Santa Cruz Good Times

Wednesday
May 22nd
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

SC Theater, Art, Attractions & Museum

Saturday, 14 May 2011 00:00 GTWebmaster Santa Cruz - Area Guide
 E-mail

MuseumNatHistTheater
Art Galleries
Attractions

Theater

Actors’ Theatre
1001 Center St., Santa Cruz 831-425-1003, sccat.org   It’s the Santa Cruz playground for dramatic artists. New written works and local actors hit the stage in full-length productions and in short 10-minute shows. The theater also frequently boasts out-of-town talent including performers from San Francisco. Great portal for community theater.

Art League Broadway Playhouse
526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, 831-426-5787, scal.org   It boasts an impressive art gallery as well as a small theater, and over the past two years it’s rocked audiences with thought-provoking shows from Pisces Moon Productions and The Monterey Bay Repertory Theatre Company.

culture_cabaretCabrillo Stage at the Cabrillo Theatre
6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos, 831-479-6154; 831-479-6429, cabrillostage.com   Summer always heats up with Cabrillo’s high-caliber offerings. This year’s line-up includes “I Love  You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,”  “Swing” and “Cabaret.” Professional actors, great stage direction and brilliant music arrangement.
PHOTO: jana marcus

Henry J. Mello Center
215 East Beach St., Watsonville. 831-763-4047, mellocenter.com One of South County’s finest. The lavish setting has balcony seating, a luxurious stage and much more.

Louden Nelson Community Center
301 Center St., Santa Cruz, 831-420-6177 The famed local center often attracts quirky and diverse offerings on the theater front, but take note of its other offerings—everything from seniors yoga to dance. The hallway doubles as an art gallery.

Mountain Community Theatre
9370 Mill St., Ben Lomond 831-336-4777, mctshows.org  A wide range of shows—from “RENT” to “The Pirates of Penzance”—makes this local company stand out.

Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-423-8209, riotheatre.com  It’s a former movie palace cum multi-use performing arts venue where the likes of Danny Glover, David Sedaris, She & Him and Ramtha have graced the stage. Occasional theater is mixed in with music and other events like the Santa Cruz Film Festival.

Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
307 Church St., Santa Cruz, 831-420-5260  This one-time mega gymnasium was all about shooting hoops, but now it’s been re-imagined for great local outings—and the ballet—and award-winning music festivals, as well as art and wine festivals.

UC Santa Cruz Shakespeare
1156 High St., Santa Cruz 831-459-2121, 831-459-2159, shakespearesantacruz.org  It’s one of the finest Shakespeare fests in the country and Shakespeare Santa Cruz lives up to that honor. Each summer, it produces at least three plays. There’s also a winter production in December.

 

Art Galleries

Artisans Gallery
1368 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831-423-8183, artisanssantacruz.com  This showcase for local talent offers a slice of everything, from woodwork and ceramics to jewelry, prints and glass art. Hours: 10:30am to 6:30pm Mon.-Thurs., 10:30am to 8pm Friday and Saturday, 10:30am to 6:30pm Sunday. With a mission like “Delight the eye with beauty,” how can you go wrong?

felix_boothFelix Kulpa
107 Elm St., Santa Cruz  831-471-0147, felixkulpa.com  Felix Kulpa specializes in offbeat, never pretentious, contemporary art. Art shows change on a regular basis. Most are downright impressive. Hours: 11am to 7pm Wed.-Sun. One of the best galleries in Santa Cruz.

Made in Santa Cruz
57 Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf 831-426-2257, madeinsantacruz.com  Expect a large selection of original paintings, blown glass, ceramics and sculpture from local artists here. And note the body products from Bonny Doon Farm. Hours: 10am. to 7pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 8pm  Saturday and Sunday. Summer hours: Friday-Sunday 9am to 9pm, Monday-Thursday 10am to 8pm.

Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery
Porter College, UC Santa Cruz 831-459-3606  An amazingly wide variety of art covering all genres decorates this hidden treasure at the City on a Hill. Open Tuesday–Saturday, noon-5pm, Closed on university holidays and during summer.

Michael Angelo Studios
1111 River St., Santa Cruz 831-426-5500, michaelangelostudios.com  Once an old tanning house, the historic building was about to be demolished when a local sculptor stepped in and converted it into a gallery and maze of studios for local artists. Now it offers everything from art openings to fundraisers.

The Mill
131 Front St, Santa Cruz, 831-539-6310  Truly a unique spot. From its high ceilings and open space, this local gallery has everything. Take note of the many local artists featured here and the events  that take place—all amidst terrific art.

Museum of Art & History
705 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-429-1964, santacruzmah.org  Downtown’s impressive art haven has an extensive array of art, many from locals. The great thing about MAH is that it has a big-city feel.

