'Fall of Lady M' transfixes backstage
Photo by John Nichols
Chris Adams, Theresa Secor and Leslie Ann Vitanza are The Witches.
By Rita Moran, Theater critic
If you think you’ve heard the last of the devious Lady Macbeth, county playwright Michael Perlmutter lures audiences into a “what then” tale with his fanciful peek at the gradually shattering path of her final days.
Featured Artist Katie Van Horne
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“Hawk” by Katie Van Horne
“I grew up on a ranch in Goleta,” says Katie Van Horne. She began drawing at age 3, using the animals that gathered at the lake on the ranch as her subjects. “I’d go down and sit there until the cows and ducks came over. I learned to listen to them. By the time I was 15, I’d become aware I could draw likenesses of people. That summer, I started doing portrait commissions, sitting with the subject, drawing and painting directly from life.”
'Bless Your Heart' world premiere
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This September, the Ojai Art Center Theater will present a world-premiere production of “Bless Your Heart,” a new play by Artistic Director Richard Camp. This festive event will include a gala reception opening night, Sept. 6. Tickets go on sale Aug. 15.
“Bless Your Heart” was a work of love for Camp.
Time to audition for SP's 'Ghostwalk'
Santa Paula Theater Center will hold auditions Aug. 13 and 14 or the 25th annual October Theater in the Streets project, GHOSTWALK, running from Oct. 11 to 27, Friday and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 6 to 8 p.m.
The auditions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 S. Seventh Street in Santa Paula. Directors are Elixeo Flores, Leticia Mattson, Mitch Stone and Colette Swan.
'Annie, Kids' hits stage Aug. 9-11
Photo by Tom Moore
Youth actors are shown performing the “End of Hard Luck Life” song.
“Annie, Kids” will be performed Friday, Aug. 9, for two showings at 5 and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11., there will also be two performances each day at 2 and 5 p.m.
Playwrights Conference wows
The 2019 Ojai Playwrights Conference continues this weekend at the Zalk Theater at Besant Hill School, 8585 Ojai Road in Upper Ojai.
There is a sold-out performance tonight, Aug. 9, with high school writers at 6.
Don McLean will be performing live at Libbey Bowl
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Don McLean
Don McLean will perform live at Libbey Bowl on Aug. 16.
A New York native, McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history.
Ojai artists' work at SPAM art auction on Aug. 10
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“Untitled,” by Horace Bristol, 1932, gelatin silver photograph, 12-by-9 inches, will be available in the live auction.
Santa Paula Art Museum’s 9th annual Fine and Decorative Art Auction, featuring several Ojai artists, is Saturday, Aug. 10.
The silent auction begins at 3 p.m., followed by the live auction at 4. Admission to the event is $15 for museum members and $20 for non-members. All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum.
Rubicon youth perform 'Into the Woods'
Submitted photo
Pictured are Daniel Metten as Rapunzel’s Prince, Alyssa Hurd as the baker’s wife; Louis Santia as the baker; Ren Tallent as the narrator; Olivia Zonni as Cinderella; Luke Pfeiffer as Cinderella’s prince; Sophia Rocha as Jack’s mom; Ashlynn Vaglica as the witch; and Troy Braun as Jack.
Rubicon Theatre Company closes the 2019 Jackie Oakie Summer Youth Program with the Tony Award-winning musical “Into the Woods.” Twenty-seven young performers tell the story of how to get your “happily ever after” — and what happens once you have it. “Into the Woods” is one of Sondheim’s most highly regarded shows with a remarkable score.
Ken Emerson to perform Aug. 17
Photo courtesy of Beatrice Wood Center
Ken Emerson
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts will present a performance by Ken Emerson on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. Emerson is one of the world's most highly regarded traditional Hawaiian slack key and steel guitarists living today.
Featured artist: Rex Kochel
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Watercolor study of fish by Rex Kochel
“I get inspired in different ways and I’m not on a straight path, it seems like,” says watercolorist Rex Kochel. “I’m all over the place.” His eclectic subjects — including stacked teacups, an old tractor, goldfish, cathedrals, a portrait of an African woman — will be on view at his downtown Ojai studio on Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of Ojai Studio Artists Second Saturday Tour.