Susan Dietz

Susan Dietz has resigned as artistic director of Pasadena Playhouse, effective Oct. 21, in order to pursue film and television opportunities. No replacement is waiting in the wings, but "we'll look at a host of people who have expressed interest over the years," said the theater's managing director Lars Hansen. A meeting on Oct.

A memorial for the late theater producer Joan Stein has been set for Oct. 8 in Los Angeles. The service will be held at the Brentwood Theatre on the Veterans Affairs grounds at 11301 Wilshire Blvd. The memorial is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Organizers said it will be attended by Stein's friends, family and colleagues. Stein died in August at the age of 59 following a battle with appendiceal cancer. Her theater career spanned Broadway and L.A., and included long-running local productions of A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters," "Forever Plaid" and Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

If I see another theater article with Susan Dietz and Susan Loewenberg as (un)official spokespersons for the entire Los Angeles theater community, I think I'll rent Peg Yorkin's theater, vomit and have Laura Zucker analyze why attendance was so low. MARK DAVID CHESBRO Los Angeles

Joan Stein, a Tony-winning theater and screen producer whose diverse career included many Los Angeles stage productions, died on Friday at 59. She had been battling cancer and died atCedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to her husband, Ted Weiant. Stein helped to launch several long-running L.A. theater productions, including A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters," "Forever Plaid" and Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile. " She was the co-head of the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, where she worked for 10 years.

Veteran L.A. theater producer Susan Dietz has been named producing director of Reprise! Broadway's Best, the troupe that revives musicals at UCLA. She replaces Jim Gardia, who is moving out of the area. Dietz previously has been affiliated with L.A. Stage Company, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills. She also has been a producer of Broadway productions, earning three Tony nominations.

According to KPFK radio talk-show host J. Michael Straczynski, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has not fostered quite as pervasive a cult as Classic Trek. I have attended numerous conventions over the years filled with a multitude of people from various backgrounds and age groups, and I have found that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is as pervasive a cult as Classic Trek ever was, perhaps even more. We were all skeptical when "TNG" premiered but have found that with each passing season the quality has surpassed the original.

Stephen Rothman, has resigned as producing co-director of the Pasadena Playhouse, after being replaced as director of the revival of "Born Yesterday." The resignation followed a series of reported backstage battles at the theater. Allen Garfield, who joined the production last week, also left it Tuesday night after a rehearsal. His predecessor, Ron Leibman, left the show May 27. The play is scheduled to open June 26, with Rebecca De Mornay in the role Judy Holliday made famous.

Joan Stein, a Tony-winning theater and screen producer whose diverse career included many Los Angeles stage productions, died on Friday at 59. She had been battling cancer and died atCedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to her husband, Ted Weiant. Stein helped to launch several long-running L.A. theater productions, including A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters," "Forever Plaid" and Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile. " She was the co-head of the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, where she worked for 10 years.

A memorial for the late theater producer Joan Stein has been set for Oct. 8 in Los Angeles. The service will be held at the Brentwood Theatre on the Veterans Affairs grounds at 11301 Wilshire Blvd. The memorial is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Organizers said it will be attended by Stein's friends, family and colleagues. Stein died in August at the age of 59 following a battle with appendiceal cancer. Her theater career spanned Broadway and L.A., and included long-running local productions of A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters," "Forever Plaid" and Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Groucho Marx, corporate chicanery, tap-dancing Communists and a potentially disastrous wedding are the subjects to be dramatized on the Pasadena Playhouse mainstage for the 1989-90 season. The selections include three West Coast premieres and one brand-new play, announced artistic director Susan Dietz. "Groucho: A Life in Revue" will open the season, Oct. 1-Nov. 5. Groucho Marx's son, Beverly Hills resident Arthur Marx, will direct; he co-wrote the play with Robert Fisher.

Veteran L.A. theater producer Susan Dietz has been named producing director of Reprise! Broadway's Best, the troupe that revives musicals at UCLA. She replaces Jim Gardia, who is moving out of the area. Dietz previously has been affiliated with L.A. Stage Company, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills. She also has been a producer of Broadway productions, earning three Tony nominations.

