Callie and Jonas are two fairly typical teenagers (maybe they’re older than that, but they looked very very young in their underpants). They seem unmotivated by much except one-upping each other, they are fairly cruel, and they are capable of dying for short periods of time, then coming back to life. The two main characters in the new Frontera Fest production of Sometimes Callie and Jonas Die present an impressively surreal comment on actual adolescence’s bent to get any kind of attention, even negative attention. more ›

The problems plaguing the U2-soundtracked Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark musical aside, most theater doesn't really qualify as "pop culture". The eyes of the nation aren't on most productions, and they rarely find themselves in the same orbit as your average Entertainment Weekly fare. A sad truth that most theatermakers face is that, outside of their regular audience, people just aren't that interested in what's happening on theatrical stages. more ›

White Elephant gift exchanges are fun, and in October, you're not even tired of them yet. In the spirit of ever-pushing forward the holidays, Poison Apple Initiative (whose artistic director, Bastion Carboni, and resident dramaturg, Georgia Young, are both theater critics in these humble pages) have set up their Halloween-weekend fundraiser as a version of the theft-based Secret Santa game. The party, which also features an open bar provided by Tito's Vodka (including signature cocktails 'The Poison Apple' and 'The Critic'), a raffle, tarot readings, and sneak preview performances from Poison Apple Initiative's upcoming season, costs $20 for those who bring a White Elephant gift for the exchange. (Non-participants pony up an extra five.) The money goes to fund PAI's upcoming season, which kicks off in December with Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake), and continues to include Sometimes Callie and Jonas Die and The Woyzeck Project. more ›

Jean Paul Sartre's Hell is other people, but the people onstage in Carboni's production of Sartre's No Exit are less effective at creating the discomforting environment one would expect from eternal damnation than the distraction-laden Domy Books gallery, a block off the highway on East Cesar Chavez. more ›