welcome to snowball

Welcome to the Vista Theatre --one of LA’s oldest theatres, and a cultural gem in Silver Lake.  Lots of LA locals flock to the Vista on Friday and Saturday nights, arriving early to secure seats as they do not ::gasp:: have reserved seating, just as they did in  1923 when it first opened its doors.  There should be three of here, so once you recognize each other, do a big group hug and introduce yourselves!

YOUR SNOWBALL CHALLENGE

Your challenge here at The Vista is to recreate some of the most iconic and/or hilarious movie scenes from romantic comedies.  Choose from the list below or choose your own favorite that wasn’t included. Each person should perform in two scenes while the third person in your group films it--and don’t be bound by gender, feel free to play any character regardless of who is playing them!  There will be three completed scenes in total.

Once you are finished, share with your fellow Snowballers how performing felt.  Was it uncomfortable?  Was it exhilarating?  How did performing mirror your own feelings of trepidation or excitement for a dream in your life you may have?  Share with them what your passion or dream and how you came to find it.

Scene 1:  Justin Timberlake & Emma Stone

“He is the Sheryl Crow of our generation!” - Friends with Benefits (2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fduMinwJZ8

Scene 2: Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal

“I’ll have what she’s having...” - When Harry Met Sally (1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNEX0fbGePg

Scene 3: Renee Zellweger & Tom Cruise

“You had me at hello.” - Jerry Maguire (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyrP-pwDayE

Scene 4: Jim Carrey & Lauren Holly

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” - Dumb & Dumber (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqdNe8u-Jsg

Scene 5: Julia Roberts & Hugh Grant

“I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy…” - Notting Hill (1999)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RESwG23_YGw

Scene 6: Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

“PEEEENIS!” - 500 Days of Summer (2009)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrhDH2J2Of8

HOW THE VISTA THEATRE INSPIRED OUR CHALLENGE

For so many of us who come to Los Angeles, we have found ourselves here in the courageous pursuit of our dreams.  Maybe you saved up everything you had to move out West or maybe you work hours at a job that simply “pays the bills” while you strive towards something more satisfying.  LA has proven that it can be a town where dreams can turn into a reality...and that the sacrifice of having left all that was safe and familiar could be worth it to pursue a passion inside of us that simply couldn’t be ignored.  

In Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art”, he writes that we must be brave and listen to the longing in our hearts that tell us to do more, reach higher, and to be resolute in our decisions to live out our greatest purpose in spite of our hesitation and struggle.  He says, “Fear doesn't go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”

Today we honor those dreams that so many of us choose every day--and the most resonant dream in LA of all--to someday make movies!   For some of us, we dream of writing the next great screenplay, others of directing a movie that might someday screen at a theatre like the Vista itself--and sometimes some of us even dream of STARRING in one...