{"version":"https:\/\/jsonfeed.org\/version\/1","title":"Programming Highlights","home_page_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/","feed_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/json","description":"Information about programs and specials","items":[{"id":"o237-863-6a3dcc84ad466","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/la-theatre-works-sunday-june-28-at-1000-pm-next-fall-starring-julie-white-and-patrick-breen\/","title":"LA Theatre Works, Sunday, June 28 at 10:00 pm, \"Next Fall\" Starring Julie White and Patrick Breen","date_published":"2026-06-26T00:50:00+00:00","summary":"In this Tony-nominated play, Adam and Luke are long-term partners with very different views on salvation. But when Luke is hospitalized in a tragic accident, Adam must come face-to-face with Luke\u2019s faith\u2026and his family. Starring members of the original Broadway cast. Includes a conversation with Dr. Sharon Groves, the Director of the Religion and Faith Program for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C.","content_html":"

In honor of Gay Pride Month, LATW presents "Next Fall,"  the play the NY Times called an "artful, thoughtful and very moving story," about a committed gay couple whose long-term relationships works despite their differences.<\/p>\n\n

Luke believes in God. Adam believes in everything else. "Next Fall" portrays the ups and downs of this unlikely couple’s five-year relationship with sharp humor and unflinching honesty. And when an accident changes everything, Adam must turn to Luke’s family and friends for support... and answers. "Next Fall" offers a picture of modern romance, asking questions about commitment, love, and faith.<\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

Recorded in Los Angeles before a live audience at The James Bridges Theater, UCLA in January of 2012.
\n
\nDirected by Bart DeLorenzo
\nPatrick Breen as Adam
\nMaddie Corman as Holly
\nPatrick Heusinger as Luke
\nSam McMurray as Butch
\nJeremy Webb as Brandon
\nJulie White as Arlene  <\/p>","image":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/96309\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1532128\/standard\/next-fall_1728143683.jpg","author":{"name":"Donna Walker"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/85515"},{"id":"o237-863-6a3afe61c7155","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/pacifica-performance-showcase-friday-june-26-at-230-pm-with-guests-victor-wallace-mamma-mia-and-filmmaker-jon-bolerjack-stan-lee-the-final-chapter\/","title":"Pacifica Performance Showcase, Friday, June 26 at 2:30 pm with guests Victor Wallace (\"Mamma Mia\") and filmmaker Jon Bolerjack (\"Stan Lee: The Final Chapter\")","date_published":"2026-06-23T21:45:00+00:00","summary":"Host Donna Walker welcomes guests actor Victor Wallace starring as \"Sam Carmichael\" in beloved musical \"Mamma Mia\" running at the Ahmanson Theatre and, in the second half, filmmaker Jon Bolerjack on his film about Marvel Comics icon \"Stan Lee: The Final Chapter\" premiering at Dances With Films Festival on June 27.","content_html":"

PACIFICA PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE, arts & culture to enlighten, enliven and educate with host Donna Walker, covers the best in film, theatre, music, and the arts.<\/p>\n\n

Archives of this show can be heard here - https:\/\/archive.kpfk.org\/index_one.php?shokey=pperf<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Email: Donna_Walker@kpfk.org<\/p>\n\n

Facebook: Pacifica Performance Showcase<\/p>","image":"https:\/\/mm.aiircdn.com\/427\/5bbcee2968f35.jpg","author":{"name":"Donna Walker"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/85482"},{"id":"o237-863-6a3af2600d28d","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/phil-and-teds-sexy-boomer-show-tuesday-june-23-at-200-pm-with-guest-writer-director-orson-ossman-treasure-island-a-telling-for-the-new-world\/","title":"Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show, Tuesday, June 23 at 2:00 pm with guest writer\/director Orson Ossman (\"Treasure Island: A Telling for the New World\")","date_published":"2026-06-23T20:55:00+00:00","summary":"Phil and Ted welcome guest Orson Ossman, the writer and director of the new dramatic audio mini-series, Treasure Island: A Telling for the New World, starring Keith David, John Goodman, and Glynn Turman, and featuring Phil Proctor, with an original score by music legend Taj Mahal. The Sexy Boomer Show is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of the eight-episode series Treasure Island every Tuesday beginning on June 30, at 2 p.m. on KPFK.","content_html":"

