The San Jose Repertory Theatre will close for good and file for bankruptcy, the 34-year-old nonprofit announced.
Articles by Jennifer Wadsworth
After a dozen years in the corporate world, Otis Gates had a lot of pent-up funny to let out. Teaming up with friends and family, he formed the “Heart on Comedy” troupe—concocted, he says, over bubbly beverages on a porch in the deep shadows of the sprawling metropolis of San Jose.
When Wendy Maruyama collected names of the 120,000 Japanese Americans forced into concentration camps during World War II, she wrote them on paper tags and assembled them into 10 tree-like cascades.
When Kha Lu began experimenting with the flavor profiles of ramen at his new lunchtime pop-up eatery, Kansui, customers got a bit defensive. “People freaked out,” says the chef.
It wasn’t long ago that Jen Padgett went off the grid to live in a yurt in the Santa Cruz mountains without a clue about how to build things, farm the land or rely on solar power. She figured, the best way to learn is out of necessity.
Most low-income college students—four out of five—won’t earn a bachelor’s degree by their mid-twenties. Life gets in the way, especially for poor and first-generation college students. Stephanie Bravo, the first in her own family to attend college, set out to change that.
While enrolled in the Stanford University Minority Medical Alliance Medical Mentorship Program as an undergrad at San Jose State University, the Bravo founded a free online mentorship network. StudentMentor.org connects thousands of students across the country with professionals willing to mentor them. Below, we ask the South Bay native about her inspiration and her favorite spots around town.
Nevermind the top-story window. Catch a view of San Jose from tallest building in the city by scaling down the side of it. A fundraiser for Shatterproof, an organization dedicated to fighting childhood addiction to drugs and alcohol, gives the public a chance to rappel down the side of the San Jose Marriott downtown.
Abraham Menor appreciates the power of a good story, especially one previously untold. In his early twenties, he picked up a camera to document some of the stories he stumbled upon during his volunteer work or the ones he saw in the form of street art and the culture surrounding it. Combining his interests in sociology and art, he took portraits of forgotten war veterans and community volunteers, pictures of hip-hop artists and other local subcultures. Eventually, he amassed a volume of images documenting life in the South Bay, a collection of experiences he plans to compile in a book due out next year.
Chris Reed knew from an early age he wanted to be a musician. Since picking up the miniature accordion as a toddler, he’s become versed on vocals, the saxophone, ukelele, harmonica, melodica and guitar, among other instruments. The 30-year-old South Bay resident began his musical career in blues, funk and reggae before branching out to other genres. His reggae band Aivar (2006-11) was named “Best Band” by Metro in 2010 and performed with international acts such as The English Beat, Collie Buddz, Booker T and The Dirty Heads and on the Vans Warped Tour stage.
Victoria Velasquez first created her clothing line, Petals and Peacocks, as a class project at art school. After teaming up with her fiancé a few years ago, she managed to turn it into a thriving business. You can find her snarky creations on style-makers and trendsetters or nab some for yourself from the flagship store she recently opened close to Santa Clara University.
