Southern California Attractions and Santa Monica Events Calendar

Cirque du Soleil KOOZA

• Date(s): 10/16/2009 - 12/20/2009
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• Times: Monday-No Show, Tuesday-Thursday 8pm, Friday-Saturday 4pm and 8pm, Sunday 1pm and 5pm
• Location: Tent will be located at the 1550 lot, north of the Pier
• Phone: (800) 450-1480
• Admission: Adults: $60-$135; Children (ages 2-12): $42-$94.50; Students and Seniors: $54-$112.50

Cirque du Soleil returns to the Santa Monica Pier for its 25th anniversary with its performance of KOOZA. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

Love in Bloom

• Date(s): 10/17/2009 - 12/13/2009
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Friday, Saturday
• Times: Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm
• Location: The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th Street
• Contact: Santa Monica Playhouse Box Office
• Phone: 13103949779ext1
• Admission: $25 gen adm; $20 students, teachers, seniors, military; Previews (Oct 17-Nov 6) all seats $18

This tongue-firmly-in-cheek bawdy musical comedy features dainty damsels, dashing rogues, and lusty wenches who run gaily amok in the beleaguered town of Hamelot. In this world premiere Rudie-DeCarlo tribute to the heroes and heroines, wenches and rogues of the Bard, magic and mayhem, fops and fairies, mistaken identity, romance and humor abound, and a complimentary dessert and nibbles buffet at intermission makes this the best theatre evening in town. The eight-member cast, in the renowned Actors’ Repertory Theatre commedia-carnival style, creates a host of over thirty characters, bringing to the stage all the stuff that dreams (and musicals) are made on to insure that Jack will have his Jill, and all’s well that ends as you like it.

Written and directed by he award-winning creative team of Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie. Music & lyrics are by E. Rudie with Matthew Wrather, costumes and magical multi-level sets are by award-winning designer Ashley Hayes.

ICE at Santa Monica

• Date(s): 10/27/2009 - 01/31/2010
• Recurring daily
• Times: 10am-10pm weekdays, 10am-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays (including Halloween, Christmas Day and New Years Day)
• Location: Third Street Promenade at Arizona and 5th Street
• Admission: $10 and includes rental skates

Bring back childhood memories — or create new ones — as you slice through the ice in a festive atmosphere filled with holiday cheer and balmy ocean breezes. Located at 5th Street and Arizona Avenue, less than two blocks from the Third Street Promenade, the rink is open daily. The $10 admission includes skate rental. The rink is periodically cleared for short periods to groom the ice. If raining, the rink will remain open in light rain or drizzle conditions, closing only for heavy downpours.

A Winter's Tale: A Musical Dickens of a Christmas Carol

• Date(s): 11/07/2009 - 12/12/2009
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Saturday
• Times: 2 pm
• Location: Santa Monica's Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd
• Contact: Box office
• Phone: (310) 828-7519
• Admission: $15 reserved seats

This lively musical adaptation showcases both the humor and pathos of Dickens’ rich 1843 story of spiritual renewal and redemption. A Winter’s Tale uses the tools of musical theatre – song and dance -- to recreate A Christmas Carol, the classic tale that has become a holiday favorite for children and adults of many faiths. .

A Santa Monica Pier Centennial Exhibition Featuring Photographic Vision of Jeffrey F. Giglioli

• Date(s): 11/16/2009 - 01/17/2010
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• Times: Monday & Thurs 11am - 5pm and Fri thru Sunday 11am thru 7pm
• Location: Carousel, Santa Monica Pier
• Contact: Anne Railsback
• Phone: (310) 458-8901
• Admission: Free

In continuation of Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp.'s year-long celebration of the Centennial of the Santa Monica Pier, Jeffrey F. Giglioli will share his photographic vision of the Pier with an exhibition opening Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 in the historic Carousel and continuing through Sunday, January 17, 2010. Giglioli, a Los Angeles native and Viet Nam War Veteran, has been a still photographer for most of his life. His black and white photographs capture his passion for the Santa Monica pier and the beauty found above and below the wooden planks of this iconic structure. Many of the photographs include Pier businesses of days-gone-by including Sinbad's, Al's Kitchen, and Cocky Moon, just to name a few.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica - Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive

• Date(s): 11/16/2009 - 11/24/2009
• Recurring daily
• Times: Donation drop off times are Mon. - Fri. 9am-7pm and Sat. 10am-3pm
• Location: Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, 1238 Lincoln Blvd.
• Contact: Kristin Andre
• Phone: (310) 394-2582

We need your help! Mission Real Estate Group and the Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs of Santa Monica would like to cordially invite you to participate in our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner & Canned Food Drive. Each year, the Club of Santa Monica prepares a Thanksgiving feast for Club members and their families – last year they had over 200 people attend the event, most of whom thought there wouldn’t even be a Thanksgiving dinner. At that event, we also like to give our neediest families a basket of Thanksgiving food items with gift cards for turkeys, so they can have their very own Thanksgiving Meal on Thanksgiving Day. Our goal is to provide families in need with a bountiful meal on Thanksgiving Day. In order to make this a reality we need to collect all the things that go into making a Thanksgiving Dinner!

