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From Another Zero

A bilingual space dedicated to the performing arts where English and Spanish come together to inspire, inform, and connect.

Blindspot Collective’s “Dive Bar Time Machine”: A Musical Variety Through Nine Decades

Blindspot has been practically everywhere with unique and engaging work. Dive Bar Machine joins the roster repertory with a curious, eclectic selection of songs that span nine decades. Created by Shellina Hefner and Blake McCarty, total opposites like Daddy Yankee and Aerosmith coincide on one stage, pumped with energy and Micah Parra’s charged (matching the eclectic song selection) choreography. I felt like Diana in Identity Thief, first guessing the songs during their intros and then singing along. 
8 August, 2026

RIOT presents Extended Version of their Fringe Festival Hit “The Fairy Tale Monologues”

There are recognizable characters like a charming prince (Tim Benson), a damsel-in-distress princess (Delia Mejia), a witch (Sarah LeClair), the baker’s wife (Jamie Feinstein), along with her baker husband (BJ Robinson), of course, and a narrator (Gigi Filipovich). Yet, they get a feminist do-over that I believe is truly a redemption and justice with very pertinent questions like “what is the name of the baker’s wife?” mhhh. Things that should be a given and pass unnoticed.
2 August, 2026

The Family Album: From Waves to Stage

Inspired by Lim’s family, Mia (Aury Krebs) is a talented, hustling, and struggling musician-songwriter who lives out of a suitcase, traveling between underpaid gigs. When she receives a phone call from her sister Charlotte (Courtney Reed) asking her to come home due to her mom being gravely ill in the hospital, Mia hesitates but gets on a plane anyway. Once back, the prickly family dynamic picks up where it left off with mom Sylvia (Jodi Long) and dad Henry (Paul Nakauchi) scolding Mia while swooning over he brother Daniel (Marc delaCruz), which I need to point out is a total cultural thing in many families, not just the Asian ones. Mia has always been vocal, but being back home, with all the memories built there palpable again, young Mia (Claire Kwon) shows up to resolve and heal.
31 July, 2026

Un Viaje Hacia la Madriguera Guiado por Elenco de Lujo

Per usual, dear reader, as I have mentioned before on my theatrical bingo card. I did not know what Arcadia was about. I had a sense of some time travel, but that was it, and it was far from what I had imagined. I was expecting more of a Sliding Doors play. I’ve also mentioned on here that beauty lies in perception, and this was a total rabbit-hole play for me in all the good ways. I mean, my brain also works that way, but yeah…
25 July, 2026

The UK Comes to San Diego in the North American premiere of North by Northwest

Emma Rice transformed Hitchcock’s thriller into a dance-charged theatrical event that embraces movement, humor, and suspense. Rather than attempting a straightforward recreation of the film, the production created an experience that feels fresh while lovingly winking at its cinematic source.
19 July, 2026

Audiobook Versus Physical Book. The Eternal Hullabaloo

The whole hullabaloo regarding audiobook versus physical “read” books is taking over the internet, and even though I’ve weighed in on the convos, I wanted to discuss it here because of the connection we have, dear reader, through these lines. Mainly, this blog has been dedicated to the performing arts and the people in them. Yes, I have been sent a couple of books in the past for review, and they’re on here, but I do want to write about it more often.
17 July, 2026

A Love Letter to Theatre, Actors, and Identity

The play takes place in 1606 in London’s Globe Theater, when it was frowned upon for women to be onstage, so instead, all female characters were played by young male actors, known as boy players. Playwright Zoe Senese-Grossberg explores this as well as how young boys were “mentored” to play these different characters, love interests, and seductresses in the Shakespeare plays along with older men.
12 July, 2026

Disney’s Beauty and The Beast The Musical Comes Back to San Diego During Celebration of One-Year Tour 

I was fortunate enough to handle the Spanish-speaking press for the 2011, 2014, and 2015 touring productions on their San Diego engagements. I know the show well, so getting to experience it eleven years later, now, back with Disney, I got emotional, not going to lie. 
11 July, 2026

Onstage Playhouse Debuts Lucas Hnath’s “Isaac’s Eye”

I commend Onstage on its resilience while navigating a wild rent increase (amongst other outrageous costs), and a GoFundMe to finish the last two productions in its season; the company has not announced repertoire in 2027 due to its lease being up in February and surviving in limbo or “life support,” as James Darvas, Artistic Director, mentioned in an interview. With all that, the curtain is rising, and performances for Isaac’s Eye are taking place until July 19th, with an added performance on Wednesday, July 15, due to the Mexico-England World Cup match happening this Sunday. Resilient and able to read the room!
5 July, 2026

Diversionary Brings the House Down with Production of RENT

I remember a seasoned theatre critic saying, “How many more times can I see a production of blank?” At the time, that statement did not resonate with me. These, dear reader, are different times as I am taking a brief hiatus, or well, super spreading out the theatre reviewing because…life. With that context, I did ask myself, “Can I see another production of RENT?” With this cast, yes. Not only the cast but also the creative elements and direction are worth it. Diversionary truly brought it all for Jonathan Larson’s staple. 
8 June, 2026

MOXIE Theatre Closes Season with the San Diego Debut of Lauren Gunderson’s “A Room in the Castle”.

This is not just a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet; this is a spotlight on the many discrepancies and injustices women continue to face. Directed by Kim Strassburger, the play is practically brand new, having debuted last year at The Folger in DC, and now making its San Diego premiere with the most fitting theatre company.
24 May, 2026

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose Is Messy, Sharp, and Painfully Human

When you start getting the hang of this play-seeing/reviewing thing, you begin to grasp the styles of different playwrights. Out of the many playwrights whose work I have seen, I think Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is probably the one I’ve experienced the most. He and William Shakespeare lol. So walking into La Jolla Playhouse’s West Coast premiere of the Tony Award-winning play Purpose, I already knew I was about to get layers, discomfort, and sharp humor.
21 May, 2026

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    Alejandra Enciso Dardashti – 2025 | All rights reserved