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The Good Good Show is a stand up comedy show featuring the hottest comedians working today that you've seen or heard on Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, Kevin Hart Presents, Amazon Prime, Jimmy Kimmel, MTV, Comedy Dynamics, SiriusXM and more.

FEATURING: Jen Murphy, Jamel Johnson, Julie Weidmann and Chad Opitz.

Come have some laughs with us and enjoy a delicious craft beer (wine available too)!

7:30 p.m. $10

Show is 21+

FREE Summer Films: Dog Days of Summer - 7 Film Series

Friday nights under the stars at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden
In this road-trip comedy, two hard-charging former Army Rangers paired against their will – Briggs (Channing Tatum) and a Belgian Malinois named Lulu – race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, confront the possibility that pet psychics are real and begin to reckon with the one thing they were trained never to do: surrender. (Reid Carolin, Channing Tatum, 2022, PG-13, 101 min.)

Bring breathable blankets or a low chair, a picnic and your friends!
Check out the summer film FAQs for more attendee information.

In its 41st year, the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival is truly the Original Santa Barbara Wine Festival.

Don’t miss the opportunity to taste wines from 60+ wineries and sample regional cuisine from dozens of restaurants, chefs, and food producers, while strolling through the picturesque vines at Vega Vineyard and Farm. Chat with the winemakers and winery owners and enjoy live music from Generic Clapton. At the Rio Vista Chevrolet Bubble Lounge, sample sparkling wines from some of the region’s top producers.

An Early Entry Admission ticket grants access to the festival at noon, 60 minutes prior to General Admission tickets, providing the opportunity to interact more personally with winemakers, owners, and chefs in a more spacious, open, and uncrowded environment.

Joining the exciting “Black History [every] Month” 2025 line up is Jon Gentry’s delightful comedy.

“Jon Gentry’s Black Bastard leaves audiences screaming for more!” @lahiddengems

Queer. Southern. Creole… Black Bastard transports audiences to 1990s Houston in a humorous, heartfelt coming-of-age tale. Jon, an inquisitive Black boy, develops a love for literature until his family fractures, thrusting him into the role of “man of the house.” A comedic spiral ensues as Jon grapples with his identity(ies). When a bully confronts him at school, Jon begins to search for his absent father, but is he ready for what he may find? Through literature, clowning, self-discovery, and original song, the production invokes 90’s nostalgia in a jambalaya of memoir, embodied character transformation, and socio-cultural commentary. The show confronts stereotypes about absent Black fathers while exploring broader themes of identity, expression, and our collective search for belonging and ultimately home.

Winner of the Hollywood Fringe Soaring Solo Social Impact Award. Directed by Shinelle Azoroh.

Jon Gentry was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He earned his BA in English from Harvard, where he served as President of BlackCAST. He holds an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater. As a teaching artist, he co-directed “Child Life” with UCSF Children’s Hospital and led acting workshops across the Bay Area. He currently teaches Michael Chekhov Acting Technique at the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory. His regional theater credits include roles in Clybourne Park, A Christmas Carol, and Romeo and Juliet. On screen, he appeared in TEN, Behold a Lady, Meeting Matt Damon and voiced Preston Garvey in Fallout 4, gaining viral fame.

