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“A must-see! Never a dull moment! For fun, frolic and fantasy, it’s the perfect ticket. With fairytales to share, the amazing ensemble of singers and dancers brings the pictures on the page to life, painting a canvas of rainbows on stage!” Bonnie Previer, The Tolucan Times

The fairytale world is spiraling out of control, and Santa needs fairytale magic to power the sleigh. Only Cinderella, Snowhite, Gretel and Hansel, Alice, the Queens of Hearts (three of them), Mrs. Claus and YOU can help save the day in this joyous interactive holiday musical. Great costumes, lilting songs (even one where you get to sing-a-long), great humor and fun word play make this Family Theatre Musical a special holiday treat for ages 2 to 102.

Sat, Dec 9 at 2pm, Sun, Dec 10 at 12:30.

Great birthday parties, hosted by costumed members of the cast, are available in conjunction with every performance.

Helmed by Playhouse Co-Artistic Director Chris DeCarlo, written by Graham Silbert with Evelyn Rudie, words & music by E. Rudie with Matthew Wrather, EVER AFTER TAKE 2 features Holly Gibson, Isabel Lindley, Cydne Moore, Michala Peltz and Megan Wright as Cinderella. Awesome special effects and video projections are by James Cooper, with delightful costumes by Ashley Hayes. George J. Vennes III does double duty as Technical Director and Production Stage Manager.

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by grants from the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the Ahmanson Foundation, the Rotary Club Foundation and Playhouse PALS.

Families can enjoy a Breakfast With Santa at the Simi Valley Family YMCA, Saturday, December 2. A fresh-cooked breakfast will be served. Kids can get their pictures taken with Santa (and receive a framed photo souvenir), sip hot cocoa, play in snow and make holiday crafts. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Families can then pick out newly-arrived trees at the Simi YMCA’s Christmas tree lot operated by the Y’s Men’s Club.

The cost of Breakfast With Santa is $15 per person ($20 for nonmembers). Children under three are free. Registration for the breakfast is required in advance. To purchase tickets, go to www.sevymca.org/breakfast-santa.

The YMCA will have about 850 Nobile and Douglas fir trees between 5' and 9' tall at its tree lot. The trees are grown in Oregon, harvested, and then packed in ice for their journey south to the Y. Once they arrive, they are unloaded by LDS Church missionary volunteers, given a fresh cut at the base, put in water and set out for display. Y’s Men’s Club members and volunteers staff the tree lot.

Proceeds from the tree sales go to organizations in the community, to underserved families as well as to the YMCA.

Christmas tree lot hours are 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The tree lot and Breakfast with Santa are at the Simi Valley YMCA (3200 Cochran St., corner of Galena Ave. and Cochran St.). If interested in becoming a Breakfast With Santa sponsor, contact Dani Hutchison at dhutchison@sevymca.org.

Phillip McLendon will conduct this performance of George Frederick Handel's choral masterpiece, "Messiah." James Mooy has organized the orchestra which includes members of the Santa Barbara City College Symphony. Erin Bonski-Evans is the organist. Four outstanding soloists will also perform. All are volunteering their talents. That covers everything and everybody except the chorus. That's because the chorus is you -- the audience!
All proceeds go to Unity Shoppe, the Santa Barbara non-profit which helps some 18,000 of our low-income neighbors, children, and the elderly annually. It's great music and great fun for a great cause. Everyone is invited to Make a joyful noise and raise your voice on high. Or come to listen. It’s always a great performance!

Join Alan Parsons OBE, Michael McDonald, Al Stewart, Terry Sylvester (The Hollies), David Pack (Ambrosia) and special guests, in an all-star musical and magic tribute concert to Alan on his 75th birthday. VIP tickets include a special pre-show reception. Proceeds benefit One805 and the First Responders of Santa Barbara County.

Legendary engineer,. Producer and Grammy Award winner Alan Parsons landed a job at the famous Abbey Road Studios at the age of 19,and was fortunate enough to work as assistant engineer on the last two albums by The Beatles. After he qualified as a fully-fledged recording engineer, he went on to work with Paul McCartney and The Hollies among many others. But it was his contribution as engineer on Pink Floyd’s classic The Dark Side Of The Moon that really got him world attention. That soon led to striking successes as a producer – notably with the hugely successful Year Of The Cat album with Al Stewart and two albums with American prog rock band Ambrosia.

Please join us for an event to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition of black and white photographs documenting the intergenerational upward mobility of young residents of Dixon, California.

Trevor Auldridge Reveles, a PhD candidate in Sociology at UCSB will discuss the research behind this exhibition. Following his talk, Trevor will lead a tour of the exhibition.

The Good Good Show is Santa Barbara's longest running monthly stand up comedy show featuring the hottest comics working today that you've seen or heard on Comedy Central, CONAN, Jimmy Kimmel, Fox, TruTV, Sirius XM and more.

FEATURING: Matt O'Brien, Mahesh Kotagi, Julie Weidmann, Lynn Maleh and Ryan Talmo.

Come have some laughs and enjoy a delicious craft beer!

