‘Christmas Carol’ auditions Oct

‘Christmas Carol’ auditions Oct. 5

Open call auditions for adult performers to appear in “A Christmas Carol” at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theater will take place Oct. 5 at the rear of the theater.

Non-Equity auditions will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Actors’ Equity performers will be auditioned from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Those auditioning should be prepared to recite one memorized monologue and sing a brief song a cappella. According to the production manager, “acting adjustments may be given.” Equity actors are requested to bring their AEA cards.

 

Auditions will be limited to the first 75 performers who arrive at the stage. Entry will be through the rear stage door just off the Granada Garage, and direction signs will be posted. The theater management is requesting “no telephone calls, please.”

The Charles Dickens classic is the first self-produced work to be given at the newly-renovated theater. Granada’s executive director, Peter Frisch, is directing. Rehearsals will begin on Dec. 2 and the performances will run Dec. 20 through 28. 

 

Banned books reading

at Solvang Library

“CENSORED! A Banned Book Reading” will be observed Oct. 2 at the Solvang Library, 1745 Mission Dr., at 7 p.m.

In celebration of National Banned Books Week, the readings will feature material from books that have been censored, contested or forbidden in various cultures and times, including the present. Local book lovers will read from such works as “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn.”

The readings will be followed by an informal discussion and refreshments. National Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association Solvang Library is a branch of the Santa Barbara County Public Library.

 

Gwen Cates works at Gallery 113

The Santa Cruz Island paintings of Gwen Cates will be on view Oct. 2 at a reception at Gallery 113, part of Santa Barbara’s First Thursday event.

The reception will take place from 5 to 8 p.m., with Cates’ paintings on the Small Image Wall of the gallery and on the mezzanine. Cates was one of a group of Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment who travelled to Santa Cruz in June in order to portray the island. Her paintings will hang at Gallery 113 through Oct. 31.

The gallery is located at Number 8, La Arcada Court, and more information is available by telephoning (805) 965-6611.

 

Wildling will show Whistler film

The Free Friday Flicks program sponsored by Wildling Art Museum will feature a 50-minute film about the artist James McNeill Whistler, on Oct. 3.

The film has been substituted for one about John James Audubon, which was unavailable, according to a Wildling press release. The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in Stacy Hall of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Free popcorn, cookies, water and soft drinks are provided, and wine is available for purchase.

More information and directions to the museum are available by calling (805) 688-1082 or visiting the website, www.wildlingmuseum.org.

 

Recycled art workshop planned

Art from Scrap will present a “State of the Recycled Art” workshop on Oct. 4, with guest artist Bill McVicar.

Adults and children can take part, and the fee is $6 per person. Children under age five must have adult supervision. Art from Scrap is located at 302 East Cota, Santa Barbara, and the telephone number is (805) 884-0459.

 

The workshop on Oct. 11 is “Shake, Rattle, Recycle: Make Music Instruments,” with guest artist Jason Summers.

Works by o. shea are on display in the Art from Scrap gallery through Oct. 25. The show includes works inspired by a cross-country pilgrimage made by shea from the East Coast to the West Coast earlier this year. The artist works in paint, assemblage and sculpture, using found objects and roadside junk.

 

“Sun” paintings at Gallery Los Olivos

An artists’ reception will be hosted by Gallery Los Olivos on Oct. 4, featuring the paintings of Mirella Zunica Olson and Slavka Kovarick in an exhibition titled “Under the California Sun.”

The artists will discuss their work with guests at the reception, 1 - 5 p.m. at the gallery, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos.  The show will run through Oct. 31. Gallery Los Olivos is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its website is www.GalleryLosOlivos.com.

 

‘Talking Head’ Byrne

at Arlington

David Byrne, avant-gardist and the force behind Talking Heads, will discuss “Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno” on Oct. 4 at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre.

He will discuss the new CD “Everything That Happens Will Happen,” explaining the reason why he and Eno have collaborated for the first time in 20 years. His lecture will begin at 8 p.m.

Launching his speaking tour, Byrne said, “Brian had written a lot of music, but needed some words, which I know how to do. What’s it sound like?

 

Electronic gospel. That’s all I’m saying.” Presumably, he will be more forthcoming at the Arlington.

Byrne’s appearance is sponsored by http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu. Ticket information is available by calling (805) 893-3535 or (805) 963-4408.

