ON Culture | Saving More Mesa Through Music, Plus Janis Joplin, S.B. Art Shows and More

---

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on April 3, 2026. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

---

ON the Stage

I had a sneak preview of Ensemble Theatre’s new show A Night with Janis Joplin and was so impressed by the vocal chops of Mary Bridget Davies (who was nominated for a Tony for the same role of Janis Joplin on Broadway). Audiences are in for a treat with this musical, which includes not only Joplin’s songs, but the voices like Odetta, Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, and others who shaped Joplin’s artistry. A Night with Janis Joplin runs through April 26 at The New Vic. See etcsb.org for tickets and info.

A good band and a good cause come together on April 9 when the Doublewide Kings hit the Lobero stage for a special benefit concert with all proceeds going to support the More Mesa Preservation Coalition’s campaign to protect and permanently preserve More Mesa as public open space. More Mesa stands at a critical crossroads. While 36 acres were recently protected through a conservation easement, the remaining 265 acres of privately owned land — including the entire coastal bluff-top — remains vulnerable to development and is currently on the market for $65 million. The More Mesa Preservation Coalition is now gearing up for an ambitious campaign to acquire and permanently protect More Mesa as public open space for current and future generations. The show takes place on Thursday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lobero. See lobero.org for tickets.

Just Like Heaven music festival returns to Brookside at the Rose Bowl on August 22 with The Strokes as the headliners. I saw them at BottleRock a few years ago and found lead singer Julian Casablancas so charismatic. This should be a really fun show. Additional featured acts include LCD Soundsystem, TV Girl, Chromeo, The Rapture, Feist, Twin Peaks, Matt and Kim, Dayglow, EKKSTACY, and many more. See justlikeheavenfest.com for more information.

The Chamber On The Mountain music series in Ojai has an interesting program coming on Sunday April 12 featuring Dyad, an innovative violin and bassoon duo charting a path through unexplored musical territory. After meeting at Juilliard, bassoonist Leah Kohn and violinist Niv Ashkenazi were inspired to create a new kind of chamber music. Together, they have crafted engaging programs that reimagine classic works, premiere new pieces, and engage the imaginations of their audience. Since their first performance in 2015, they have performed on concert series and at major venues throughout the United States. The show takes place at 3 p.m. in Logan House (located at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Upper Ojai).

See ChamberOnTheMountain.com for tickets and more info.

---

ON the Walls

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has an intriguing new exhibition opening on April 9, featuring the work of artists David Ellis and Larry Vigon. Titled Aquean, it will be a multimedia experience featuring photographs, paintings, prints, video, and mixed media, that invites viewers to consider the sea as both subject and metaphor — reflecting on the delicate balance between permanence and loss along California’s coastlines.

“We are thrilled to bring together the vivid visions of David Ellis and Larry Vigon in Aquean,” said SBMM Curator/Director of Collections & Exhibits Emily Falke. “Their work captures the power and fragility of the ever-changing California coastline. In Aquean, the sea is more than a physical presence — it becomes a lens for time and change, reminding us that what endures and what vanishes are forever intertwined by the rhythms of the ocean.” See sbmm.org.

Inspired by birds, movement, and the freedom of following an instinct, artist Bonny Butler has a solo show on view at Gallery 113 through May 2 called Winging It. According to the gallery, located in La Arcada at 1114 State St., “Through winged and grounded subjects alike, the work celebrates lightness, joy, and the art of trusting where the moment leads. Not every piece in the exhibition has wings, but each shares the same spirit of openness and discovery. Whether grounded or airborne, the work celebrates motion, instinct, and the beauty of simply winging it.”

Artist Michael Vilkin’s solo show PENTIMENTO: Layered Meanings Brought to Life at Art & Soul gallery uses the concept of “pentimento” (the reappearance of earlier layers in a painting as time reveals what was once hidden) as a metaphor for interpreting the human experience through his figurative paintings, as well as abstracted portraits and geometric works. On view through May 3, Vilkin has several cool programs associated with the exhibit, including an evening of music and wine in the gallery with the talented guitarist and composer Chris Fossek on Saturday, April 4, from 5-7 p.m.; and the book launch of Pentimento: A California Palazzo, a gorgeous coffee table style book collaboration of the remarkable home of Vilkin and his partner Steven Wright, with acclaimed architectural photographer Amy Barnard, on Saturday, April 11, from 5-7 p.m.