7:30 p.m. $10
Show is 21+

Let’s create live theatre together! Now in its 53rd year of Theatre for Youth, the Santa Monica Playhouse Diversity-in-Education Conservatory is delighted to offer a one-week Winter Break Theatre Camp for kids 6 to 14. Activities include theatre games, voice and movement, acting, imagination building, writing, costume creation, self-confidence, making friends and a LIVE, IN-PERSON PERFORMANCE on the last day. Enrollment is limited. “Thank you for teaching me and helping me grow as an actor and person throughout the years. I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me.” Diana Silvers (Booksmart, Ma, Space Force)

Santa Monica Playhouse Diversity-in-Education Conservatory alumni include Kate Hudson, Jason Ritter, Jason Segel, Cody Saunders, Rina Mimoun, Shana Feste, Karen Fukuhara, Liz Dean and Gadi Dechter.

9am-3pm, Tuesday through Friday, Dec 26-29.

Please email education@santamonicaplayhouse.com for more details and to enroll. Let’s create holiday theatre magic together soon!

Chaucer's will host local author Stephen Aizenstat, PhD, author of "The Imagination Matrix: How to Access the Greatest Power You Have for Creativity, Connection, and Purpose" for an in-store book talk and signing on Wednesday, October 25 at 6 p.m.

Aizenstat, the founder of Pacifica Graduate Institute and Dream Tending, is a leading depth psychologist, offering a practical approach for vastly expanding your creative resources—and discovering for yourself that even the challenges of our time can be overcome by the power of human imagination.

If ever there was a time and a place to reconnect with imagination, that place is here, that time is now. For anyone looking for a new way forward for yourself, your community, and our struggling planet, Professor Stephen Aizenstat offers a powerful message of hope. The trailblazers are people like you—the seekers, creatives, dreamers, doers—who are willing and ready to tap into a collective purpose so vital, so vibrant, so resonant in the world of today.

In The Imagination Matrix, Aizenstat shares a step-by-step process to help you gain access to the “source code of imagination”—energizing your capacity to innovate new outcomes, evolve real-world solutions, and nurture your well-being. Here you’ll explore:

• Opening the Curious Mind—a new method to engage imagination and wonder
• Answering the call of your Innate Genius
• Growing your capacities of Imaginal Intelligence
• Maintaining your humanity in an increasingly technological world
• Claiming your creativity and purpose to meet the pull of the future

"The Imagination Matrix" offers a practical and uniquely personal path for becoming more purposeful, resourceful, and resilient—while developing a profound connection to the creative force that animates and flows through us all.

It’s the 8th Annual BFF Binge Fringe Festival of FREE Theatre, Oct 15 - Nov 19, the only FREE Fringe Festival in the nation, offering 38 in-person plays, workshops and family-oriented events thanks to generous grants from 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 and Playhouse PALS. The BFF celebrates the range and depth of the human condition and the idea that theatre arts experiences are vital, transformative, and must be available for all.

Under the Radar Over the Moon – A BFF 2023 MUSICAL SELECTION 7:00 PM, The Other Space, 18+

Celebrate Halloween with this captivating one-man show that invites audiences into the extraordinary world of a singer-songwriter who shies away from the limelight but basks in the euphoria of creative adventures. Meet the enigmatic protagonist, a multi-platinum songwriter and singer, contentedly concealed from the frenzy of fame -- preferring the human connections and chance encounters that exist in his artful dodger world. This intimate performance chronicles his journey of artistic liberation and self-discovery, skillfully interweaving tales of triumphs and travails. Harold has written songs for such diverse artists as Rod Stewart, Patti Labelle, Carlos Santana as well as longtime collaborator, Bobby Womack; and literally from Peter Paul & Mary to Snoop Dogg. He has also created customized songs for Regis Philbin, Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Kyle Cease (at the Dolby Theater) and the national Speakers Association conference. Written & performed by Harold Payne. Produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson. Includes ghostly Halloween post-show wine and sweets reception with the artist.

40th Annual Light Up a Life Ceremony

Join Hospice of Santa Barbara for their 40th Annual Light Up A Life. This beloved community tradition takes place to remember and honor those you miss this holiday season.
Light Up a Life will host four ceremonies, featuring speakers and special guests, entertainment, refreshments, and the lighting of a memorial tree. Guests can also hang one or more stars in memory of a loved one who has died or in honor of someone living.

Locations include:

Santa Barbara (Lobero Theatre) - Sunday, December 3 at 5:30 pm
Montecito (Upper Village Green) - Wednesday, December 6 at 4:00 pm
Carpinteria (Seal Fountain) - Saturday, December 9 at 5:00 pm
Goleta (Camino Real Marketplace) - Sunday, December 10 at 5:00 pm


In addition to the four in person ceremonies, you can also dedicate a star to a loved one on HSB’s Virtual Tree of Remembrance. For a suggested donation of $15, you can dedicate a digital star(s) with their loved one’s name, photo, and a special message.
All events are free. To learn more and dedicate a star to a loved one in person at one of the four locations or on the Virtual Tree of Remembrance, please visit: http://www.hospiceofsb.org/lual