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"Debra Ehrhardt possesses a rare ability to mesmerize!" Washington Post

Debra Ehrhardt of Jamaica, Farewell fame is back, with acclaimed performer Christopher Grossett and iconic Hall of Famer Paul Williams as director.

A true story about the importance of forgiveness and the power of vulnerability, because running away from something is not being free. in Look What Fell Out de Mango Tree, Debra uncovers a long-held secret that unlocks her ability to forgive and transforms her relationship with men. Expect to leave the theatre energized with the reaffirmation that vulnerability can be transformed into strength, frown into laughter, and sadness into joy. Starring Debra Ehrhardt and Christopher Grossett (Last Life, A Raisin in the Sun – Syracuse Stage; A Wrinkle in Time – Lincoln Center), directed by Hall of Fame Songwriter/Grammy-Award Winner Paul Williams, this delicious new play is written by Ehrhardt.

Last performance of the year – Sunday, November 10 at 4:00pm.

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous 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 We Are Santa Monica Fund, and Playhouse PALS.

Join Theatre R.A.W. for the world premiere of a cheerfully mysterious, unexpectedly amorous unveiling of the remarkable secret life of the dolls we left behind as your favorite dolls of olde (sic) burst onto the Santa Monica Playhouse stage, baring their souls, and their startling private lives, for all to see. This is NOT a children’s show.

Admission includes post-show wine and dessert reception with the cast.

Crafted and performed through the ShortBurst Theatre® process by Theatre R.A.W. members crafted and performed by Amanda Antunes, Smita Bagla, Victoria Bemis, Aiste Berman, Marty Cohen, Caitlin Crowley, Christie Evans, Kim Jarvis, Parris Kaspszk, Hugo Kim, Linda Kohn, Grainne Morgan, Maziar Rad, Warren Sata, Addie Walsh, Theda Weston and Playhouse Associate Director of Adult Education Berkeley Sanjay. Written by Evelyn Rudie, directed by Playhouse Co-Artistic Director Chris DeCarlo.

ShortBurst Theatre® is a collaboration in which professional artists, tyro performers and members of the community at large pool their resources, their time, and their concerns, to create theatre that is relevant on a personal, local and global level, and do it all in a very short span of time, hence the name.

Over the past 36 years, ShortBurst Theatre® has created 50+ collaborative productions locally, nationally and with companies from 11 countries, many that have later become main stage and touring productions, fostering cultural exchange and understanding and making a tangible difference across the city and around the world. “The performances and collaborations are excellent and very educative. Their work is brilliant!” Fusami Sugimine, Director Global Project, International Human Network, Japan.

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by 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, the We Are Santa Monica Fund and Playhouse PALS.

“An afternoon of theatre magic in which audience participation and brotherly love pave the way for another happy yuletide season!” raves LA Splash Magazine. It’s the timeless Rudie-DeCarlo musical comedy ALL ABOUT SANTA. Where has Santa gone? And how can the inhabitants of the North Pole save the spirit of the holidays from the diabolical machinations of an all-too-commercial world? Complete with perky elves, zany inventors, toy soldiers and porcelain dolls, audiences boo the villain, cheer the heroine, and help to save the day in this delightful holiday event, perfect for the whole family!

“ ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist.’ (Francis P. Church, NY Sun editor, 1897) That’s the message of Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie at Santa Monica Playhouse. They have a way of writing a play that speaks on many levels, even when it’s as simple as a Santa story. All About Santa explores the commercialization of Christmas, over-spending, and the value of love and personal involvement. Laughter is nearly continuous and certainly is contagious!” exclaims The Outlook.

It's holiday time at the North Pole and everyone is in a tizzy – Santa has disappeared. Is he taking a vacation? Did the sleigh run out of spirits? Can Mrs. Claus keep the home fires burning and the toy shop churning until he can be found? And to make matters worse, who should appear on the scene but the Suits from Badison Avenue, ready and willing to “solve” the problem with a host of plans to make the holidays even more commercial than ever. The good North Pole folk in this heart-warming Victorian yuletide musical almost succumb to these sinister hijinks, but, with the help of the audience, love and good cheer conquers all, leaving the way clear for still another happy holiday season!

Written and helmed by Playhouse Co-Artistic Directors Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, All About Santa features Sarah Hajmomenian, Madeleine LeMay, Isabel Lindley, JT Melaragno, Michala Peltz. Megan Wright, Words and music by E. Rudie, gorgeously detailed Victorian costumes by Ashley Hayes, and an outrageously delightful holiday set by James Cooper. Great for family gatherings, birthdays and holiday parties, too!

Saturdays at 2pm, Sundays at 12:30, December 7 - 15

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are sponsored in part by 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, We Are Santa Monica, the Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.

A creative exploration of the relationships we nurture and the ones we set free on our journey to collective liberation starring Savion, Lena Winner and Adya Mohanty. One night only!

