November 18th, 2009 01:58pm
by Arts
When Jay Ward launched the “Rocky & Bullwinkle” cartoon TV show in 1959, he didn’t have a huge budget for fancy animation.
So he compensated for that with a daring new innovation — great writing. (How’s that for a concept?)
Thursday, Nov. 19, marks the 50th anniversary of the squirrel and the moose, one of the oddest (and funniest) couples in show biz.
The original cartoons survive on disc, and the franchise has …
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TAGS animation, cartoons, Jay Ward, Rocky & Bullwinkle | CATEGORY Animated cartoons
November 17th, 2009 05:45pm
by Arts
“Santaland Diaries,” writer David Sedaris’ wry memoir about his stint as one of Santa’s elves at Macy’s in New York, has proved so popular that there are two Sonoma County productions of the one-man stage show this season.
“Santaland Diaries” first aired in 1992 on National Public Radio, and was later adapted as a solo play by Joe Mantello.
A downtown Santa Rosa production, directed by Argo Thompson and starring David Yen …
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TAGS David Sedaris, Guerneville, Rohnert Park, Russian River, Spreckels Performing Arts Center | CATEGORY Comedy, Theater
November 9th, 2009 09:00am
by Arts
Look for some stunning visual effects when Mendocino College presents “Silk,” a live dance performance, several times later this month.
The production will feature circus-style acts by Pendulum Dance Theatre of Portland, Oregon and contemporary dances by the Mendocino College Repertory Dance Company.
The show will open with “Shadows of the Silk Road,” a medley showcasing four contemporary dances choreographed by Mendocino College dance professor Leslie Saxon West and her students.
The pieces …
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TAGS Mendocino College, Ukiah | CATEGORY Dance
November 3rd, 2009 12:56pm
by Arts
For the past decade, playwright and director Janey Hirsh and the American Dream Theatre have combined a love of musical comedy with a fierce interest in history to produce a string of quirky original shows with settings ranging from the Great Depression to the Black Plague.
American Dream Theatre’s next production is “Native Spirits,” billed as “an original musical serio-comedy,” opening Nov. 20 in Graton.
Hirsh offers this synopsis:
“When an Idaho motel …
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TAGS Chief Joseph, Graton, Native American | CATEGORY Music, Theater
November 2nd, 2009 09:00am
by Arts
Reed Martin, above, and Austin Tichenor of the Reduced Shakespeare Co. are coming to the aid of the Santa Rosa Junior College theater department as it copes with statewide education budget cuts.
Martin, who grew up in Sonoma and still lives there, and Tichenor, his longtime writing and acting partner from Los Angeles, will perform their new show, “Completely Hollywood (abridged),” Feb. 10 at the college, before going on to open …
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TAGS Hollywood, Reduced Shakespeare Company, Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma | CATEGORY Theater
October 30th, 2009 01:12pm
by Arts
Now here’s a band that appeals to trivia buffs on several levels. The name alone is enough.
When John Flansburgh and John Linnell started their alternative rock duo in 1982, they took on an ambitious name — They Might Be Giants.
Indeed the band has grown, and currently includes Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf.
But the group got big in other ways, winning two Grammy Awards and scoring a long string …
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TAGS Fillmore, San Francisco, They Might Be Giants | CATEGORY Music
October 29th, 2009 03:47pm
by Arts
Santa Rosa writer and filmmaker John Harden (at right above) and his writing partner, Skot Christopherson of South San Francisco (left), won an award the Austin Film Festival’s annual screenwriter’s competition in Austin, Texas, last Saturday (Oct. 24).
Harden and Christopherson, both 47, won in the science fiction category for their script, titled “The Sensitivity Program,” which Harden describes as “a futuristic, genderbending take on the women in prison genre.”
The two …
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TAGS arts, Film, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County | CATEGORY Film
October 23rd, 2009 12:57pm
by Arts
Want to see good art by local artists? Have you thought about a trip to Graton?
The Graton Gallery is housed in a quaint storefront on the tiny town’s central block, defined by a stop sign at either end, just off Highway 116, just north of Sebastopol.
Run by a small core of partners, all artists, the gallery likes to feature the county’s best, while having some fun with its …
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TAGS Ann Martin Garland, Graton Gallery, Monty Monty, Mylette Welch | CATEGORY Art, Galleries
October 22nd, 2009 11:56am
by Arts
For a beleaguered high school literature student, there are few reading assignments quite as welcome as John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.”
It’s easy to read, tells a powerful story and (compared to many of the great novels) it’s blessedly short.
But even for those motivated partly by short attention span, this tale of two men on the road in search of work makes a lasting impression.
And if you’re not in a …
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TAGS Barter Theatre, John Steinbeck, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts | CATEGORY Literature, Theater
October 20th, 2009 12:59pm
by Arts
The Sonoma County music scene extends well beyond bar bands covering familiar hits, but you might never pick up on what’s out there without a few helpful hints.
Current technology makes it possible for almost anyone to make a CD now, and the recent crop includes some new stuff from some of the area’s best.
So here’s a quick list of relatively new releases you might want to check out:
* “The Granadina …
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TAGS CDs, rock and roll, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County | CATEGORY Music
