ON Culture: No Need to Curb Your Enthusiasm for August’s Offerings

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ON the Stage

While the sounds of Santa Barbara summer are primarily Mariachi bands (at least this week), the sounds of fall are shaping up to be laughter. 

Quick on the heels of the recently announced Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project and the new Netflix Will Ferrell show The Hawk are among her credits) at the Lobero on October 24 (tickets here), is this week’s announcement of a conversation with Larry David and his daughter Cazzie David as “special guest moderator” on September 24. While I know you all know Larry from his stand-up years, his time on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and everything in between. Cazzie is an accomplished author in her own right, with two books and several screenwriting credits, as well as a handful of roles as an actress. This father-daughter team is sure to be entertaining. Tickets go on sale August 7 at 10 a.m. here. 

Starting to feel nostalgic as the Music Academy of the West winds up its stellar summer festival program? Don’t despair. Series tickets just went on sale for the 2026-27 Mariposa Concert Series. These intimate musical experiences — all held in Hahn Hall on the beautiful Miraflores campus in Montecito — begin on October 8 with acclaimed violist, Music Academy alum, and teaching artist Richard O’Neill joined by pianist-composeralum August Baik for “Tradition Transformed: Rachmaninoff, Britten & Baik,” a deeply personal program exploring heritage, memory, and the music that lives beneath the surface. Then on November 10, Music Academy cello alum Nicholas Canellakis returns with  pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown for “Humor & Harmony,” an evening of dazzling chamber music, original short films, and sharp humor.

The 2027 events begin on January 14, with “Chasing the Sun: Maple Quartet & the Albers Sisters,” featuring the Music Academy’s 2026 Emerging Artists String Quartet joined by sisters and Music Academy alums Julie Albers (cello) and Rebecca Albers (viola). The series concludes on February 12 with flutist alum and creative storyteller Annie Wu and alum pianist Markus Kaitila in “Not Too Sweet,” an intimate performance blending music, memory, personal storytelling, and curated chocolate pairings by Santa Barbara chocolatier Chocolate Maya, just in time for Valentine’s Day. For information on these delicious offerings, see musicacademy.org/mariposa. Subscriptions went on sale August 5, with individual tickets available on September 9.

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ON the Street

Ever had the urge to burst into song on State Street? Now’s your chance. Applications are now open for performers in the annual Masq(p)arade!, returning to downtown Santa Barbara on Friday, October 2. Presented in conjunction with Pianos on State, Santa Barbara’s performing arts showcase invites musicians, dancers, actors, circus artists, spoken word performers, and other entertainers to transform the Pianos on State painted pianos into stages for a lively evening of 15-minute performances. Selected performers will receive an honorarium for their performance. All genres of performers and performance groups are encouraged to apply. Acts must incorporate piano as part of the performance and feature whimsical masks.

The free event offers locals and visitors an unforgettable blend of live performance, public art, and community celebration in the heart of downtown. Applications are due August 28. See masqparade.org for details. 

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ON the Page

Jann Winford was one of the most entertaining panelists I heard at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference this year, and now she’s back at Chaucer’s Books on Wednesday, August 12, at 6 p.m. for a book talk and signing of her novel Dating Under the Influence of Estrogen. She’s laugh-out-loud funny as she talks about her fictional character’s hilarious quest to find Mr. Right. 

If you’ve ever wondered how the UCSB Reads books are chosen, now’s your chance to chime in and vote for what you think we should read as a community. There’s a short online form and six titles on the shortlist to choose from, including: 

• 40 Maps That Will Change How You See the World (2024) by Alastair Bonnett
• Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It (2025) by Cory Doctorow
• Is a River Alive? (2025) by Robert Macfarlane
• Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma (2023) by Claire Dederer
• Raising Hare: A Memoir (2024) by Chloe Dalton
• Wild Dark Shore (2025) by Charlotte McConaghy

Click here to let your voice be heard. Voting ends on August 26. 

A charming, three-generation road trip memoir through the Central Coast, author Irena Smith’s new book Troika: Three Generations, Three Days, and a Very American Road Triptakes us through a handful of local landmarks, including Sensorio in Paso Robles, the Hitching Post, Solvang, and Bob’s Well Bread Bakery, where Smith is holding a special book event on August 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ballard bakery (2449 Baseline Ave.), though the book visit is in Los Alamos. The signing includes a Q&A with Smith, Bob’s owner Bob Oswaks, and Sandee Brawarsky, a journalist friend of Oswaks’s who recognized the bakery in the book and introduced Bob and Irena. “A series of serendipitous connections led to this special gathering,” said Oswaks of the event. There will be complimentary sips and bites as well. 

P.S: Though I did also read bits and pieces of the paperback, I quite enjoyed the audiobook reading with the narration done by Irena herself. 

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ON the (Big) Screen

Watch Europe’s rare sunset solar eclipse on the big screen at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Wednesday, August 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At 11:29 a.m. Pacific time on that day, the moon will completely cover the sun for viewers in parts of Northern Europe, just minutes from their local sunset time. The confluence of a solar eclipse with sunset is expected to be particularly stunning. Courtesy of the Exploratorium, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will project a live video feed from a telescope in Villalibado, Spain, right in the path of totality. 

The livestream watch party in Fleischmann Auditorium will be included with museum admission (free for members). The museum’s Astronomy Programs staff will provide interpretation and special activities for all ages. The above-mentioned totality at 11:29 a.m. will last just 1 minute and 44 seconds, but guests are welcome to drop in on the eclipse livestream watch party anytime from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Click here for more information. 

ON the (Small) Screen 

If you’re looking to unwind over some comfort food TV (no violence, no politics, cute outfits, catty humor, and real feelings), I had a great time binge-watching Peacock’s The Five Star Weekend. Based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand, the eight-episode series stars Jennifer Garner, as a food influencer and a recent widow who gathers her closest friends for a weekend of R&R at a beautiful beach house. What could possibly go wrong? If you need further enticement, co-stars are D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Harlow Jane, and Timothy Olyphant (who seems to be showing up a lot on my TV lately, including as Anya Taylor-Joy’s jailed father in the action series Lucky on Apple TV). 

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ON the Walls

Ethiopian-born painter Wosene Worke Kosrof has a new solo exhibition on view at Sullivan Goss gallery this month, titled Words in Time. Wosene’s works have been added to nine museum collections, bringing the current total up to 30 public collections. This show includes 13 of his recent paintings and one important painting from the first series of the artist’s career called “Midnight Improv.” On view at the gallery through September 21, this is a show you won’t want to miss. Another beautiful exhibition, Nicole Strasburg’s The Whole is Greater is also on view through August 24. See sullivangoss.com for more details. 

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ON the Podium

Congratulations to Marie Hébert, Santa Barbara Symphony director of education, and Ella McGowan, violist, Santa Barbara Symphony’s youth ensembles and founder of the nonprofit string quintet Mindful Strings. Both will receive awards this weekend from the Association of California Symphony Orchestras at their annual conference. Read more in my story here. 

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ON the Calendar

Get your def jam poetry on when Colombian American poet Carlos Andrés Gómez (from HBO’s Def Poetry Jam) celebrates his new poetry, Patrilineation on August 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Public Library. The free event will be followed by a reception and book signing with Gómez. Click here for a look at Gómez in action. 

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