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ON the Stage
RENT — certainly one of my favorite musicals of all time — has added some additional holiday performances to the previously announced Ensemble Theatre production, including a special sing-along performance on Christmas Eve (Thu., Dec. 24) at 6 p.m. For the 30th anniversary production of Jonathan Larson’s iconic Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning musical, performances have been extended to run through Sunday, December 27. Previews begin December 2 (with a community pay-what-you-can night) for what promises to be a wonderful show.
As ETC Executive Artistic Director Scott DeVine put it, “Jonathan Larson’s RENT reminds us why we go to the theater — to be seen, to be moved, and to be reminded that five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes of any life matter. The response from our Santa Barbara community has been extraordinary, and we simply could not let this production close without giving even more audiences the chance to experience it. The ‘Christmas Eve Sing-Along’ is going to be a magical, once-in-a-lifetime evening — we cannot wait to celebrate with our community.” See etcsb.org for tickets and more information.
This is the time of the year when I start speculating about who might pop up in the next Bowl season. Cage the Elephant, who put on a great show for us in 2024 (see my review here), recently announced that their new album Dying in Reverse will come out on February 5 (which was my sweet mom’s birthday), and released the first single “Make It Easy” with the world premiere on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! (watch here). So far they’ve only announced international tour dates through March, so my fingers are crossed we’ll see them again in Santa Barbara.
We heard mumblings of this weeks ago, but now it’s been confirmed: Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police) is teaming up with the Santa Barbara Symphony for a show called Police Deranged for Orchestra on Friday, June 4, at the Bowl. Tickets go on sale today for this high-energy orchestral evening celebrating the work of the legendary rock star and composer, focused on the epic rise of his career in music that has spanned more than four decades. This promises to be “an evening bursting with The Police’s biggest hits, including ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me,’ and ‘Message in a Bottle.’” With Copeland on drums, three singers, and a guest guitarist, conductor Nir Kabaretti will lead the Santa Barbara Symphony in what’s sure to be a unique, memorable concert experience. Click here for details.
Catch dance theater group Sankai Juku’s signature blend of sculptural movement, visual precision, and hypnotic stillness at The Granada Theatre on November 20, when UCSB Arts & Lectures presents TOTEM: Void and Height. Created shortly before the death of legendary Butoh choreographer Ushio Amagatsu in 2024, TOTEM is his final meditation on memory, nature and the passage of time. Click here for tickets and details.
Artist Lou Schad, who career we’ve been following for a bit (see story here), has her inaugural solo gallery show — Radical Elements — at Indah Gallery (2190 N. Refugio Rd., Santa Ynez). Located on the Roblar Vineyard property, the exhibition transforms the gallery’s vineyard-surrounded architecture into “a sequenced sensory environment attuned to the Winter Solstice and December’s New Moon” that Schad describes as “A psychic nest: a visceral transmission of the earth’s raw frequencies.”
Radical Elements at Indah Gallery will have an opening reception on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. In addition, there will be a New Moon Sound Bath & Yoga in the Gallery ($60, RSVP required) on Tuesday, December 8, and Wednesday, December 9. There will also be a Winter Solstice Artist Presentation and Gathering on Sunday, December 20. For more information, see indahgallery.org.
ON the Turntable
Sarah Marie Picard and Noah Alexander (collectively known as Marie Alexander) have been working on a new, six-song EP, Without Warning, at Alan Parsons’s Parsonics Studio, with the renowned musician as their producer. The release pairs three previously released singles with three new songs about the grief of a relationship coming apart and the first stirrings of life after it. On “already broken,” the duo explores what keeps someone holding on long after they’ve begun to lose themselves. The focus single, “lashing out,” finds a turning point in a question as simple as it is hard to ask: “What if I just lived life all mine?” The pair will release the EP on Friday, November 13, and perform live for the first time as Marie Alexander at a private release party the following day. See video for “already broken” here.
Costa Rican artist-composer Luis Muñoz, whose name you may recognize from his 50-year residence in Santa Barbara, has a new album coming out on December 7 called ARBOL, which features some other names you might know as well: Adam Asarnow, Evan Arredondo, Randy Tico, Lois Mahalia, Gary Love, and Daniel Zimmerman. Muñoz has released a dozen albums of his own compositions and received accolades from some of the most prestigious jazz publications in the world. See luismunoz.net for more information.
ON the (Big) Screen
Last weekend’s Ojai Film Festival had quite an impressive lineup with a record number of submissions according to the organizers. They screened more than 76 films from 13 countries and awarded the following films: Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Best Dramatic Feature, by Grant Gee; In Memoriam, Best Comedic Feature, by Rob Burnett; The Ballad of Lieutenant Dan, Festival Theme Award, by Steve Beebe; In Spite of Ourselves, Bill Paxton Award: Best Gold Coast Film, by Josh Loeb; Papertown, Best Documentary Feature, by Jeremy Seifert; Arlene, Best Narrative Short, by Elizabeth Dement; Pillowzzz, Sergio Aragones Award: Best Animated Short, by Moshe (Animoshe) Benavram Akal; To Write Love, Best Documentary Short, by Owen Dubeck; Jake, Panavision Limelight Award: Best Student Film, by Addison Melfi, USC; It All Comes Back, Social Impact & Vision Award, by Jeremy Seifert & Evan-Marie Petit; and Anchor Baby, Best Original Screenplay, by Eduardo Moral Escudero.
ON the Walls
Small Works by members of the Santa Barbara Art Association is now on view at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club (SBTC). This is an annual juried exhibition showcasing a collection of small-scale works by members of the Santa Barbara Art Association (SBAA) and celebrating the diversity and talent of our local artistic community. The work is curated and juried by Susan Tibbles, who is the founder, curator, and director of 2nd Fridays at SBTC. The reception and awards take place Friday, November 13, at 4:30 p.m. at SBTC (2375 Foothill Rd.). The exhibition remains on view through December 29, with the gallery open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ON the Calendar
Get ready to laugh when Demetri Martin brings his Standup Comedy for Christmas tour to Santa Barbara on December 9 at the Lobero Theatre. This is the first-ever holiday show for the stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, and visual artist known for his deadpan delivery, clever wordplay, one-liners, and original drawings. He returns to the Lobero after a very entertaining show in 2024 (see my review here). Click here for tickets and more information.
For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.
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