About the Show<\/h2>\n\n

Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show is a free-form, comedy\/talk live radio show heard in Los Angeles on KPFK and as a podcast. Co-hosted by long-time collaborators Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt, the show features special guests and Hollywood stars in fun and deep conversations.<\/p>\n\n

A voice for the fast-growing 50+ podcast audience while appealing to all ages, the show is produced by Radio Pictures, Inc.<\/a>, a Hollywood-based creative production company. More at sexyboomershow.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\n

Hosts<\/h2>\n\n

\"Phil<\/p>\n\n

Phil Proctor<\/h3>\n\n

An accomplished humorist, author, and actor, best known as a founding member of the groundbreaking comedy group The Firesign Theatre.<\/p>\n\n

Ted Bonnitt<\/h3>\n\n

A writer, host, and producer of national entertainment podcasts, as well as radio, television, and film programming, including with members of The Firesign Theatre.<\/p>","image":"https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/237\/630da42cf02e6.jpg","author":{"name":"Donna Walker"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/85481"},{"id":"o237-863-6a31df9944646","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/la-theatre-works-sunday-june-21-at-1000-pm-david-hares-racing-demon-starring-jared-harris\/","title":"LA Theatre Works, Sunday, June 21 at 10:00 pm, David Hare's \"Racing Demon\" starring Jared Harris","date_published":"2026-06-16T23:45:00+00:00","summary":"Four clergymen seek to make sense of their mission while being torn in all directions by the Church of England. After a critically lauded debut in 1990 at London\u2019s National Theatre, Racing Demon went on to earn universal acclaim. More than 20 years later, David Hare\u2019s bold and moving revelations on gay ordination and the doctrine of the priesthood ring more resoundingly than ever.","content_html":"

One of the world's most renowned playwrights, David Hare has received many awards including two Olivier Awards, three Tony Awards, two Oscars, two BAFTA's and two Golden Globes, among other accolades. Among his best known works are "Plenty" (adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep), "Skylight," "Map of the World," "Pravda" (starring Anthony Hopkins), and "Straight Line Crazy" (starring Ralph Fiennes), while his latest "Montauk" is set to be produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in 2027.<\/p>\n\n

Recorded in Los Angeles before a live audience at The James Bridges Theater, UCLA in November 2014.
\n
\nDirected by Rosalind Ayres
\nProducing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
\nAn L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:
\nRosie Fellner as Frances Parnell
\nPaul Fox as Ewan Gilmour
\nJared Harris as Reverend Lionel Espy
\nJason Hughes as Reverend Tony Ferris
\nMartin Jarvis as Reverend Harry Henderson
\nChristopher Neame as Right Reverend Charlie Allen
\nLesley Nicol as Heather Epsy
\nAlan Shearman as Tommy Adair
\nSimon Templeman as Reverend Donald 'Streaky' Bacon
\nJane Wall as Stella Marr
\nMatthew Wolf as Right Reverend Gilbert Heffernan
\nAssociate Producers: Anna Lyse Erikson, Myke Weiskopf
\nRecording and Mixing Engineer: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
\nSound Effects Artist: Jeff Gardner  <\/p>","image":"https:\/\/d2sal5lpzsf102.cloudfront.net\/96309\/public\/public\/system\/posters\/1521006\/standard\/Racing-Demon-Key-Art-Final-R1V1_1722768774.jpg","author":{"name":"Donna Walker"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/85393"},{"id":"o237-863-6a31dc6995eb9","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/pacifica-performance-showcase-friday-june-19-at-230-pm-with-guest-documentary-filmmaker-nick-davis-this-ordinary-thing\/","title":"Pacifica Performance Showcase, Friday, June 19 at 2:30 pm with guest documentary filmmaker Nick Davis (\"This Ordinary Thing\")","date_published":"2026-06-16T23:30:00+00:00","summary":"Filmmaker Nick Davis joins host Donna Walker to talk about his documentary \"This Ordinary Thing\" which explores the heroism, bravery, and self-sacrifice of non-Jewish people throughout Europe who risked their lives to hide their Jewish neighbors, as well as strangers. Honored by Yad Vashem in 2023 as individuals \"righteous among nations,\" their stories are a testament that \"to be human, we need each other.\" With never-before-seen archival footage, narrated by Academy Award winning actors, including Dame Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Ellen Burstyn, among others, the film is a powerful reminder that one person can make a difference.","content_html":"