Edgemar Shopping Cart Tree

• Date(s): 11/17/2009
• Recurring daily
• Times: Daily 12pm to 8pm
• Location: Edgemar, 2449 Main Street in the Courtyard
• Contact: Anthony
• Admission: Free

The building of the Edgemar Shopping Cart Tree by artist Anthony Schmitt. Enjoy a Peet's Coffee and see the tree getting decorated, or even a haircut at Piero and still have a view of the event. The tree will be up and complete by this weekend. Join us on the 5th of December for the Candle Light Walk. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Cache Art Program

• Date(s): 11/17/2009 - 01/17/2010
• Recurring daily
• Location: Cache, 3110 Main St
• Contact: Jannis Swerman & Company
• Phone: (818) 789-7747

Cache Restaurant invites friends and diners to share an exhibition of painting and assemblage by artists Ed Moses and Paulin Paris. Cache's second show, “International Contrasts” is an exhibition of recent work by world renowned Ed Moses and Paulin Paris. The exhibition is next installment of an on-going series of shows and art events in the Cache dining room, designed to honor both prominent and emerging artists.

KCRW Presents Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Performing Love’s Labour’s Lost

• Date(s): 11/19/2009 - 11/29/2009
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• Location: The Broad Stage, The Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St
• Phone: (310) 434-3200

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, direct from London, will perform Love’s Labour’s Lost. Shakespeare’s celebration of young love is a festive parade of every weapon in the youthful playwright’s comic arsenal—from excruciating cross-purposes to silly impersonations, drunkenness, bustups and pratfalls. It’s also his most joyful banquet of language, groaning with puns, rhymes, bizarre syntax, grotesque coinages and parody.

Make an evening of it: Eat, Drink and Be Carried Away! Dine at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel's Ocean and Vine restaurant before the show and enjoy a special Broad Stage theater menu. Imagine, a glass of wine, an appetizer, an entree and complimentary valet parking for only $28. They'll even shuttle you up to The Broad Stage. Reservations are required. Just call (310) 576-3180.

Dates and times below:

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 7:30pm
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 1:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 1:00pm
Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 7:30pm
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 1:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 2:00pm

“THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE”

• Date(s): 11/20/2009 - 11/21/2009
• Recurring daily
• Times: Fri. 7pm, Sat. 2pm
• Location: First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, 1008 11th St
• Phone: (310) 393-8258
• Admission: $12, children, 12 and under $8

Wonderful production based on the children’s novel by C.S. Lewis.

A Talk on the Wild Side

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 6-8pm
• Location: Arena One Gallery, 3026 Airpot Ave
• Phone: (310) 397-7449
• Admission: Free

Gallery discussion moderated by Mohamed Sharif.

Art Show: Featuring Little Smarty Pantz

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: Saturday, November 21st, 5pm-9pm
• Location: Flying Saucers Caffeine & Art, 306 Pico Blvd
• Contact: Erika
• Phone: (323) 762-4166
• Admission: Just bring your smiling faces!

The debut of Little Smarty Pantz, a uniquely imaginative infant clothing line! Come and see great art, grab a cup of coffee, and meet the artist/designer. Free gift bags, desserts, and coffee. It's something the whole family can enjoy!

FREE HUNGER AND HOMELESS AWARENESS CONCERT

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 7pm
• Location: First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, 1220 Second St
• Phone: (310) 309-7820

Featuring three L.A. rock bands, free refreshments. Sponsored by the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition.

Holiday Boutique at Roosevelt Elementary School

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 9am-4pm
• Location: Roosevelt Elementary, 801 Montana Ave

Shop for the holidays in one place while giving back to public education. 20% of all sales from this day benefit programs for the children at Roosevelt. More than 50 vendors will feature gifts for home, handbags and fashion accessories, jewelry, cool clothing for adults and children toys. Shoppers will find chic items from Rebecca Cullen Jewelry Designs, Beth Springer, Tote Le Monde, C Company, Semi Precious, Clean Living of Santa Monica and so many more.

