Last Chance
Sam Amato, A Selection of Recent Paintings, through May 17, FIG, Bergamot Station, 310.829.0345.
Irene Coray, “screwed paintings,” through May 17, Kulturas, 1700 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.454.8707.
Elliot Elgart, Computer Images, through May 17, FIG, Bergamot Station, 310.829.0345.
Flora the Red Menace, early Kander and Ebb musical, through May 18, 8pm Tuesdays-Fridays/2pm and 8pm Saturdays/2pm and 7pm Sundays, $70-$75, Freud Playhouse at UCLA, WW, 310.825.2101.
Jason Martin, Oceania, through May 17, LA Louver, 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.4955.
Henry Royer, Sculptural Encounter, through May 18, Lois Lambert Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.829.5707.
Betty Sheinbaum, From Beach to Beach, Joe Pinkelman, Beneath the Surface, Joan Vaupen, Beneath the Surface, through May 17, TAG Gallery, 2903 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.829.9556.
A Venice Collective, an exhibition of Venice photographers, through May 19, Beady Minces Gallery, 1311 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.450.1873.
THIS WEEK
May 15-17
4th Annual Poetry/Performance Festival, poets include Taaj Freeman, Wanda Coleman, Brenda Petrakos, Michael Datcher, and LeVan D. Hawkins, 8:30pm, $5-$20, Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., 310.315.1459.
May 16
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a play set in Ireland, through June 8, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays/6pm Sundays, $20, Malibu Stage Company, 29243 PCH, Malibu, 310.589.1998.
Camila, new musical by Lori McKelvey, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2pm Sunday, $15-$20, through May 25, Theatre Arts Building, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.3000.
Stefan Haves Presents Master Pieces Theater, circus, dance, visual comedy, and music, 7:30pm, free, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310.440.7300.
Mars Phoenix Lander: Before and After, 8pm, preceded by The Night Sky Show, 7pm, $5 or $9 for both shows, John Drescher Planetarium, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.4223
A Murder is Announced, an Agatha Christie Miss Marple mystery, through June 21, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays/2pm Sundays, $16-$18, Kentwood Players, Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester, 310.645.5156.
May 16-18
Icarus, a production of the Lookingglass Theatre from Chicago, based on the Greek myth, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays/3pm Sundays, $7, Villa Theatre Lab, Getty Villa, 17985 PCH, PP, 310.440.7300.
My Favorite Bead Show, jewelry and bead making classes with Wendy Simpson Conner, noon-6pm Friday/10am-6pm Saturday/11am-5pm Sunday, free, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., 310.247.8154
May 17
An Afternoon With Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide, Santa Monica’s Citywide Reads book, 3pm, free, Pavilion, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., santamonicacitywidereads.blogspot. com.
David Ashwell, Out of Malibu, reception 5-9pm, through June 21, Patricia Correia Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.264.1760.
Lewis Baltz, 1989-91 Sites of Technology, through July 15, Gallery Luisotti, Bergamot Station, 310.453.0043.
The Basics 3: Seed Starting, Transplants and Heirlooms: “Gardenerd” workshop with Christy Wilhelmi, 9:30am, $40, 310.391.3949 or gardenerd.com.
Ann Chamberlin, new paintings from Columbia and Mexico, reception 5-7pm, through June 21, Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.1133.
Cracking Art Group, opening reception May 22, 7-10pm, through June 21, Gallery 17, 17 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, 877.428.8880.
Duck Recipes demonstrated by Chef Vincent Cachot, noon and 2pm, free, Surfas, 8777 Washington Blvd., CC, 310.559.4770.
Festival of New American Musicals and ASCAP, a new musical will be performed, 7:30pm, free, Second Space, SMC Madison, 1310 11th St., 310.434.3414.
Fine Feathered Stories, bird watching hike, 8am, and Nature’s Grocery Store, plant collection hike, 11am, both hikes free, Temescal Canyon Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.856.7272 x115.
Grant Elementary School Carnival, 1-6pm, Grant Elementary School, 2368 Pearl St., 310.528.1937.
Marianela de la Hoz: Mundos Pequenos/Small Worlds, reception 5-7pm, through June 21, Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.1133.
Montana Avenue Sidewalk Sale, stores will display their wares, 10am-6pm, free, Montana Avenue, between 6th and 17th Streets, montanaavenue.com.
Mother-Daughter Fairy Tale, a tea party with a fairy-tale theme, for girls K-5 and their mothers or guardians, 2pm, free, Multipurpose Room, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8621.
