Don't miss an amazing evening to benefit the Los Angeles Vocational Academy of the Arts at a beautiful Mandeville Canyon estate with a very special musical performance by ROBBY KRIEGER of the legendary rock group THE DOORS, and master percussionist and oud player Hani Naser. Silent and Live Auction by Signature Events will include art by Robby Krieger and an autographed guitar, autographed drumheads by Hani Nasir and for die-hard DOORS FANS a once-in a-lifetime opportunity to perform on stage with Robby and Hani.
SUGGESTED donation for this spectacular cause is $500 per person and those that donate that amount or more will receive "Thank You" credits on the Topanga documentary. For anyone craving a V.I.P. EXPERIENCE with ROBBY KRIEGER, $2,500 per person will allow a "Meet & Greet" and wine tasting 1-hour prior to event.
Los Angeles Vocational Academy of the Arts: A New Model of Employment Training for Young Adults wtih Autism
The misson of the Los Angeles Vocational Academy of the Arts (LAVAArts) is to help young adults with autism spectrum disorders integrate into thier communities so they can ultimately reach their fullest potential. By creating an all-inclusive environment that provides a well-rounded background in all aspects of film and television production, LAVAArts supports their students so they can learn how their unique strengths and talents can best be used to help them achieve their goals and live the life of their dreams.
The philosophy of LAVAArts is the “Art of Connection”, an innovative social-integration vocational concept. The goal will be to create a cohesive, collaborative community that is supportive, nurturing and positive. By experiencing success and connections within their community, LAVAArts believes that all students will successfully transistion to adulthood and go on to lead happy, successful, and productive lives.
According to current research, individuals with autism spectrum disorders have the highest rate of unemployment of any disability category. Some studies report over 90% of all young adults with autism do not work full-time regardless of the services and supports they've received throughout their lifetime. The focus of LAVAArts will be understanding and accepting the strengths and unique gifts of their students to inspire and motivate each to reach their goals and accomplish their dreams.
First year project of LAVAArts: TOPANGA, A Documentary about Discovering the Art of Connection
Topanga is a first of its kind collaborative film project between LAVAArts, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and GPA Entertainment (www.gpaent.com), an established film production company founded by award-winning producer George Paige which will take us on a journey to “Discover the Art of Connection”.
The Topanga project goes beyond the scope of a ground breaking documentary as it will lay the first cornerstone of LAVAArts. The goal will be to create an ideal environment that best helps all students acquire skills as well as learn how to connect to others that result in meaningful social connections and reciprocal friendships.
During their first year of enrollment, LAVAArts students will be closely involved in the production of the feature-length documentary Topanga headed by award-winning producer George Paige. This experience will expose LAVAArts students to all aspects of filmmaking, and these interactions will be filmed and incorporated into the documentary. By the end of the first year, GPA Entertainment and LAVAArts will be ready to release the full feature documentary Topanga: Discovering the Art of Connection to both national and international audiences.
TOPANGA TREATMENT written by George Paige
Topanga, a music-fueled, theatrical documentary, will tell the inside story of the mystical mountain retreat and ocean paradise called Topanga Canyon, California.
The story of Topanga will be driven by the MUSIC! The movie will boast a dynamic soundtrack of unforgettable songs and super-star artists of the times – a creative melding of folk, rock and savvy American pop. The music will be set, side-by-side to rare and never-before-seen film footage and photos obtained from private collections including the Topanga Historical Society. The film will also feature unforgettable scenes from classic Hollywood movies, lost musical performances and untold stories told through exclusive interviews with the celebrities, star actors, super-star musicians and the locals who lived it then, and call it home now.
Topanga is produced by George Paige, veteran producer of numerous award-winning documentary films The Doors: Dance on Fire (HBO/Universal Studios), Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (CBS/Showtime), and the mini-series Motown (Showtime) chronicling the history of Berry Gordy and the Stars of Motown including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Tempations and the Four Tops.
Musical Director of Topanga will be Robby Krieger, legendary member of The Doors and creator of their classic hits Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, Touch Me, Love Her Madly, and Crystal Ship.
The Topanga Story:
In the 1960’s and 70’s an explosion of counter- culture creativity rocked all corners of the globe. One of the more unusual epicenters of this global movement is a secretive mountain paradise hidden in Hollywood’s backyard - Topanga Canyon.