One week only; rated 18+

The Santa Monica Playhouse Black History [every] Month Project presents African-American theatrical creations not just in February, but throughout the year. Seeing a poster on the Playhouse patio wall advertising a production for Black History Month, a Playhouse conservatory student asked, “What about the rest of the year?” Excellent question, one that became the inspiration for the Black History [every] Month project, recognizing, honoring and celebrating the rich heritage of Black arts, artists, and culture in our community, with generous support from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Arts Commission, and Playhouse PALS.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people 50+ years of age, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses (without the pressure of grades) for the sake of learning and social engagement.
Schedule for August:
• The Art of Fabergé with Eleanor Schrader | Tuesday, August 5, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• The Vulnerability of Our Interconnected, Resilient, Modern World with Dr. Paul Witman| Wednesday, August 6, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• From Broadway to Movies: Let’s Talk Musicals with Sam and Candy Caponegro | Thursday, August 7, 1:30-3:30pm (PT), Zoom
• The ACE Score Effect: Childhood Trauma, Crime, and the Power of Intervention (Two Parts) with Dr. Molly George | Mondays, August 11 & 18, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Speech in the Digital Age: Free Expression, Suppression, and the Tools of Control with Dr. Aaron Heresco | Wednesday, August 13, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• “All-Girl” Orchestras and Female Musicians of WWII, featuring the International Sweethearts of Rhythm (Two Parts) with Dave Radlauer | Thursdays, August 14 & 21, 1:30-3:30pm, Zoom
• Religion’s Influence on Key American Figures: Betsy Ross, Phillis Wheatley, Abraham Lincoln, & Frederick Douglass (Two Parts) with Dr. Jason Hensley | Wednesdays, August 20 & 27, 1-3pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Looking through the Window: The Art of Edward Hopper with Katherine Zoraster | Monday, August 25, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people 50+ years of age, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses (without the pressure of grades) for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Schedule for June:
• History of the Grand Ole Opry and the Renewed Popularity of Country Music (Two Parts) with Tony Moon | Mondays, June 2 & 9, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• The Dead Sea Scrolls in Context (Two Parts) with Dr. Jason Hensley | Thursdays, June 5 & 12, 1:30-3:30pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• From Manhattan to Johannesburg: How Ideologies of Exclusion and Gentrification (Urban Renewal) Expanded Across the Globe with Dr. Lorena Muñoz | Tuesday, June 10, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• The Life and Art of John Singer Sargent: Portraits, Fashion and Travels with Katherine Zoraster | Monday, June 16, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Producing Well-known and Lesser-known Shakespeare Plays (Twelfth Night and Cymbeline at Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival) with Michael Arndt | Thursday, June 19, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• Liverpool, the City of Seafarers, Immigrants, and The Beatles with Dr. Asya Pereltsvaig | Friday, June 20, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• World War II: From D-Day to the Rhine (Two Parts) with Dr. David Livingstone | Mondays, June 23 & 30, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Saving the World as We Know it: The Story of a Greek Hoplite with Scott Jones | Wednesday, June 25, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks

Series continues through August.

“One of the best in the country!” Daily Variety

A spectacular all-day theatre camp where young people make friends, expand their imagination and have fun as they act, sing, dance, play theatre games, and work with costumes and make-up, lighting and sound, sets and props, to help create an awesome fully staged original play or musical production written just for them.

‘I couldn’t stop smiling cheek to cheek!” Maia A, after her first session (age 5)

The respected Playhouse Diversity-in-Education Conservatory program for youth, now celebrating its 56th year, combines the fun and excitement of working as a team to create and perform a brand-new play with the joy and fulfillment of a stress-free, creative, arts-oriented environment in which working actors share their love of the craft with young people in all stages of development. Participants learn to share feelings and responsibilities with a group of their “play”-mates in an engaging and fun atmosphere and get a great physical workout, too.

“Our daughter learned more about drama in one week with SMP than in all the productions she’s ever done – put together. We're absolutely ecstatic!” educator and workshop mom Jennifer D.

No experience needed, but even the most “advanced” young actor will benefit from this unique hands-on method, structured so that each child can be successful.

Eight one-week classes to choose from, each with its own original show at the end of the week. Classes meet Mon – Fri, 9 to 3. June 16-20; June 23-27; July 14-18; July 21-25; July 28-Aug 1; Aug 4-8.

Special Teen Camp (ages 11 to 16, Aug 4-8) and Early Stages classes (ages 4 to 6, June 16-20 and July 28-Aug 1) also available.

“Thank You for giving our four children a priceless theatre experience at the Playhouse and for imparting top-quality values of caring and commitment which will stay with them always. Shiela T.

