DaddyO Dies Well premieres at Electric Lodge in Venice, CA

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A deeply lyrical and darkly comic meditation on the sacred and profane that is the fifth installment in Mednick’s eight-play “Gary Plays” cycle, Padua Playwrights presents the world premiere of DaddyO Dies Well. Written and directed by legendary poet-playwright Murray Mednick, the play runs April 2 through May 22 at the Electric Lodge in Venice.

Synopsis: Down-on-his-luck Gary takes a psychedelic Ayahuasca trip at the behest of DaddyO, his hipster stepfather. DaddyO is dying, and before he goes, he wants to help his stepson get over his problems. He invites Gary over for tea – but this is not your ordinary Earl Grey. It’s Ayahuasca, a powerful hallucinogenic favored by the indigenous peoples of South America. Under the guidance of DaddyO and Antonio the “Angel of Death,” Gary is brought to understand the pulse and power of organic life on earth in a lyrically comic return to themes explored in Mednick’s earlier “Coyote Cycle.” Gary’s trip takes him to the mountains and forests of South America, and the flutes and drums of the Andes complement the musicality of Mednick’s language

DaddyO Dies Well is written and directed by Murray Mednick and presented by Padua Playwrights under the artistic direction of Guy Zimmerman. Set design is by Matt Aston; lighting design is by Dan Reed; costume design is by Melody Brocious; projection design is by Marc I. Rosenthal; sound design is by John Zalewski; stage manager is Laura Manchester; producer is Roger Q. Mason; and executive producer is Racquel Lehrman.

Murray Mednick, a pioneer of the Off and Off-Off Broadway movements in the ’60s and ’70s and playwright-in-residence for Theater Genesis, wrote such ground-breaking works as The Hawk, The Hunter, Sand, Are You Lookin’ and The Deer Kill (1970 OBIE Award for Outstanding Play), and was the founder/artistic director of the Padua Hills Playwrights Workshop/Festival in Los Angeles from 1978 to 1995. He is the recipient of two Rockefeller Foundation grants and a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play citation (for Joe and Betty), a Career Achievement Award from the LA Weekly, an Ovation Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Los Angeles Theater from the L.A. Stage Alliance, a Local Hero Award from Back Stage West, and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theater. The Los Angeles productions of Joe and Betty and Mrs. Feuerstein went on to successful New York runs.

Written and Directed by Murray Mednick
Starring Peggy Ann Blow, Strawn Bovee, Hugh Dane, Elizabeth Greer, Jack Kehler, Melissa Paladino, and Casey Sullivan
Presented by Padua Playwrights
Produced by Roger Q. Mason
Executive Producer Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners

Preview: April 1
Performances: April 2 – May 22:
Fridays at 8 pm: April 1 (Preview), 8, 15, 22, 29; May 6, 13, 20
Saturdays at 8 pm: April 2 (Opening Night), 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21
Sundays at 2 pm: April 3, 17, 24, 31; May 8, 14, 22

Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Avenue, Venice CA 90291 (one block east of Abbot Kinney). Call: (323) 960-7724 or plays411.com/DaddyO. Cost: General Admission: $25; Preview: $12.50

Michael Learned and Granville Van Dusen in Long Beach “Southern Comforts”

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LONG BEACH, CA – Michael Learned and Granville Van Dusen find unexpected love in Southern Comforts.  Four-time Emmy award-winning actress Michael Learned and veteran actor Granville Van Dusen find unexpected love in Kathleen Clark’s perceptively witty and poignant play, Southern Comforts, directed by Jules Aaron. The four-week run opens March 18 at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Low-priced previews take place on March 15, 16 and 17.

A delightful, sneakily sexy, romance, Southern Comforts follows the development of a December-December relationship between a feisty widow and a crusty widower who find love late in life. Recovering from the loss of their respective spouses, the saucy Southern belle who is used to getting her own way and the retired, set-in-his-ways Yankee find in each other what they least expected: a second chance at love.

Four-time Emmy award-winning Michael Learned is best known for her role as Olivia Walton on the CBS family drama series The Waltons.

