Arts

Improv actors entertain children in hospitals

By Bridgette M. Redman Contributor In the midst of an international health crisis, one group of actors from the Phoenix Theatre Company has found its work in greater demand. “Partners that Heal” has been taking actors...

East Valley writer seeks teens who lost a parent

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF Time may heal some wounds but Michelle Shreeve knows their pain never fully goes away. She still remembers her mother’s death in December 1993 – when Shreeve was only 9. The Gilbert writer – who wrote...

Ex-cop collars laughter at his local club

By Cecilia Chan Managing Editor At the Village of Alsip Police Department in Illinois, Jim Perry served in a number of roles: law enforcement trainer, DARE officer, media relations officer, crime prevention officer and hostage...

Art helps annual Unity Walk get around pandemic

By srianthi perera Contributor In keeping with the pandemic’s restrictions, this year’s Regional Unity Walk has been revamped. Instead of gathering at Temple Beach Park on a day in January to promote mutual respect and...

Chandler film fest expects growth amid pandemic

By Kevin Reagan Staff Writer The pandemic has not been kind to the film industry this past year, yet Chandler International Film Festival organizers are refusing to let the health crisis prevent its attendees from celebrating the...

Chandler author’s book rooted in her faith

By srianthi perera Contributor Deep spirituality led Wei Wei Chang to shake off a successful corporate career and create a life-coaching service in 2018 to gather people toward God. Now, the Chandler woman has published “The...

Fiddler’s Dream offers virtual open stages

By Laura Latzko Contributor Fiddler’s Dream Coffeehouse has long offered a space for musicians to perform. Although the Glendale nonprofit cannot offer the same opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic because of social...

Hall of Flame one of area’s best-kept secrets

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Staff Writer Chicago-area industrialist George F. Getz Jr. and his wife, Olive Atwater Getz, were driving through Wilmette, Illinois, when they saw a broken-down fire truck on the side of the road....

Arresting autobiography full of heartbreak

By Srianthi Perera Contributor The impish trio of boys on the book cover belies the story. They look mischievous, happy and cared for. But that’s a far cry from the events that followed John Gaudioso when he was little. The Sun...

Romance novelist publishes her second book this year

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF You might say the pandemic has been both a curse and a blessing for Sandra Givens. On the one hand, it has pretty much brought an end for now to traveling, which she loves. On the other hand, being grounded...