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Fall under the spell of this effervescent romantic comedy where love, laughter, and tradition playfully intertwine. North Coast Repertory Theatre presents "Beau Jest," James Sherman’s delightful Jewish-American story that weaves together vibrant traditions, sizzling chemistry, and joyous celebrations into a warm-hearted theatrical treat. Bursting with laugh-out-loud moments and tender revelations, this smart crowd-pleaser celebrates family, devotion, and finding your true self. Fresh, funny, and deeply heartfelt, "Beau Jest" delivers the perfect blend of humor and heart that will leave you smiling long after the final bow. Omri Schein directs Sam Ashdown,* Josh Cahn,* Benjamin Cole, Katrina Michaels,* Joel Polis,* and Jill Remez.* Christopher M. Williams* is the Production Stage Manager. Alyssa Hayden and Clarence Lightfoot III are the Production Assistants. The Design Team includes Marty Burnett (Set Design), Matthew Novotny (Light Design), Jennifer Brawn Gittings (Costume Design) Evan Eason (Sound Design), and Michael Wogulis (Props Design). *The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association. For photos, go to www.northcoastrep.org/press. BEAU JEST performances begin Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. NOW EXTENDED. Final performance is Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. The show runs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., Sunday evenings at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Added Wednesday matinee April 24, May 13 & May 20. A talkback with the director and cast is scheduled for Friday, May 1. North Coast Rep is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, CA 92075. For complete performance schedule and ticket information, call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org. Join us for an evening of laughter, love, and theatrical warmth that will leave you glowing long after the final curtain. North Coast Repertory Theatre on Facebook / Instagram

Doors open at 4:30 p.m., films start at 5 p.m.. Donation is $10 per person and includes refreshments. Takeout or other food is allowed. Our cartoon is "Plane Crazy" (1928), the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be produced... but the fourth to be released. Next is another important first: "The Lucky Dog" (1921). This Stan Laurel film features a character actor named Oliver Hardy. It would be five years before they made another film together, and made history! And our own Russ Peck will provide live piano music! In "One Good Turn" (1931), an elderly woman gives food to Depression victims Stan and Ollie, so they decide to help her out. Stan's young daughter Lois was upset that Stan always got the worst of it from Ollie, so in this film the tables are turned... Another first! Other films include "The Finishing Touch," "The Stolen Jools," "The Midnight Patrol," and our first showing of a special tribute to Oliver Hardy. Visit the Saps At Sea - San Diego Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/111118255744315 The Saps at Sea will also host the International Sons of the Desert convention in San Diego, June 21-25, 2026. Passes are available for the entire convention, or for separate events like the evening harbor cruise, formal banquet with vintage music by Dean Mora & his Orchestra, or the $20 Three Hour Film Night featuring restored Laurel and Hardy films. For details see www.sonsfestsd2026.com

Join The Center Chorale, Pacific Coast Chorale, Guest Singers and Soloists with Orchestra Tutti of San Diego for a presentation of a symphonic work written for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. This exciting work from the Tolkien films includes 85 instrumentalists, 100 singers, soloists, and children's chorus creating a long-lasting impact for singers and audience alike. The music of "The Lord of the Rings" by Howard Shore is counted among film scores most complex and comprehensive works. This unique performance allows the music to bear the narrative weight of the films creating a new and dramatic live concert experience. This collaborative event includes performers across the county providing creative arts experiences that enhance the vibrancy of our community for performers and audience alike. Escondido Choral Arts Foundation on Facebook

The San Diego Underground Film Festival (SDUFF) returns May 1–5, 2026 for its eleventh edition, with a new home at UC San Diego's Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts. SDUFF XI marks a bold shift toward global feature cinema, presenting West Coast and North American premieres fresh from the world's most prestigious festivals — including Locarno, IFFR Rotterdam, TIFF, Sundance, and MoMA's Doc Fortnight — alongside a curated program of award-winning experimental shorts. Highlights include James Benning's 8 Bridges, Sky Hopinka's Powwow People, Rajee Samarasinghe's Spirit Award–winning Your Touch Makes Others Invisible, and the festival's first-ever Feature Film Competition. The weekend closes with the presentation of SDUFF's iconic "Most Metal" award, honoring the boldest and most fearless voice in the underground. All screenings are FREE and open to the public. Where: Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts, UC San Diego When: May 1–5, 2026 Admission: Free More info: sdundergroundarts.org/attend-sduff-11 San Diego Underground Film Festival on Facebook / Instagram