PACIFICA PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE, arts & culture to enlighten, enliven and educate with host Donna Walker, covers the best in film, theatre, music, and the arts.<\/p>\n\n

Archives of this show can be heard here - https:\/\/archive.kpfk.org\/index_one.php?shokey=pperf<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Email: Donna_Walker@kpfk.org<\/p>\n\n

Facebook: Pacifica Performance Showcase<\/p>","image":"https:\/\/mm.aiircdn.com\/427\/5bbcee2968f35.jpg","author":{"name":"Donna Walker"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/85392"},{"id":"o237-863-696401b329b24","url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/blogs\/programming-highlights\/post\/remembering-bob-weir\/","title":"Remembering Bob Weir (1947\u20132026)","date_published":"2026-01-10T08:00:00+00:00","summary":"Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead and a towering figure in American music, passed away on January 10, 2026. Arnella Barbara, host of Dark Star, Dead & Music on KPFK, shares a personal tribute reflecting on his life, his music, and what his passing means to Deadheads and listeners everywhere.","content_html":"

\ud83c\udf39\u26a1\ufe0f For Bob \u26a1\ufe0f\ud83c\udf39<\/h1>\n\n

The music has shifted.<\/p>\n\n

The air itself feels altered.<\/p>\n\n

Beloved Bob Weir has left this physical plane, and the long strange trip will never feel the same again. Something essential — something living and breathing — has slipped beyond our reach, and we are standing here together, stunned, heartbroken, and forever changed.<\/p>\n\n

Bob was not just a musician.<\/p>\n\n

He was a frequency.<\/p>\n\n

A compass in the dark.<\/p>\n\n

A living bridge between chaos and communion.<\/p>\n\n

The Grateful Dead was never only a band — it was a universe, a language, a way of surviving this world with your soul intact. And Bob Weir was one of its great storytellers, guiding us through winding roads where answers dissolved and truth lived in the asking.<\/p>\n\n

Every chord he played felt like an invitation:<\/p>\n\n

to wander,<\/p>\n\n

to wonder,<\/p>\n\n

to feel deeply,<\/p>\n\n

to belong.<\/p>\n\n

I was meant to have Bob on my show this spring.<\/p>\n\n

We spoke with his PR team just weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n

The thought that he was still out there — still moving, still creating, still shining — makes this loss cut impossibly deep. Plans were forming. Stories were waiting. And now, all that remains is gratitude tangled with grief.<\/p>\n\n

From me — the Dark Star Gurl, host of Dark Star, Dead and Music — and from Deadheads everywhere:<\/p>\n\n

We are shattered.<\/p>\n\n

We are grieving.<\/p>\n\n

And we know, in our bones, that we will never fully recover from this.<\/p>\n\n

Bob’s music didn’t just accompany our lives — it held us.<\/p>\n\n

It carried us through heartbreak, addiction, joy, rebellion, awakening.<\/p>\n\n

It taught us how to stay soft in a hard world, how to keep dancing even when the night felt endless.<\/p>\n\n

This is not just the loss of a man.<\/p>\n\n

This is the loss of a living current of American soul.<\/p>\n\n

A light that shaped generations.<\/p>\n\n

A voice that told us we weren’t alone.<\/p>\n\n

So tonight, let us all light a candle.<\/p>\n\n

Watch the flame dance.<\/p>\n\n

Let the smoke drift upward so Bob can see how deeply he is loved.<\/p>\n\n

Tonight, the road stretches on without you, Bob —<\/p>\n\n

but your songs are still moving through us.<\/p>\n\n

Your spirit still hums in the static.<\/p>\n\n

Your love still binds this family together.<\/p>\n\n

We will keep listening.<\/p>\n\n

We will keep dancing.<\/p>\n\n

We will keep carrying the music forward — brokenhearted, but grateful beyond words.<\/p>\n\n

Thank you for the road.<\/p>\n\n

Thank you for the courage.<\/p>\n\n

Thank you for the eternal invitation to belong.<\/p>\n\n

This world will never be the same without you.<\/p>\n\n

And because of you, neither will we.<\/p>\n\n

Forever Grateful.<\/p>\n\n

Forever Dead.<\/p>\n\n

Forever Bob. \ud83c\udf39\u26a1<\/p>","image":"https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/237\/696400767bd73.jpg","author":{"name":"Arnella Barbara"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.kpfk.org\/_app_pages\/stations\/3455\/blogs\/posts\/83234"}]}