International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 300 E. Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. For reservations and information, call the ICT Box Office at (562) 436-4610

WHEN:
Previews: March 15, 16, 17 at 8 pm
Performances: March 18 through April 10
Tuesday at 8 pm: March 15 (preview)
Wednesday at 8 pm: March 16 (preview)
Thursdays at 8 pm: March 17 (preview), 24, 31; April 7
Fridays at 8 pm: March 18 (Opening Night), 25; April 1, 8
Saturdays at 8 pm: March 19, 26; April 2, 9
Sundays at 2 pm: March 20, 27; April 3, 10

WHERE:
INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE
Long Beach Performing Arts Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach CA 90802
(562) 436-4610 or InternationalCityTheatre.org

TICKETS: Opening Night: $55 (includes reception following the performance)
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: $44
Thursday: $37
Previews: $29

Worms Rule! Santa Barbara Art From Scrap Composting Workshop

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Worms rule on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011,  at the AFS Green Schools Composting Workshop, an informative and entertaining talk showing how red wiggler worms can turn your food scraps into vermicompost; a rich, nutrient-dense soil amendment. The Worm Composting Workshop is offered at Art From Scrap in downtown Santa Barbara.

Tahara Ezrahti, AFS Green Schools Education Director, shows how to set up and maintain a worm composting system for home, business or school. The cost for this workshop is $3 at the door. Complete worm bin kits and worms will be for sale at this event; a 22 gallon is $55. A 27 gallon kit is $65.00 Both kits include worms, bin, bedding, and a book. Worms will be sold separately for $20 /gallon. Pre-registration is required. If you intend to purchase anything at the event, you must pre-order.

Bugs: Snails, Worms , and Flies Art Workshop will be held directly after the Composting Workshop at 10 am (goes till Noon). The Art Workshop is open to the public and costs $8. In the workshop, Guest Artist Chloe Gray teaches participants how to make their very own worms, bugs, and insects.

Contact: Tahara Ezrahti at (805) 884-0459 x 12 or enviroed@artfromscrap.org. If you intend to purchase a bin or worms, indicate that when you pre-register. Art From Scrap is located at 302 East Cota Street , Santa Barbara , CA 93101 , (on the corner of Garden and Cota Streets in downtown Santa Barbara ).

General Tips for a Department of Motor Vehicle Trip

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Make sure you have a check, money order, cash or a debit card available to pay any fees. (the DMV does not accept credit cards at field offices, however they are accepted online)

If you have to go into a field office, visit the DMV’s website at www.DMV.ca.gov to make an appointment before visiting a field office. This will significantly reduce your wait time.

Driver License and ID Card

Upon expiration of your current driver license or ID card, the DMV will automatically send you a renewal notice which will inform you if you are eligible to renew online or in person, and if you will be required to take a traffic laws and signs test. Occasionally, an office visit may be required to protect your identity and ensure that a license is being issued to the true owner. Below is a checklist of items you should be prepared for if you are required to visit a field office to renew your driver license or ID card:

DL Renewal

Complete an original Driver License form (DL 44) or the DMV renewal notice you received via mail (to obtain the DL 44 form by mail, call 1-800-777-0133 or pick one up at your local field office)

Be prepared to take a traffic laws and signs test (if required)
Pass a vision exam
ID Card Renewal

Complete an original Identification Card application (DL 44) (to obtain the DL 44 form by mail, call 1-800-777-0133 or pick one up at your local field office)
Bring your certified birth certificate or passport
Provide your social security number

Name Change or Change in Marital Status

In the event of a name change or change in marital status, it is important to update your records with the DMV. Prior to visiting your local DMV field office to update your information, please contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to change your name on your social security records and to be issued a new card. When your SSA records are updated, bring the following with you to complete your DMV update:

Complete an original Identification Card application (DL 44) (to obtain the DL 44 form by mail, call 1-800-777-0133 or pick one up at your local field office)

Provide evidence of your name change by showing an original or certified copy of a birth certificate or passport

Registration

The DMV will automatically notify you via mail when your vehicle’s registration is due for a renewal and also inform you if you are eligible to renew online or in person, and if a biennial smog certification is due. Be sure to pay your renewal fees on or before the due date to avoid penalties. When renewing your registration you will need to:

Provide your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Provide your renewal notice that shows your current fees
Provide a smog certificate if required– authorized smog shops electronically submit these certificates to the DMV

Changing Vehicle Ownership

When you become the new legal owner of a vehicle, (buying or selling) you must provide updated information to the DMV. If you are registering a vehicle as the new owner, be prepared to provide the following items to the DMV:

California Certificate of Title (Pink Slip)
Signature(s) of seller(s) and lien holder, if any, on the Certificate of Title
Signature(s) of buyer(s) on the Certificate of Title
Odometer disclosure for vehicles less than 10 years old
Smog certification

Notice of Release and Transfer of Liability

In order to file a Notice of Release and Transfer of Liability with the DMV to transfer vehicle ownership and responsibility to another party, you will need to provide:
A completed Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138)
The vehicle’s year, make, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
The new owner’s name and address
The vehicle’s odometer reading
The date of transfer or sale
Name and address

This transaction can be done in a field office or online at www.DMV.ca.gov.

