Palisadian Lara Ganz Leads Theatre Palisades Youth, Paul Revere Programs Into the Future, Despite Palisades Fire

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

In the face of uncertainty, Director Lara Ganz is working behind the scenes to ensure the show goes on for Theatre Palisades Youth and Paul Revere Charter Middle School students—with rehearsals continuing for upcoming shows slated to be performed in the coming months.

Palisades fire first began on Tuesday, January 7. Pierson Playhouse, which Theatre Palisades and Theatre Palisades Youth/Teen use as a performance space, was one of the first structures widely shown on the news to have been lost to the flames.

Just four days later, on Saturday, January 11, Ganz, despite losing her own home in the fire, had worked with her team—including choreographer Rebecca Brancato Barragan, who Ganz described as “literally a beam of light”—to secure a rehearsal space at St. Monica, where Barragan volunteers.

TPY is able to use the space for rehearsals through January, until the auditorium begins a remodel. Ganz said she is working on planning February and has received a few offers from spaces.

“Everyone is coming together to lift us all up—this massive outpouring of love, empathy, compassion, generosity,” Ganz said. “An entire community has been physically leveled, physically demolished and yet all of our surrounding communities are pulling together to literally lift us up out of the ashes … the phoenix from the flame … we will rise and we will return.”

Paul Revere students will be performing “Beetlejuice,” while TPY is working on “Crazy for You.” Though they were picked months before the Palisades fire, Ganz had unknowingly selected shows with strong ties to grief, loss—and the importance of music.

“‘Crazy for You’ is a top show,” Ganz described. “It’s all these old jazz standards—the song we were rehearsing—‘I got rhythm, I got music … who could ask for anything more?’—it’s the biggest number in the show and it’s so perfect.”

What’s more—“Crazy for You” is a “classic tale of a boy, a girl and a theater in need of salvation,” a synopsis described.

Bobby Child is working as a banker, but spends his free time practicing dancing and sneaking into auditions for shows. Sent to a small town for work to investigate a customer who has defaulted on their mortgage, Bobby falls for Polly Baker, whose father owns the “beautiful but decaying” Gaiety Theater, which Bobby was sent to seize.

“Now lovestruck, Bobby comes up with a plan: call in his friends, the Follies Girls, all the way from New York City, cast the locals—a bunch of rundown cowboys with latent musical talent—and put on a show to save the old building,” the synopsis continued.

Ganz said she was originally feeling connected to “Beetlejuice” on a personal level when she picked the show in October, but since then, the connection has deepened for the performers through a song called “Home.” It includes the lyrics: “Standing/Stuck on this impossible road/No idea which way to go/Whichever path I choose/I lose, you know/And I don’t know which way’s home.”

“All the kids, going through this hard time—they literally lost their homes,” Ganz said. “And the main song is ‘Home’ … it’s literally our song.”

She said there are also many touching and tender moments throughout the show, including a father connecting with his daughter, helping her get on her feet and grounded after losing her mom.

“The show is all about recovering from loss,” Ganz said. “So, even though it’s hilarious, it couldn’t be more perfect.”

Another throughline of the show, Ganz described, is the couple who moves into the main home and is attached to their belongings. The couple dies and the show features them in the afterlife.

“They’re attached to their belongings,” Ganz said. “All these Palisadians are going through this moment of losing all our belongings and whatever that means to you.”

At press time, it was unclear when Paul Revere students would return to its regular campus, having been temporarily relocated to University High School Charter. Ganz is following the news closely to see if TPY and Paul Revere will be able to perform their shows at the campus, or if securing an alternate space will be necessary.

Ganz explained that parents across the Palisades were clear that it was important to not let kids fall into “deep isolation” as they did during COVID.

“We are determined to unite them in passion and purpose and compassion for one another,” Ganz described. “Everyone is so scared of losing the community of love and performing arts that we all built together. We have so many ‘what ifs?’ flooding our minds, and we have to see ‘what if … we do everything possible to ensure that the show will go on?’”

Some of the members of the theater programs will have a chance to perform alongside actress and singer Kerry Butler, who originated the role of Barbara Maitland in the Broadway musical “Beetlejuice.” Butler is also known for roles in “Hairspray,” “Xanadu,” “Les Misérables” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”

TPY performers and Paul Revere students have been invited to join Butler on stage at Segerstrom Center for the Arts the weekend of January 23 to 25 to perform songs. Ganz was also seeing if it would be possible to bring students from the Palisades Charter High School theater program.

The connection was made when the sister of TPY member Zoë reached out to Butler to see if she could offer words of encouragement after the family lost their home, as Zoë is playing the role of Barbara. Butler took it even further than a FaceTime encouragement call, inviting cast members down to perform and also volunteering to spend an afternoon coaching the young performers.

