BRENTWOOD
Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble is seeking students ages 7 to 15 to participate in its summer Performing Arts Youth Academy (PAYA) production of “The Addams Family.”
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Local News |On Tap: Pianist Vargas to perform solo recital April 22 in Walnut Creek
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Local News |On Tap: O’Neill’s ‘Ah, Wilderness!’ showing April 21-30 in Pittsburg
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Local News |On Tap: ‘Dinner at Eight’ murder-mystery ends today in Antioch
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Two performances will be held back-to-back on July 22. Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble is led by a seasoned team of performers, technicians and educators with extensive theatrical training and experience. Reach Artistic Director Kathryn Lopez at 925-354-2117 or email her at [email protected]. Visit ghostlightte.org/paya-1 online for more details.
— Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble
PITTSBURG
Library to host Story Walk Celebration at local park
The Pittsburg Library will host a Story Walk Celebration at Small World Park on April 15. The Story Walk will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Pittsburg Library (80 Power Ave.) with Rafael Lopez drawing and sharing his art process.
It will continue at Small World Park (2551 Harbor St.) at 1 p.m. with a story, music, dancing near the carousel and a walk in the park. For more information, call the Pittsburg Library at 925-427-8390.
— Pittsburg Library
ANTIOCH
Madd Hatter Players to present classic play ‘Snow White’
“Snow White,” one of the world’s most beloved plays and based on a19th century German fairy tale, will come to life April 21-22 at Cornerstone Christian Center in Antioch at 1745 E. 18th St.
A Madd Hatter Players production, the play will be directed by Frank Ballesteros. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for youths and $6 for children. For contact information, visit facebook.com/MaddHatterPlayersTheatre online.
— Madd Hatter Players
Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra to perform April 15
The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra will perform three pieces that explore humanity’s astounding ability to thrive despite hard times at 2 p.m. April 15 in El Campanil Theatre at 602 W. Second St. in Antioch
“Brtis and Brahms” begins with the youthful and lighthearted “Brook Green Suite” by Gustav Holst. Listeners will notice playful banter among various instruments throughout the piece, and one section is based on a tune Holst heard during a puppet show in Sicily.
Following this high-spirited beginning, attendees will tumble into Sir Edward Elgar’s passionate and introspective “Cello Concerto in E Minor.” Elgar vividly expresses his disillusionment following World War I and a sense of loss as his world suddenly changed — sentiments many present-day listeners will find surprisingly relatable.
Elgar’s concerto will be performed by Richard Andaya, one of the Bay Area’s premier cellists. Andaya’s impressive career includes a 33-year history with the San Francisco Symphony and countless collaborations with a long list of highly respected orchestras.
Finally, the sun will shine through as Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2 in D Major” brings a relaxed cheerfulness and heartfelt optimism. However, this symphony goes beyond quaint positivity: Brahms’ subtle blending of more serious themes paints a realistic picture of life’s ups and downs — and suggests a healthy response to the challenges that come our way. Tickets can be purchased online at elcampaniltheatre.com or at the door ($20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $7 for students).
— El Campanil Theatre
WALNUT CREEK
Bedford Gallery’s ‘About Face’ exhibit opens April 15
Bay Area arts lovers will have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the practice of portraiture with “About Face,” coming to the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts from April 15 through June 23.
Capturing a person’s likeness has evolved over the millennia from cave drawings to realistic (or impressionistic) paintings, sculpture and finally photographs, videos and holograms. To a canny viewer, portraiture can offer a glimpse into not only the soul, but also the social, cultural, and political setting of the subject — and the artist as well.
This juried and invitational show examines the age-old tradition of portraits, using a contemporary lens to speculate how future generations may perceive current social values such as beauty, power and cultural significance. This exhibition seeks to highlight contemporary portraits and explore how the genre continually changes and shifts as artists respond to the moment.
Among the works by 100 local, national and international artists in the exhibit are Andy Warhol’s four-minute Screen Tests “living portraits” of Rufus Collins, Allen Ginsberg, Kyotko Kishida and others; and San Francisco artist Marbie, who employs brightly colored shapes to convey a human form.
The exhibit will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at the Bedford Gallery inside the Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek. An opening reception will be from noon to 2 p.m. April 15. For more information, call 925-295-1417 or visit bedfordgallery.org online.