Toshiba Classic Mar 7 – 13, 2011 Includes World Class Golf

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NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.–Past and recent Champions Tour winners and ‘A-list’ golfers continue to line up on the 2011 Toshiba Classic’s red carpet as World Golf Hall of Famers Hale Irwin and Nick Price, third-year Champions Tour player Tom Lehman and second-year Tour player Paul Azinger have stated their intention to play in the 17th-annual Toshiba Classic, March 7-13 at Newport Beach Country Club.
The Toshiba Classic

Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic and the 2011 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag. During the last 13 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $13 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. Televised domestically to over 81 million households on Golf Channel, the tournament generates an estimated $25 million in annual economic impact, benefiting the businesses of Newport Beach and Orange County.

Irwin is the Toshiba Classic’s only two-time champion (1998 and 2002) and is the winningest player in Champions Tour history with 45 victories. Lehman notched his third Champions Tour title in as many years on Tour on Sunday when he birdied the 18th hole to win the Allianz Championship. The foursome of Irwin, Price, Lehman and Azinger own 55 PGA TOUR titles (eight majors) and 51 Champions Tour titles (eight majors).

The $1.7 million Toshiba Classic, the only Southern California event on the Champions Tour, awards a $255,000 winner’s check and is televised on Golf Channel on Friday, March 11 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, March 12 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. PT, and Sunday, March 13, from 4-6:30 p.m. PT.

Daily tickets for the Toshiba Classic are $20 if purchased in advance of tournament week, or $25 at the gate. Season patron badges, providing admission to the grounds and clubhouse for practice rounds and the tournament, are $100. Daily patron tickets, providing access to the grounds and the clubhouse on a single day, are $40. Tickets and corporate packages are available by calling (949) 660-1001 or check out AToshibaClassic.com.

Toshiba Classic Executive Director Jeff Purser is looking forward to another award-winning event in 2011. In the 1998 Toshiba Classic, Irwin blazed his way to a final-round 9-under-par 62 to leapfrog the field for a one-stroke win. Four years later, Irwin shot a then-Classic record 17-under-par 196 to win by five shots. Irwin, 65, continues to keep his game sharp and competitive, as his 17th-place finish at last year’s Toshiba Classic and two top-10 finishes in 2010 indicates. He also tied for sixth in last weekend’s Allianz Championship, giving him 199 top-10 career finishes, four shy of tying Sir Bob Charles’ Champions Tour record of 203.

Irwin, a 1992 Hall of Fame inductee, holds seven Champions Tour majors (1998 and 2000 U.S. Senior Opens, 1996, ’97, ‘98 and 2004 Senior PGA Championship, 1999 Ford Senior Players Championship). He captured 20 titles on the PGA TOUR, highlighted by the 1974, 1979 and 1990 U.S. Opens.

A 2003 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee and former World No. 1, Price is in the prime of his Champions Tour career. In 2010, he won his second and third Champions Tour events, notched his best Toshiba Classic result with a tie for ninth place, and placed fifth on the Tour’s money list.

Price is an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, including major championship triumphs at the 1992 and 1994 PGA Championship and 1994 British Open, to go along with 24 other worldwide victories. He won the 1993 and 1994 PGA TOUR Player of the Year awards and was the PGA TOUR’s leading money-winner both years.

Lehman, who tied for third place in his Toshiba Classic debut last year, won in his Champions Tour debut at the 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, and won his first Champions Tour major championship in 2010 at the Senior PGA Championship. He finished runner-up at the 2011 season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai before capturing the Allianz Championship.

A five-time PGA TOUR champion, including the 1996 British Open, Lehman still splits his playing time with the PGA TOUR, where he tallied four top-25 finishes in nine events last year. Lehman is a three-time United States Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup selection and captained the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Azinger is a 12-time PGA TOUR winner and holder of the 1993 PGA Championship and 1992 TOUR Championship. He was named the PGA and “Golf World” Player of the Year in 1987 after winning three times. Three more wins, including his lone major championship, in 1993 highlighted his career year before he was diagnosed with lymphoma in his right shoulder blade in December.

