ellenstein has directed at North Coast Rep, his favorites include The Remarkable Mister Holmes, which he co-authored, An Iliad, Dr. Glas (Streaming), Becoming Cuba (World Premiere), The Father (West Coast Premiere), Travels with My Aunt, Words by: Ira Gershwin (World Premiere), Freud’s Last Session, Becoming Dr. Ruthand A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. At other venues, memorable productions include The Glass Menagerie (Alabama Shakespeare), A Shayna Maidel (Gaslamp Quarter Theatre), The Chosen (Papermill Playhouse, The Coconut Grove Playhouse), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Renaissance Theatre), Conversations With My Father (Portland Repertory Theatre), Cyrano de Bergerac (Southwest Theatre Company), Chapatti and Alexandros (Laguna Playhouse).                                                

Ellenstein’s favorite roles as an actor include Andre Botvinck in A Walk In The Woods, Max Prince in Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Matt in Talley’s Folly at North Coast Rep, title roles in Hamlet at Los Angeles Theatre Center and Los Angeles Repertory Company; Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at Moonlight Stage, Richard III at California Shakespeare Festival; Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Laguna Playhouse; Calisto in The Illusion and Harker in Dracula at the Arizona Theatre Company; Jonathan in Sight Unseen at North Coast Rep and Portland Repertory Theatre. David has appeared in more than two dozen roles in film and television and has been guest faculty for several universities, including California State Northridge and Cal Arts.

Village Laguna to host Zoom meeting on Measure Q on Sept. 29

Village Laguna’s General Meeting will feature our endorsed candidates, Mark Orgill and Jerome Pudwill, addressing issues of importance to our members. In addition, we will have a presentation about Measure Q, debunking the lies and misleading information being told by the opposition and clarifying why residents should vote YES.

We will gather via Zoom on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. All are welcome. For the Zoom link or to submit questions about Measure Q, email [email protected]

Laguna Beach Books To Host A Book Event For Roaming: Roark’s Adventure Atlas

On Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m., Laguna Beach Books is pleased to welcome Ryan Hitzel, CEO of Roark Revival, to the store. Hitzel will be discussing and signing copies of his new book, “Roaming: Roark’s Adventure Atlas: Surfing, Skating, Riding, and Climbing Around the World.”

Please note that this is a ticketed event. Tickets are $45 and include a copy of the book. They can be purchased online at ryanhitzel.eventbrite.com. Books can be picked up at the store and refreshments will be provided at the event. The event is limited to 50 attendees, so please consider purchasing your ticket early.

The book is an unconventional photographic guidebook to adventure, featuring images, intel, itineraries, tales, and testimonies collected by Roark’s expert guides. It documents the routes of a group of iconic surfers, climbers, skaters and other adventurers seeking full cultural and thrill-seeking immersion. The book includes journeys to 16 global destinations illustrating the road less traveled, from surf expeditions to Iceland, the Falkland Islands, or Jamaica; to motorcycle journeys through Nepal, rock climbing in Argentina; to cliff jumping in Northern Vietnam, and more. 

World-renowned photographers Chris Burkard, Dylan Gordon, Jeff Johnson, Drew Smith, and Chris McPherson uniquely capture faraway images and the wayward spirit of those that seek adventure—if not a little danger—in an increasingly tame world. Roaming is the modern bible for anyone interested in charting an adventure with improbable itineraries across the globe, or the mere appreciation for photography that transports you to a place only found in dreams.

Laguna Beach Books To Host A Book Event For Soul Winners Author, David Clary

On Oct. 11 at 5 p.m., Laguna Beach Books is pleased to welcome journalist David Clary to the store. Clary will discuss and sign copies of his new book, “Soul Winners: The Ascent of America’s Evangelical Entrepreneur.”

Please note that this is a ticketed event. Tickets are $29.95 and include a copy of the book. Tickets can be purchased online at davidclary.eventbrite.com. Books can be picked up at the store and refreshments will be provided at the event. The event is limited to 50 attendees, so please consider purchasing your ticket early.

In “Soul Winners,” journalist Clary argues that this entrepreneurial spirit has indelibly shaped evangelical ministries and their worldview. For generations, evangelical leaders have partnered with tycoons to pay for their churches, crusades, and campuses. In turn, evangelicals adopted the pro-business, anti-government values of their conservative benefactors. White evangelicals evolved into the Republican Party’s most loyal voting bloc.

Clary’s narrative approach brings to life colorful characters such as the ballplayer-turned-preacher Billy Sunday, who condemned the “godless social service nonsense” of liberal churches, and Billy Graham, who brought evangelicalism into the highest precincts of business and politics. This book offers a fresh, balanced perspective on evangelicals and the consequences of their enduring influence on American life.