Musicantica, an evening of music and poetry from Southern Italy’s oral tradition, 7:30-10:30pm, $10, SPARC, 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.9560.
OK Magazine’s Body and Soul on the Beach, with celebrity trainers, yoga and Pilates, consultations, and more, 9:30am, $15-$20, Santa Monica Beach Parking Lot 2030 #4 South, okmagazine.com/bodyandsoulevent.
LA Noir: The City As Character, lecture by Alain Silver and James Ursini, followed by film screening of The Big Heat, 2pm, free, Ocean Park Branch Library, 2601 Main St., 310.392.3804.
Astrid Preston: Paintings, reception 4-6pm, through July 12, Craig Krull Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.828.6410.
Reflections from the Artists’ Eye: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, through August 3, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu, 310.506.4851.
728 Alley Open Studio, Art and Jewelry Sale, with underground cartoonist Gabe Crate (the Tick) and jeweler and printmaker Kerri Parker, noon-6pm, free, 728 12th St. (in alley off Montana Avenue), 310.449.4471.
Storytelling with Kathleen Zundell, ages 3-7, 10:30am, free, Children’s Book World, 10580 1/2 Pico Blvd., WLA, 310.559.2665.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, a children’s play based on the Judy Blume novel, presented by the Y.E.S. Theatre program, through June 1, 11am Saturdays-Sundays, $5-$7, Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., 310.828.7519.
Variations: The Architecture Photographs of Jenny Okun, book signing 5:30-7:30pm, Hennessey and Ingalls, Art and Architecture Bookstore, 214 Wilshire Blvd., 310.458.9074.
The Visionary, one-man show by Mark Hobley, opening reception 7-10:30pm, through June 5, Applegate Gallery, 3101-A Main St., 310.396.7600.
Walk For Africa, sponsored by CareNow Foundation to raise medical funds for Africa, 9am, free, Palisades Park, walkforafrica.net.
Women in Diaspora, exhibit of art by women raised in the Middle East: Doris Bittar, Lidia Shaddow, and Nuha Sinno, opening reception 3-7pm, through June 14 (by appointment), SHARQ, 537 Arbramar Ave., PP. 310.454.6826.
May 17-18
Operation Gratitude, a project to send care packages to troops overseas, volunteers 12 years and up will assemble packages, 9am-noon and 1-4pm, California Army National Guard Armory, 17330 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, opgratitude.com. Also May 24-25.
Santa Monica Fine Arts Festival, local artists display their creations, from jewelry to sculpture, 10am-7pm Saturday/10am-5pm Sunday, free, Third Street Promenade, 818.709.2907.
May 18
Beach Green Family Picnic, grand opening of new green area near the beach which will stop pollutants before they enter Santa Monica Bay, 11am-2pm, free, 2030 Ocean Ave., north of Ocean Park Blvd., 310.458.8310.
Jason Robert Brown, music, 2pm, $40, Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 PCH, Malibu, 310.506.4055.
Bus Adventure to the Museums of the Arroyo, a bus tour of the many museums in the Pasadena area, presented by the Venice Historical Society, 10:30am, $5-$10, bus leaves from Venice Boys and Girls Club, 2232 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, 310.967.5170.
The Music Man of Manzanar, film by Brian T. Maeda, about a teacher in the Japanese internment camps of the WW II era, followed by discussion, noon, free, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Pacific Palisades Love Walk, sponsored by the Pacific Palisades Junior Women’s Club, for breast cancer research, registration 8am, walk 9am, 310.828.0600, dsirf.org.
Power of Meditation: For Stress Reduction and Performance, w/Swati Desai, four Saturdays in May, 11am-1pm. Akasha Center, 520 Arizona Ave., $200, 310.308.9531.
Jack Sheldon performs at Jazz Forum, 2:30pm, plus jams sessions at 1 and 3:30pm, $10, mention the Mirror and get $1 off, The Moose Lodge, 1600 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.395.1471.
SMC Jazz Band, 4pm, $12, Concert Hall, SMC, 1900 Pico Blvd., 310.434.3000.
Venice Art Walk, artists open their studios for visits, 11:30am-4:30pm, $50, register at Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 310.664.7911.
USTA Block Party, presented by the Santa Monica Tennis Club, all kinds of tennis-related activities, 11am-3pm, free, Reed Park, 700 block of Wilshire Blvd., 310.394.6011.
Walk For The Underdog, a walk to support dog rescue efforts, 10am, free, La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., LA, walkfortheunderdog.org/.
