Laura Latzko

The internationally renowned musical family The Duttons have been on a roller coaster.

Master hypnotist Asad Mecci and Colin Mochrie from “Whose Line It is Anyway?” come from different ends of the entertainment spectrum, but their styles meld for “HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis.” : They bring an interactive, comedic experience that makes audiences laugh and question whether what they saw was an illusion. : The show will visit Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 11, as part of its “Yes, It’s Real” North American tour. : “Yes, It’s Real” starts with Mecci asking for 20 volunteers. Those who are most receptive to hypnosis then go on to improvise with Mochrie for the remainder of the show. : Mecci said that many people have misconceptions about hypnosis. : “It’s a very normal, natural state,” Mecci said. : “I think that people associate hypnosis with magic or illusion. It’s not that. The best way to describe hypnosis would be getting so caught up in what you’re watching that you’re moved to a physiological response. So, the best way to describe a hypnotic trance state would be when you watch a horror movie, and you jump in your chair in a scary moment, or you watch a tearjerker, and you get so caught up in what you're watching that you start to cry. That describes perfectly what occurs up on stage because for that moment in time, the people who come up onstage fully immerse themselves in the experience, and then they experience all of the suggestions that I give to them.” : Mochrie said they try to keep the instructions simple during the improv games. : “There are things like, “You're going to fall in love with Colin” or ‘You're a super hero with a strange power,’” Mochrie said. : Another game is set up like a film noir radio play. : “As he's trying to solve a murder mystery from the 1940s, the person who is hypnotized is changing and morphing into all the different characters that he comes into contact with,” Mecci said. : They also have another improv game where Colin sings duets with volunteers. : During the show, Mecci takes on more of a director role. : “I'm throwing in obstacles at times to mess with Colin onstage, to make things more difficult for him as he improvises with them,” Mecci said. : “He’s a master improviser. It's amazing to watch him. Even the volunteers will paint him into a corner. He always manages to get out of it and make it absolutely hilarious.” : Mecci said he doesn’t have a problem recruiting volunteers who want to participate. : “They rush the stage. We’ve got to beat them back with the broomstick,” Mecci said. : “I personally don't understand it. I would be the last one to ever volunteer for something like that,” Mochrie added. : Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, including a naval officer who worked on a submarine and a duck farmer. : Mecci said the volunteers bring their history and experiences, and they often surprise Mochrie with their responses. : “These people are not theater trained,” Mecci said. : “These are not actors. They have no improv background. They're not students of drama. It’s at times jarring in a very funny way for the audience because Colin didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming. The audience didn't see it coming. And then even the hypnotized volunteer didn't pre-plan it. It just came out. So, it makes for some very funny scenes.” : Mochrie said they are often surprised by the volunteers who have the strongest stage presence. : “Sometimes, they are shy,” Mochrie said. : “You'll see them onstage doing the most outlandish things, and then afterward, they’re quite unassuming and just thankful that they had this experience.” : Mecci said the experience really impacts some individuals. : “One woman who volunteered said that she had crippling social anxiety. She came up and volunteered, but then she was the star of the show,” Mecci said. : “We always find somebody who’s a standout…They keep up with Colin, and they improvise with him. She said afterward, ‘That is the most relaxed I’ve felt. I felt really confident up there… I'm going to go and check out improv classes because I think this is something that I could get into.” : “People come to the show with a healthy bit of skepticism, both with the improv and with the hypnosis. They see what happens when people get out of their own way, just stop thinking about the ways that things can go wrong and do it. They end up unlocking their comedic potential, their storytelling potential,” Mochrie added. : The two started working together after Mecci reached out to Mochrie through his website. The first show was in 2016 at the Second City Toronto. : “Colin was kind enough to give it a shot onstage at the Second City,” Mecci said. : “We ended up performing, and it was really well received. From there, we ended up developing the show, and the rest is history.” : They took the show to Just for Laughs London, Just for Laughs Montreal and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before heading out on a 100-city tour from 2019 to 2023. : “It’s been really exciting to see how the show has grown, how it's evolved, how other improvisers come in, and they bring their own style to the show, Mecci said. : “It’s been incredible to be on this wild ride. I never thought when we started this that the show would take on a life of its own like this.” : HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis : WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 : WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson : PRICE: Tickets start at $46.50 : INFO: 520-740-1000, : rialtotheatre