 

Oh, those ‘Nashville Nights’

“Nashville Nights,” a country music event in support of Solvang Friendship House, will happen on Oct. 4 at Solvang Theaterfest, with gates opening at 4:30 p.m.

Nashville singers-songwriters Marv Green, Leslie Satcher, Tim Nichols, Steven Dale Jones and Rivers Rutherford will come on stage starting at 6:30 p.m.

They’ve promised a “memorable night of music and stories about songs they’ve written.” Artists who depend on their songwriting include George Strait, Lonestar, Gretchen Wilson, Martina McBride, Alabama, Reba McEntire, Brooks and Dunn and Carrie Underwood.

 

There will be a pre-show barbecue in the courtyard, with Ricky Gibson providing the music. The opening act will be Nashville Star Anthony Smith with a guest appearance by local performer Art Green.

Solvang Friendship House is a senior residential and Alzheimer’s care facility.  Tickets can be reserved online at http://www.nashvillenights.org.

 

Permaculture and Liberia on Oct. 4

The Santa Barbara Permaculture Network will host a talk on Oct. 4 with Warren Brush of Quail Springs Leaning Oasis and Permaculture Farm, about his work in Liberia.

At the invitation of the Santa Barbara-based Everyday Gandhis, Brush went to the West African country to teach workshops in permaculture.  He worked with former child-soldiers from the 15-year civil war in Liberia, helping them to restore the land and undo the harm that had been to them as children.

 

The discussion will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Santa Barbara Central Library’s Faulkner Gallery. A donation of $10 is requested.

The Permaculture Network can be reached by calling (805) 962-2571 or by going online to www.sbpermaculture.org.

 

Soweto Gospel at Campbell Hall

The Soweto Gospel Choir will appear at UCSB’s Campbell Hall on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., bringing it’s a capella harmony in six languages.

The 26-voice choir combines Western pop, traditional hymns and South African influences to produce its distinctive sound. Tickets are available by calling (805) 963-3535 or accessing www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.   

 

Presbyterian ‘Rockfest’ on Oct. 5

Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church will present a “Rockfest” with Seventh Day Slumber at 7 p.m. on Oct. 5, in a concert celebrating the group’s hit single, “Caroline.”

The opening acts will include Chasen, Story Side B and local performer Justin Jacobs.

The church is located at 1825 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang.

 

Happy B.D. ‘Wonder Morton’

The Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “Wonder Morton” pipe organ on Oct. 5 with a concert featuring soloist Scott Foppiano.

The performance will begin at 2 p.m., with Foppiano accompanying the Laurel & Hardy classic, “Habeas Corpus.” The mighty organ was a gift from a Texas philanthropist who had obtained it from its original site, Loew’s Jersey Theatre.  It weighs 20 tons and consists of 7,000 pieces.

 

As part of the celebration, there will be a classic car display of silent film-era automobiles in front of the theater, courtesy of the Santa Barbara Classic Car Club.

Tickets, at $11 each, will be sold at the box office beginning one hour before the performance.  Patrons 16 and younger will be admitted free.

One night, eight films, Telluride

A program of eight short films from the Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour will be shown Oct. 8 at UCSB’s Campbell Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The program is sponsored by UCSB Arts and Lectures and Horny Toad, and includes short films, animation and digital media. Mountainfilm was launched 30 years ago by a group of climbers and their friends in Telluride, Colorado, hoping to focus on “issues that matter and cultures worth exploring,” among other topics.

 

Tickets are $10 for the general public and $8 for UCSB students, who must present a valid ID when purchasing tickets.

More information is available online at http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu or by telephoning (805) 893-3535.

 

‘Harvest’ at Santa Ynez Inn

A harvest celebration of fine wines from Kenneth Volk Vineyards will take place t the Santa Ynez Inn on Oct. 11, beginning at 6 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres, followed by a five-course gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Heather Henry.  Reservations can be made by calling (805) 688-5588 or emailing specialevents@santaynezinn.com. 

 

Mick Reinman shows at Artamo

Ojai artist Mick Reinman has a showing of recent paintings at Artamo Gallery in Santa Barbara, through Nov. 2.

His paintings “explore the complex internal drama of the human spirit,” according to a gallery statement. “Seduction, passion, aggression and resolution can all be seen in his work.”

 

Artamo Gallery, located at 113 Anapamu St., is open Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m., and on Santa Barbara First Thursdays until 8 p.m. More information is available by email to info@artamogallery.com or by telephoning (805) 568-1400.