View excerpts from PCPA’s production of ‘Mary Poppins.’ Tackling a live production of a Disney classic is not something to which PCPA Theaterfest is a stranger; the premier theater company staged a memorable production of Beauty and the Beast as part of its 2005-2006 season. And now the even-more-iconic Mary Poppins is gracing the stage […]
Video
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Seeing with sound: Blind soprano Laurie Rubin will perform a recital for the Lompoc Concert Association
Watch a video of Laurie Rubin performing. Laurie Rubin is a professional opera singer who’s performed across the United States, in Europe, and even under the baton of John Williams, yet she’s never gazed upon a page of sheet music. Born blind, Rubin has had to make do without her sense of sight her entire […]
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Avia Belle Moon explores the Central Coast’s paranormal hot points
Local author scoured the area for her book ‘Spiritland’ and her quest to map the other side
Watch a video of Avia Belle Moon’s work. Civilizations, religions, and philosophies, for as long as they’ve existed, have failed to deliver a verifiable, definite answer as to what awaits us after the ends of our lives. Not even the reign of modern science—with all the electronic technology that comes with—can explain what our consciousness […]
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Point San Luis lighthouse creeps out visitors during haunted tours
View additional photos from the Point San Luis Haunted Lighthouse event. I was supposed to be at the Point San Luis Lighthouse parking lot by 1:45 p.m. The lighthouse’s executive director, Kristi Balzer, warned me that if I was late, the trolley would leave without me. And it was going to leave at 2 p.m., […]
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Eco-art: Santa Maria craftsman makes wine barrels into beautiful furniture
View additional photos of the Eco-Wine Santa Maria Workshop. Watch videos of the Eco-Wine crew at work. Jose Pedro Meza Santos has intimate knowledge of wine’s lifecycle. When he moved to the United States from Mexico 27 years ago, he picked grapes as a field hand. Four years and several college courses in English later, […]
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Singer-songwriter Amber Cross headlines a concert at the Dana Adobe
Check out the music video for Amber Cross’s “San Joaquin.” Those of us living in the daily hustle and bustle of city life are usually surprised by the tranquil and serene mood that pervades nature when we actually spend time in it. It doesn’t lack sound or movement, but rather moves at a different pace, […]
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Tibetan Buddhist monks will construct a sacred sand mandala at Allan Hancock College
Watch a video of the creation of a sand mandala at Steynberg Gallery. A group of Tibetan Buddhist monks has been making its way across the United States sharing cultural art forms and philosophies. Now on the Central Coast, the group—which hails from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in India—will be presenting several cultural pageants locally […]
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Native tribes will sing and dance at the Chumash’s 18th annual Intertribal Pow-Wow
Watch a video of featured artists, The Cathedral Lakes Singers. Before our modern times of casinos and fee-to-trust woes, Native Americans lived in equilibrium with Mother Earth and praised her with song. An upcoming event presented by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians invites all to come celebrate that connection with friendly music and […]
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¡Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara! brings top-notch performers to local families
Listen in: Mariachi Nuevo Tecatlitlán performs “Sones de Veracruz” live. Tres guitarras: Los Vega performs “Las Poblanas” from their album, En tonos muy diferentes. Music has the unique ability to connect people across cultures, generations, and even borders. It can also provide a snapshot of a place, people, or society. ¡Viva el Arte de […]
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PCPA’s Clybourne Park reveals that things don’t change
Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama takes on issues of race
BIG MOUTH: Watch an excerpt from PCPA Theaterfest’s ‘Clybourne Park’ Sitting in the audience for PCPA Theaterfest’s newly opened play is slightly uncomfortable and definitely awkward. And that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be for anyone watching Clybourne Park, a contemporary play written by Bruce Norris about racism, real estate, and sociological constructs. […]
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‘Green’ energy is key at the Chumash Casino and Resort
It’d be near impossible to cram information about all of the Chumash’s green energy initiatives into one article. The tribe has developed an impressive array of programs designed to make its casino, resort, and reservation as energy-efficient as possible. From solar thermal heating to LED lighting, to biofuel to waste management, the Chumash have it […]
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Setting the record straight
Central Coast native David Scheve educates about LGBT history with music and laughs in his short animated film
Generations of students have been simultaneously entertained and educated by the iconic “Schoolhouse Rock” series. Whether relating the American judicial process, or proper grammar, the series has staying power thanks to the classic rock’n’roll style and coherent cartoons. Central Coast native, actor, and filmmaker David Scheve has called on the “Schoolhouse Rock” formula for a […]