Raised in rural Virginia, Savion moved to the Left Coast - to serve her country in the armed forces -- then never left. Savion is a life coach, a yoga instructor, a physical trainer, a passionate and improving beach volleyball player, a model, an actor, a musician, a performer, a vocalist, now realizing a lifelong dream by creating and performing this musical theatrical showcase production.

Lena Winner is an actress with a background in psychology and a love for helping her community. She studied the Meisner technique at the Ruskin School of Acting where she learned how to access a deep vulnerability and developed her love of acting. She hopes to continue growing her acting skills and proclivity for empathy through both performance and pursuing a degree in social work.

Adya Mohanty is an actor, singer, and writer. Since graduating from the USC School of Dramatic Arts in 2022 and training at the Ruskin School of Acting in Meisner technique, Adya has quickly landed a series regular role in an independent pilot, a network TV guest star, several leads in independent short films, a featured role in a Nike commercial for the Women’s World Cup. She also recently performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

Produced by Berkeley Sanjay, Santa Monica Playhouse Associate Director of Adult Education.

Santa Monica Playhouse is supported in part by generous grants from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, and Playhouse PALS.

Join us for a special table read and concert of this new Christmas musical, written by Leslie Claussen and Mark Corwin Bruce. The ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge returns to visit his great-great-great-grandson, delivering a Christmas Eve full of surprises and unforgettable moments. Don’t miss this festive and heartwarming continuation of a beloved holiday classic!
Buy your tickets in advance online or $15 at the door.

Conducted by Dr. Paul Mori, the Prime Time Band Fall Concert is a program everyone will enjoy. Join us for a delightful afternoon of the best of Hollywood, Broadway, American Folk, and many other genres. You will be sure to recognize some of your favorite tunes from the Wizard of Oz and Amazing Grace, to West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast. Curious who the winners are in "The Great American Awards Show"? Come join us and find out.

Prime Time Band is a vibrant group of amateur musicians, ages 40-90+, with a two-fold mission: providing free concerts for the community and an entry point to music making for mature adults.

The 3rd Annual Holidays in the Village, A European Marketplace, which celebrates the warmth and joy of the holiday season--all with a European flair, will take place Saturday, December 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at The Oaks parking lot (W. Wilbur Rd. and W. Thousand Oaks Blvd.) in Thousand Oaks. Visitors can shop for unique holiday gifts from 60 vendors in a festive, family atmosphere. The Marketplace features traditional European foods and beverages including bratwurst, soft pretzels, Aebleskiver and other pastries, warm mulled wine, apple cider and hot cocoa. A Kris Kringle children's village with Kris Kringle himself includes face-painting, Art Trek specialty crafts, a holiday train and a teddy bear scavenger hunt sponsored by the Southeast Ventura County YMCA. Carolers and live music will entertain visitors throughout the day. Admission and parking are free. The Marketplace is hosted by the two Rotary Clubs of Westlake Village. Proceeds support local nonprofits. For more information, go to http://www.HolidaysInTheVillage.org or email info@holidaysinthevillage.org.

“Success didn’t spoil me. I’ve always been insufferable.” – Fran Lebowitz

“On every level, she breaks the rules, and her late-life mainstream celebrity, attained simply by being – to be frank – a grumpy old lady, is the most glorious example of that. She deserves all the accolades.” The Guardian (U.K.)

Sharp-tongued, quick-witted and with a disarmingly world-weary persona, Fran Lebowitz enjoys a reputation as one of today’s great raconteurs. A cultural critic and talk show regular, she was featured in Martin Scorsese’s HBO documentary Public Speaking and his recent Emmy-nominated Netflix series Pretend It’s a City. An American original and purveyor of urban cool, the cultural satirist and author is pointed, forthright, unapologetically opinionated, and known for her dry social commentary on American life. With her irreverent spirit, Lebowitz taps an endless supply of hilarious one-liners to skewer the vanities of contemporary life.

“They could be grounded in their tone or mystical. They allowed time to stand still, and they could assume the pose of excitingly aggressive rockers. They did it all.”
– Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times

“The power to make you grateful for the very existence of music.”
The New York Times

Longtime friends and virtuosic musicians, these self-described “relatively bearded Scandinavians, sometimes mistaken for Vikings” have been playing as a quartet for more than 20 years. One of today’s most highly-acclaimed and in-demand classical quartets, the Danish is renowned for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, exquisite clarity of ensemble and, above all, an unmatched ability to play as one. This wide-ranging program combines works from the classical quartet repertoire with medieval Irish melodies and Nordic folk.

FREE copies of Orange’s new book, Wandering Stars, will be available while supplies last (pick up at event, one per household)

“Tommy Orange is building a body of literature that reshapes the Native American story in the United States. Book by book, he’s correcting the dearth of Indian stories even while depicting the tragic cost of that silence.” The Washington Post

Tommy Orange is the author of the bestselling There There, a thrilling multi-generational story about a side of America few of us have ever seen: the lives of urban Native Americans. Orange, a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for There There and is longlisted for the Booker Prize for his latest novel, Wandering Stars. He shows us violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people.