Santa Maria 00/00/0000 - Articles Page 9

PCPA - Pacific Conservatory Theatre was awarded a $10,000 Arts Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Experimental and beautifully composed, Songs of the Soul Beams is a theatrical musical cycle by Felix Jarrar (composer, musical director, pianist) and Brittany Goodwin (librettist, stage director, Persephone) that fuses elements of opera, musical theater and dance in order to explore coping with death. The show made its debut on Sunday, June 4th in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Fisher-Hillman Studio. I was excited to have the chance to catch up with the promising, young directors of the show and learn more about their process.

Coming to the Marian Theatre July 19 - 22 and Solvang Festival Theater July 27 - August 20 is PCPA's production of Disney's Newsies The Musical - the Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon. The show is based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899 that shook the ivory towers of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. It leaps onto the stage with soul stirring music, amazing heart, and stunning choreography.

Stable Cable Lab Co. (Artistic Director, Lisa Jill Anderson; Producing Director, Margaret Santa Maria) has announced its 2017-18 season featuring the 4th annual LiveWire: An Evening of Short New Plays, the inaugural Static: An Intergenerational Playwrights Experiment, and the world premiere of Hal & Bee by Max Baker.

Over the past few years, the Dustbowl Revival has been making a name for itself with a vibrant mix of vintage Americana sounds. Critics have proclaimed that this eclectic eight-piece "would have sounded utterly at home within the hallowed confines of Preservation Hall in New Orleans' French Quarter" (Los Angeles Times) and their "upbeat, old-school, All-American sonic safaris exemplify everything shows should be: hot, spontaneous, engaging and, best of all, a pleasure to hear" (L.A. Weekly). 

The Theatre Group at SBCC opens the 17/18 season with Cole Porter's sparkling musical, HIGH SOCIETY, July 12-29 in the Garvin Theatre. 

Spain's premier boychoir, Escolania de Montserrat, founded in the Catalonia region in the 13th century and considered one of Europe's oldest continuously operating boychoirs and music schools, makes its highly anticipated Southern California debut in a free concert presented by the Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) on Saturday, July 8, 2017, 7 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.  The 800-year-old chorus, led by Llorenc Castello and the subject of a 2014 New York Times video, is affiliated with the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, located in Monistrol de Montserrat, and is "unique even among boychoirs…(for its) richer and darker…red wine…type of sound" (Washington Post).  The choir's repertoire spans the ages, from Gregorian chant and the music of Victoria and Schubert to works by contemporary Spanish-Catalan composers such as Albert Guinovart, Francesc Civil and Bernat Vivancos, the later two Escolania de Montserrat graduates.  LACC's Concert Choir, led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, performs a selection of classical works and folk songs on the program as well.  Escolania de Montserrat's LA appearance, featuring 29 boys, is the final stop on its second  U.S. tour, which also includes performances in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. 

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA's second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2017. 

PCPA plans a 54th season of world-rocking plays and musicals from November 2017 through September 2018.

Burt & Me OPENS THIS WEEK in the Gompertz Theatre to kick off the Summer Mainstage series!

PCPA's 53rd season continues this summer with dazzling and inspired productions in both Santa Maria and Solvang from June 15 through October 1.

PCPA's 53rd season continues this summer with dazzling and inspired productions in both Santa Maria and Solvang from June 15 through October 1.

Utah Opera and Salt Lake magazine partner for the 3rd annual Libretti & Libations, where art influences life - for at least a drink (or two). Talented mixologists from choice Salt Lake City and Park City restaurants curate artisanal cocktails inspired by the season's opera productions. Until May 21, 2017, eight participating restaurants will offer expertly-crafted libations inspired by Utah Opera's production of "Don Giovanni" as a way of infusing food and beverage with the experience of opera. Visit www.utahopera.org/libations for more information.

The House of Life, a poetic and expansive installation by Hadassa Goldvicht, explores themes of historical memory; the threshold between life, death, myth, and art; and the rapidly changing nature of Venice, via a multi-channel video work that will be installed at the Querini Stampalia in conjunction with the Venice Biennale. Presented by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, in collaboration with Meislin Projects, the exhibition follows Aldo Izzo, the 86-year-old guardian and keeper of the Jewish cemeteries in Venice.

