Jennifer Haley, Wendy Weiner, and Lisa Kenner Grissom in front of a Tiki bar.

Artistic
Events

I see my mission as an artist as not only creating my own work, but also helping other artists develop and present theirs. So, when my husband, Matt, and I moved into a house with a backyard – where, fortuitously, there was already an area that looked like a stage – I knew I wanted to use the space for that purpose.


Before we'd fully moved in, we hosted a day of play readings in conjunction with L.A.'s Playwrights Union, and just a few months later, Chalk Rep Theater Company produced a site-specific play, Ruth McKee's In Case of Emergency, in our garage (see pics below). 

A man and woman sitting in a garage.
Poster for In Case of Emergency by Ruth McKee, directed by Deena Selenow.

Over the next year, Matt transformed a gazebo in the backyard, left over from the wedding of previous residents, into a full-fledged tiki bar.


Since then, we've used our space to host all kinds of artistic and community events, including:  artists' salons featuring literary, visual, and musical artists; two solo shows; a political fund-raiser; co-working events; an annual immersive dinner/performance celebrating the birthday of B-movie icon Vincent Price; and countless tiki nights.


Scroll down for photos and more details about some of these events...

The Events

Celeste Lecesne performing in a backyard in front of a clapping audience.

Award-winning writer/performer Celeste Lecesne performing their magical solo show Poof! in the backyard. 2023.

Books on a stand next to a fireplace.

In 2022 and 2023, I performed my solo show Mystery House -- which was specifically written to be performed in private homes and alternative spaces -- in our living room. After every show, we served homemade pie in the dining room. (Click here for more info about MYSTERY HOUSE.)

A man dressed as Vincent Price talking to a group of people.
A group of people eating dinner on a patio at night.

Matt loves the actor Vincent Price. It turns out that Price, in addition to portraying campy villains in countless movies from the '50s to the '90s, was also the author of several celebrated cookbooks! For the past nine years, Matt has presented The Price of Dinner, an immersive dining event where he performs as Vincent Price and serves a gourmet meal from one of Price's cookbooks.

An invitation for an event with Steve Johnson.

In 2021, we hosted a fund-raiser in the backyard for neighbor and Democratic candidate for L.A. City Council Steve Johnson.

Rachel Kann performing in front of an audience in a backyard at night.
Gabriel Gordon playing guitar.

From 2018 until COVID hit, writers Jennifer Haley and Lisa Kenner Grissom and I (pictured at the top of this page) co-hosted quarterly artist salons that featured literary, visual, performing, and musical artists -- and tiki drinks.

Kaitlin Huwe playing guitar and singing.
Man standing next to a fence hung with photographs.
People sitting on blankets on a lawn, watching a performance.

And... the very first thing we did after moving in was open our Little Free Library in the front yard, complete with a ribbon-cutting opening ceremony and party for the neighborhood.

Treats included book-shaped cookies (there would be a photo of them, but the idea was better than the execution).

A woman cutting the ribbon on a wooden library box next to a driveway.
A wooden library box next to a driveway.