Although today’s America strives for gender equality in
all areas of professionalism, it cannot be denied that it’s
still largely a man’s world. But women are making advances
and earning respect in playwriting, at least.

With blond curly hair and an
alternative-band-meets-the-’80s kind of attire, Matt Meredith
looks the exact opposite of the Web site designer stereotype. But
three years ago, this self-proclaimed “computer nerd,”
together with best friend Blake Machado, started a Web designing
company called Corporate Green, which has earned him a certain
level of notoriety and enough skill to warrant a commanding five
figures per project.

With a new school year comes milestones for each returning or
first-time student. For seniors it marks one last year of sleeping
in and partying before the “real world” of full-time
jobs.

Christopher Titus is not your average humorist. While some
comedians joke about politics, religion or a crummy waiter they
encountered the night before, Titus chooses to poke fun at custody
battles, mentally insane family members and child molesters, all
from his own family.

Currently on exhibit in UCLA’s Fowler Museum through May
30 is “Power of Thought,” an art collection of drawings
and works on cloth by the late Jessie Oonark, whose vivid
depictions of Arctic inhabitants and animals drew their inspiration
from the Inuit culture in northern Canada.

Modern architecture doesn’t have to resemble the
minimalist décor of the W Hotel in Westwood, as Jason Payne
and Heather Roberge well know. Instead of decorating a room with
nothing but a coffee table, these two artists take an
unconventional approach, mixing various shapes and colors straight
out of Dr.

When remembering the classic musical “West Side
Story,” the image that pops into most people’s heads is
probably the dance-fighting sequence between the Jets and the
Sharks, who finger-snapped their way into theater lore.

In “Drawings of Removal,” the artist is actually
part of the exhibit. That is if Edgar Arceneaux refrains from
removing himself from the art space where he occasionally drops by
on a whim to add more sketches to the unfinished canvas.

If getting a bachelor’s degree of fine arts and a
master’s of arts doesn’t satisfy one’s appetite
for artistic credentials, there is the option Kim Vetter, a
39-year-old teacher, student and lifelong dancer, took: continuing
for a master’s of fine arts.

With Halloween over and Thanksgiving quickly approaching,
it’s time for typical holiday plays like “The
Nutcracker” to run their course. Playwright Sandra Tsing Loh,
however, prefers to tell the tale of trying out for “The
Nutcracker.”
“Sugar Plum Fairy” is an unconventional Christmas
play about a clumsy, overweight girl who dreams of winning the lead
role of Clara in her dance school’s production of “The
Nutcracker.” Written and performed by Loh, this one-woman
show, directed by David Schweizer, is currently running at the
Geffen Playhouse.