Oct 24 Friday
Join us for the 10th Annual Santa Monica Playhouse BFF Binge Fringe Festival of FREE Theatre, Oct 14 – Nov 16, the only FREE Fringe Festival in the nation, offering over 36 plays, workshops and family-oriented events. What’s on for BFF SATURDAY AFTERNOONS?
Oct 18: MAFIA ANONYMOUS: THE WOMEN SPEAK - Nella leads a women’s Mafia Anonymous group — a place where secrets unravel and stories are finally spoken. Rumors have long circulated that Nella’s father did business with the Mafia. She’s here to set the record straight... or is she? Pina brings to life the voices of many, as she channels the raw, untold stories of women entangled in the shadows of organized crime — with humor, grit, and heart. Written & Performed by PINA – Fiction Based on Truth. 21+
Nov 1: RAG DOLL ON A BOMB SITE – A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION - On opening night of The Threepenny Opera, Kurt Weill demands the show be canceled—Lotte Lenya’s name is missing from the program. Desperate to perform, she relives her traumatic past through emotional songs and haunting dances. Sung. Danced. Lived. But will it be enough to change his mind? “Shelley Cooper weaves a poetic spell that really does create a sense that you’re watching Austrian-American actress Lotte Lenya make her way in 1928 Berlin.” Book, Lyrics, Composer, Choreographer & Performer Shelley Cooper; Director & Developer Kelsey Miller; Developer & Producer Jessica Lynn Johnson. 16+
Nov 8: ADOPTED BY APPALACHIANS – Featuring Special Agent Fox Mulder from The X-files to serve as mentor and partner to our young detective in her investigation, and Appalachian Queen Dolly Parton as the musical narrator, this show turns the Whodunnit genre on its head. A Mystery Solo show set in a time before DNA technology, AKA the 90's in the rural South, that follows a young detective who wants to believe in the paranormal but gets sidetracked by the real life cold case to uncover her true identity. Written & Performed by Paulina Combow; Produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson; tech/art Producer Luis Villanueva. 13+
Binge on Theatre this Fall – give your couch a rest!
Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.
Accessorize your dollhouse or diorama with EE Makerspace Coordinator Andrew Baker. Use a curated selection of beads, trims, and other tiny treasures to create 1:12 scale lamps, side tables, and seating. Open to ages 13+.
All materials and tools are included.
Pricing:General: $40Student/Educator: $35
Spots are limited. Reserve yours today!
Attendees will enjoy a welcome drink while we give a brief introduction to our bean-to-bar, dark chocolate making process. Ingredients for decorating will abound and inspire, and you'll learn a few tidbits about how we invent flavor combinations for new delicious, sweet products at our chocolate factory. We will fill chocolate bar molds with luscious 75% dark chocolate, and you will get to decorate chocolate bars with local ingredients, like flowers, salt and fruit. While bars are setting up, we will lead a 20-30 minute chocolate tasting experience while you sip on perfectly paired wines to enhance the flavors. We are happy to provide a non-alcoholic tasting experience for anyone in the group who might require that. Your custom chocolate bars will go home with you in beautiful, resealable Twenty-Four Blackbirds pouches. Don't miss out on this delicious experience!
New Beginnings of Santa Barbara County presents two benefit performances of: Every Brilliant Thing
Every Brilliant Thing returns to Santa Barbara for the second time with the show’s original co-creator and star, Jonny Donahoe.
This unique and critically acclaimed play has become a global stage phenomenon, playing more than six hundred times over four continents, including five months off-Broadway and currently being performed in London’s West End.
Donahoe, a Drama Desk Award-nominated writer and performer will bring back his wildly popular and magnificent one-man show, previously showcased by New Beginnings in 2022.
Every Brilliant Thing follows a child who, to lift his mother’s spirits, begins a heartfelt list of life’s small joys—a list that grows over the years and comes to shape their own journey.
Both poignant and funny, the play explores the extraordinary ways we care for the people we love.
Donahoe will reprise his role in a performance that will be featured on Friday, October 24th, and a matinee show on Sunday, October 26th.
The show was filmed by World of Wonder and screened as a special on HBO.
The Ojai Film Society’s beloved outdoor film series is back at Libbey Bowl, running on select Fridays from July 25–October 3. This year’s theme, Imagine A World, invites audiences to gather under the stars for films that spark creativity, connection, and conversation.
All screenings are free and begin at 7:30 PM.Walk-ups welcome; RSVPs encouraged.
Here's the line-up:
July 25: Sally
August 8: The NeverEnding Story
August 22: The Greatest Night in Pop (with director Bao Nguyen in attendance)
September 5: 9 to 5
September 18: Speak. (with director Jennifer Tiexiera in attendance)
October 3: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
👉 Learn more & RSVP: ojaifilmsociety.org
Join us for the 10th Annual Santa Monica Playhouse BFF Binge Fringe Festival of FREE Theatre, Oct 14 – Nov 16, the only FREE Fringe Festival in the nation, offering over 36 plays, workshops and family-oriented events. What’s happening on BFF FRIDAYS?
Oct 17: PUBLIC WORKSHOP – Secrets & Safety: A Creative Sharing Guide for Writer-Performers. Do you carry a secret? A secret you might want to share in a solo show, a book, or a play? A secret that, if shared, could harm someone or violate their privacy? I’m a professional secret keeper. My day job ( shall remain anonymous). We will explore SAFE, LOVING ways to share secrets on stage and beyond. Rated 21+ Presented by Pina, Writer/Performer of Mafia Anonymous: The Women Speak (this Saturday at 4pm).
