Theater Committee Update

by Alan K. Rode, Post 43 Theater Chairperson

The Hollywood Legion Theater was the place to be during the month of March with several significant presentations which reflected great credit on Post 43’s membership and our theater team. Here’s a summary of last month’s special events: 

March 11: 

Bill Burr Comedy Show

The HLT was the site of a laugh-filled, live comedy show showcasing the talents of a stellar line-up of stand-up comedians. The highlight of the evening was the appearance of world renowned comedian Bill Burr. This event was brought to the theater by Post 43 member John Stites—an accomplished stand-up comic— and was produced by Taylor Umphenour, 2nd Vice Commander Karl Risinger and the Legion Theater team. A memorable evening for all involved!

March 18:

Word Theater: Honor in their Words: This live production commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War with stories by Veterans of Vietnam, Iraq & Afghanistan might well be the most significant and emotionally moving event yet held at the Hollywood Legion Theater.  Renowned veteran authors including Richard Bausch, Tim O’Brien and Tobias Wolff were present to hear their stories performed by an ensemble of Hollywood “A” list actors who volunteered their expertise including: Bill Pullman, Griffin Dunne, Jason George, John Savage, Toni Trucks, Kathy Baker and Sharon Stone. With narration by Dave Fennoy and musical performances by Antonique Smith and Howard Hewitt, it was an incredibly well-orchestrated production before a sold out audience of consisting of many Vietnam veterans. Kudos to the Word Theater Artistic Director Cedering Fox and HLT’s Taylor Umphenour who co-produced and planned this event for over a year in order to bring it to our theater. 

March 29:

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Booked by Gina Wade Creative for Paramount + and produced by 1540 Productions and our in-house theater team, this premiere private event realized a six figure payday for Post 43!  

March 31:

Veteran- Made Film Competition: Comedy was the theme for the 2023 Post 43 Veteran Made Film Competition. A gala screening and awards ceremony with red carpet was produced by past Commander and current Executive Committee member Jeric Wilhelmson. Five competitive short films were judged by a panel from Veteran Entertainment Television @VETTvchannel. Dave Flores and his team won Best Overall Film for War Story Wednesday. Other award winners included: Theater Committee Member James Arterberry who scored a Best Direction award for Cinemeta and multi-talented Executive Committee member Simone Lara taking home a pair of awards for Best Writing and Editing for her team’s film Code Specter. A wonderful evening that gave a significant boost to veteran filmmakers was co-produced by Karl Risinger and projected by Scott Duvall.