— Bedford Gallery
Pianist Vargas to perform solo recital at St. Paul’s church
St. Paul’s Concert Series will present pianist Carlos Vargas in solo piano recital at 7 p.m. April 22 in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1924 Trinity Ave.
Vargas’s performances have received accolades from audiences and critics in the United States, South America and Europe. The recipient of numerous international awards and competitions, his performances have been described as “highly emotional and thoughtful” and with “striking energy and uncompromising honesty.” At St. Paul’s, Vargas will present pieces by Landestoy, Villa Lobos, Scriabin, Chopin and others.
St. Paul’s Concert Series is inviting its audience in-person for this performance and will also broadcast it simultaneously online. To register for the performance and receive the online link, visit St. Paul’s at stpaulswc.org/concert-series. This webpage also provides the full concert program for preview and more details about series performers.
St. Paul’s Concert Series in downtown Walnut Creek offers monthly world-class performances to the local community for an affordable, donation-based cost. Free parking is provided, or attendees can take BART to its Walnut Creek stop and walk an easy walk three blocks.
Donations will be graciously accepted at the door (the average is $20 for most, $10 for students) and in at online registration. All are welcome regardless of donation. For more information, visit the webpage above.
— St. Paul’s Concert Series
ORINDA
Theater to show Belgian Oscar finalist ‘Close’ for a week
The International Film Showcase will present “Close,” an Oscar finalist from Belgium, for a one-week run starting April 21 at the Orinda Theatre. The film won 48 international awards and was nominated for 59 more.
The film centers on 13-year-old boys Léo and Rémis, who have a close friendship at school and in the flower fields where they and their parents pick the harvest for home. When schoolmates shoot a wedge into the relationship, though, the consequences are fatal. For more information on screening times and more, visit internationalshowcase.org online.
— International Showcase
PITTSBURG
Nobel-winning writer’s ‘Ah, Wilderness!’ to open April 21
The Pittsburg Theatre Company presentation of Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness!” will run April 21-30.
Although O’Neill, America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, is best known for his many tragic plays, “Ah, Wilderness!” is a refreshing and humorous view of life as it might have been. Set in 1906 Connecticut in a town patterned on O’Neill’s childhood home, the play follows Richard Miller (played by Elijah Waller), a young man whose values are tested as he searches for truth and love.
Miller’s character is an anti-type of O’Neill’s own youth. Where O’Neill’s experience with absent and addicted parents led to a life of pain, Richard maintains love and loyalty with the help of a caring and understanding family.
“Ah, Wilderness!” is a “timeless play that recalls the struggle of every young person to reconcile childhood values with new ideas from the world,” Director Michael Wilson says. “It’s about growing up, falling in love and discovering who you are and who you choose to be. Though it is set in a particular time and place, the themes are common to all people. We must all decide how our family values (good or bad) and experience of the world will affect who we will become.”
The cast includes local actors Gregory Brown (Nat Miller), Gwendolyn Sampson Brown (Essie Miller), David Ghilardi (Sid), Maya Rath (Lily), Ava Duran (Belle), Josie Rapolas (Muriel), Robert Marcus (David/Salesman), Makayla Rhine (Mildred), Jordan Ramey (Arthur), Simon Rapolas (Tommy), Jordan Pauline (Norah), Alex Schepers (Wint) and John Wilson (Bartender). The production also features period costumes by Florenda Buchanan.
This production will be in the California Theatre at 351 Railroad Ave. in Pittsburg. Tickets are available now and can be purchased online at ptcca.org or 925-439-PLAY (7529).
— Pittsburg Theatre Company
DANVILLE
O’Neill Foundation to release its latest film, ‘Welded’
The Eugene O’Neill Foundation and Tao House on April 27 will proudly release their latest film, “Welded.” The play was produced on stage in Danville in January 2022, remounted last October for the Eugene O’Neill International Festival of Theatre in New Ross, Ireland, and then filmed this winter.
To enhance the experience of the “Welded” film, the foundation is offering an engagement campaign featuring a “book club” reading group for the original play, the release of its 2021 film of “Beyond the Horizon” for free, and a virtual forum with the film’s director, actors and the production’s dramaturg, Beth Wynstra. For more details on upcoming events, visit eugeneoneill.org online.
— Eugene O’Neill Foundation
Submit area arts-and-entertainment On Tap items to Judith Prieve at [email protected].
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