"Bloodlines & Brushstrokes" AAPI Group Exhibition Presented by Thumbprint Gallery, Hosted at Distinction Gallery Opening Reception: Saturday, May 9 | 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Exhibition Dates: May 9 – June 6 Location: Distinction Gallery Thumbprint Gallery is proud to present "Bloodlines & Brushstrokes," a dynamic group exhibition celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander artists and their diverse creative voices. Hosted at Distinction Gallery, this exhibition serves as an extension of the "Bloodlines & Brushstrokes" exhibition currently on view at Thumbprint Gallery in La Jolla, expanding the conversation and bringing additional visibility to the featured artists and themes. The exhibition opens Saturday, May 9 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will remain on view through June 6. Featuring original works by several local AAPI artists, "Bloodlines & Brushstrokes" highlights the richness of cultural identity, heritage, and lived experience through a wide range of visual styles and mediums. From deeply personal narratives to bold contemporary expressions, the exhibition offers a vibrant reflection of the many perspectives within the AAPI community. The opening reception coincides with the Escondido 2nd Saturday Art Walk, inviting guests to experience an evening of art, community, and culture throughout downtown Escondido. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet participating artists, explore the exhibition, and enjoy live music during this special celebration. This month's featured window display artist at Distinction Gallery is Lourans Mikhail, a multi-faceted creative currently living in San Diego, California, after honorably serving 13 years as a U.S. Marine. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mikhail creates work across sculpture, painting, murals, and graphic design to explore different perspectives and challenge complex narratives surrounding socioeconomics, culture, politics, and race. Inspired by his Assyrian heritage, graffiti, comics, anime, cartoons, and fine art, Mikhail’s work exists between the realms of lowbrow and pop surrealism. Through the use of wordplay and perspective—both figurative and literal—his work invites viewers to reconsider familiar ideas and engage with layered visual storytelling. "Bloodlines & Brushstrokes" serves as both a celebration of artistic excellence and a platform for representation, dialogue, and connection within the AAPI community and beyond. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Cover art "Rock, Paper, Scissors" by Lucy Halle (detail) Live music by Soft Serve Thumbprint Gallery on Facebook / Instagram

"Occupy Thirdspace III: The Park" tells the visual story of public and collective land use through the perspective of artists whose work has touched, traversed, and activated the site of Friendship Park. This historical landmark located at the westernmost end of our southern border, has been a meeting place and source of hope across divides, later a site of concentrated militarization. The objects in "OTS III" work together to resurrect the spirit of Friendship Park as a bridge, encounter, and neighborhood. Featuring: Las Comadres, Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS), and Friends of International Friendship Park. Curated by Sara Solaimani and natalia ventura.

A 10-lesson advanced online course in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) for learners who wish to strengthen their reading, speaking, and grammatical command of the language. Each session uses authentic Sephardi texts, poetry, and song to build vocabulary and fluency, with grammar topics covering verb tenses, moods, and the indicative vs. subjunctive contrast The course is taught by Esther Rute, a certified Ladino language teacher who holds a BA in Semitic Philology and two MAs in Jewish History and Spanish Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the External Advisor to the National Authority for Ladino and Deputy Editor of Aki Yerushalayim. Dates: Tuesdays, April 28 – May 26 Time: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Location: Online via Zoom Cost: Early Bird: 5 classes for $270 available until Sunday, April 26, 2026 Regular: 5 classes for $300 Teacher: Esther Rute Yiddishland California: Website / Facebook

We're excited for our upcoming Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture — Neurobiology in a Changing Ocean — with Professor Martin Tresguerres. Climate change is fundamentally altering marine environments worldwide. But what does this mean for the creatures that call the ocean home? Join Professor Martin Tresguerres as he delves into the work of the Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Environments (ADC-NiCE), where researchers are working towards answering this question. Through a combination of neurobiology, physiology and environmental science, ADC-NiCE investigates how climate change affects the nervous systems and behavior of marine animals — ultimately guiding policy, conservation strategies and restoration efforts. Seating is limited and lectures often sell out, so advanced registration is strongly recommended. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. Birch Aquarium at Scripps on Facebook / Instagram

Raised in Brooklyn, New York and now living in Los Angeles, American novelist Ivy Pochoda is the critically acclaimed author of seven novels, including "These Women" (Ecco 2021), a finalist for The Los Angeles Times Book Prize, The Edgar Award, the California Book Award, The Macavity Award, and the International Thriller Writers Award; and "Sing Her Down" (Picador 2024), which won the LA Times Book Prize. Pochoda is also a 2018 winner of Strand Critics Award for Best Novel and the Prix Page America in France. Her work often delves into themes of female violence, societal judgment, and mythology. Her latest novel, "Ecstasy" (G.P. Putnam's Sons 2025), was considered one of the most-anticipated horror books of 2025. A horror reimagining of playwright Euripides’s Greek tragedy, "The Bacchae," "Ecstasy" explores themes of empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them. Ivy Pochoda now leads a creative writing workshop in Skid Row, Los Angeles, where she helped found Skid Row Zine. She is currently a professor of creative writing at the University of California Riverside Palm Desert low-residency MFA program. Come attend this author's reading and Q & A event!

Widely known as a founding editor of the literary journal, Hobart, fiction and non-fiction writer Aaron Burch has authored seven books, including the novels "Year of the Buffalo" and "A Kind of In-Between." He is also the author of a memoir/literary analysis, Stephen King's "The Body," and a short story collection, "Backswing." Burch is also the editor of the craft anthology "How to Write a Novel: An Anthology of 20 Craft Essays About Writing, None of Which Ever Mention Writing," and is currently the editor of the journals "HAD" and "Short Story, Long." Burch grew up in Tacoma, Washington but now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he teaches at the University of Michigan. He is currently the co-editor of "W&S" (a.k.a. "WAS Quarterly: Words & Sports") and the Substack journal "HAD." He currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI. Come attend this author's reading, Q & A, and book selling/signing event!