Santa Cruz Art League
526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, 426-5787, cal.org  One of the area’s most revered portals for art, SCAL showcases the county’s finest works. This charming creative hub is a hotbed of activity in October, too, when the annual Open Studios tour is under way, but check this spot out year-round.

Shen’s Gallery
2404 Mission St., Santa Cruz 831-457-4422, shensgallery.com  The large Mission Street showroom offers a huge selection of Chinese antiques not easily found anywhere else. Local delivery and world-wide shipping available. 10am-6pm daily, 11am-6pm Sunday.

 

Attractions

Agricultural Museum
2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville, 831-724-5898, aghistoryproject.org  See antique farm machinery and get a sense of how they used to do it in the good old days. The Central Coast is internationally known for its farming and this museum has some of the best collections.

Bockius-Orr House and Volk Museum
332 East Beach St., Watsonville 831-722-0305  Dolls, games, musical instruments and other treasures, all dating back to the 1800s, pack this beautiful, historic house to the rafters. For the antique lover this museum is king.

Capitola Historical Museum
410 Capitola Ave., Capitola 831-464-0322, capitolamuseum.org  The charming village by the sea and its museum are often called quaint. With photographs and artifacts dating back to the days of Camp Capitola, the museum is lovingly curated.

Roaring Camp Railroads
Graham Hill Road, Felton 831-335-4484, roaringcamp.com  Riding on the railroad will take you back in time into the redwood forest ending at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a historical point of interest in its own right.

San Lorenzo Valley Historical Museum
12547 Highway 9, Boulder Creek 831-338-8382, slvmuseum.com  The San Lorenzo Valley is rich in historical interests and this museum covers it all, from life-size dioramas depicting pioneer life, to the tools they carried.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, 831-423-5590  Who on this Earth would not enjoy an afternoon or evening of thrilling rides, carnival games and amazing food? Not to mention the awesome view and location, next to the Municipal Wharf and close to the Boardwalk Bowl.

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
144 School St., Santa Cruz, 831-425-5849  One of the historic missions built in California during the 1800s, the Mission La Exaltacíon de la Santa Cruz is where the town gets its name—Holy Cross.

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz 831-420-6115 Simply one of the easiest museums to find because of the life-size concrete gray whale resting out front.

MysterySpotSanta Cruz Mystery Spot
465 Mystery Spot Road, Santa Cruz, 831-423-8897, mysteryspot.com  The Mystery Spot is open 365 days a year, so it’s always a great time to satisfy your curiosity.

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, 701 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz 831-420-6289, santacruzsurfingmuseum.org  Besides being inside one of the most recognizable Santa Cruz icons, the museum is perched above one of the world’s premier surf spots, Steamer Lane, where you can see some of the best in surfing.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab
100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, 831-459-3800, seymourcenter.com  The Seymour Center is a destination that will leave you with the abysmal regret that you didn’t pursue a marine biology degree.

Wilder Ranch State Park
1401 Coast Road, Santa Cruz Highway 1 just past Swift Street 831-423-9703  Wilder Ranch was one of the bigger ranches, and though most of the cows have left for greener pastures the 100-plus year-old ranch survives intact complete with old barns, wagons and farming paraphernalia. A great place to hike along the tall cliffs you’ve been enviously watching from the car window on the Pacific Coast.

Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment
smaller | bigger

busy
< Prev
 

Share this on your social networks

Bookmark and Share

Share this

Bookmark and Share

  • Search

    •  

    Free Angela

    Political activist and UC Santa Cruz Professor Emerita Angela Davis commands the spotlight in a riveting new documentary. PLUS:  UCSC’s Bettina Aptheker opens up about the political upheavals of the ’60s and ’70s—and today. Angela Davis is not a human being who can be easily summed up in several sentences or paragraphs—books maybe, but, even then, capturing the political activist, scholar and author in the most comprehensive light is downright complex. That’s because Davis is an undeniably unique political creature, one who should be seen and heard to be fully absorbed and downloaded. Which is what makes Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, the new documentary about Davis and the turbulent political upheavals she faced during the late-1960s and ’70s, so inviting. In it, filmmaker Shola Lynch marks the 40th anniversary of Davis’ acquittal on charges of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy with a historical vérité style of filmmaking to illuminate a side of Davis few may have seen (or can recall), and captures the events that thrust the woman into one of the most fascinating orbits of notoriety and political intrigue of the 20th century.

