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From the KPBS weekend arts preview: The Old Globe collaborated with SoulKiss Theater to bring two one-act plays to the stage, written by local hip-hop artists and playwrights Miki Vale and Queen Kandi Cole. Vale's play "And We Danced" is the story of 1940s LGBTQ+ activist Ruth Ellis. Cole's "Game Night" is a story of friendship and differences during a board game night. Both plays are directed by Kimberly King. Details: Oct. 17-27. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. The Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts, 1805 Main St., Barrio Logan. $23.18+. —Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS From the organizers: Two Hip Hop Powerhouses Bring an Unforgettable Theatre Experience to Barrio Logan in "2 RAPPERS 2 PLAYS." Get ready for a theatrical takeover as two hip hop artists, Miki Vale and Queen Kandi Cole, bring their respective stage plays, “And We Danced” and “Game Night,” to the Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts this fall. The production titled “2 RAPPERS 2 PLAYS,” features two one-act plays back to back as part of The Old Globe’s Arts Engagement CoLAB program, in collaboration with SoulKiss Theater. Queen Kandi Cole’s "GAME NIGHT," directed by Kimberly King, follows a group of friends who gather for a night of games but wind up digging into the complexities of their diverse backgrounds and belief structures post-pandemic during a chaotic and hilarious evening of libations and truth-telling. It features a dynamic cast, including Eboni Harvey, Kendrick Dial, Julia Giolzetti, Geoffrey Geissinger, Maria Boncza and Winnie Beasley. Miki Vale’s "AND WE DANCED," also directed by Kimberly King, is an exploration of the life and impact of Ruth Ellis, a Black, openly queer woman and LGBTQIA activist from the 1940s who created a safe haven and sustained advocacy for the Queer Black community of Detroit. This production features a talented cast, including Winnie Beasley, Rev. Alyce Smith Cooper, Zakiyyah Saleem, Casj Young, Kevane La’Marr Coleman and Brittany Allen. Opening Night Friday, October 18 @ 7 p.m. When: October 17-October 27 Where: The Chrysalis: Monarch Center for the Arts Cost: Tickets starting at $20 Miki Vale on Facebook / Instagram Queen Kandi Cole on Facebook / Instagram

Dia de los Muertos Theater Favorite “Journey of the Skeletons” Returns to San Diego Former La Jolla Playhouse hit was the region’s first Día de Muertos theater comedy “Journey of the Skeletons,” the Dia de los Muertos comedy that started as a San Diego County educational project and became an international hit, is back. So is the cast of multicultural spirits, the Aztec god of death and one very testy underworld jaguar. “Journey of the Skeletons” will run Nov. 1 and 2 at The Chrysalis Theater in the Monarch Center for the Arts, 1805 Main Street in Logan Heights. Curtain is 7 p.m. The Chrysalis is a new 100-seat performing arts space built to support the Monarch School for homeless students and provide arts opportunities for the Logan Heights community. “It’s a great project and a cool space,” said director Hector Rivera. “This show remains a wonderful way to learn about the beautiful Dia de los Muertos holiday going back to its Aztec origins. It’s fun for the entire family.” Written by Southwestern College professor Dr. Max Branscomb, the playwright of “La Pastorela” for 33 years and the 47-year-old Bonitafest Melodrama, “Journey of the Skeletons” has been produced throughout California, Northern Mexico and at the Cultural Olympics in Sydney, Australia. It had a sold-out run in 2014 at the La Jolla Playhouse. It was commissioned in 1996 by the San Diego Council for Arts Education. “Journey of the Skeletons” is the story of Memo, a Latino angel who invites two Heavenly buddies – one White, one Black – to join him on his Dia de los Muertos journey to Earth to meet his familia and indulge in the offerings left on his altar. Along the way they encounter the Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli (Luis Angel Prado), and his evil jaguar, Colmillos (Ella Aldridge), who threaten to lock them away for eternity in the underworld. Cagey Memo bets that the skeletons can trick the uber-competitive Mictlantecuhtli in a life-or-death game just as Quezalcoatl had eons earlier. “‘Skeletons’ is one of my fave shows and Hector directs it with a very nice touch,” Branscomb said. “It is an honor to produce it at the Monarch Center for the Arts. We’ve got an excellent cast of international actors who have come together to create a meaningful work of theater art for our community.” Branscomb said he has always loved Dia de los Muertos, but admitted he was nervous when approached to write a play about death rituals of America and the borderlands. “You know I write musical-comedies, verdad?” he recalled telling SDCAE staff. “But I was inspired by reading Octavio Paz and the Latino concept of laughing about death and celebrating it as an inevitable part of life. People in New Orleans and other parts of the world have similar customs, so the idea of multicultural angels came together nicely.” Rivera, Rhys Green and Joe Nogra play the angels/skeletons. Green performed in the La Jolla Playhouse production in 2014. Actor/writer Ella Aldridge, a 16-year-old junior at the San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts, said she learned much about the traditions of Dia de los Muertos playing Colmillos the jaguar. “It’s an ancient tradition and very heartfelt,” she said. “Making altars for loved ones is a lovely practice that came from Mexico and is now part of San Diego County culture. They are so beautiful and the belief that the love and caring that goes into them nourishes the spirits of ancestors is so powerful.” Tickets are $21 general admission, $15 for early birds, seniors, students, military and educators. Children 12 and under are $12. To purchase tickets call (619) 227-4686 or go to journeyoftheskeletons2024@gmail.com. Max Branscomb mbranscomb@swccd.edu drmaxbranscomb@outlook.com (October 29 – November 4) (619) 997-9054 Ella Aldridge (619) 931-4751 egrace0052@gmail.com

This week's publishing highlights are a bumper crop of biography, science and fiction — including new reads the from authors of The Sweetness of Water, The God of Small Things, and Deadliest Enemy.

The Special Defense Program for Inclusion, known by its Spanish acronym DETI, is part of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's efforts to protect Mexican nationals living abroad.

Join Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, a nonprofit organization that offers reconstructive surgery and related healthcare services to children around the world, at their 33rd Annual Butterfly Ball Halloween Bash. The annual gala will celebrate the extraordinary work of Fresh Start, along with their generous donors and sponsors who make Fresh Start’s work possible. The celebratory event will feature dinner, a silent and live auction, live band, and a casino night. In the spook-tacular spirit of Halloween, guests are invited to come dressed in their best costumes. 100% of the proceeds raised from the gala will benefit the children’s medical program! Register Today! Visit: www.freshstart.org/ Fresh Start Surgical Gifts on Facebook / Instagram

The Trump administration has set forth a national security strategy that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert America's dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

Organizers are accusing the president of putting on the parade as a show of dominance. The protests were peaceful, but came against the backdrop of assassinations in Minnesota.

Organizers say visits from local students bring joy to the center’s residents and help teach kids about aging.

In collaboration with So Say We All, the Hausmann Quartet presents "Seven Last Words," a performance of Joseph Haydn’s epic masterpiece alongside spoken word presentations of original works by the authors themselves. The texts will be inspired by the same scripture upon which Haydn based each of the movements of his monumental work, The Seven Last Words of Christ. Originally commissioned for a Good Friday service in 1783, it was adapted for string quartet by the composer and has since become a treasured Easter-time tradition around the world. Hausmann Quartet on Facebook / Instagram So Say We All on Facebook / Instagram

San Diego has a new official flower, following the City Council's unanimous vote today to replace the non-native carnation with the native western blue-eyed grass.