La Jolla Playhouse’s Annual Innovation Night to take place next month
A high-profile networking and fundraising event is set to take place at La Jolla Playhouse’s Taper Plaza next month and pay homage to its president and CEO.
The Playhouse’s annual Innovation Night assembles leaders in a variety of fields from biotech and life sciences to defense and telecommunications for networking, refreshments and, in 2026, a preview of upcoming Playhouse show “Particle Fever.”
Innovation Night proceeds support the Playhouse’s New Play Development and Learning and Engagement Programs.
The upcoming event will honor Sanford Burnham Prebys president and CEO Dr. David Brenner, who has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and is a past president for the Association of American Physicians.
Learn more at lajollaplayhouse.org/innovation-night
La Jollan’s new documentary to screen at Belmont Village Senior Living
La Jolla local and fitness buff Jim Owen, 85, is one of the key voices behind a new health-focused PBS documentary that will screen locally at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25 at Belmont Village Senior Living La Jolla.
Owen is the subject, executive producer and co-writer behind “Virtuous Circle: A Roadmap for Living Better Longer,” a documentary exploring the ways in which people can establish healthier habits later in life.
The documentary was formally released on June 18 this year.
The upcoming screening is in partnership with the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging. The event also includes a book signing of “Just Move: A New Approach to Fitness After 50,” which Owen released in 2017.
Access to the “Virtuous Cycle” screening is free and open to the public.
Kiwanis Club of La Jolla hands out grants
At their last two meetings, the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla handed out a handful of awards to three local efforts and institutions.
Jack Kruger and Amy Adams of La Jolla High School’s tennis program, receive check from Kiwanis Club of La Jolla member Glen Rasmussen at the group’s Sept. 11 meeting. (Suzanne Weiner)
On Aug. 28, the Kiwanis group handed a $10,000 check to the La Jolla Community Center for general operations.
At its next meeting on Sept. 11, the Kiwanis Club presented a $3,500 award to the volunteers who maintain the La Jolla Bike Path and $9,000 to La Jolla High School to replace screens at its tennis courts.
Last fiscal year, the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla granted over $400,000 to nonprofits and schools with funds raised in the 2025 Kiwanis Club of La Jolla Half Marathon, as well as the La Jolla Cove Swim. Learn more at kiwanisclublajolla.org
Scripps Research assistant professor receives $2.76M award
Tiantian Liu, an assistant professor at the La Jolla-based Scripps Research, was announced as the recipient of a five-year, up to $2.76 million award last month.
Liu received the NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is a part of the larger National Institutes of Health.
According to a press release from Scripps Research, the award (also known as the New Innovators Award) aims “to advance basic understanding of immune processes that could aid the design of next-generation immunotherapies.”
Liu said, “I’m very honored to receive this award from the NIAID, which will support my lab’s work to understand the fundamental biology of T cell activation mediated by antigen-presenting cells. This is a major branch of the immune response that plays an important role in protecting us from infectious diseases.”
Cast and creative team announced for La Jolla Playhouse’s next production
A “hilarious, irreverent” new musical is coming to La Jolla Playhouse next month.
“Grim” follows the grim reaper (Paolo Montalban) as he prepares for retirement after a long career of collecting 300,000 souls. His daughter, Diana (Akshara Gunda), needs to pass a simple test, but her relationship with a human, Josh (Mateo Lizcano), complicates things.
“GRIM is anything but. It’s an explosion of hilarity, cheekiness and pathos,” said La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Jessica Stone in a press release. “With a dynamo creative team and company of performers, it explores legacy, ambition and mortality through Diana, the Grim Reaper’s daughter – who is trying to decide whether or not to join the family business.”
“Grim” is written by Joel Orton and Brad Silnutzer; choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler; and directed by Sammi Cannold. The music and lyrics are by Petro AP, Scott Hoying, Orton and Silnutzer.
Hoying is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and arranger who founded the a cappella group Pentatonix. Petro AP writes songs, performs and produces for artists such as Reneé Rapp and One Direction for their hit song, “Best Song Ever.” And Blankenbuehler is a three time Tony winner for his choreography in “Bandstand,” “In the Heights,” and “Hamilton.”
Learn more at lajollaplayhouse.org/show/grim
La Jolla beach cleanups yield large haul of cigarettes, recyclables
The Sierra Club Seal Society served as the lead of two La Jolla beach cleanups on Sept. 19.
Cleanup crews went to the Children’s Pool as well as La Jolla Cove and Scripps Park in two different groups Sept. 19 as part of I Love a Clean San Diego’s Coastal Beach Cleanup. (Sierra Club Seal Society)
Sierra Club Seal Society member Nathan Brenner and group chair Robyn Davidoff led crews through the tide pools at Children’s Pool as well as La Jolla Cove up to the Cave Store and Scripps Park. Their efforts are part of a larger Coastal Beach Cleanup that same day led by I Love a Clean San Diego.
At Children’s Pool, volunteers unearthed 46.9 pounds of trash and 8.2 pounds of recyclable materials. In the La Jolla Cove and Scripps Park area, they found 27.5 pounds of trash and 4.1 pounds of recyclable materials.
Volunteer crews also found ample amounts of cigarette butts. At the former site, they picked up 330. At the latter site, 409. Davidoff told La Jolla Light that some of their strangest finds included a Halloween skeleton face mask, a toy dall and parts of lobster traps. Two Visa credit cards were found and reported to the users’ bank issuer.
“Warriors 11” honored at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
Eleven Naval Aviators dubbed the “Warriors 11,” which flew combat missions from the USS Midway aircraft carrier and were held as prisoners of war in the Vietnam War, were honored with a commemorative plaque at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial last weekend.
The event coincided with National POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 18, recognizing both prisoners of war and people who are missing in action.
The “Warriors 11” group is made up of Capt. John B. McKamey, who spent 2,813 days in captivity; Capt. Fred A.W. Franke, Jr., 2,730 days; Capt. Robert B. Doremus, 2,730 days; Capt. Jack C. Ensch, 216 days; Capt. Theodore W. Triebel, 215 days; Cmdr. Phillip N. Butler, 2,855 days; Cmdr. Aubrey Nichols, 314 days; Cmdr. Gordon Paige, 251 days; Lt. Cmdr. Richard M. Brunhaver, 2,729 days; Lt. Michael J. Penn, 236 days; and Lt. David A. Everett, 215 days.