Where we’re born is more than a location, it’s part of who we are. Where We’re Born, the stage play by Lucy Thurber, is a strikingly simple and honest look at a young woman’s struggle with life change, the desire to and difficulty of leaving the comfort of your home and history—however hurtful it may have been. It is not a story, but a more like a series of snapshots taken during the course of a few days when the relationships and potentially, lives of three people are forever altered. The catalyst for all of this is Lilly (Jessicah Neufeld), on a quasi-vacation from college. She arrives back in the small Western Massachusetts hill town she calls home just as a domestic crisis is unfoldi

The first question presented to the panel was "What does Sacramento have that other cities don't have, and what don't we have?", and with that, the passionate discussion about 'The State of Live Music in Sacramento' was off and running. It was one question that fueled one-and-a-half hours of enthusiastic discussion. On Sunday evening The Sacramento Living Library (curated by Time Tested Books' Peter Keat and hosted by Midtown Monthly Editor Tim Foster) brought together five notable Sacramento music industry insiders to talk about music, politics, venues, history, and demographics. Jerry Perry (legendary Sacramento promoter), Brian McKenna (Abstract Entertainment), Rick Ele (KDVS), Mindy G

Prelude to the Season 2011 - Arts & Minds Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all our sponsors, volunteers and guests! On October 14, 2011, Prelude to the Season debuted the theme “Arts and Minds” to recognize the unity of creative pARTerships. The event began with a video greeting from Congresswoman Doris Matsui and a welcome speech by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The lineup featured entertainment by jazz duo Clemon Charles & Mike Wilson; the cast of Cosmo Cabaret’s current show, “Bingo!”; dancers from I Can Do That!, an arts and education group that works with young people of all abilities; a short film by BVA Volunteer Jayson Carpenter on the work of Heart to Heart

[Jim Krall’s six year old daughter has just been kidnapped] ...from her own birthday party in front of his family and friends-and no one seems to care but him. Alone in his devastation, Jim Krall sets out on a nightmarish quest to find his child. This obsession will lead him into a world of Dark Pool investments, DNA manipulation, String Theory, time travel and alternate realities...   It started with Sam. Sam was a graduate of Natomas Charter School. He was bright and creative and bored. He isn’t any of those things anymore. Last year he took his own life. Now he is an inspiration. Rick Gott is an actor. Rick Gott is a teacher. He was Sam’s teacher. He sees a lot of students gra

Big Idea Theatre’s production of “The Pillowman” opened Thursday night and led its viewers through a dark and sometimes painful statement about the importance of storytelling and art. The play, directed by Kirk Blackinton, is an adaptation of the 2005 Broadway hit by the same name. Set in a totalitarian police state, the dark play chronicles the interrogation of Katurian Katurian, a brilliant writer with a tortured past. He and his older brother, Michal, who suffers from a form of mental retardation, are being held on charge of the murder of several young children. The two cops, Tupolski and Ariel, are attempting to tie Katurian’s stories to the killings. Many of his stories portray grue

Sacramento composer and band leader Harley White, Jr. is writing and arranging “Louis and the Gator,” a New Orleans-style Jazz re-write of Sergie Prokofievs’ musical “Peter and the Wolf.” White will begin to officially promote the project on the fundraising website Kickstarter.com starting Sep. 30. His goal is to raise $9,000 by Nov. 10 to fund a live performance of “Louis and the Gator,” record a CD featuring his jazz arrangements of Prokofievs’ compositions, produce an interactive educational DVD and write a children's book. Launched in 2009, Kickstarter.com allows entrepreneurs and artists to post projects and garner funding from investors who can donate any amount from $1 to thousan

The greater Sacramento community is invited to live, silent and online auctions that benefit breast cancer research and treatment programs at Sutter Cancer Center. More than 600 handcrafted quilts and textile art are displayed at the Sutter Cancer Center during October. Sutter Cancer Center is open daily from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and the public is welcome to visit the quilt display anytime during the month. There will be a bid sheet for each item on display so that individuals may bid during their visit. The Silent Auction takes place Oct. 3 - Nov. 5, 2011, while the Live Auction happens Nov. 5, 2011 at 10 a.m. The Online Auction takes place now through Nov. 5. Those interested can visit www.

It’s almost time for the August ‘Second Saturday’, where midtown SacTown comes alive with artists, musicians, art galleries, and shops in the evening hours. “K” Street is ‘kickin’, “J” Street is “jumpin’, and the surrounding streets are pulsing with the rhythms of the night. But what about “E” Street over in Mansion Flats? Mansion Flats, the sister neighborhood to Alkali Flats, is located from 12th Street to 16th between “the Union Pacific Railyard & “J” streets. Mansion Flats, Alkali Flats and New Era Park were the original City Street Railway neighborhoods and consisted of the wealthy and middle class families, according to the Sacramento History blog. Have you been looking for some p

We came. We lusted. We followed the sound wave of the ohm to Squaw Valley. We swam to freedom picking up the dreams we've forgotten and learned to love not just our lover, our children, and our neighbor, but ourselves. Boundaries were challenged. We twisted our squared lives through yoga, and turned it into a triangle, an oblong, a parallelogram, and finally the “star”. As in Franti’s song, Could you be love – or be loved?  Here are ways the love was shared at the Wanderlust Festival.  We accepted that being a “Rockstar” has no age limit. Michael Franti & The Spearhead invited for his final song on stage, children of all ages. Mixed in with the group was a grandfather and a six year old k

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Crocker Art Museum has been awarded a federal Museums for America grant of $148,441 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). These funds can be used for a wide variety of projects, including research, planning, and new programs and activities that support the efforts of museums to integrate new technologies. “The Crocker Art Museum is one of the jewels of Sacramento, and this grant announcement is great news for our region,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The federal funding will further enable the Crocker to provide valuable programming for Sacramento families, and to be a catalyst for our local arts scene.”