Oct 24: A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION - Lindsay Lucas-Bartlett’s Trust Me, I’m From Essex. “Lindsay is superb” Theatre and Arts Review. You can take the girl out of Essex – but can you take Essex out of the girl? A new, hard-hitting yet hopeful solo musical about following your dreams – no matter how unlikely they may seem. Directed by Lindsay Perry; Music by Aaron Wilson. 14+
Nov 14: Black Don’t Crack – a hilarious comic coalition. These uniquely talented comedians bring this witty, funny, charismatic and thoughtfully entertaining comedic innovation to life. A hilarious night of Clever Comedy! Host Miles Otway; Featuring Alia Atkins & Darrell Goss; Headliner Jeff Keller; Producer/Performer Mz. REKA. Co-Producer/Performer Zuleika Moreno. Special Pop-In Guest Andrew Searles. Rated 15+ Includes post show refreshments reception with the cast.
Oct 25 Saturday
October 1- 31 - Join us for a month-long celebration of new vegan dishes all over Santa Barbara!
For the second year in a row, businesses across the region will showcase exciting special vegan menu items for an entire month, giving everyone the opportunity to explore creative plant-based dishes crafted by talented local chefs.
How It Works:
1- Visit participating restaurants across Santa Barbara.2- Try their exclusive vegan offerings.3- Share your experience—rate and review the dishes you try, comment, post photos of your favorite meals, and tag us at @veganchefchallengeWest.
This event is open to everyone, not just vegans! It’s about bringing our community together to celebrate incredible food and support our region's chefs.
Get Involved: Looking for ways to connect? Volunteer with us! We’re seeking passionate individuals to help with outreach, event promotion, and community building throughout the month. It's a great way to meet like-minded people and make a difference! Volunteer using this link: TinyURL.com/VOLVCC
Join us in making Santa Barbara an even more inclusive, vibrant, and compassionate community.
For details on participating businesses, menus, sponsorship opportunities, and more, visit our website at veganchefchallenge.org/SantaBarbara.
UCSB Library presents an art installation by artist Elena Yu, exploring histories of the Ethnic and Gender Studies Collection (EGSC) and space in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
In Fall 2023, Yu was invited to create artworks in response to the history of the EGSC. The artist was drawn to two untouched back rooms - former staff offices left exactly as they were when vacated in 2022. Inside, decades of belongings sat frozen in time. In February 2024, the Library was preparing to renovate the rooms. Librarians had sorted and removed items to be sent to the University Archives and gave Yu access to use the remaining materials in her artworks. She was inspired by encountering ephemera related to the history of Ethnic Studies at UCSB and the day-to-day occupations of the library staff, including file cabinets full of book dust jackets and printed correspondences, and bulletin boards whose contents speak to the specific interests of former staff, who were charged with the upkeep of the collections and space.
This exhibition is part of a campus-wide arts partnership with the UCSB Arts Equity Commons (AEC) to support opportunities for engagement of faculty, students, and staff through the presence and practices of contemporary artists. AEC was established in 2022 as a consortium of the Department of Art, Department of History of Art and Architecture, and the Art Design & Architecture Museum through a systemwide grant from the UC Office of the President. The artist would like to thank Gary Colmenar, Angel Diaz, Alyce Harris, Sara Kelly, Marisol Ramos, Jonathan Rissmeyer, and Kim Yasuda for their support of this project.
This exhibition showcases historic Broadway posters from collector Richard C. Norton, a comprehensive selection of musical theater posters 1972 to the present ranging from the famous to the obscure, from the celebrated to the damned. These posters offer insight into the evolution of American musical theater, graphic design, marketing, image branding and audience engagement. Far more than advertisements, they reflect the artistic, social and commercial contexts of their time—revealing how productions were first introduced, how stars were celebrated, and how visual trends paralleled theatrical innovation. As ephemeral objects, their preservation provides rare evidence of the material culture surrounding performance. By examining these posters through an academic lens, we can better understand Broadway’s influence on American theater, music and popular culture. The exhibition invites viewers to explore how theater has been represented and remembered, and how visual media contributes to the construction of cultural memory.The exhibition will be accompanied by a lecture featuring Nicholas van Hoogstraten, author of Broadway Poster Art: 1945–1969 (Schiffer Publishing, 2024).
About the Richard C. Norton Musical Theater History Collection:The Richard C. Norton Musical Theater History Collection consists of materials documenting musical theater including 25,000 playbills, 800 typescripts, and 1,500 published libretti, as well as sheet music and 78rpm records. Norton is the author of A Chronology of American Musical Theater (Oxford UP, 2002) a landmark work with details on thousands of Broadway productions. The collection was assembled to support the research for his book.
"Through most of our lives and work, Cedric and I have had deep commitments to collaboration, internationalism, and solidarity movements."–Elizabeth Robinson, 2024
This exhibition documents the life’s work of Cedric J. Robinson and Elizabeth Peters Robinson, placing it in the global context of the Black radical tradition. The Robinsons were renowned for their seminal scholarship and activism that had wide-ranging influence at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), in academia, and across many public arenas. The exhibition is drawn from the Cedric J. and Elizabeth P. Robinson Archive (“Robinson Archive”) and supplemented by a variety of materials from other collections in UCSB Library’s Special Research Collections, as well as personal contributions from Elizabeth Robinson.
A deeply influential educator, Cedric Robinson (1940-2016) was a well-known scholar of racial capitalism and the Black radical tradition, and an active participant in political movements, both at home and internationally. For more than 30 years, Elizabeth Robinson has been an educator, social worker, former associate director for media at KCSB-FM radio, activist, and community media producer.
This exhibition was curated by Yolanda Blue, the Library’s Curator of American and International History, Politics, and Cultures Collections, in collaboration with New York University and UCSB Library staff.