Playhouse conservatory alumni include Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel, Jason Ritter, Jason Segel, 12-year Playhouse alumna Cami Anderson, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and Maroon 5’s Mickey Madden, who calls the program “Great in so many ways!”

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people 50+ years of age, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses (without the pressure of grades) for the sake of learning and social engagement.
Schedule for July:
• Museum Mamas: The Making of MOMA (Two Parts) with Christine Maasdam | Tuesdays, July 1 & 8, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• Guardians of the Skies: The Role and Evolution of the Federal Air Marshal Service with Pedro Fernandez | Wednesday, July 2, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Songs of the Civil Rights Movement with Cary Ginell | Wednesday, July 9, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• A Look at Photography Today with Avril Angevine | Thursday, July 10, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• CRISPR: A Genetic Revolution (Two Parts) with Wesley Tierney | Mondays, July 14 & 21, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• Los Angeles in the 1950s: When Pop Culture Transformed LA into a World-Class Destination with Sharon Boorstin | Tuesday, July 15, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom
• Buildings that Define American Cities: Portland and Seattle (Two Parts) with Eleanor Schrader| Wednesdays, July 16 & 23, 1-3pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks
• Losing the Voice of America: The Unprecedented Challenges of the News Media in the United States with Dr. Kirstie Hettinga | Thursday, July 31, 10am-12pm (PT), Zoom & Thousand Oaks

Series continues through August.

“A magnificent trip back in time! I recommend it highly!” Keith Olbermann, ESPN

It’s a two-show-only Save-the-Main-Stage home series of Eddie Frierson's widely acclaimed theatrical show. “One of the Year’s Ten Best Plays! Whether you are a baseball fan or not, Eddie Frierson’s play, “MATTY: An Evening With Christy Mathewson,” is a superb theatrical experience. “MATTY hits a home run!” National Public Radio (NPR). Written and performed by Eddie Frierson. Directed by Kerrigan Mahan.

”Remarkable! This show is as memorable as an exciting World Series game and it wakes up the echoes about why we love baseball. When MATTY comes to your town don’t miss it! A great way to get hooked on baseball again!” USA TODAY

“Matty” is the life story of Christy Mathewson, legendary hall-of-fame pitcher for the New York Giants (1900 to 1916), gentleman, philosopher and first true American hero who inspired a whole generation of fans to make baseball America's pastime. Besides his ballpark records, still among the most impressive ever posted, he was an author of books for boys, toured in vaudeville, made a motion picture, and was a war hero, a coach, a sports writer and very likely the first major sports figure to be a product spokesperson.

“It’s 100% true that you don’t have to be a baseball fan to be completely engaged by Eddie Frierson’s performance. He leaves the audience with a real appreciation of Christy Mathewson, and the place and time in which he was an authentic hero. On the other hand, if you are a baseball fan, you will be amazed at how much you didn’t know about “Matty,” his contemporaries, and the dramatic baseball events of their time.” Bob Costas, NBC

Frierson, who researched and developed the play, is also a college-educated all-American ballplayer. A baseball scholarship brought him to UCLA to pitch for the Bruins. While there he also pursued a degree in theatre and, as he says, realizing that he would never be a hall-of-famer, bypassed a professional baseball career in order to pursue acting. Staying close to his athletic roots after graduation, he was the head baseball coach at Santa Monica High School while looking for the perfect vehicle to launch his acting career. He found that vehicle with the Christy Matthewson story, spending twelve years researching and developing it into “Matty,” which had one of its first public performances at Santa Monica Playhouse in 1989.

“Charming! Amusing! Great!” Wilborn Hampton, The New York Times

Ironically, Eddie has clearly gone farther in baseball through the stage than he ever would have on the field as it is because of his performance as “Matty” that he was ushered into Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as an “Honorary Inductee.”

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 Ahmanson Foundation and Playhouse PALS.