Often, film festivals aren’t just merely for entertainment. They are meant to educate and share experiences. : In its 34th year, the Tucson J International Film Festival explores Jewish culture and history through film and related activities. : From Wednesday, Jan.8, to Sunday, Jan. 19, films will be screened throughout Tucson. This includes the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Unscrewed Theater, the DesertView Performing Arts Center and the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust History Center. The festival is put on by the community center, which is also known as the Tucson J. : Some films will be shown online from Friday, Jan 17, to Friday, Jan. 31. Others, like “Bad Shabbos,” “We Will Dance Again,” and “Bella!” are only available to view in person. : At many of the screenings, there will be complimentary popcorn and beverages. Students from the Tucson Hebrew Academy will sell additional concessions to raise money for their eighth-grade trip. : The festival spotlights shorts and feature-length films of different genres, as well as documentaries. : Film festival director Jennifer Selco said over the years, the selection of films has expanded. : “We have the opportunity to tell the diverse story of Jewish peoplehood,” said Selco, who also serves as senior director of Jewish living and engagement for the Tucson J. : “Jewish peoplehood is this idea that Jews are connected to one another through across time and space. So, even though we may speak differently, and we may look different, there are definitely some shared customs. This is a celebration of Jewish values and Jewish storytelling and an opportunity for the Jewish community to celebrate and to learn. It’s also an opportunity to build literacy across the broader community as well.” : Along with film screenings, the festival will also have facilitated activities related to the films, including talkbacks. : Actor Mark Feuerstein, known for his work in “Royal Pains,” “What Women Want,” “Prison Break” and “The Baby-Sitters Club,” will speak after the screening of the film “Guns & Moses.” : In the film, he stars as a rabbi who takes up arms to protect his community from corruption and violence. It will be screened at the community center at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. : Selco said the festival has a multifaceted approach in highlighting Jewish culture and subject matter, which includes film screenings, talkbacks and activities. : A film festival committee, made up of 10 volunteers from various backgrounds, decide on the films being shown at the festival. : “They meet year-round to screen films and create wrap-around programming. That is what ultimately comes together as a festival experience,” Selco said. : Tucson J International Film Festival will showcase a mixture of more established and emerging filmmakers from around the world. This year, there will be films from the United States, Israel, Italy, Australia, France and India. : The film “Bad Shabbos” centers around a farce that takes place during a shabbat dinner in New York. This film will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the community center. : The documentary “Resistance: They Fought Back” looks at Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. This film will be screened at the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15. Before the screening, attendees can tour the museum and center. : Offerings such as “We Will Dance Again,” “Arugam Bay” and “Listen” delve into how war and terrorism have affected Israeli youth. : The documentary “We Will Dance Again” focuses on the Oct. 7, 2023, attack when 364 people were killed and 40 taken hostage during the Nova Music Festival. The film shares stories of victims and heroic individuals, as well as footage of the Hamas attack. The film will be screened at the community center at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. In the Tucson J’s sculpture garden, an exhibit will honor those survivors and victims of the attack. : Visitors can also paint poppies, which will be added to the display. : “It’s an opportunity to see this film, to learn more deeply about the events of Oct. 7, to be able to remember the victims and then create art that will be lasting and add beauty to our facility,” Selco said. : The film “Call Me Dancer” follows a street dancer from Mumbai, who discovers a love for classical dance. The film will be screened at the community center at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. At 3:30 p.m. ZUZI! Dance will perform and a local Indian restaurant will provide complimentary appetizers. : The film “Bella!” tells the story of activist, congresswoman and lawyer Bella Abzug, who was known for her hats. Audience members are encouraged to wear stylish hats for a hat contest. There will also be a display of hats and embellishments from Marion Art Handmade. The film will be screened at the community center at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17. : “Yaniv,” the story of a teacher in the Bronx who tries to raise money for school play through an underground card game run by Hasidic Jews, will be shown at the community center at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. After the screening, audience members can learn to play Yaniv, which is similar to blackjack. : A block of short films will be shown at 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, at the DesertView Performing Arts Center. : One of the shorts was created by Brooke Sebold, a nonbinary filmmaker who graduated from the Tucson Hebrew Academy and now lives in the Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. Their short film “Grandma Bruce” was inspired by their relationship with their grandma and their shared car, a 2001 Lexus Sedan that Sebold lovingly named “Bruce.” : The film tells the story of “a queerdo whose old car comes to life with the spirit of their judgmental grandmother, a backseat driver from the ever after.” : Sebold had a very personal connection with the car and didn’t want to give it up until they made the film. : “I loved that old car so much,” Sebold said. : “My grandmother had gifted it to me, and it was really, really hard to say goodbye to it. I feel like saying goodbye to that old car was also saying goodbye to some of the cultural ideas my grandmother had around my life and whatnot. It felt bigger than just saying goodbye to a car. It felt like I was choosing an identity and future for myself that in some ways differs from the life that she had anticipated or expected of me, but also she was wildly supportive of my choices.” : Tucson J International Film Festival : WHEN: Various times Wednesday, Jan. 8 to Sunday, Jan. 19 : WHERE: Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road, Tucson. Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson. Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center, 564 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson. DesertView Performing Arts Center, 39900 S. Clubhouse Drive, Tucson : COST: $120 for festival pass, $60 for six-pack, $12 for individual tickets online per household and for individual filmgoer in-person : INFO: tucsonfilm2025.eventive.org

(Jonathan Thorpe/Submitted) Sal Vulcano is a comedian best known for his work on the TV show “Impractical Jokers.”

The history of Historic Downtown Glendale dates back over 130 years. Settled in 1892, Glendale was originally a farming and ranch community. It also started as a temperance colony.

The Duttons have evolved into a multi-generational family of musicians who perform around the world. They will be appearing Jan. 22 Lovin’ Life Expo at the Mesa Convention Center, the start of a two-month stint here. (Special to the Tribune)

An injured dog receiving treatment after being taken in by the Pasadena Humane.

The internationally renowned musical family The Duttons have been on a roller coaster.

The Tucson gem, mineral and fossil showcase encompasses a rainbow of shows and experiences.

G aslight Theatre's melodramas offer interactive, humorous, and poignant theatrical experiences for audiences.