Though many find comfort in the familiar, there’s also an enjoyable thrill that only a bit of change can provide. Big Idea Theatre’s “King of Shadows,” which opened Thursday, finds a great balance using a familiar plot in a modern-day setting for an interesting theatrical experience. I parked at the front of the building which faced closed business doors and a large locked gate. I was convinced that somehow this was the wrong location. As I frantically called around for someone to give me directions, I saw just behind me a small sign designating the location as Big Idea Theatre. As I turned into the alley and parking lot area of the business, I was pleasantly surprised by the small art-f

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that two local organizations, the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra Association and California Presenters, have been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Sacramento Philharmonic will receive $20,000 to support an educational outreach series featuring Carnegie Hall's LinkUP! for Music “Orchestra Rocks” program; and the California Presenters’ $15,000 grant will support their 28th annual Artist Information Exchange Conference. “Investing in the arts is an investment in the creativity and innovation of our community,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This federal assistance will help California organizations con

May 12 is the deadline for the Sacramento Opera to raise the final $37,000 of its $122,000 goal by that date – or there will not be a 2011-2012 opera season. In all, the opera must raise $175,000 of pledges and gifts for the season. The opera recently reorganized, strategically aligning with the Sacramento Philharmonic as both organizations continue to suffer from funding slumps as a result of the recession. A meeting last week with 123 opera subscribers and donors to discuss the reorganization, and Sacramento Opera officials described it as “just the kind of engagement needed” in a press release this week. If the $37,000 is raised, the opera season will include “Opera at the Cathedral

The Camellia Symphony will wrap up its 48th Season with a “Toast to Music” - Food and Wine Benefit taking place at the Old Sugar Mill Clarksburg on Saturday, May 7th, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Funds raised will provide program development support for the 49th Season which begins in September, 2011. Participating wineries include: Carvalho Family Winery, The Solomon Wine Company,Three Wines, and Brew it Up just to name a few. Participating restaurants include: Entoria Restaurant & Wine Bar, Tuli Bistro, River City Cakes, Capital Confections and many more. Admission at the door is $40 per person- if you cannot make it to the event, The Sacramento Press will be live-streaming photos of th

Representatives of the Sacramento Opera unveiled their plan for saving the company in a presentation Thursday night for supporters of the only professional opera in the Sacramento region. Rod Gideons, Sacramento Opera general director, and Michael Nelson, president of the board of directors, shared the stage at Antiquité Maison Privée in Midtown. During the two-hour presentation, they outlined “what’s happened, what’s changed and what’s next” for the Sacramento Opera. “We have no cash reserves, no endowment, and we’ve been entirely dependent on ticket sales up to this point,” Gideons told the audience of more than 60 opera subscribers and supporters. If something doesn’t happen – and ha

The struggling California Musical Theatre in Sacramento will receive $300,000 from the city to help it stay afloat. The Sacramento City Council unanimously decided Wednesday to loan the amount to the theater over the next three years. The theater can withdraw the money in $50,000 increments each quarter until the $300,000 total is reached, according to a report by city staff. The money will go toward the theater’s operations. California Musical Theatre runs Music Circus, the Broadway Series and Cosmopolitan Cabaret. “It’s an important piece of downtown,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said, referring to the theater. The business the theater brings to downtown is “incredibly important,” he add

“Awake My Soul,” the final performance of CORE Dance Collective’s season, opened Thursday night to a crowd of more than 300 at the Benvenuti Performing Arts Center. The evening was filled with contrasting elements. One moment soft jazz music played and the next, groans, moans and cries were heard from the dancers. Some of the dancers spun around gracefully, while others were swift, powerful and intentional with their movements. CORE, which stands for Collections of Real Experience, is a nonprofit dance company with 12 dancers that was founded in 2007 by Kelli Leighton, who currently serves as the artistic director. “We are innovative. What we do is so different … whatever preconceived n

The first impression concertgoers had upon approaching the Power Balance Pavilion on Wednesday evening for the Sacramento stop of Lady GaGa’s Monster Ball World Tour was of fantastical scale. A herd of semis corralled on either side of the arena, 24 of them, quietly announcing that this was to be above and beyond your typical rock show. The crowd was populated with the expected hordes of spangled women (and not a few men) dressed in their favorite imitation of the Lady Herself, mixed with bewildered suburban dads being dragged to the merchandise table by their teen daughters. What shouldn’t have been surprising was, in keeping with Lady GaGa’s message of inclusiveness, there were just as

The Sacramento Public Library has been selected as the inaugural host site for American Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) that highlights the musical contributions of U.S. Latinos from the 1940s to present, and explores the social history and individual creativity that produced stars such as Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana and Selena. Developed by the Experience Music Project and SITES, American Sabor (sabor is the Spanish word for “taste” or “flavor” and is commonly used to describe good music) will travel to 12 cities over the next four years. The exhibition, its natio

One of Sacramento’s leading theatre companies is enjoying some positive financial news during a time of economic uncertainty for the region’s arts scene.  B Street Theatre was awarded a $100,000 check from Bank of America during the theatre’s weekly staff meeting last Thursday afternoon. The check is the first half of a $200,000 grant provided by Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative. “We are pleased to support the B Street Theatre’s extensive outreach to children in our region. We selected B Street Theatre because of their professional leadership, thoughtful programming and the impactful work they do in schools and hospitals throughout our community, said Lori Rianda, Mark