Any list of producers from L.A.'s theater boom of the '80s must include Joe Stern, Bill Bushnell and Susan Dietz. Recently Stern returned to action at his Matrix Theatre, while Bushnell left L.A. altogether. Now it's Dietz's turn for an announcement. The former artistic director of L.A. Stage Co. and co-director of the Pasadena Playhouse is, with partner Marilyn Shapiro, opening a cabaret in Studio City. The 60-seat Tonto & Dietz will officially open on Jan.

I'm sick and tired of people moaning about "Jurassic Park" ("Experts See 'Jurassic Park,' Discuss the Fear Factor," June 17). The film is not violent in the sense of blood and gore, but it is very intense and loud. It also happens to make a tremendous point: Don't mess around with Mother Nature. She'll just turn around and eat you. If parents would pay more attention to the facts, their complaints would die in their throats. PG-13: The ratings board came up with this rating for a reason--"Parents strongly cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13."

According to KPFK radio talk-show host J. Michael Straczynski, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has not fostered quite as pervasive a cult as Classic Trek. I have attended numerous conventions over the years filled with a multitude of people from various backgrounds and age groups, and I have found that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is as pervasive a cult as Classic Trek ever was, perhaps even more. We were all skeptical when "TNG" premiered but have found that with each passing season the quality has surpassed the original.

Susan Dietz has resigned as artistic director of Pasadena Playhouse, effective Oct. 21, in order to pursue film and television opportunities. No replacement is waiting in the wings, but "we'll look at a host of people who have expressed interest over the years," said the theater's managing director Lars Hansen. A meeting on Oct.

Groucho Marx, corporate chicanery, tap-dancing Communists and a potentially disastrous wedding are the subjects to be dramatized on the Pasadena Playhouse mainstage for the 1989-90 season. The selections include three West Coast premieres and one brand-new play, announced artistic director Susan Dietz. "Groucho: A Life in Revue" will open the season, Oct. 1-Nov. 5. Groucho Marx's son, Beverly Hills resident Arthur Marx, will direct; he co-wrote the play with Robert Fisher.

I'm sick and tired of people moaning about "Jurassic Park" ("Experts See 'Jurassic Park,' Discuss the Fear Factor," June 17). The film is not violent in the sense of blood and gore, but it is very intense and loud. It also happens to make a tremendous point: Don't mess around with Mother Nature. She'll just turn around and eat you. If parents would pay more attention to the facts, their complaints would die in their throats. PG-13: The ratings board came up with this rating for a reason--"Parents strongly cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13."

"We've been engaged for about a year and now we've decided to get married. "We're going to tie the knot. "We're going to call it Public Stage/L.A. Basically, Public Stage at the Coronet and Public Stage on Canon." The voices talking over each other Monday, racing ahead at such joint purposes, were those of Susan Dietz (artistic director of L.A. Stage Co.) and Peg Yorkin (artistic director of the L.A. Public Theatre), the two most active operators of mid-size theaters in Los Angeles.

Stephen Rothman, has resigned as producing co-director of the Pasadena Playhouse, after being replaced as director of the revival of "Born Yesterday." The resignation followed a series of reported backstage battles at the theater. Allen Garfield, who joined the production last week, also left it Tuesday night after a rehearsal. His predecessor, Ron Leibman, left the show May 27. The play is scheduled to open June 26, with Rebecca De Mornay in the role Judy Holliday made famous.

Just as a Tony nomination can help a Broadway show survive, not getting any may be enough to finish it off. Witness "Mail," the Pasadena Playhouse success that opened on the Great White Way in April. The reviews were "across-the-board slams," acknowledged co-producer Susan Dietz, but the show held on for a few weeks in the hope of garnering a Tony or two. A modest advertising campaign billed "Mail" as an "abused new musical" and offered a two-for-one ticket deal.