San Diego Weekend Arts Events: ‘Say It Loud,’ Wagner New Play Festival, Young Choreographers And Mainly Mozart
Speaker 1: 00:00 This weekend, the arts world is taking advantage of this perfect weather with plenty of performances beneath the stars and the start of a week long June teen festival celebrating black theater, poetry and music. Joining me is KPBS arts editor, Julia Dickson Evans, with all the details. Julia welcome. Hi Jane. Thanks for having me. All right. First, you know, before we dig into the outdoor offerings, how about something for those of us who would prefer to stay home? The Wagner new play festival was underway. Tell us what we can find there. This Speaker 2: 00:30 Is the annual new playwriting festival it's out of the UC San Diego department of theater and dance where their MFA students are tasked with creating and producing new works. The festival this year is hosting four original audio plays and one animated play. There's one that's set in outer space. There's one where a character's best friend is a cat. I also loved backwater, which is a play by a NICTA retro REIT. It's about an LGBTQ couple. They fall in love. They get married a bit too quickly and they go on their honeymoon kind of to discover each other and all the baggage of their families and ancestry, and also the great outdoors. Here's a clip. It's Speaker 3: 01:11 So, still so quiet. The most serene place you'll find in all the world. It's beautiful healing. Perfect. Apart from all these mosquitoes, they're not too bad. Do you have the mosquito repellent? Thanks. I think that's enough, babe. Better. Let's hope so. Is this everything you wanted? Yes. Somewhere we can finally slow down and just be together away from all the noise. Speaker 2: 01:46 So that's any territories backwater and the animated play. That's end times by Keiko green. It's about a group of ragtag retail employees who are faced with a corporate sponsored apocalypse and that animated play will be that final installment tonight. Speaker 1: 02:05 Wow. The Wagner new play festival features for audio plays available to stream on Spotify and apple podcast and a final animated play launching tonight at seven 30, sticking with emerging talent, San Diego dance theater is presenting their annual young choreographers showcase and they're moving it outdoors. Tell us about this show. This Speaker 2: 02:25 Closes out the month long dances in the air festival. These are all shows that have been taking place on Liberty stations, new outdoor stage and San Diego dance theaters, young choreographers showcase. It features the work of four choreographers, Lucy Salinas, Kevin Truet, ADESA Nuno and Stephanie Vasquez. All of them were originally selected in the 2020 competition. And that was scheduled for March 14th, 2020. And if you remember, that was the first weekend of all of those local cancellations for the pandemic. These three performances, this the audience will get a chance to vote for their audience. Favorite at each show and a panel of judges will pick a winning choreographer and dancer as well. Speaker 1: 03:08 Is San Diego dance theaters, young choreographers showcase with performances on the outdoor stage at Liberty station tonight and Saturday at 6:30 PM and Sunday at two 30, also outdoors, mainly Mozart kicks off their all star orchestra festival at the surf cup sports park in Del Mar this weekend. What can we expect? Speaker 2: 03:29 Yeah, this is a departure from their drive in musical performances. They were one of the first to start doing those driving shows too, and they're doing it now. So audiences can just be seated at an outdoor table or picnic style setup, and you're seated with your pod. In fact, you only need to get one ticket for up to four people who can sit together. And for this particular festival, they bring together principals and concept masters from across the country to pull off two shows this weekend, another on Wednesday, and then two more next weekend. The show tonight's almost entirely sold out. You'd have to contact the box office directly to get tickets, but Saturdays 8:00 PM concert has more seating available. It includes rebelliously Tombo de Coeur d'Alene, which is a beautiful six movement suite for solo piano. They have heightens very Regal trumpet concerto and this Mozart symphony number 39 in E flat major Speaker 4: 04:48 [inaudible] Speaker 1: 04:48 In the Mozart's all star orchestra festival holds outdoor performances tonight and Saturday at 8:00 PM at the Del Mar surf cup sports park. On Sunday, we begin a week long festival celebrating black artists, theater, poetry, and music at the Carlsbad flower fields. Tell us about it, the, say it loud Juneteenth festival. Speaker 2: 05:09 Yeah. This is a project of the San Diego black artists collective they've paired with several theaters in San Diego. There's the old globe LA Jolla Playhouse, new village arts Moxy diversionary and San Diego rep. There's some in-person outdoor events, not just at Carlsbad flower fields. And you can also stream three original plays written by local black playwrights. Plus next weekend on the actual Juneteenth holiday, there'll be a really big artists for black lives event in Bellville park, but it all starts this Sunday evening at the flower fields. It's part of new village arts theaters residency there. Stacey Evans will sing the black national Anthem. There'll be short plays performed on stage and some poetry readings. They'll also do a presentation of colors with the help of the Buffalo soldier mounted cavalry unit. This is a reenactment group that honors the contributions of black mounted soldiers in the late 18 hundreds. These tickets are free, but you have to reserve a seat in advance and spots are filling up quickly. Speaker 1: 06:08 This say it loud. Juneteenth festival kicks off Sunday at 6:00 PM at the Carlsbad flower fields for details on these and more weekend arts events or to sign up for Julia's weekly KPBS arts newsletter go to kpbs.org/arts KPBS day edition wants to know if you'll go to live performances once the county reopens next week, or are you still a bit apprehensive? Go to kpbs.org and share your thoughts. I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dickson Evans Juliet. Thanks. Thank you, Jade. Have a great weekend.