North American Free Running Championship

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 10:00AM to 6:00PM
• Location: 2030 Beach Lot, 2030 Barnard Way
• Contact: Tanya
• Phone: (310) 295-0071

A new sport called "free running" with a competition in a pre-designed, confined course that will be filmed for possible TV distribution.

Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 10am - 12pm
• Location: Will Rogers State Beach @ Chautauqua
• Phone: 800 HEAL BAY, x148

Open to all. This is a great opportunity for you and your friends to get involved! Volunteers must be 12 years old or accompanied by a parent. No RSVP is needed...just show up! All cleanup volunteers must have a signed waiver form.

Rock & Urban Art

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 8-10pm
• Location: Jeanie Madsen Gallery, 1431 Ocean Ave
• Phone: (310) 393-7436

Jeanie Madsen Gallery presents the Rock & Urban Art Show, featuring rockin' artists Scott Horton and Byron Buchanan. Live music by London Shover and Jack Cloud.

THE TOY SHOW II

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: Artist’s reception, 5 to 7pm
• Location: Lora Schlesinger Gal-lery, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., T3
• Phone: (310) 828-1133

An exploration of toys through sculpture, painting, photography, found objects.

Wahoo's Fish Taco 21st Birthday Party!

• Date(s): 11/21/2009
• Times: 11:00 am
• Location: Wahoo's Fish Taco 418 Wilshire Boulevard
• Admission: Free

Wahoo's Fish Taco Santa Monica hosts a party to celebrate 21st birthday! Locations Statewide Offer Free Food and Prizes to Thank Customers Wahoo’s Fish Taco, a community mainstay and worldwide pop culture phenomenon since 1988, is turning 21. The Santa Monica restaurant will open its doors on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. and begin handing out presents to customers for their loyal support.

To thank the community, each attendee will receive a gift from Wahoo’s, ranging from free meals to gift cards. Additionally, the first 21 guests will receive a goodie bag, which will include items from some of their friends in the action sports industry including Famous Stars and Straps, Tony Hawk Inc., 900 films, Jakks Toys, Liquid Force, and Tilly’s.

American Cinematheque Screenings: Aero Theatre

• Date(s): 01/01/2008
• Recurring daily
• Location: 1328 Montana Avenue at 14th Street
• Phone: (323) 466-3456
• Admission: Tickets $10 or $7 for members

Movie presentations by American Cinematheque, a non-profit, viewer-supported cultural organization, dedicated to the public presentation of the moving picture in all its forms, from classics to the outer frontiers of the art form. Weekly screenings of art, independent and classic films. Also sneak peaks of upcoming movies with celebrity guest appearances and discussions with film-makers. Call for program information: 323-466-3456. Tickets $10 or $7 for members.

Downtown Farmers' Market

• Date(s): 01/02/2008
• Recurring weekly on Wednesday, Saturday
• Times: Wednesday 8:30am-1:30pm; Saturday 8:30am-1:00pm
• Location: Arizona Avenue between Second and Third Street
• Phone: (310) 458-8712
• Admission: Free

Enjoy one of Santa Monica's farmers markets, widely considered to be among the best on the west coast and featuring field-fresh produce, hundreds of kinds of vegetables, brilliant cut flowers, breads, cheeses, delicious foods, live music and more.

Farmers' Market Locations: Wednesdays at Arizona Ave & 2nd St and Saturdays at Arizona & 3rd St

Downtown Walking Tours of Santa Monica

• Date(s): 01/05/2008
• Recurring weekly on Saturday
• Times: Every Saturday morning, 10am
• Location: 1436 2nd St (between Broadway and Santa Monica Blvd)
• Phone: (310) 496-3146
• Admission: $5 for members, $10 for public

Presented by the Santa Monica Conservancy, discover more than 130 years of Santa Monica history. In approx. 2 hours and six blocks, the walk traverses more than 130 years of Santa Monica History, from its Wild West frontier beginnings to the sophisticated metropolis of today. RSVP the Thursday prior to the tour at (310) 496-3146.

Tours are every Saturday morning, $5 for members, $10 for public. Parking is available in the city parking structure opposite the hostel on the east side of 2nd Street. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Note that this tour is not suitable for young children.

Tours are rain or shine, but "rain checks" are offered if you call or email to reschedule.

Pico Farmers' Market

• Date(s): 01/05/2008
• Recurring weekly on Saturday
• Times: 8:00am-1:00pm
• Location: Virginia Park at Pico and Cloverfield
• Phone: (310) 458-8712
• Admission: Free

Enjoy one of Santa Monica's farmers markets, widely considered to be among the best on the west coast and featuring field-fresh produce, hundreds of kinds of vegetables, brilliant cut flowers, breads, cheeses, delicious foods, live music and more.

