Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

Virginia Avenue Project @ the Miles

A Theatrical Moebius Strip

Spain in Opera

New Artists on a New Stage

Marking its second year in Southern California, the Los Angeles Ballet, which is actually based in Santa Monica, will host a fundraiser tonight that will include a sneak preview performance featuring Los Angeles Ballet dancers Corina Gill, and Rainer Krenstetter (Soloist with Staatsballett Berlin).  In addition, a live fine art auction and silent auction will feature works of renowned artists including Ed Ruscha, Ed Moses, John Baldessari, Renee Petropoulos, Jennifer Steinkamp and many more.  Tickets are $125.00.

Bad Hare Day
7:30 pm
Friday & Saturday, November 9 & 10
3:00 pm
Sunday, November 11
Virginia Avenue Project
Miles Playhouse
1120 Lincoln Boulevard
310/264-4224
Admission is pay-what-you-can. 

For fifteen years, the Virginia Avenue Project has provided free performing arts programming to children at the Santa Monica Police Activities League.  Young people are teamed with professional writers, actors and directors to create short plays, in this case, the story of an inspired hare who invades a little girl’s garden.  Five teams have tackled this folk tale, each using song and theatre to tell the story.  The Virginia Avenue Project is one of the broad array of arts organizations receiving support from the City of Santa Monica to provide our community with increased access to the arts.

The Bald Soprano
November 9 through December 16
Friday & Saturdays @ 8:00pm
Sundays @ 5:30pm
City Garage
1340 ½ 4^th Street (in the alley)
310/319.9939  

City Garage closes the year with Ionesco's comic masterpiece of joyful, irrational anti-logic and a looney parody of the stolid, thick-witted world of middleclass propriety.  It’s The Bald Soprano and no-one else could possibly do a better job on Ionesco's absurdist rhapsody which famously ends at the beginning. City Garage is located at 1340 1/2 4th Street in the alley between the Third Street Promenade and 4th Street in Santa Monica, and between of Santa Monica and Arizona.  It’s a little tricky to find them, but well worth the search!  City Garage is also a recipient of funding through Santa Monica’s cultural/arts grant programs.

Spain is the setting for many of the greatest and most exciting operas ever written.  Verdi visited it often in Il Trovatore, La Traviata and Don Carlo.  Bizet’s Carmen depicts the sensuality of the toreadors and the gypsies and the unrequited love of a naïve soldier.  These works, along with the traditional Spanish Zarzuelas portrayed a land of fiery romance.  This weekend the Verdi Chorus brings them all together under one banner with a Trip Through Spain.  Guest soloists Shoghig Koushakjian, Daniel Montenegro and Roberto Perlas Gomez will join the chorus for the ultimate portrayal of Spain in classical music.  This production is made possible, in part, by the City of Santa Monica Community Arts Grant Program.

Under the direction of Plácido Domingo and Karen Ashley, the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program is designed to help develop the new and gifted singers.  This weekend these dynamic young singers from all over the country will perform at the newly named Stage at Santa Monica, formerly known as the Madison Project.  The tickets are free but reservations are a must!