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
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 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
October 2nd, 2009 01:44pm
by Arts
Since summer, we’ve been treated to poetry at the workplace and live dance at gas stations, but now it’s coming to a close.
Arts Sonoma, a two-month-long, Sonoma County-wide series of exhibits and performances, many of them in unconventional venues, ends Sunday, Oct. 4.
Arts Sonoma coordinator John Moran offers a few closing highlights:
* The Santa Rosa Youth Symphony ensembles perform at 5 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 3) in front of Santa Rosa …
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TAGS arts, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County | CATEGORY Art, Dance, Music, Poetry, Theater
October 1st, 2009 01:00pm
by Arts
It’s hard to keep a good woman down, even if she has been dead since 1963.
“Always, Patsy Cline,” brings the country singer back to life, beautifully played by longtime Sonoma County actress and singer Mary Gannon Graham.
This production has sold out three runs since last November, two at the Cinnabar in Petaluma and one at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa.
And it’s not over yet. “Always, Patsy Cline” has …
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TAGS 6th Street Playhouse, Cinnabar Theater, country music, Patsy Cline, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts | CATEGORY Music, Theater, Uncategorized
October 1st, 2009 08:00am
by Arts
As the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park moves into its fall season, fans will notice that the programming has changed dramatically.
The bad news is there will be no big, mainstage theatrical productions. The resident Pacific Alliance Stage Co. has gone on hiatus for a year, due to city budget cuts. The professional Actors Equity troupe was founded in 1990, and has been led since 2004 by Hector Correa.
The …
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TAGS a cappella music, Celtic music, David Sedaris, Pacific Alliance Stage Company, Rohnert Park, Sonoma County Repertory Theater, Spreckels Performing Arts Center | CATEGORY Dance, Film, Music, Theater
September 10th, 2009 01:31pm
by Arts
Leave it to Sonoma County’s “Mr. Music” to give other people presents on his birthday.
He’s giving you seven hours of live bands on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Mr. Music’s 60th Birthday Bash and Free Music Festival.
For those who don’t already know, the Sebastopol musician is founder of The Love Choir, a community chorus that performs throughout the county, and the Mr. Music Foundation, which supports and provides school music programs.
For …
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TAGS Music, Sebastopol, Sonoma County | CATEGORY Art, Music
September 4th, 2009 11:23am
by Arts
The time has come to rename this blog.
The word “Arts” doesn’t cover it all. It doesn’t describe a blog that includes political humor by Will Durst, one-liners by Eric Idle, a long list of accordion jokes and a short shot at the latest “Star Trek” film.
It is true that I do try cover visual arts and theater in Northern California and shall continue to try, even though both scenes have …
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TAGS Art, Eric Idle, Film, humor, Music, Poetry, Star Trek, Theater, Will Durst | CATEGORY Art, Film, Music, Poetry, Theater