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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, presenting:

The Connie Converse Universe, Starring Hope Levy – A BFF MUSICAL SELECTION - 9:00 PM, The Other Space, all ages

Join us for this amazing cabaret act exploring the true life & mystery of our first female modern folk singer-songwriter, Connie Converse, whose songs, written in the 1950s, helped pave the way for the future folk singer-songwriters who came along in the 1960s. Connie Converse has not been seen or heard from since that August day in 1974 when she packed up her belongings in her VW Bug and drove away. 35 years after her disappearance her songs were re-discovered. A CD put out in 2009 with her original 1954 song demos went viral on Spotify. Singer-songwriter Hope Levy performs Connie's songs in her live acoustic show, sharing the stories and mystery of Ms. Converse’s life intertwined with some of her own! Includes post-show Q&A with the artist.

Live-streaming through November 19: https://youtube.com/live/cjH4LxUI54g?feature=share

Special 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.

FREE as part of the BFF Binge Fringe Festival of Free Theatre; if you are live-streaming, don’t make a reservation – just click and enjoy!

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents indigenous environmentalist Robin Wall Kimmerer delivering a lecture on her book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants on Tuesday, November 14 at UCSB Campbell Hall.

$40/ $25 / $10 UCSB students (current student ID required)

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a plant ecologist, 2022 MacArthur fellow and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the acclaimed author of Braiding Sweetgrass, which celebrates the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature and embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Articulating a vision of environmental stewardship grounded in scientific and Indigenous knowledge, Kimmerer was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2023.

Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer's

The Ojai Film Festival (OFF) celebrates 24 years of “Enriching the Human Spirit through Film” November 2 through 19. The live event kicks off with free opening night festivities Thursday, November 2 at Libbey Bowl. Music by Spencer The Gardener welcomes patrons starting at 5:30 p.m. followed by Diane Ladd accepting the 2023 Distinguished Artist Award at 6:30 p.m., accompanied by a screening of her latest film “Isle of Hope.”

OFF moves to the Ojai Art Center for the next four days, November 3 through 6, to present 86 short and long films, including narratives, documentaries, and animations, plus seminars.

"Over the last 24 years, the Ojai Film Festival has been a source of joy and cultural enrichment for our community,” Artistic Director Steve Grumette said. “We're proud of the impact we've had and look forward to many more years of bringing people together through the power of cinema."

Many of the films examine people’s relationships. Short films "Bound" and "Shadow Brother Sunday" explore strained bonds between brothers. On the other hand two documentary features depict brothers collaborating. In "Live at Mister Kelly’s" two brothers transformed a family coffee shop into an entertainment empire. "The Canote Twins" shows identical twins who’ve played music together for most of their 70-plus years.

Several other films revolve around music as well. "Called to the Mountains" documents a Japanese bluegrass band. In "The Orchestra Chuck Built" a lawyer-turned-conductor sets out to rectify the reality that blacks comprise less than two percent of professional orchestras. The short "Career Day" shows how a depressed accountant finds new hope when he resurrects his former identity as a singer in a boy band. In "First Chair" a gifted clarinetist struggles with rivalry.

Music also found its way into the Gold Coast program which spotlights filmmakers from the region surrounding Ojai on Monday, November 6. Peter Fox, a longtime fixture in the Ojai theater community, directed "Good Vibrations" a short about a girl who becomes bewildered when her music teacher suddenly retires. Bookending OFF’s first weekend with Spencer The Gardener, "More Than Just A Party Band" chronicles the colorful life of Spencer Barnitz.

Sprinkled throughout the weekend festival goers will find special events, including speakers and panels on film related topics. Mary Duda will shed light on how “AI is Changing Filmmaking.” Author Harry Medved will discuss “Hidden History of Hollywood West: Ojai and Ventura County’s Classic Movie Locations.”

"Our planned seminars and special events are designed to enrich the festival experience by offering an informative complement to our film selections,” Grumette said. “They provide a unique opportunity for film enthusiasts to engage with industry experts and gain valuable insights."

For the third year in a row OFF continues its Diversity & Inclusion Program, sponsored by Panavision, with two panels on Saturday, November 4 at 4 pm. Luis Ramón Quintero, a director, writer and producer from Pacoima, will lead a dialog about “Latin Filmmakers in America.” Rosa Costanza, whose various roles ranges from producer to screenwriter and director, will moderate a panel on “Growth for Female Filmmakers.”

The female vibe runs strong through this year’s OFF. Two women celebrities, both subjects of documentaries, plan to make appearances. After "Unveiled: Joyce Tenneson & the Heroine’s Journey" on Friday, November 3, photographer and author Joyce Tenneson will sign books and exhibit photos at a reception in the Art Center courtyard. ‘Hot Tamale’ Susan Feniger, star of "Susan Feniger. FORKED.," will bring her food truck on Sunday, November 5.

Online streaming of films begins Tuesday, November 7. While the virtual festival takes place in cyberspace until November 19, some live events will continue in Ojai. The highly anticipated follow up to the global hit “Kiss the Ground,” Big Picture Ranch’s “Common Ground,” screens at Matilija Auditorium on Saturday, November 11, 4 p.m.

Tickets come as single entry, four or six packs, or VIP passes. All seniors, students, active military, and groups of ten or more receive discounts. Ticket prices go up on November 1.

Stay tuned to https://ojaifilmfestival.com for updates on other events and to read descriptions of all festival films.

Meditation and mindfulness are scientifically proven methods that are now widely accepted as mainstream practices which lead to genuine, long-lasting well-being. Discover for yourself how to practice meditation and positive thinking techniques to cultivate a reliable source of happiness that comes from within your own mind.

Taught by internationally renowned Buddhist monk; Gen-la Kelsang Jampa, this special event will teach you how to identify painful mental states such as anger, anxiety, stress, and depression and use powerful ancient meditation techniques to remove them.

