San Diego Weekend Arts Events: Virtual Ballet, Drive-Thru Art, Cedrice, Women In Film And A Refugee Play
Speaker 1: 00:00 For many in the local art scene, the new purple tier restrictions in San Diego won't change much performers, visual artists, dancers, and even film festivals will simply continue bringing us new works in virtual forms. And sometimes even from the great outdoors this weekend, we can safely settle in and experience new film theater and ballet journey. Me as KPBS arts editor, Julia Dixon Evans, and welcome Julia. Hi Maureen. Now let's start with the women's museum of California. They're presenting their film festival this weekend, virtually tell us about the women's film festival. Speaker 2: 00:38 Yeah, so they have about 22 films in video on demand format. They're all centering on this platform of women, filmmakers and storytellers. There's a mixture of shorts and features. One I'm looking forward to is called the fight about the work of modern civil rights lawyers. If like me, you recently watched on the basis of sex after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this one's a really incredible documentary followup to it. And following the screening of the fight, there's a prerecorded conversation with Carrie Washington and five of the ACLU lawyers that are featured Speaker 1: 01:16 The fight screens as part of the women's film festival, which takes place online tonight through Sunday in the visual art world with museums closing again, due to the purple tier restrictions, there's an innovative way to experience an art exhibition and it doesn't involve a screen. Tell us what Mesa college art gallery has come up with. Speaker 2: 01:38 Yeah. So first of all, Mesa college's museum studies program is pretty special. Their courses build these full exhibitions each semester. Sometimes solo shows have mid-career artists. Sometimes group shows the gallery is such a gem in the San Diego art scene. And they've come up with a way to still curate a show and continue that learning model. It's a drive-thru, they're hanging an exhibition in a parking lot at Mesa college. Um, artists created work for these huge three by five banners that hang on the fences and they've also put together a full program. You can be online or pick up a printed copy of, and there's an audio tour. So you can pull up drive the short route and listen to some explanations and insights from your car speaker, if you want. There's 35 pieces in total work from Bhavna Metta, Sheena, Ray dallying, Michelle mantra, Lauren's Mikhail, and a bunch more Speaker 1: 02:31 Mesa college art galleries drive through exhibition is open to the public today through December 9th, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays. Now in the virtual theater world, the roust abouts theater company have a powerful new work from a local playwright. Tell us about no way back. Speaker 2: 02:51 Yeah. This started as a short piece of creative non-fiction. It was part of the local San Diego memoir showcase and featured in the, the tree anthology it's by writer and childhood refugee, mushy [inaudible] Hagar Rast abouts heard the piece and they approached her to write a full play. It follows her harrowing experience as a ten-year-old and neuron and trying to escape with her family. It's a full length, fully produced in stage one woman play featuring Jessica, John, who was pretty incredible in this written the role, the way it's performed as like an almost hypnotic memory with Jessica, John summoning, the voices of the other characters around her in a way that the 10 year old child would remember them. And here's a portion of the opening scene. Speaker 3: 03:36 Something is wrong. I can't catch my breath. I punched in my stomach and my arms and legs. I'm so hazy sounds outside of scaring me. They're so angry, aloud screams and gunshots. I'm six years old and I'm so scared, but I think I will buy it. Speaker 1: 04:00 That's Jessica, John in the roust abouts production of no way back, which streams on demand Saturday through December 13th, city ballet presents a jam packed collection of ballets this month. What can we find in the moving forward program and how can we watch them? Speaker 2: 04:18 Yeah. City ballet has kept their dancers moving and working together. This pandemic with COVID safe practices and this weekend's program is the kickoff to a completely retooled season for them that four ballets featured have a nice mix of styles. And the camera work in these little films is really immersive. So there's some traditional pieces. And then two new world premieres by the company's resident. Choreographers Elizabeth Westridge takes a beautiful Brahms piano concerto and sets the choreography in the 1960s. And I'm pretty excited for the fates, which is a new work by Jeff Gonzalez, with music from Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, exploring the story of the three fates. It's all really steeped in history, but the settings and cinematography really seemed to push the boundaries of modern dance. Speaker 1: 05:08 You can screen city ballet's moving forward production online today through November 29th. And let's leave on a song. Shall we? Where can we find the voice finalist? The singer said dress this weekend. Speaker 2: 05:23 Yeah. So on Saturday, local poet, Gil. So to you as paired up seven local artists with seven local non-profits for B about it, and they're creating custom performances about that particular nonprofit organizations like outdoor outreach, Muslim community services, and so many great local acts like Mariah performing arts. So to himself, Rebecca Jade, poet, Bridget gray and comedian Cree rushing and San Diego's recent reality star series for a taste of what you might find, here's her newest release Speaker 4: 05:58 Room to grow. I can bring the base. I can demystify and feel reasonably secure Speaker 1: 06:26 That San Diego surgeries with Speaker 4: 06:28 Room to grow she'll live stream with six Speaker 1: 06:31 Other performing artists on Saturday at 10:00 AM, from the Jacobs center for neighborhood innovation on Facebook or Instagram live for more arts events or to sign up for the weekly KPBS arts newsletter go to kpbs.org/arts. And I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor, Julia Dixon Evans, Julia, thank you so much. Speaker 4: 06:54 Have a good weekend.
