Big Idea Theatre’s latest production, William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” directed by Kirk Blackinton and Katie Chapman, opened Friday. The play is a lesser-known bit of the canon, often put in the category of “problem play” as it fits neither the specific parts of a comedy nor a tragedy. The plot is divided between the struggle of the play’s antagonist, Angelo, played by Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly, and the nun-in-training Isabella, played by Gina Williams. The play covers moral ground of a more philosophical nature with Isabella’s plight being the question, “Should she commit an act against God to save a life?” Set in Vienna, the production takes interesting liberties with the sta

The Dude abides. Twelve years after cult classic "The Big Lebowski" starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman hit theaters, fans are still celebrating the film’s unpredictable and sometimes confusing plot, startling brute violence and hysterical, expletive-riddled dialogue, prime for quoting. Marilyn’s on K Street hosted The Big Lebowski Fiesta Friday night for these fans, and the White Russians and robes were suitably flowing. Marilyn’s deserves some party-throwing props. The costume contest brought all the favorite Big L characters to life: the White Russian won for best female costume, and The Jesus won the male competition. The cute female in the short furry white dress and high-heeled b

Big Idea Theatre opened their latest production, “Dinner with Friends” by David Margulies, this weekend, with a tightly cast group of actors and a little something extra for the audience to think about. The play, set in contemporary East Coast America, revolves around two couples going through the ecstasy of love and the agony of heartache. The first couple, Gabe and Karen, is a perfect pairing of kindred souls, and the other, Tom and Beth, is a volatile combination of miscommunication and loss. The four players of the evening come together as a malleable unit, working off of each other’s slightest affect. The director, Kirk Blackinton, brings a great play to life through four talented a

Great Chefs 2010 is coming this August! Great Chefs is a gourmet celebration to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento. It will be taking place on Saturday, August 21, 2010 from 6p-9p at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza. For this 9th annual event, head chefs from some of the area’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries will be pairing foods and beverages for a fun-filled, one-of-a-kind evening. In addition, the evening includes a silent auction and dancing. And the delicious desserts are not to be missed. Some of the featured restaurants will be Aioli Bodega Espanol, Bake Sense Inc., Just 4 U Catering, Event Architects, California Capitol Chefs Association, Sa

And I need a lot of them. That is, I need men to step up and do some good in our community by becoming a Big Brother mentor. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Sacramento Area is looking for volunteers to mentor youth in our program. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a one-to-one mentoring program, meaning our volunteers are matched with a child and the two of you spend time together doing a wide range of activities. Currently, the need is for men to volunteer in our program. We are looking for positive male role models to mentor one of the many boys waiting to be matched with a Big Brother. Unfortunately, due to a lack of male mentors, the boys often have to wait a very long time. A great

This Saturday Jimmy Valoria, "Big Brother" and Marketing Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and his "Little Brother" Saxon are doing a car wash to support their fund raising efforts for WALK ‘N ROCK FOR KIDS. All proceeds of the car wash will directly support the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Please go out and get your car washed. It will be taking place between the hours of 9a and 2p at the Smog 'N Go parking lot, located at 9580 Harbour Point Dr. in Elk Grove. Please come support and tell everyone you know. If you can not come out, you can also donate directly to Jimmy's online fund raising webpage. To do so, click HERE. Thank you to Jack Williams and Smog 'N Go for their muc

 In the first four history plays that William Shakespeare penned, by himself or with the aid of multiple writers, he brought us "Richard III", and showed a monarch at the height of power, corruption and finally the downfall of such a king. Big Idea Theatre’s latest production of the tragedy opened last Friday, and while the play itself is engaging, some performances and an uncut script brought the pace to a crawl more than a few times. WIth a cast of 12, most playing at least two parts, the play fits a multitude of colorful characters within the small black box theatre. The shinning points of the production made the whole better, especially the talented and enigmatic Brain Harrower (Richar

The Young Professionals Committee (YPC) of Big Brothers Big Sisters will again be hosting the Prom at The Park, a red carpet fund raiser that is sure to be one of the biggest events of the summer for Sacramento’s 21 and up, young professional crowd. This 2nd annual premiere Sacramento event is taking place Friday, June 11, at the Park Ultra Lounge in downtown Sacramento. This event is for the 21+ crowd and will feature red carpet photography and a VIP lounge experience. In the true sense of Prom, attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best. Click HERE to check out the pictures from last year's Prom at the Park. Not only will this be an event to remember, but it is a party wit

On February 27th, over 200 people came out to 2010 Bowl For Kids Sake. It was a day filled with fun and excitement while raising over $43,000 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. Tina Macuha (KOVR13/CW 31) and Darla Givens (News 10) came out to MC the 9:30 and 11:45 sessions and both did a great job. Country Club Lanes and it's staff helped us put on a wonderful event. We would like to thank our sponsors Campbell's Soup, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, California Family Fitness, Champion Awards, Country Club Lanes, Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza-Sacramento, Kaizen Design, Markstein Beverage, Peppermill Reno, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo and Western Blue. We would also like to thank our raffle donor

The Jewish Federation is celebrating their move to Midtown Sacramento by throwing a big party for a cause! The Big Nosh is a gourmet food and pub crawl benefiting 5 local charities where participants will get a chance to eat and drink their way across the grid sampling appetizers and cocktails at 30 restaurants and coffee shops. Tickets are $36/person and Crawl Captains may register at www.thebignosh.com and earn their ticket for free by recruiting 10 or more people to their team. Teams will start at different locations at the same time in a "round robin" format and experience Midtown as it's meant to be experienced: walking! Calling all Crawl Captains...register now at www.thebignosh.com