Through new film footage shot in spectacular HD combined with rare and never-before seen film clips of a bygone Topanga, and supported by the baby boom’s music that forever changed pop culture - audiences will experience, first hand, this hidden Nirvana the way it was and as it is today. Even the Native American Indians recognized this beautiful canyon as Nirvana when they named it “Topanga” – meaning “Heaven.”
The Doors, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and Marvin Gaye were all powerhouse musicians born of this era. Their common thread was not only the fiercely independent spirit reflected in their music but also their common residency in “Topanga.” To this day actors, musicians and artists from Robert Pattinson, Kristin Stewart, Britney Spears, “Men at Work’s” Colin Hay to The Foo Fighters still take refuge in Topanga.
This beautiful canyon oasis beckoned the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas , Lowell George and Little Feet, Canned Heat, Jackson Browne and so many others who found their muse in Topanga. The locals also included celebrities like Robin Williams, Dennis Hopper, Will Geer, Cheech & Chong, Bertolt Brecht and even Shirley Temple and Humphrey Bogart.
Neil Young wrote the classic “After The Gold Rush” while living in Topanga. Jimi Hendrix wrote “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Child”. Billy Joel sang of Topanga in his song “Getting Closer” in his 1986 album The Bridge. One of the first musicians to move to Topanga, Woody Guthrie, wrote America’s second anthem the landmark “This Land Is Your Land” while living in Topanga Canyon.
It’s rumored that Jim Morrison wrote "Roadhouse Blues" inspired by the twisting climb up Topanga Canyon Blvd on his way to the legendary, hole-in-the wall rock club The Topanga Corral. It was at The Corral that on any given night you could hear The Eagles, Canned Heat, Bob Dylan, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, Spanky and Our Gang, The Mamas & the Papas, Jackson Browne, “Shock Rocker” Alice Cooper, The Rolling Stones and even The Beatles perform to a fortunate roomful of locals (admission $4). People still talk to this day about the all-night jam between Jimi Hendrix and Taj Mahal.
However, with the good times there was bad with the forests of Topanga holding dark tales. Scandalous secrets of the notorious Elysium Fields and the Moonfire Temple high atop Tuna Canyon are still whispered through the canyon to this day. Topanga has its skeletons - hushed accounts of strange happenings that took place along the remote Topanga Creek will be revealed.
The film’s story extends to the iconic beach shacks that once lined the sandy coastline where Topanga Canyon tapers into Topanga Beach. Those shacks are long gone now. The state forcibly evicted the ragtag, motley residents known as “The Cosmic Children” when they fell from grace. The state then bulldozed the shabby shacks leaving not a trace of its bohemian roots. The filmmakers have discovered rare footage of “The Cosmic Children” and the glory days of Topanga Beach.
Topanga Beach has been featured in countless surf films and Hollywood movies including a syrupy, white-washed depiction of the Topanga coastline in MGM’s 1964 movie “Muscle Beach Party” starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funnicello. From Cosmic Children to cosmic irony, Charles Manson first met Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys and Neil Young at Topanga. Shortly afterwards Manson’s “family” began their campaign of murder and killed their first victim on Old Topanga Road - which inspired Topanga resident, Ozzy Osbourne to write the eerie “Bloodbath in Paradise.” Luckily, Topanga has a way of expelling unwanted elements and Manson soon moved on… into infamy.
Topanga is a place of TRUE autonomy and peaceful anarchy – the last bastion of the Wild West. Officially, it’s not a city or a town. It has no mayor or governing council, no police department and there isn’t a single chain store, or gas station to be found anywhere. There isn’t even a sign announcing that you’ve arrived in Topanga. It’s a place that for decades has been a magical, mystery oasis...a vortex for free-spirited creative individuals who proudly and defiantly call “Topanga” their home.
Topanga, the film, will be a revealing, insider’s look at over 50 years of the music and culture of Topanga Canyon. It will give new perspective to the pop culture history of Southern California through the prism of a concealed and mystical Canyon pass set in Hollywood’s backyard. But the real story of Topanga are the residents –the celebs and everyman locals - those few and fortunate who call this special place home and who have one common refrain - Don’t change Topanga, let Topanga change YOU.
The music, the never-before seen footage and exclusive interviews that will be the hallmark of Topanga will coincide with a never-before seen production model.