Bringing the performers together and highlighting what she described as “Kerry Butler Week” is personal for Ganz, who wants to shed light on the importance of community across the Palisades.

“I think we can handle losing the stuff, but we can’t handle losing community,” Ganz said. “We have to keep encouraging—there’s reasons to stay, there’s reasons to push through. I hope everyone feels the same way.”

Tickets for future shows will be available soon.

Palisades Gift Shop has launched preorders for Palisades Forever Totes, with a portion of profit going toward people affected by the Palisades fire.

“In our hearts you’ll stay, won’t forget you come what may,” Palisades Gift Shop Founder Chanel Malin wrote in an email. “Pali, we love you.”

Malin confirmed that the shop, along with its merchandise, was lost in the fire.

There is also a Palisades Strong Varsity Crew available for preorder. Shipping on the preordered items is set to begin in February.

Photos courtesy of Palisades Gift Shop

Cox Paint provided clothing, shoes, essentials and supplies from the Hoskin family to people impacted and displaced by the Los Angeles fires on Saturday, January 18, and Sunday, January 19, at its Santa Monica location.

Las Madrinas honored 26 young women and their families on December 21, 2024, for their service to the Southern California community and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles during the Las Madrinas Ball at Beverly Hilton Hotel. Palisadian members, pictured, from left, top row: Asher Rose Harris Rawlins, Sarah Elizabeth Rocchio, Ruby Wilhemina Elliott, Cecily Rasmussen, Katherine Shea Dietrick, Reilly Kathryn Robinson, Hailey Nan Webber and Talia Bahar Zafari; bottom row: Elizabeth Adair, Grace O’Malley, Gable Catherine Gering, Channing Van Petten Pauley, Eliza Jane Sandifer, Annie Shea High and Kathleen Duffy Keller

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

A Community Fire Response Panel, hosted by Kehillat Israel, took place via Zoom on Tuesday night, January 14, and featured panelists who lost their homes in previous fires, city officials who have been through the process and fire recovery experts.

Moderated by KI Executive Director Adam Simon, the 90-minute discussion was headed by After the Fire USA CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson, and featured a Q&A where panelists addressed common questions and concerns. The panelists included Reina Romeroy (lost her home in the Marshall fire in Colorado and builds virtual communities), Reva Feldman (lived in Sunset Mesa previously and worked for the city of Malibu), Brad Sherwood (Tubbs fire survivor and assistant general manager at Sonoma County Water Agency), Dr. Adrienne Heinz (clinical research psychologist at the National Center for PTSD and Standford University), Valerie Brown (state officer who works at disaster recovery centers) and Chris Smith (emergency management professional in Asheville, North Carolina).

Q: We lost everything but a photo or two. Everything is toxic, and we are aching to get in and find small items to keep close. The longer we wait, how will we get those things to make sure they’re not taken?

A: Each jurisdiction is different in their debris cleanup process. They’ll check your driver’s license to verify you live on that street before you’re allowed back into your neighborhood.

Red Cross is a resource with debris cleanup kits. Get a box, get a good sifter, necessary gloves and masks.

Go to your local resource centers and ask your local officials what their debris cleanup schedule is, particularly with the environmental cleanup—they won’t allow anyone back until they get that stage done.

The first thing that they have to do is look for people who have passed away. Then the EPA will clean up all the batteries and the toxic chemicals.

It’s important that you use PPE, you’ll be able to fit before it’s scraped. It’s fully your choice if you want to do that.

Q: Do you anticipate a coordinated cleanup by the city or FEMA?

A: You’re going to learn a lot about things you never wanted to know about throughout this process. The city of Los Angeles coordinating with the county and the Governor’s Office of Community Services will determine the best way to proceed with debris removal.

After the Woolsey fire in 2018, the county and state took the lead, but in the Tubbs fire in 2017, it was the Army Corps of Engineers.

Property owners will be asked to provide a right of entry form where you’re allowing them to go onto your property and do a HAZMAT where they remove anything that could be toxic. That’s tagged and goes to a specific landfill.

The second part is all of the rest of the material, and they do it block by block. Once that is done the lead agency makes a determination to remove foundations.

There’s an option for owners to not have the government clean the property for them. In those cases there are forms you’ll have to sign.

The chances of you keeping your foundations are slim to none because this is two to three times hotter than a house fire, but you can often keep your retaining wall.

The right of entry doesn’t mean you’re giving your property to FEMA. The county supervisor should be setting up a neighborhood by neighborhood block captain program. It’s a game changer.

