We certainly can’t speak for the world as a whole, but we can say with certainty that 2018 was an amazing year for Dynasty. It was our first year in business, and it was a whirlwind of surprises, delights, and amazing occasions. We wanted to make a short list of our favorite moments, but quickly realized that this year has provided enough material for a lifetime of scrapbooks. Instead of just a few highlights, we’ve broken our Dy-Lights™ into categories chock full o’ wonder. And STILL many wonderful happenings, folks, and snackspiriments™ were omitted. May the curse of too many blessings reign forever!
Ridiculous Residencies
From Left to Right: Adam Sandler, Ilana Glazer, Eddie Izzard.
One night with these luminaries would have been a dream come true. That they set up shop at the Dynasty for extended runs was a rare,"dream-come-WOOOO!!” situation. Highlights included: Ilana Glazer, Adam Sandler, Eddie Izzard, Brett Gelman, Hidden Fences, Brent Forrester’s Comedy Knowledge Drop, Dead Pilots Society, WorkJuice Improv, and so many more!
Special Guests & Drop-InS
From Left to Right: John C Reilly, Conan O’Brien + Moses Storm, Sarah Silverman.
Come for the guaranteed good time, the amazing announced talent, and the candy-treated popcorn. STAY for the inevitable surprises! Our drop-ins and surprise guests have truly been the icing on a cake made of icing. And there’s nothing more fun than the look and sound of an audience when they find out their night is about to take an unexpected turn for the unforgettable. Highlights included: Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, Hannibal Burress, John C. Reilly, Conan O’Brien, Judd Apatow, Pete Holmes, Bob Odenkirk, Nick Kroll, Adam Sandler, Adam Conover, Phil Rosenthal, Danny Trejo, Niki Nakayama, Zach Galifianaikis, Whitney Cummings, Scott Thompson, Bruce McCullough, Georgia Hardstark, Chelsea Peretti, Melissa Villaseñor, Bill Burr, and so many more!
Tentpole Talent
From Left to Right: Maria Bamford, Rory Scovel, Marc Maron.
If you’d shown us this list a year ago, we would’ve sworn we were looking at our dream board. Instead, we got to see these huge talents on our dream stage IN REAL LIFE. Here’s just a smattering of the folks who delighted our Dynasty with headlining sets and shows. Highlights included: Maria Bamford, Rory Scovel, Guy Branum, Judah Friedlander, Todd Barry, Matt Braunger, Julio Torres, Marc Maron, Langston Kerman, Chris Fairbanks, Nate Craig, Baratunde Thurston, Mamrie Hart, Steve Agee, and so many more!
Podcasts A’Plenty!
From Left to Right: Off Book, Harmontown, Chris Gethard.
If you’d told us 10 years ago we’d have been home to these podcasts, we’d say, “What’s a podcast?” If you’d told us LAST year, we’d say “weeeeee!” It was a thrill being present as episodes of our favorite shows were recorded in the theater, and it’s wonderful to know they’re out in the world (AND SPACE! That’s how podcasts work!) and people/aliens everywhere are hearing the dulcet tones of a Dynasty audience’s laughter. Highlights included: Harmontown, Hollywood Handbook, The Legacy Music Hour 200th Episode, Chris Gethard’s Beautiful Anonymous, Lovett or Leave It, I'm Too Effing High, Off Book, History of Stand-up, Bubble, Who Shot Ya?, Not Too Deep Grace Helbig, and so many more!
Versatile Variety
From Left to Right: Neil Hamburger, Bob Baker Marionettes, Jinkx Monsoon.