Azinger was named the PGA TOUR’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2000, a year in which he enjoyed his most lucrative year in PGA TOUR earnings and his first million-dollar year on the circuit since his recovery from cancer. In 2008, he captained the United States Ryder Cup team that he played for on five previous occasions (1989, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2008) and was a 2000 U.S. Presidents Cup pick.

In the 2010 Toshiba Classic, Fred Couples shot an impressive 18-under-par 195 in his Classic debut, and his third Champions Tour start, to win by four shots. His Toshiba Classic triumph stood out in a year where Couples won four events, set the Champions Tour’s new scoring average record (67.96), finished second to 2008 Toshiba Classic champion Bernhard Langer on the Champions Tour’s 2010 money list and Charles Schwab Cup points standings, and was named Champions Tour Rookie of the Year.

The Toshiba Classic’s lead charity and operator is Hoag Hospital Foundation and the 2011 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag. During the last 13 years, the Toshiba Classic generated more than $13 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. Hoag Hospital Foundation also received the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Charity of the Year Award in 1998.

Ventura Museum Features Four Masters of Art

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This year’s major exhibition, “Four Masters: Four Legends”, at the Museum of Ventura County will open to the public on February 25, 2011, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Carlisle Cooper, William McEnroe, Norman Kirk, and Gerd Koch will be featured. There will be a panel discussion with all four in attendance on Sunday, February 27, from 3 to 5 p.m., when the artists will discuss their art and their involvement in the artistic growth of the community.

Hiroko Yoshimoto, Exhibition Curator – Four Masters : Four Legends Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main Street, Ventura CA 93001 805-653-0323

Marsha Mason, Matt Letscher in “Becky Shaw”, LA Theatre Works

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Marsha Mason and Matt Letscher join Emily Bergl in “Becky Shaw” by Gina Gionfriddo, Bart DeLorenzo directs.

Becky Shaw – Bart DeLorenzo directs when L.A. Theatre Works records four-time Academy Award nominee Marsha Mason, Matt Letscher (Brothers and Sisters) and Emily Bergl (reprising her Off Broadway role) in the Pulitzer Prize finalist and smash Off-Broadway hit comedy by Obie Award-winner Gina Gionfriddo. When Suzanna decides to set her best friend Max up on a blind date with her husband’s mysterious co-worker, Becky Shaw, she sets into motion a series of cataclysmic events forever changing all of their lives. All performances will be recorded to air on L.A. Theatre Works’ syndicated radio theater series, which broadcasts weekly on public radio stations nationwide and can be streamed on demand at  latw.org.

L.A. Theatre Works’ radio theater series can be heard locally in Southern California on 89.3 KPCC every Saturday from 10 pm to midnight, and can also be streamed on demand at http://www.latw.org/.  L.A. Theatre Works can also be heard on the following stations (check local listings for broadcast times): 89.7 WGBH, Boston; 91.5 FM WBEZ, Chicago; 94.9 KUOW, Seattle; 90.1 WABE, Atlanta; 94.1 KPFA, Berkeley; 91.1 KRCB, North Bay (San Francisco); and in over 100 other markets nationwide.

Written by Gina Gionfriddo
Directed by Bart DeLorenzo
Starring Emily Bergl, Matt Letscher, Marsha Mason
Produced by Susan Albert Loewenberg

WHEN:
Wednesday, February 9 at 8 pm
Thursday, February 10 at 8 pm
Friday, February 11 at 8 pm
Saturday, February 12 at 2:30 pm
Sunday, February 13 at 4 pm

WHERE: L.A. THEATRE WORKS at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA  90049

TICKETS: $20 – $49,  L.A. Theatre Works Box Office (310) 827-0889 or latw.org

Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda Poetry Contest for Kids

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Frank  Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda, California announces a new Poetry Contest for Kids

SLAM! Poetry Contest for Youth – Every 2nd Friday of the Month hosted by Krystal Alvarez Starts Friday, February 11, 2011 from 7 – 9 pm, Must be 12-18 years old to participate in the SLAM! Open to public. Admission free; donations appreciated. Free refreshments (soda, cookies, and chips)

Location: Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St. (corner of Lincoln Ave. ), Alameda , CA 94501. Tel: 510-523-6957. frankbettecenter.org, Hours: Wed-Sat 11-7 PM, Sun 11-5 PM

So you think you have something to say? Or maybe you just want to listen to what the youth has to say.  Then join the Frank Bette Center for the Arts for SLAM!, a poetry contest for the youth of Alameda . The contest will be held Friday, February 11, 2011 at the Frank Bette Center back gallery. SLAM! encourages children and teens between the ages of 12 and 18 to recite and perform their original poetic works. Slam poetry is an energetic means of expression that mixes music, rhythm, and rhyme in one creative performance.