Q: How important is the role of the community in the recovery process?

A: Community is everything. This is a shared, collective trauma, and through each other we heal.

Sometimes after traumatic events our instinct is to avoid people, places and things, to retract and retreat, but we should do the opposite. We should lean on one another because when you feel alone that’s when it gets scary. Isolation is poison, the medicine is each other.

Consider going to a rebuilt community and see for yourself what it looks like, because that’ll give you hope that you can do it too.

Nightmares are common after traumatic events. Sleep, social support, exercise, music, storytelling and being in nature are guardrails against grief. 

Q: How could a large city like Los Angeles not be prepared with adequate water based on history, especially since the high winds were forecasted?

A: There’s no good answer when you’ve got thousands of homes going down at once.

Water facilities are regulated to have a certain amount of water in storage. There’s just not enough storage to respond to a megafire, especially when you have water tanks, generators, valves that are catching on fire and busted water meters.

Mitigation programs are in place through FEMA, every water agency has pre-hazard mitigation plans. Hydrants are built for a house fire, maybe a little more than that, not 90 mile-per-hour winds and ember casts.

Are utilities ready for megafires? Obviously not. It’s a lesson to be learned moving forward.

Q: We were rejected from FEMA because we were told our insurance disqualifies us from FEMA support. Can this process be appealed?

A: This is one of the early challenges homeowners with insurance will face. So, the order of operations is: 1. File a claim with your insurance company as promptly as you possibly can. 2. Apply to FEMA.

If you’re insured and the adjustment hasn’t occurred yet FEMA will provide you with a response to your initial application saying you’re not eligible for assistance at this time. Likely any assistance, but there could be other assistance you might be availed to. The bottom line is that letter will come.

In March FEMA streamlined its appeals process. It used to be that you’d have to write a letter, now it’s simply uploading information into your account or going to a disaster recovery center and they’ll put it into the system to be looked at. 3. Your appeal is stating you have additional information and you’re asking for reconsideration. It’s not a perfect process but it’s what’s in place and there are no restrictions on how many times you can appeal.

One new addition is FEMA’s ability to provide funding to disaster survivors who are underinsured up to the amount of the federal cap, which just changed to $42,500. Being underinsured is quite common so don’t be totally discouraged.

Q: How do we reach officials to find out about debris cleanup?

A: It depends on who your local jurisdiction uses for debris cleanup. Then you wait until you get that email giving you a date when they’re coming to clean up your lot.

You can be there—and should be there—to monitor every step of the rebuild. If you go private, there are debris cleanup companies, but don’t do it alone and check your debris cleanup policy.

The Disaster Recovery Center is your one-stop shop for resources and connections for fire survivors. There are two open in LA County right now—one at Pico and Westwood and one at Pasadena City College Community Education Center. They’re open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you need to contact agencies like the DMV or social security, they’ll be there.

In Pacific Palisades, you’re represented by Lindsey Horvath in the Third District and her staff will be there. United Policyholders is a national nonprofit that will help you navigate the process of insurance claims and they’ll be there also.

Q: Will officials be going through our homes and the ashes before we have access to our property? Should I put a construction fence around my lot to keep out squatters?

A: The environmental reviews will look for asbestos based on your build date. They have a chart they follow to clear everything through the EPA. As for fences, it’s advisable not to do that as it can hamper operations.

If you’ve got a pool be sure the water is removed properly via a tank, not down the sewer and not drained on other landowners since it’s contaminated. Fences around pools are standard and can be a permit requirement in some areas.

It’s also a good idea to invest in a shed or something to put chairs in and prevent things from getting stolen. Game cameras are a useful tool to keep an eye on your property if you’re not there.

Q: Can you explain what is involved in preparing a home site so we are able to begin the construction process? 

A: As soon as you get clearance for debris removal, construction can begin … the permitting process at least. Through your county supervisor make sure that your city or county sets up a resiliency permitting process. Make sure they expedite your permitting and lower the cost of your permits. That’s the most important step of your rebuild.

As soon as you find a quality builder, you get your permits in and your utilities are all up and running, you’re good to go. If you organize with your neighborhood, you’ll recover faster and may even save some money.

However, don’t try to jump the line by paying your contractor more than you’re legally able to because that’s how you lose your money over and over. A contractor who’ll break the law for you will do it for others, and people have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars with no rebuild.

Q: What is the lead agency for this event?

A: Your first touch point is the local jurisdiction. So in Pacific Palisades, that’s the city of Los Angeles. If you live in an unincorporated area, the county would be your local government.

Q: For homes that are still standing, what are short- and long-term health effects once the house is clean and soil and water have been tested?