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, presenting:

Inherit the Smut - 7:00 PM, The Other Space, 18+

An uproarious testament to writer/performer Roy Sekoff’s unwavering commitment to overshare, as he plumbs his past -- particularly his overstimulated teen years -- for laughs and insights into his relationship with his larger-than-life parents. Sekoff’s frank and fearless tales about navigating the minefield of male adolescence (including the discovery of his father’s sizeable collection of X-rated movies) and his equally combustible adulthood (including having to dispose of that collection after his father dies) allow him to explore the ridiculous nature of young lust, Oedipal anxieties, and raising his own kids in the age of one-click-away Internet porn. If David Sedaris, Chelsea Handler, Larry David, and Whoopi Goldberg had the unlikeliest orgy in history, the resulting love child might one day create a show like Inherit the Smut. Roy was the founding editor of the Huffington Post, and President and co-creator of HuffPost Live. He created and hosted The HuffPost Show, an hour-long comedy and interview program. His book of humorous stories, Lacks Self-Control: True Stories I Waited Until My Parents Died to Tell, was featured in The New York Times Book Review and People Magazine as a “Top Pick,” and won multiple writing awards. Before helping found HuffPost, Roy was a writer and on-air correspondent for Michael Moore’s Emmy-winning TV Nation. Written & performed by Roy Sekoff. Directed & developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson

Special 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.

Cosmopolitan, gregarious, and prodigious, Sargent’s fashionable portraits were the most celebrated symbol of his brilliance. He was a master of many different painting styles—Impressionism, classical portraits, landscapes, watercolors, and murals—and his richly textured pallets reflected his lifelong reverence for Diego Velázquez and Franz Hals. Caught in the cross-fire of controversy on several occasions, he celebrated his passion for art through a breadth of subject matter ranging from portraits of two U.S. Presidents to paintings executed near the front lines during World War I.

Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures worldwide on art and architectural history, and leads art and architecture tours throughout the world. She has been named a Distinguished Instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. She is also Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College. She has done graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby's Institute in London and New York. She has served as a Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the John Lautner Foundation.

Join us in welcoming Willy Porter to the NAMBA Listening Room Sunday December 3 at 7pm, $25.00.

Some folks are lucky to find what they love to do at an early age and quietly settle in for the long haul expanding and developing their work over the arc of a lifetime. Willy Porter is one of those artists. He has followed his own path to explore the sacred language that music truly is. 30 years after his solo recording debut, he continues to reach further into his guitar & pen while stretching the form of what his own music can be. He’s currently working on his 13th album for release in 2023.

There is nothing more political than food. In the food production process, what counts as food, how it's produced, to whom it is distributed, and what regulations apply to the process are all matters of political resources and deliberations. More immediately for us, the food we consume is also intertwined with our identities, families, bodies, and beliefs. Our understanding of food, however, is constructed - most often by media images about the food we eat, how we cook it, and where it came from. Everything from food advertisements, social media trends, Food Network content, cookbooks and magazines shape how we think about food and its consumption. This lecture will explore media content and the politics and representations of food.

Aaron Heresco, Ph.D., is a 1st generation college student who grew up in central Pennsylvania. He went to Penn State Altoona for his undergraduate degree with plans to work in international affairs. After taking two years off after graduation, Aaron decided to pursue a post-graduate degree in communication, focusing largely on news cultures and practices. While studying news Aaron developed a passion for understanding the relationship between communication, media, and power. These interests have led Aaron to research issues ranging from campaign finance coverage, television representation of masculinity, financial literacy programs, and the economics of television production. Aaron currently lives in Camarillo with his wife Leslie and pet.

Critics widely regard Leonard Cohen to be one of the very best, if not best, of the many singer/songwriters who emerged in the 1960s following in the path of the pioneering Bob Dylan. Over a fifty-year career, Leonard Cohen created a remarkable body of work, that included poetry, novels, and songs, and made an indelible imprint on the contemporary music scene. Similar to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen’s Jewish background deeply shaped his life and work. Cohen’s poetry and lyrics reflect a deep connection with Jewish tradition and biblical sources.

These lectures will examine the mixture of Jewish influences in the work of Leonard Cohen and will seek to demonstrate the value of viewing Leonard Cohen’s work through a Jewish lens. This course will be taught using audio, video, text analysis, and group discussion.

Week 1: From Poetry to Song: Leonard Cohen, the Early Years

Week 2: Leonard Cohen: Between the Mountain and the World

Clifford Wilcox, Ph.D., is a historian who focuses on American intellectual and cultural history and Jewish Studies. His courses concentrate on the intersection of culture, ideas, politics, and religion in American history. He is Director of Education and Operations at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura, CA and has taught in the CLU FAB program since 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in American intellectual history from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Do you just want to sit back and laugh while exploring the world of musicals? This is the lecture for you. You’ll be chuckling while watching and discussing the most hilarious numbers from famous musicals and not so famous musicals. What can be funnier than watching ”Putting On The Ritz” from Young Frankenstein, “You’ve Gotta Have a Gimmick” from Gypsy, or absolutely anything from The Producers? There is nothing like a great song to get you in a great mood. We promise you will leave this class with your toes tapping and a smile on your face.

Film historians Sam and Candy Caponegro are passionate about movie musicals. For over thirty years, they have acted, directed, and produced professional, community, and school theater. Candy’s most notable professional acting roles are Adelaine opposite Nathan Lane in Guys and Dolls and Cheri opposite Divine in the New York production of Women Behind Bars. Sam and Candy have taught numerous courses and lecture on cruise lines, at libraries, and for many 50+ audiences. They hope to keep the classic movie musical and the golden age of Broadway alive through their lectures.