Also on the PENTIMENTO programming schedule is an artist conversation with Vilkin and special guests Peter Schlueer and Joel Chauran, on Friday, April 17, from 5-7 p.m; and a very special evening of food, drinks, and laughs with comedian Wendy Liebman on Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m.

Art & Soul is located at 1323 State St., see artandsoulsb.com/pages/events for details.

2nd Fridays Art presents S.B. Visual Artists through May 26, featuring artists Jan Baker, Pamela Benham, Merith Cosden, Karen Frishman, Skip Lau, Hepzibah Michaels, Dee Faia Parkins, Judith Villa, Rich Wilkie, and Felice Willat. The gallery at Santa Barbara Tennis Club (2375 Foothill Rd.) is open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with an Artists’ Reception on Friday, April 10, from 4:30-6 p.m.

ON the Page

Come test your literary knowledge, enjoy great company, and celebrate the joy of books with Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Trivia Night: All About Books, a free event at the Santa Barbara Wine Collective (131 Anacapa St., Suite C). This all-ages evening of book-themed trivia takes place on Monday, April 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Everyone is welcome and pizza will be available to order from Lucky Penny. The event is free with an option donation if you wish to support Friends of the Santa Barbara Library, partnering with Black Dog Trivia to host this event. RSVP: contact@friends-sblibrary.org.

---

ON the (Big) Screen

I’m always curious to see what happens to the films that premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. So I was happy to see that this year’s opening night feature A Mosquito in the Ear, which also won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at SBIFF, had the North American rights picked up by Persimmon, which plans to do a limited theatrical run, as well as continue to screen at festivals.

The film, starring Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, All Her Fault), Nazanin Boniadi (The Lord Of The Rings: Rings of Power), and Ruhi Pal is based on the true story told in the graphic novel of the same name by Andrea Ferraris. It follows a couple as they travel to Goa, India, to retrieve their newly adopted 4-year-old daughter, Sarvari.

Another SBIFF world premiere, The Other Roe, will screen on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the Pollock Theater, UCSB, followed by a discussion with Director Wendy Eley Jackson. The Other Roe (2026) uncovers the story of Doe v. Bolton, a historic Supreme Court case that was decided on the same day as Roe v. Wade, yet has largely been erased from public memory. While Roe became a national symbol, Doe quietly provided the broader legal framework that shaped reproductive rights for generations. The film centers on Margie Pitts Hames, a trailblazing civil rights attorney whose courage and brilliance were essential to the modern fight for bodily autonomy. Through archival footage, intimate interviews, and contemporary reflections, The Other Roe traces Hames’s journey as she takes on a segregated hospital system, challenges the state of Georgia, and stands before the United States Supreme Court to argue a case that would redefine the meaning of “medical necessity” and expand access to abortion nationwide. As the nation revisits battles over reproductive freedom, The Other Roe brings forward a missing element of this landmark moment. The film is free, but reservations are recommended. View trailer here.

---

ON the (Small) Screen

Looking for their own taste of Heated Rivalry buzz, perhaps? Montecito’s royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a polo drama in the works at Netflix. According to Deadline Hollywood, which scooped the story, it comes from the royals’ Archewell Productions and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire. Written by Francisca X. Hu (Teacup), the as-yet untitled project is an upstairs-downstairs drama set in the high-flying equestrian town of Wellington, FL, which revolves around the messy dynamics between two rival teams and the families that lead them. Sounds very Dynasty, but why Florida when we have such a gorgeous setting right here in town?

---

ON the Calendar

The Carpinteria Festival of Books will take place Sunday, April 12, in the Carpinteria Arts Center Courtyard, with more than 25 area authors across all genres and age groups on hand to share and sell their works.

The event also features live author readings and the opportunity to read with Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara. The free festival runs from noon to 4 p.m. rain-or-shine and is presented by the Carpinteria Writers’ Group and Lynda Fairly Arts Center, with support from the Carpinteria Community Library and Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara.

For more information visit carpinteriaartscenter.org/festivalofbooks.

For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.