A: If you have asthma or breathing problems be mindful that the air in our community is toxic. If or when you’re near the burn zone, you should consider wearing a respirator over even an N95 mask.

Wear rubber boots and other protective clothing, and make sure the property is properly cleaned. Change your air conditioner filters and consider using air quality sensors.

Q: How does scraping and checking for property work for multi-family dwellings like apartments or condos? 

A: It depends. If your insurance policy is walls in, you’re going to have limited coverage since you’re only responsible for finishes and fixtures, and that’ll pair with your association’s policy. If that master policy covers the infrastructure, it’s going to delay the process.

First, read your policy thoroughly, get a copy of your HOA’s master policy to see what the board will do.

Fay and Ben Vahdani Took Swift Action to Save their Home in the Highlands

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The evening of January 8 is one Fay Vahdani and Ben Adel will never forget.

The owners of Luxe Homecare—a Palisades-based 24-hour home health care agency—evacuated the day before, as their office in the 881Alma Real building burned down, but were relieved their house on Calle Arbolada in the Highlands, where they have resided since Fay was pregnant with her daughter Bita in 2002, looked to be out of harm’s way. Or so they thought.     

“On Wednesday, we were able to monitor our home on our Ring cameras,” Fay recalled. “At around 9 p.m. we saw that some of our plants were catching fire … our backyard planters and side trees were all in flames. I immediately called 911 several times and asked them to send a truck to our address. They assured me that their team was aware of the fires and was on the scene, however we could see fire engines passing by our street without stopping. You can imagine it was incredibly distressing to watch our home come oh so close to being engulfed in flames and us unable to do anything but wait for help. So at that point I turned to Ben and said, ‘I don’t care, let’s find a way to get home.’ We got permission from a police officer at one of the checkpoints by showing our driver’s licenses but got stopped and turned around at Sunset and PCH. Then we were able to find a way to drive to our house using the back road near Bel-Air Bay Club. Upon our arrival, while I was collecting our valuable belongings, my husband utilized a water pump to draw water from our front and backyard fountains. Putting our outdoor furniture cushions inside and moving those outdoor heaters, gas tanks and umbrellas Ben was able to contain the burning bushes surrounding our house, including those in the planters and in front of our home. At one point we ran out of water and had to  resort to using a water pitcher from our fridge, kettles and water bottles to keep the fire contained. In his efforts to manage the situation, Ben even attempted to smother the fire using his feet, which unfortunately resulted in burns.”

Though it was a close call, Fay and Ben are happy they were able to save their home, which has provided so many fond memories over the years.

“Had it not been for our quick thinking and resourcefulness, both our house and our nextdoor neighbors’ home could’ve been lost,” she warned. “I do believe it’s crucial for our government to be made aware of this situation, as it demonstrates how essential individual action can be when official resources or intervention are delayed.”

Since 2012, the couple has served the Palisades community with their business that caters to and provides hospice and homecare for aging adults. They lost all five of their offices and four vehicles in the Palisades fire, but their team reached out to patients they knew were living alone to offer evacuation assistance.

“We were able to bring about five patients to our office, where they stayed until their loved ones could pick them up,” Fay said. “Tragically, one of our patients refused to allow us to evacuate her and she was found deceased in her home. Sadly, a third of our patients were from Pacific Palisades and have now been relocated. A few we weren’t able to locate and we’ve reported them to the Red Cross. We’re heartbroken by the impact this fire has had on our business, our patients and the community we serve.”

Not even a disaster as dangerous as a wildfire, though, has kept Fay and Ben from doing their job.

“It’s been a devastating time for Ben and me since last Tuesday,” Fay continued. “We’ve settled into a hotel in Santa Monica, as we need to stay close to all of our patients in the area. In our line of business, we can’t afford any interruptions, and we’ve been working around the clock to ensure our team continues to monitor all of our patients virtually. Thankfully, our amazing team has experience in handling challenges like these from the COVID-19 era, and I’m so grateful for my husband who’s extremely IT-savvy. We’re actively looking for a new office space near the Palisades so we can rebuild our business stronger than before.”

The moral of the story, according to Fay, is that the human spirit will prevail in a moment of crisis.

“I believe people need to know that many of these homes could’ve been saved if homeowners were allowed to take proactive measures, such as watering burning bushes,” Fay said. “I’ll be forever grateful to that policeman who let us pass the roadblock so we could go and save our house. I’ve been talking to many, many  newspaper and TV outlets since the first day when one of our patients perished in the fire.”

Like so many other Palisadians, the couple is coping with this tragedy with self-assuredness and resolve that focuses on the road ahead, not the rubble behind.