A Woman of Independent Means, with Emmy winner Susan Clark, author Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, and the HARC Foundation, a staged reading, 7pm, $50, Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., 310.821.0419.
May 18-19
LA Opera presents Truth, Lies and Opera, with arias and duets by young singers under the direction of Placido Domingo and Karen Ashley, 7pm, free, Second Space, SMC Madison, 1310 11th St., 310.434.3414.
May 19
Sal Masekela, TV host and musician, is the featured speaker at the SMC Entertainment Speakers Series, 7pm, free, SMC Academy of Entertainment and Technology, 1660 Stewart St., 310.434.3777.
May 20
Cosmic Ecology: The Landscape of Infinity, talk by Kala Perkins, Chautauqua Series, 7:30pm, free, Woodland Hall, Temescal Gateway Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.858.7272.
Peter Fletcher in Concert, 7pm, free, MLK Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
David Gilmour and Jesse Gilmour discuss their book The Film Club, 7pm, free, Barnes & Noble, 1201 Third Street Promenade, 310.260.9110.
Los Angeles Landmarks Slide Show, with Milt Slade of the Venice Historical Society, 7pm, free, Venice Library, 501 Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.967.5170.
Rip Rense, writer-journalist, is interviewed by Gerry Fialka at the first Canal Club Salon, 8pm, free, Canal Club, 2025 Pacific Ave., Venice, 310.823 3878.
May 21
Anne M. Bray, Danielle Eubank, Katherine Kean, reception May 31 5-8pm, through June 14, TAG Gallery, 2903 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.829.9556.
Paul Donaldson, Paintings of Tijuana and Rosarito, opening reception May 31, 4-6pm, through June 21, FIG, Bergamot Station, 310.829.0345.
Sara Felder, Out of Sight, one-woman play, 6pm, $12-$18, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., LA, 310.440.4500. Also May 23.
Green Living Workshop, Wednesdays through May 28, 7pm, free, Multipurpose Room, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Interviewing Excellence: Do’s of Great Interviews, presented by Daisy Swan, 6-8:30pm, $50, jobing.com, 12100 Wilshire Blvd., #320, WLA, 310.820.8877.
Montana Avenue Branch Book Group discusses Temple Grandin’s Animals in Translation, 7pm, free, Montana Branch Library, 1704 Montana Ave., 310.829.7081.
Out There, fundraiser and premier of surfing film, 8pm, $10, Air Conditioned Supper Club, 625 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, surfrider.org.
Prometheus’s Garden, a film by Bruce Bickford, using various media in animated form, 8pm, free, 7 Dudley Cinema, Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave., Venice, 310.306.7330.
Talmudic Ethics, through June 18, offering training in Jewish law, class offers Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits by studying the Talmud, 7:30-9pm, $125, Chabad JCC of Pacific Palisades, 15207 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.7783.
May 22
Cracking Art Group, opening reception 7-10pm, Gallery 17, 17 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, 877.428.8880.
The Empty Room: Spirit of the New World, performance piece by Michael Sakamoto, D. Sabela Grimes, Krenly Guzman, and Waewdao Sirisook, 6pm, free, Fowler Museum at UCLA, WW, 310.562.7947.
Lag B’Omer Celebration and Family Picnic, with moon bounce, music, volleyball, crafts, castles, and kosher hamburgers and hot dogs, 5:30pm, $10-$15, Will Rogers State Beach, 17000 PCH. 310.454.7783.
SM Pier Ferris Wheel community dedication and public lighting ceremony with free rides on the all-new $1.5 million Ferris wheel from 8:30 pm to midnight, 310.260.8744 or pacpark.com.
Juan Usle, Recent Paintings, reception 6-8pm, through July 5, LA Louvre Gallery, 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, 310.822.4955.
Walk Like A Diva, how to walk in high heels, taught by Queen Jazzmun, 8pm, $25, Il Primo Passo, 1024 Montana Ave., 310.828.4149, RSVP to ilprimopasso@gmail.com.
We Shall Not Be Moved, international graphics on gentrification, homelessness, and resistance, sponsored by Venice Community Housing Corporation, reception 7-9pm, through June 8, 1212 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.399.4100 x106.
Venice Media District Spring Mixer, 6-9pm, $10, Wit Animation, 959 Superba Ave., Venice, 310.429.4169.
Mark Your Calendar
Topanga Canyon Days, May 24-26
Geisha Performance, Santa Monica Main Library, May 25
The Bobs, June 1
Art on the Village Green, June 1