The House of Life, a poetic and expansive installation by Hadassa Goldvicht, explores themes of historical memory; the threshold between life, death, myth, and art; and the rapidly changing nature of Venice, via a multi-channel video work that will be installed at the Querini Stampalia in conjunction with the Venice Biennale.

Stable Cable Lab Co. (Producer, Margaret Santa Maria) will present the World Premiere of Max Baker's The Conspiracists at IRT Theater (154 Christopher Street, Buzzer 3B) April 22-May 7 with performances on Sat 4/22, 4/29 & 5/6 at 7:30pm, Mon 4/24, Wed 4/26, Thu 4/27, Fri 4/28, Mon 5/1, Wed 5/3, Thu 5/4 & Fri 5/5 at 7pm and Sun 4/23, Sat 4/29, Sun 4/30, Sat 5/6 & Sun 5/7 at 3pm. Tickets ($18 in advance; $20 at the door) may be purchased atwww.stablecablelabco.org.  The performance will run approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission. 

The FUTURE IS FEMALE FESTIVAL kicks off with a Flagship Event in New York City at the University Settlement's Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge St. (corner of Rivington), today, March 3rd at 7:30pm.

Stable Cable Lab Co. has announced its 2017 season, which will launch tonight with its annual reading series of new plays in process. This free reading series will feature three plays in development including HOME CHURCH PLAY by Jacob Perkins tonight, February 17th, DOLLFACE by Emily Daly on February 20th, and LITTLEGHOST by Liza Birkenmeier on February 27th.

Pacific Conservatory Theatre presents Kaufman and Hart's delightful comedy You Can't Take It With You playing in the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria February 16 - March 5, 2017.

The FUTURE IS FEMALE FESTIVAL kicks off with a Flagship Event in New York City at the University Settlement's Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge St. (corner of Rivington), on Friday, March 3rd at 7:30pm.

Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) will present a series of free masterclasses led by a succession of top industry professionals and featuring the company's resident Mosher Studio Artists and other outstanding young singers through May, as well as free concerts throughout Santa Barbara libraries through mid-May.

Beginning 10 May 2017, Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia will present the work of the pre-eminent American painter Philip Guston (1913 - 1980) in a major exhibition exploring the artist's oeuvre in relation to critical literary interpretation. In a spirit reflective of how Guston himself cultivated the sources of his inspiration, 'Philip Guston and The Poets' considers the ideas and writings of major 20th century poets as catalysts for his enigmatic pictures and visions. Featuring works that span a fifty-year period in Guston's artistic career, the exhibition includes 50 major paintings and 25 prominent drawings dating from 1930 until his death in 1980. The exhibition draws parallels between the essential humanist themes reflected in these works, and the language and prose of five poets: D. H. Lawrence (British, 1885 - 1930), W. B. Yeats (Irish, 1865 - 1939), Wallace Stevens (American, 1879 - 1955), Eugenio Montale (Italian, 1896 - 1981) and T. S. Eliot (American-born, British, 1888 - 1965).

Pacific Conservatory Theatre presents Kaufman and Hart's delightful comedy You Can't Take It With You playing in the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria February 16 - March 5, 2017.

Adults take their turn at one of Southern California's most family-friendly destinations as the Los Angeles Zoo presents SEX AND THE CITY ZOO, a wild Valentine's Day celebration dedicated to romance in the animal kingdom on Saturday, February 11, 2017, 5 to 7 pm, in the Zoo's Witherbee Auditorium.  The lighthearted affair for ages 21 and older begins with a reception from 5 to 6 pm featuring tempting refreshments, wines and "animal walk-abouts,' which include chats with keepers and the chance to observe small animals up close.  At the heart of the evening is a provocative 'Fool for Love' presentation and Q & A from 6 to 7 pm about animal dating, mating and cohabitating by Sandy Masuo. 

Stable Cable Lab Co. has announced its 2017 season, which will launch in February with its annual reading series of new plays in process.  This free reading series will feature three plays in development including HOME CHURCH PLAY by Jacob Perkins on February 17th,DOLLFACE by Emily Daly on February 20th, and LITTLEGHOST by Liza Birkenmeier on February 27th.  Readings will take place at 7:30pm at South Oxford Space (138 S Oxford St, Brooklyn, NY) on February 17th and 20th, and at Simple Studios (134 W. 29th St, 2nd Floor, NYC) on February 27th.  To make a reservation, e-mail StableCableLabCo@gmail.com.