“As for our home, since it is in a red zone, we’re uncertain when we’ll be able to move back,” Fay said. “I can’t emphasize strongly enough how crucial it was for us to reach our house at just the right time. We were incredibly fortunate to have three fountains full of water at our home, as there was no running water and the fire hydrant directly across from our house was empty. It was because of this we were able to save our home. We personally know two friends on Lachman Lane who chose to stay and water their homes, and their efforts allowed their houses to survive. My heart goes out to all my friends and community members who’ve lost their homes. I’m keeping everyone in my thoughts during this difficult time.”

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

El Medio Bluffs resident Ed Massey has inspired others through his artwork for three decades. Now, he is doing it through his courage. As the native Los Angeleno said in an episode of PBS’ “For The Arts” segment on July 20, 2022: “LA really is a mosaic of everyone.“

The co-creator of Portraits of Hope lost his home in the Palisades fire, but has not lost hope in the city or his fellow residents affected by the tragedy.

“Our home was located across from the Palisades High athletic field,” Massey shared with the Palisadian-Post. “On the second day of the fire [Olympic beach volleyball player] Miles Partain, a good friend of my kids and whose family also lost their home, rode by the neighborhood on his bicycle to notify others of the lost homes. He sent an emotional video to my son showing that our home and everything in and out was burned to the ground, reduced to ash. A couple days after that, a local resident sent us a couple of videos showing the status of the bluffs at different times of the fire on the first day and night. All the videos were deeply emotional and gut-wrenching.”

Founded in 1995 by Ed and his brother Bernie, Portraits of Hope is a nonprofit program aimed at conceiving and developing “one-of-a-kind motivational art projects that merge the production of dynamic public art works with creative therapy for hospitalized children and civic education for students of all ages.”

In December, POH announced it was partnering with National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks for an artwork exhibition to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026. The collaboration was said to feature a signature art exhibit at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.

“Fortunately, our family and dog escaped the inferno,” Ed said. “Everything at the home was burned. Our house was also the idea lab for Portraits of Hope and so many projects emanated from there. We had all sorts of models and images that were burned.”

The artist intends on eventually returning to the Palisades.

“We’re safe and sound, and currently staying with family,” he added. “We’re not sure how our living arrangements will play out except for the immediate term. I will now need some temporary, small, additional work area to substitute my lost creative center. POH does have a location at the South Bay Galleria where we conduct youth and community civic sessions. Ideally, we will be Palisadians for the long haul, but like so many others who lost so much, we hope the insurance companies, FEMA, and other government agencies and programs rise to the occasion and assist our community to allow for that to happen.”

Massey explained that POH would hold special program sessions for the Palisades and Altadena communities.

“For our DC project in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, we’ll now make a special effort to include youth nationally whose communities suffered recent disasters, now including the Palisades and Altadena, of course,” he said. “As to my own personal work, I have some ideas that already have been swirling in my head.”

Regarding the future of Portraits of Hope, he said: “POH has a long history of serving communities coping with immense loss and tragedy, and now we’ll be doing special program sessions for people in our own backyard, too. The fire couldn’t burn away our ideas, future concepts or hopes—and those will move forward. I look forward to a reinvigorated Palisades and so many future POH projects. We all are dealing with a horrible situation and, hopefully, we can all rise to the challenges ahead. I believe LA will rise to the occasion, and the civic spirit and shared humanity demonstrated over the past 10 days bodes well not only for POH but for everyone in the area.”

In a newsletter, Bernie expressed regret and heartfelt sympathy to all who lost their homes, life mementos and functional communities in these wildfires.

“The images and voices don’t lie,” he wrote. “It’s been hellish and surreal. Ed and his family and dog piled in the car, and fled right away … with years of personal and professional dreams, joys, memories, effects and symbols of achievements left behind and turned to ash.”

The message stated: “The 2,000-square-foot home had an oversized footprint. It was a fun and whimsical house with lots of color inside and out. You couldn’t miss it from the street and many groups came by for walkthroughs. It served as a gathering spot for kids after a high school day.”

The newsletter touched on the fact that most people know POH from “large-scale civic, educational, creative therapy and public art initiatives”­—but it also has a  “long history serving suffering communities after tragic communal episodes and disasters in specialized, hands-on beautification projects … Now the widespread trauma is in our own backyard.

“As soon as the timing is right, POH will hold multiple program sessions for all those so terribly affected by the fires in the Palisades and Altadena … Particular surviving physical sites in those two communities will also receive the POH floral artwork for beautification and revitalization. The flower is a POH motif and these flowers will symbolize hope, joy, life, inspiration, rebirth and community.”

If you would like to help and support Ed and his family directly, email studio@edmassey.com.