About the Host:  Krystal is an English Master’s graduate from Florida International University . She is a Miami , Florida native but now resides in Alameda , California . In Miami , Krystal taught 11th grade English Literature at South Miami Senior High School and was a Freshman Composition instructor at Florida International University . Krystal’s specialty is modern and postmodern literature and working with teens.

Frank Bette Center for the Arts is a rich resource of visual, literary and performing arts.  ‘Unleash Creativity’   Frank Bette Center is an energetic catalyst weaving the arts into the fabric of the community, and believes creativity is everywhere and art is for everyone.

California Wine Producers Begin New Season with New Board

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Sacramento, CA–Tapas is a nonprofit organization seeking to promote Tempranillo and other varietal wine grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula and wines produced from them in North America. At its Annual Meeting and Dinner at Tapa The World restaurant in Sacramento, the Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society (TAPAS) announced the results of the 2011 election for its Board of Directors.

Elected this year for two-year terms were:

Markus Bokisch, Bokisch Vineyards, bokischvineyards.com (continuing)
Earl Jones, Abacela Vineyards, abacela.com (continuing)
Les Martin, Red Lily Vineyards, redlilyvineyards.com (continuing)
Doug McCrea, Vina Salida, salidawine.com (newly elected)
Dorothy Schuler, Bodegas Paso Robles, bodegaspasorobles.com (newly elected)

The full Board for 2011 will consist of:

Jeff Stai, Twisted Oak Winery, twistedoak.com – President
Markus Bokisch, Bokisch Vineyards, bokischvineyards.com – Vice President
Stuart Spencer, St.Amant Winery, stamantwine.com – Secretary
Les Martin, Red Lily Vineyards, redlilyvineyards.com – Treasurer
Dave Corey, CORE Wine Company, corewine.com
Earl Jones, Abacela Vineyards, abacela.com
Doug McCrea, Vina Salida, salidawine.com
Christian Miller, Full Glass Research, fullglassresearch.com
Dorothy Schuler, Bodegas Paso Robles, bodegaspasorobles.com

TAPAS – Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society (TAPAS) is a trade association comprised of over one hundred members, tapasociety.org .

Marc Muench: Explorations in North America Art Exhibit, Los Olivos, CA

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Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos, CA (on California’s Central Coast) is showcasing the artwork of Marc Muench through May 8, 2011. Open Wed-Sun, 11am-5pm, and located at 2928 San Marcos, Los Olivos, you can call 805-688-1082 or check out the visuals online at wildlingmuseum.org. A donation of $3 per adult is suggested.

The exhibition features stunning nature photographs from the extraordinary work of third generation photographer, Marc Muench. In addition, the museum encourages the public to spend a unique afternoon with Marc, February 5, from 2 to 3 p.m.

In 1915, the parents of Josef Muench unknowingly launched a dynasty of exemplary landscape photographers when they gave Josef his first camera at age 11. His son, David, followed in his footsteps, developing his own style, technique, and reputation. Now, his grandson, Marc, continues that tradition by “looking beyond the obvious to capture the features that set different landscapes apart.” A professional landscape and sports photographer for over 20 years, Marc brings an imaginative and critical eye to his images. His ability to distinguish himself has resulted in an astounding career filled with exemplary photographs produced in numerous books, ad campaigns, plus the covers and interior pages of prestigious magazines, to name just a few. The exhibition at the Wildling Art Museum focuses on landscapes that Marc personally selected to represent the “Holy Grail” of the wilderness experience. In addition, it includes an intimate look at his family and information about his methods, techniques, and equipment.

Visitors to the Museum will also find original plein air work by local artists created on the El Chorro and Ytias Ranches in Santa Ynez through February 20, 2011. Located in the Barbara Goodall Education Center gallery, the paintings first debuted during the Wildling’s First Annual Horse Ride to rave reviews. The exhibition show and sale features artwork by Meredith Brooks Abbott, Robert Abbott, Whitney Brooks Abbott, Marcia Burtt, Chris Chapman, John Comer, Michael Drury, Julie Foster, John Iwerks, William Mitchell, and Arturo Tello

El Chorro & Ytias Ranches Plein air Show and Sale is also in the wings.