We don’t want to be a one-trick pony. We want to be a thousand trick pony who wasn’t trained to perform, but instead was BORN to perform and taught themselves all 1000 tricks and performs them at their own will, for an audience drawn to their magnetism. Is that so much to ask? We don’t think so either. And we have been thrilled to watch all sorts of performances light up the Dynasty stage. Drag queens, magic, puppets, juggling, characters, we’ve been wowed by so many people at the top of their craft. Highlights included: Chris Ruggiero, Magic by Simone, Bob Baker Marionettes, Derek Hughes, Scot Nery, Puppet Dynasty, Neil Hamburger, Jinkx Monoon & Major Scales, Liz Hara, Game Show in A Can, Divas of Dynasty: Jasmine Masters, Pandora Boxx, Vancie Vega, Sky & Nancy Collins, Pam Severns, and so many more!
Masterful Music
From Left to Right: Titanique, The La Fonda Mariachis, Craig Robinson.
“The only thing sweeter than the sound of laughter, is the sound of some really good sounding music.” - PeePaw Dynasty.
Music WORKS in the theater, and we can’t wait for more of it. We’ve already had so many amazing musicians here, from acoustic solo artists, to beat battles, to 16 piece orchestras, it’s been unbelievable to sit in the theater as it’s filled by the magic of live music. Highlights included: Beat Cinema Beat Battle, Open Mike Eagle, Frank Fairfield, Track IX, Reggie Watts, Tal Wilkenfeld, Lisa Loeb, Garfunkel & Oates, Craig Robinson, Brittain Ashford & Prairie Empire, Jon Daly, Nick Thorburn, Zach Sherwin, Jackie Tohn, Titaniqúe, MainMan Band, The Point with Tim Heidecker and Ron Lynch, and so many more!
Spectacular Screenings
From Left to Right: Secret 16 Horror Movie Marathon (Photos by Mark Berry)
We realized one of the BEST things to pair with World Famous DynaPop is films (aka movies)! And once we popped… we just couldn’t stop. Here are some of the things that graced the Dynasty screen this year! Some our our favorite screenings included: Video Munch, Tammy & The T Rex, Everything is Terrible, HBO Preview of Barry, Three Amigos, Scrooged, Most Likely To Murder, Black Dynamite, Black Sheep, Dirty Looks, Horror Film Festival, Dress Up Gang Premiere, Doug Loves Movies: SuperTroopers, and so many more!
The Dawn Of Our Dynasty
From Left to Right: Patton Oswalt, Ron Funches, Margaret Cho.
Our in-house produced shows this year were joys to bring to life. We got to have ideas… and then make them real things, featuring REAL PEOPLE! From gold-rush themed shows to cocoa fueled comedy and raps to recordings, it’s been amazing to get to do the stuff we dream up with the people we dream of! Highlights included: Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Todd Glass, Dulcé Sloan, Whitney Cummings, Kevin Pollak, Bobcat Goldthwait, Ian Harvie, Nicole Byer, Moshe Kasher, Dana Gould, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Groundhog Night, Politicon, Cameron Esposito, Go Day, Gold Rush! Cozy Night! Dynasty Tonight!, The Dynasty ProtoTypecast StreamStream, Matt McCarthy, Ian Abramson, Chris Walsh, The Dynasty Intern Dancers, ACK! Amateur Competitive Karaoke, Keep Kora in The USA!, The Space for Grace, Laura House, and so many more!
Our People
From Left to Right: Frank + Vicki Flam, Our Beautiful Audience, Dynasty at Politicon.
Far more than a physical space, we’ve always dreamed of creating a way to bring people together to celebrate the good stuff of life with the good folks of life. The first year has been incredible, and if we didn’t believe in The Universe and magic and enchantment before (but shhhh… we did) we sure as flarp do now. We have met the most amazing people on stage, in the audience, and our own hard working team (who seemed to come to us by magic!) and we’ve gotten to use the theater as a space for huge moments in life, from the professional to the personal. We’re grateful to everyone who has trusted and given their heart to Dynasty.
Finally, a huge shout to Popcorn Weekly for naming our signature Dyna-Pop™ “the best popcorn on the West Coast.” In 2019, Dyna-Pop™ is going GLOBAL.
Photo Credits: Troy Conrad or Adrian Aguilar (unless otherwise stated)