Arts & Entertainment

Get Out and Go: LGBTQ Fest, Fundraiser for Inner-City Kids

Also this weekend, Anais Mitchell performs at McCabe's and the Morgan-Wixson encourages Santa Monicans to "All Join In"

Jazz concerts, an outlandish theatrical performance and a benefit for inner-city kids are on tap for this weekend. And if none of those activities finds your liking, there's also an exploration of Mercury, a fairytale sing-along production and a cinematography seminar.

Behold, your Santa Monica weekend planner:

1. O Solé L.A. Art Exhibit and Benefit

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Where/When: ; Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m.

Why Go: Laurel Partin and friends will play jazz tunes as part of the sixth annual Hamilton Galleries/ Rob LeMond Swim Scholarship, which raises money for inner-city kids to attend Malibu's Summer Surf Camp. Twenty percent of art sales will go to the cause; food and wine will be served as well.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pricing: $30 (free for kids)

2. John Cantwell's Love, Connie

Where/When: Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m.; 

Why Go: The theatrical production—which combines comedy, thrills and salutes to '80s pop—is the kickoff event for this year's Behold: A Queer Performance Festival. The festival itself runs through Aug. 29 and includes dance, spoken-word, theatrical, multimedia and other performances.

Pricing: $20 ($15 for members, seniors and students); $75 for festival pass

3. Couples Electric Bike Tour

Where/When: ; Saturday, 12:30 and 4 p.m.

Why Go: The city's renewed effort to get "" continues with the launch of the new Dating Downtown series. The first romantic event is a bike tour that will cruise through downtown, the and the . Space is limited; make a reservation at BuyLocalMarket.com.

Pricing: $49 per person (must be at least 5 feet and 1 inch in height, and between 100 and 225 pounds in weight); bikes will be provided

4. All Join In Festival of Theatre 

Where/When: ; Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 and 3 p.m.

Why Go: Thanks in part to a grant from the city, the playhouse is offering free community workshops and shows, all based around the fairytale sing-along All Join In. While the musical is an original production, participants and viewers will recognize scenes from Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and other well-known tales. The festival runs through July 17.

Pricing: Free

5. Amy Heckerling Double-Feature

Where/When: ; Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Why Go: The director is slated to be on hand to answer questions between screenings of her comedy classics Clueless and Fast Times and Ridgemont High.

Pricing: $11 (discounts available) 

6. Anais Mitchell Concert

Where/When: ; Sunday, 7 p.m.

Why Go: Having already collaborated with Bon Iver and Ani DiFranco, the young folk artist appears to be on the fast track to stardom. Another singer-songwriter, Bhi Bhiman, will handle opening duties.

Pricing: $16

7. John Doe and Jill Sobule Concert

Where/When: McCabe's Guitar Shop; Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.

Why Go: Before Mitchell takes the stage Sunday night, Doe and Sobule—regulars at McCabe's—will do a two-night stand. Their special guests for both shows are Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss.

Pricing: $22.50

8. Lana Chae Recital

Where/When: MLK Auditorium at the ; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Why Go: The local pianist—and candidate for doctor of music at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music—is planning to perform compositions by Prokofiev, Beethoven, Liszt and Steve Reich. She's also slated to talk about each piece after performing it, and take questions from the crowd at the end of the show. 

Pricing: Free

9. Christian Jacob Trio Concert

Where/When: ; Sunday, 5 p.m.

Why Go: The church trio is performing as part of the Jazz Vespers series, which happens twice a month. If you're on the fence, check out the pricing below.

Pricing: Free

10. Messenger at Mercury

Where/When: John Drescher Planetarium at ; Friday, 8 p.m.

Why Go: NASA's new mission to the titular planet will be explored in greater depth, thanks in part to fresh high-res images. As usual, the show—which is also happening July 15—will be preceded an hour earlier by "The Night Sky Show."

Pricing: $5 ($9 with "The Night Sky Show")

11. Night Lights Opening Reception

Where/When: Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery at SMC; Friday, 6 to 8 p.m.

Why Go: Randye Sandel's exhibit, which opened Tuesday and features paintings depicting the dark side of the Valley, will be underscored by this reception. “While the paintings appear to depict recognizable or subjective imagery in some respects, I strove to make the work transcend reality or, in other words, turn the ordinary into the extraordinary,” she said in a statement.

Pricing: Free

12. Cinematography Seminar

Where/When: Aero Theatre; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Why Go: The cinematographers behind Back to the Future, Wolfman and The Da Vinci Code will step away from the camera and take a seat for a panel discussion about visual storytelling. The seminar is presented by IndieCon.

Pricing: $11 (discounts available)

13. Mary Schairer's New Works Opening Reception

Where/When: ; Saturday, 5 to 7 p.m.

Why Go: The 90-year-old artist—who has been exhibiting her works since 1978—proves she hasn't lost her touch with this latest batch of collages. Check out the exhibit through the end of the month.

Pricing: Free

14. Pinkalicious: The Musical

Where/When: Morgan-Wixson Theatre; Saturday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.

Why Go: The musical production is back at the Morgan-Wixson following its L.A. premiere earlier this year. It's based on the book of the same name and is presented by The Youth Education Entertainment Series.

Pricing: $8 ($6 for children under 13)

15. Ingmar Bergman Double-Feature

Where/When: Aero Theatre; Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Why Go: The Seventh Seal and Through a Glass Darkly will be screened for this salute to the director who, some argue, was the best of all time.

Pricing: $11 (discounts available)

16. Restored Prints: Jacques Tati Classics

Where/When: Aero Theatre; Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Why Go: The Aero is awfully busy all weekend, but this event isn't to be overlooked: For this installment of the aforementioned series, Mr. Hulot's Holiday and Mon Oncle will be shown.

Pricing: $11 (discounts available)


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