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View Winners → Doo Dah Parade Dubs Playwright/Director, Musician, ‘Million Dollar Baby’ as Grand Marshal
Arts Oct 28, 2015
Photo Courtesy of Savannah Lauren.
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Pasadena Doo Dah Parade has selected Renaissance woman Juli Crockett to lead this year’s 38th Occasional Parade. Consider the fact she’s a singer, songwriter, playwright, theater director, undefeated professional boxer and amateur champion, and leader of an alt-country/Americana genre-defying band and you’ll get the picture. Don’t forget to add Doctor of Philosophy in Media and Communications to her resume. Doo Dah organizers say, “Juli is a fierce and brilliant artist who embodies the spirit of our event!”
Before turning pro, Juli was a Blue and Gold National boxing champion. Writer Jerry Boyd (aka F.X. Toole) became convinced she was the real-life incarnation of Maggie Fitzgerald, the character he turned into a Million Dollar Baby, which in turn swept four Academy Awards under the film direction of Clint Eastwood.
As a playwright/director, Crockett is best known for her adaptations of classic works of literature and philosophy. Her work has been presented on multiple stages across the country, including the REDCAT in Los Angeles. She has also directed her own production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, one of the most prestigious art festivals in the world.
Her music career centers on writing songs and performing with The Evangenitals, who have produced four albums and frequently tour the U.S. This month, Juli performed in Pasadena with folk music legend Jim Kweskin, who has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and the Doors, among other iconic figures. True to her eclectic spirit, Juli will be directing and performing in Some Cars at the MorYork space in the NELA arts district this coming Thursday through Sunday.
Juli Crockett joins our recently crowned Queen Veronika MeowMeowz at the 38th Pasadena Doo Dah Parade on Sunday, Nov. 22nd, stepping off at 11 a.m. in East Pasadena. Known as the twisted sister of the conventional Rose Parade, the Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade began as a grassroots event in 1978 to gain national attention for its eccentric and, often, irreverent satire. The parade which has spawned numerous off-beat replicants across the country and was named by Readers Digest as “America’s Best Parade,” and was recently featured in the book 50 Places You Must Visit Before You Die. To recount the fascinating and confusing history of Pasadena Doo Dah Parade since 1978, please visit our website’s ARCHIVES page.