Cinderella: The Musical

• Date(s): 01/17/2009 - 12/20/2009
• Recurring weekly on Sunday, Saturday
• Times: 12:30pm & 3:00pm Saturdays and Sundays
• Location: Santa Monica Playhouse Main Stage, 1211 4th Street
• Contact: Sandra Zeitzew
• Phone: 3103949779ext2
• Admission: $10.50 (Kids 12 and under), $12.50 (Adults)

Last chance to try on the glass slipper! Help Cinderella find her happily-ever-after one more time as the Year of the Glass Slipper approaches the finish line.  Romance blooms in this internationally acclaimed musical for kids 2 to 102, featuring zany fairy godmother, charming prince, silly stepsisters and a zealously well-meaning stepmother, voted Playhouse audience favorite 14 years in a row.

Cinderella’s 25th anniversary celebration is coming to a close, only a few more chances to see this joyous musical comedy. Birthday and tea parties are available with every performance. Twenty-five years after the original award-winning musical Cinderella debuted as part of the Playhouse Musical Matinee Series, after nearly two dozen tours to England, Alaska and Japan, and after delighting more than a quarter of a million audience members to date, this beloved heroine is still the single most requested Santa Monica Playhouse Family Theatre musical on three continents. Cinderella Alumni include Rina Mimoun (producer/writer Gilmore Girls, Pushing Daisies), casting director Liz Dean, Emmy winner Aisha Waglé, novelist Rebecca Donner and television personality James Calvert.

First Presbyterian Features Works of Laddie John Dill

• Date(s): 07/20/2009
• Recurring daily
• Location: 1220 Second St
• Phone: (310) 451-1303
• Admission: Free

Painter/sculptor Laddie John Dill was born in Long Beach, California in 1943. He graduated from Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, in 1968 with a BFA degree. Dill was influenced by Rauschenberg, Keith Sonnier, and environmental artists Robert Smithson, Dennis Oppenheim and Robert Irwin, who were exploring alternatives to easel painting.

Featured work is displayed outside on the First Presbyterian gate. 

Abstract Acrylics Workshop

• Date(s): 08/24/2009
• Recurring weekly on Monday, Saturday
• Times: Mondays 6-8pm/ Saturdays 11-1
• Location: at PAINT:LAB 2912 Main Street, Santa Monica
• Contact: Melanie
• Phone: (310) 450-9200
• Admission: $40.00 + the purchase of your canvas

Samantha has been captivated and immersed in the arts from a very early age. Her diverse cultural background and love for the arts has contributed immensely to her unique style and visual language, as a fine artist and as a designer. Encompassing traditional with cutting edge, her approach to color and form reflect her skills and influences throughout her life, expanding and always contributing to her extensive resume of accomplishments. Deep emotions expressed through the abstraction of the human body, of nature. A manipulation of textures, lines, and colors, conveying the essence of an inner soul. A higher spirit. Something felt but seldom seen. A release of flight and energy. A realm of inner vision, flowing from mind to brush to canvas, giving one the sense of visual form of emotions, stretched and broken as our imagination maybe. A transference of the cathartic flow. The inside realized. Your truth visualized.

Beginners very welcome, maximum 8 students. Reservations required (310) 450-9200. Workshop Fee: $40 Price includes paint and brushes, does not include purchase of your canvas

Skateboard: Evolution and Art in California

• Date(s): 11/14/2009 - 05/30/2010
• Recurring daily
• Times: Wednesday through Sunday 11:00am to 4:00pm
• Location: California Heritage Museum, 2612 Main St
• Phone: (310) 392-8537
• Admission: General Admission: $3.00, Seniors, Students: $2.00, Members, Children under twelve: Free

The California Heritage Museum is proud to present “SKATEBOARD: Evolution and Art in California.” Guest curated by legendary Z-boy Nathan Pratt in conjunction with museum staff curator Michael Trotter and advisory committee members Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom (Zephyr co-founders), Cris Dawson (1966 Hobie Champ), Z-Boys Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, and 1980’s world champion Christian Hosoi, the exhibition traces the evolution of boards from pre-1950 to the present showcasing the riders, designers, artists, and manufacturers that created the California phenomenon known as the skateboard.

This is the first exhibition of the California skate movement to be shown in “Dog Town”, the Santa Monica/Ocean Park area where modern skateboarding was born and the skate became an art form. The California Heritage Museum is located in the vortex at Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard.