Last Chance
The Inflatable Crown, exhibit of Charlie Eckert’s color photographs of balloon hats by Addi Somekh, through April 6, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., LA, 310.440.4500.
Mary Mary Quite Contrary, a fantasy with storybook characters, for ages 2-10, through April 6, 12:30pm and 3pm Saturdays-Sundays, Santa Monica Playhouse Main Stage, 1211 4th St., 310.394.9779 x2.
Chuck Moffit, Scott Short, through April 5, Christopher Grimes Gallery, 916 Colorado Ave., 310.587.3373.
Reinterpretation, art exhibit that reexamines war, through April 5, SPARC, 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.9560.
Alison Saar, Hither, through April 5, LA Louvre Gallery, 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.4955.
“What’s the Story?” Festival of New Solo Plays, through April 6, 8pm Thursday-Friday/6pm Saturday/3 and 6pm Sunday, $10-$20, $35-$40 for festival pass, The Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 2nd St., 310.396.3680 x4.
THIS WEEK
April 4
Amadea Bailey, Gary Komarin, Steven Seinberg, and Sabine Tress, opening reception 6-9pm, through May 9, Lowe Gallery, 2034 Broadway, 310.449.0184.
Fools Fest Art Show, paintings, photography, and assemblages by Venice artists, reception 6-10pm, through April 11, Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave., Venice, 310.306.7330.
International Space Station: On the Home Stretch to Completion, 8pm, preceded by The Night Sky Show, 7pm, $5 or $9 for both shows, John Drescher Planetarium, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.4223.
Iran Today: The Iranian Point of View, talk by Said D. Jabbari, 7:15-9pm, Unitarian Universalist Community Church 1260 18th St., 310.829.5436.
Rabbi Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet, lecture, “All About God,” 6pm, Shabbat meal 7pm, $18 suggested donation, Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades, 15207 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7783.
April 4-5
Backlot Film Festival, film screenings and guests, noon-9pm, $3-$5, festival pass $50-$100, Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Ave., CC, schedule and information at 310.204.6920.
La La La Human Steps Amjad, a dance piece choreographed by Edward Lock, 8pm, $15-$48, Royce Hall, UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101.
Synapse Dance Theatre, 8pm, $12-$15, Lincoln Middle School Auditorium, 1501 California Ave., 310.434.3000.
April 4-6
Santa Monica Antique Show, 11am-7pm, Friday-Saturday/11am-5pm Sunday, $4-$7, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., 310.458.2288.
April 5
Don Bachardy, Portraits and Abstractions, Marvin Silver, LA Artists in the 60s, photographs, opening reception 4-6pm, through May 10, Craig Krull Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.6410.
Big Blue Bus Community Forum, discussion of changes in routes and schedules, 10am-noon, free, Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th St. Also Monday April 7, 6-9pm, Santa Monica Main Library Multipurpose Room, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Also Tuesday April 8, Fairview Branch Library, 6-8pm, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd. Info for all events at 310.458.2201.
The Challenge of Colors, Malibu Art Association juried show, opening reception 2:30-5pm, through May 2, Palisades Public Library Gallery 861 Alma Real Dr., PP, 310.454.4903.
Danger Dogs from Nepal, folk art from the Himalayas, opening reception 8-11:30pm, through April 26, Copro Nason Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.2628.
Ned Evans, Recent Work, opening reception 6:30-8:30pm, through May 10, William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.453.0909.
Fools Fest Live Performances, with music, comedy, and performance art, 7pm, free, Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave, Venice, 310.306.7330.
Hairspray, encore screening of the musical, 3:15pm, free, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Job Search Workshop, covers resume writing, interviewing, and job search strategies, 10am-noon, free, Fairview Branch Library, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., register at 310.450.0443.
Adonna Khare, By a Thread, opening reception 5-7pm, through May 10, Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.4344.
Siobhan McClure and Greg Rose, The Garden, opening reception 5-7pm, through May 10, Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.4344.
Richard Milazzo, Robert Burke, and Annie Reiner, poetry, 7:30pm, $5-$7, Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.3006.
Planet Siqueiros Peña, a new monthly art event, coinciding with the closing of the Reinterpretation art exhibit, 6:30-8:30pm, free, SPARC, 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.9560.
Poetry with Judith Pacht, Holaday Mason, and Jeanette Clough, 2pm, free, Ocean Park Branch Library, 2601 Main St., 310.392.3804.
Rabbi Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet, lecture on “Messiah a Jewish Concept?” 12:30pm, $18, Chabad JCC of Pacific Palisades, 15207 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7783.
Storytelling with Kathleen Zundell, ages 3-7, 10:30am, free, Children’s Book World, 10580.5 Pico Blvd., WLA, 310.559.2665.
April 6
Asha’s Baba Presents West African Fables, storytelling series, 11:30am, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30pm, free, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310.440.7360.
Fundraiser for Palisades Jewish Early Childhood Center, with snow, a jog-a-thon, scavenger hunt, lunch, and more, 11am-4pm, $100 per family, Temescal Gateway Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7781.
Iran, Israel, and the US: Confrontation or Engagement in 2008? symposium with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1-5:30pm, $75, American Jewish University, Familian Campus, l5600 Mulholland Dr., Bel Air, 818.461.8180.
Festival of the Westwood Co-op Folk Dancers, 1:30-5:30pm, free, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Ave., CC, 310.474.5953.
Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas, traveling exhibit of African art, through August 10, Fowler Museum at UCLA, WW, 310.825.4361.
New West Symphony, 4pm, $20-$95, Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, 601 Pico Blvd., tickets at 866.776.8400.
Open Reading with Re)verb, featuring Kevin Lee, Zachary Locklin, and Gerald Locklin, sign-up 4:45, reading 5pm, free, Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.3006.
Open Studio, 2-5pm, Otis College of Art and Design, 1550 Franklin Ave., El Segundo, 310.665.6893.
Spring Picnic Poetry Fund-Raiser, an outdoor event with impromptu poetry readings, 2-4:45pm, admission by donation of line of poetry which will be formed into a poem, suggested donation $10 but no one turned away for lack of funds, Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.3006.
April 7
Grand Hotel, classic drama with all-star cast, screened in conjunction with George Hurrell Hollywood glamour photography, 6:30pm, free, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst as the teenage queen of France, 2pm, free, Montana Branch Library, 1704 Montana Ave., 310.829.7081.
SPARK Storytelling Series, theme is “Tests,” 7:30pm, $10, The Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 2nd St., 866.OFF.MAIN.
Sri Karunamayi, spiritual leader, will hold a discourse, free, 7pm, Malibu Hindu Temple, 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd., Calabasas, 805.640.1162.
April 8
Catalina Island in 2008, talk by Frank Landis, Senior Plant Ecologist with the Catalina Island Conservancy, 7:30-9:30pm, free, First United Methodist Church, 1008 11th St., 818.881.3706.
Hamlet, 7:30pm, play followed by discussion, $10-$15, Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu, 310.506.4522. Also April 9-12.
Oceanaires Guest Night, all men who like to sing are invited, 7pm, free, Culver/Palms Church of Christ, 9733 Venice Blvd., CC, 310.275.3283.
Paula Poundstone and Bobby Collins, comedy show to benefit the arts at McKinley School, 7pm, $40, Shutters on the Beach Hotel, 1 Pico Blvd., tickets at 310.828.5011.
Sirens, Maidens and Nymphs, sculpture and paintings by Alisa Gabrielle, opening reception April 12, 4-8pm, through May 4, Topanga Canyon Gallery, 120 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.7909.
April 9
Aurelia’s Oratorio, a combination of dance, puppetry and theatre, with Aurelia Thierree, 8pm, $15-$34, UCLA Freud Playhouse, UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101. Also April 10-12, call for times.
Boats on a River, a play about sex-trafficking in southeast Asia, by Julie Marie Myatt, presented by The Play’s The Thing (to be recorded for radio broadcast), through April 13, 8pm Wednesdays-Fridays/3pm Saturdays/4pm Sundays, $20-$47, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., LA, 310.827.0889.
Discussion of Nicci French’s Secret Smile, 7pm, free, Montana Branch Library, 1704 Montana Ave., 310.829.7081.
Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, with Russell Steinberg, conductor, Beethoven compositions, 7pm, $3-$7, Schoenberg Hall, UCLA, WW, 310. 825.4761.
Pepperdine Collegium Musicum presents Remarkable Bach, a program of Bach music, 5 and 7pm, free, Stauffer Chapel, Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu, 310.506.4522.
April 10
Laurie Anderson Homeland, a new multi-media piece by one of the world’s top performance artists, 8pm, $20-$54, Royce Hall, UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101.
The Hope Hygieia: Restoring a Statue’s History, exhibit devoted to the conservation of a statue of the Goddess of Health, through September 8, Getty Villa, 17985 PCH, PP, 310.440.6770.
Living Legends of Aviation, celebration of 80th anniversary of LAX, 10am, free, Flight Path Learning Center in the Imperial Terminal, 6661 W. Imperial Highway, LA, 310.215.5291.
Panel Discussion, on preservation of bridges, with Getty Conservation Institute, moderated by Larry Mantle, 7pm, free, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, RSVP to laconservancy.org.
Talking Dance, with Simone Forti and Carmela Hermann, noon-1pm, free, Kaufman Family Garden Theater, Glorya Kaufman Hall, UCLA, WW, 310.825.3951.
Yappy Hour, new ongoing social event, every Thursday dogs and people can meet and greet each other, 6-8pm, free, Tails of Santa Monica, 2912 Main St., 310.392.4300.
Pepperdine Student Art Exhibit, titled Ransomed, through April 26, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu, 310.506.4851.
Poetry In Motion 10th Anniversary reading, with Molly Bendall, Eloise Klein Healy, and David St. John, 7pm, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
April 10-12
AFCI Locations Trade Show, 3-8pm Friday-Saturday/11am-5pm Sunday, free registration, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., afci.org/events/lts.htm.
10th Annual National Intercollegiate Business Ethics Competition, 1:30-6pm Thursday/9am-6:30pm Friday/9am-noon Saturday, announcement of finalists 2pm, Hilton Center for Business, Loyola Marymount University, 1 University Dr., Westchester, http://ethicsandbusiness.lmu.edu.
Mark Your Calendar
Santa Monica Earth Day, April 12
Pacific Palisades Annual Spring Garden Tour, April 13
Topanga Earth Day, April 19-20
Green Gardens Tour, April 26