OUR OFFICIAL 2018 DY-LIGHTS™
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)
Photo Recap: Vintage Basement with Max & Nicky
Vintage Basement is a neo-retro night of stand-up comedy and music produced by From New York-based twin brothers Max and Nicky Weinbach. This edition featured headliners Sarah Silverman (I Love You, America, The Sarah Silverman Program), Todd Glass (The Todd Glass Show, Conan), Brent Weinbach (Gangster Party Line, Pound House), Kate Berlant (Netflix Presents: The Characters, Sorry to Bother You), and Fahim Anwar (Late Night w/ Seth Meyers, Goatface)!
Photography by Adrian Aguilar
Photo Recap: All Things Comedy w/Bill Burr, Erice Griffin, + More
Photos from a stellar night of comedy entertainment brought to you by All Things Comedy. Featuring: Bill Burr (F is For Family), Erik Griffin (Workaholics), Kelsey Cook (Self-Helpless Podcast), Steve Rannazzisi (The League), and hosted Luke Schwartz
Photos by Adrian Aguilar
Atsuko Okatsuka's Favorite Japanese Game Show
Thrills! Chills! Human Tetris! In anticipation of her upcoming event at Dynasty Typewriter, we asked comedian Atsuko Okatsuka to share some of her top Japanese Game show moments with us.
Atsuko hosts Let’s Go Atsuko! A night of interactive games, videos, comedy, and discussion from a panel of notable comedians, political thinkers, and public figures. It’s like a Japanese game show, but woke! This month’s edition features: Aparna Nancherla! Eliza Skinner! Clayton Farris! Carl Tart! Kevin Yee! Jena Friedman! And hopefully weird videos from Atsuko’s grandmother!
Shirley Rosenberg is 100% Fresh
Shhhh! Can you hear that soft, yet intense, fluttering? No, it’s not a swarm of moths approaching, it’s the muted applause made by the slow and tender hands of scores of nonagenarians as a closeup lands on their stunning peer, Shirley Rosenberg.Yes, THAT Shirley Rosenberg. Fountain View Retirement Community’s darling finally got her big break! Titled “ADAM SANDLER: 100 % Fresh” Shirley created an amazing vehicle for herself, yet was generous enough to give nearly all the screen time to her comedic foil, one Mister Adam Sandler. The special (which premieres today on Netflix) was shot at venues all over the country, including five night’s worth of footage from Adam’s shows at Dynasty Typewriter. Way to go Shirley!
Also worth noting, Shirley is Jamie Flam’s grandmother. Also ALSO worth noting, DO check out Adam’s amazing special, 30% of which (estimate!) was shot at the theater. Adam’s shows and the related production were one of the first huge things that happened here, and we’ll never forget the excitement of the crews, the sold out and blissed out crowds, witnessing the transformations his team created for our stage, and Adam's truly inspiring hilarity, kindness, and work ethic.
Photo Recap: Dynasty Typewriter at Politicon
We were approached by Politicon about injecting a little (more) comedy into their two day convention by becoming their official comedy partners. Us? Political? We knew immediately what our platform would be. Something near and dear to our hearts. Something divisive, provocative, and very very now. DYNAPOP. The World’s ONLY Non-partisan Popcorn. We gathered a team of comedians, some of our staff, some NECESSARY elements for the booth (prize wheel, popcorn mascot suits, fake trees) and got the LA Convention Center poppin’. It was the first use of our DynaPop mascot, Poppy D, and he did NOT disappoint. Thanks to all of the performers who lent their talent to this event: The Lucas Brothers, The OC’s Skye and Nancy Collins (Carrie Clifford & Marc Evan Jackson), Drennon Davis, Lizzy Cooperman, Tad Rams, Chris Fairbanks, and Nate Craig. Plus, all of our amazing Dynasty Staffers and the Politicon crew.
Photography by Troy Conrad
Photo Recap: Secret 16 Horror Movie Marathon
Photographs from Secret 16, a 12-hour session of ‘80s horror franchise sequels projected from nothing but rare film prints. Presented by Secret Sixteen, Friday Night Frights, The Mall and The Voyager Institute.
Photography by Mark Berry
Photo Recap: Gold Rush Comedy
A night of pure comedy gold at Dynasty Typewriter. Featuring: Demetri Martin, The Lucas Brothers, Pearl Charles, Emma Willman, Byron Bowers, and more. Co-produced by Jessica Pilot.
Photography by: Steven Tucker
Photo Recap: High Diary feat. Eric Andre
High Diary is the show where comedians reveal their most private moments publicly - WHILE THEY ARE HIGH. This edition featured: Eric Andre (Adult Swim), Alison Becker (Parks and Recreation), Douggpound (Eric Andre Show), Abdullah Saeed (High Maintenance), and Penelope Gazin (Witchsy).
Photography by Samuel Macquire.
Congrats To The Emmy Winners
Wowee-o-boy.
The Creative Arts Emmys were this weekend, and the Dynasty Darlings are jumping for joy that some of our creative sweeties have been recognized by the world as the glittering jewels they are! We are so grateful to be part of an amazing community that looks really good in formal wear. Look at the Dynasty-adjacent loves who were recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts:
Dan Harmon’s Rick and Morty Won Outstanding Animated Program!
Chris Reddis (who was just slayin' here on Saturday) took home the Outstanding
Original Music And Lyrics Emmy for the instant classic Come Back Barack! (also, Come Back Barack FOR REAL!)Our Team Coco LOVES Ruthie Wyatt and Aaron Bleyart won the Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within an Unscripted Program award for "Conan Without Borders" and took the stage looking sooooo good!
One of the first large events we hosted was a private viewing party for HBO's Barry and we were delighted to see their team snagged an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series! The hit man's a HIT, man!
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took home 3 Creative Arts Emmys! (Mr. Kevin Pollack has the Midas touch!).
And huge congrats to our landlord, Jenji Kohan and the team behind Glow for their two creative arts Emmys, including a historic win for Shauna Duggins- the first woman to win for stunt coordination!