     

    No Big Surprises

    The highly anticipated draft Environmental Impact Report for desal is finally out. Will it change anything? When scwd2, the group pursuing the proposed joint desalination plant for the Santa Cruz Water Department and Soquel Creek Water District, set up a booth at the Santa Cruz Earth Day festival in 2012, its reception was less than warm. Signature gathering for Measure P, the “right to vote” on desal ballot measure, was in full swing, as were tensions over the controversial project, which would produce up to 2.5 million gallons per day of desalinated water and cost an estimated $100 million. What were representatives of an energy-intensive desal plant doing among the recycling and conservation booths? That was the attitude Melanie Mow Schumacher, public outreach coordinator for scwd2 (pronounced “squid squared”), remembers sensing.

     

    The Maya-Ixil Move Forward

    Local nonprofit works to educate and create opportunity for indigenous communities in Guatemala In an isolated region of the Guatemala mountains called Ixil, the indigenous Maya population was devastated by a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla factions that spanned 1960 to 1996. During that 36-year war, the Guatemalan military eradicated entire Mayan communities. In what amounted to genocide, soldiers burned Mayan farmlands and homes, raped and tortured the people, and scattered families. By the end of the war, 200,000 Mayans had been killed, 7,000 of whom were Maya-Ixil.

     

    Public Thinking

    Watsonville teens host TEDx event Santa Cruz County is no stranger to the TED brand. TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design—talks have come to the area through independently organized events 10 times since 2011. This month, the gathering returns to the county with a new twist, thanks to the Watsonville Youth City Council. TEDxYouth@Watsonville, which will take place Sunday, May 19 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, will feature only speakers younger than 19 years old and will traverse topics from racial stereotypes and renewable energy to traditional Mexican dance.

     

    Transoceana

    Danny Moriarty’s musical influences have been known to impact his life beyond his local rock band, Transoceana. “I went through two periods,” confesses the singer, guitarist and songwriter. “I borrowed Bono’s mullet look from the ’80s for a while, and then I dressed like I was from the ’70s and had big hair like Jimmy Page.” Bono and Page are also symbolic of Transoceana’s evolution as a band during their three years together.

     

    Cruzin’ for Inspiration

    Former resident pays homage to Santa Cruz with locally shot thesis film When he left Santa Cruz for the University of Southern California’s graduate film program in 2010, Christopher Guerrero had completed the film major at UC Santa Cruz in 2008 and worked on campus in the film and digital media department. It wasn’t until he headed south, that Guerrero began to reminisce about the coastal town. “It was really really hard when I moved to L.A., to acclimate and find friends,” he says, adding that—counter to the philosophical, conversational culture of Santa Cruz—he found nowhere in his new town where he could simply sit and talk about life with someone. “I didn’t really realize why I love [Santa Cruz] so much until it was gone.”

     

    Beck to the Future

    In celebration of Beck’s solo acoustic show at The Rio, GT explores Song Reader, the alternative rock icon’s most ambitious interactive art piece yet. Here’s an odd little paradox of the digital revolution: The more sophisticated our technology gets, the more our musical milieu begins to resemble that of a bygone era, when song ideas were passed around from musician to musician, perpetually taking on new twists. Dozens of different YouTube users might try their hand at setting somebody’s rant about cats or double rainbows to music, or you might hear the Belgian musician Gotye turning the many and varied covers of his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a virtual orchestra (see below).

     

    Growing Berries Without Bromide

    Researchers test a new alternative to a controversial chemical The scarecrows perched in Santa Cruz strawberry fields do little to scare away the birds, much less the insects and fungi harbored in the soil. Everything likes to eat strawberries, which makes growing them a risky business. This predicament led UC Santa Cruz professor Carol Shennan to take an unconventional approach to pest management. Nine years ago, the fatal plant disease Verticillium wilt was wiping out strawberry plants at the university farm. Chemicals hardly phase the pathogen, and Shennan saw little improvement with crop rotation, which is typically used to treat infested fields. A visiting plant pathologist from the Netherlands recommended a little-known organic technique called anaerobic soil disinfestation, and, with so few other options, Shennan decided to give it a try. 

     

    Uniting All That Has Been Separated

     

    Legal Battles Drag On

    More than a year after the 75 River St. occupation, four defendants remain embroiled in ongoing case  More than a year and a half since a group occupied the former Wells Fargo building on River Street in an act of protest, felony charges linger on for four of the original defendants and a trial may be imminent. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, Brent Adams, Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin Alcantara were scheduled to begin trial May 13 in connection with the late 2011 protest. That trial now has been pushed back to September due to scheduling conflicts. The four face a felony charge of vandalism and a misdemeanor for trespassing.
    GTemail_tileTomorow's GTW Today.
    Sign up for Tomorrow's Good Times Today
    Upcoming arts & events

    Latest Comments

     

    The Pleasure of Süda

    Süda is a happening place. As my friend Jan and I were enjoying dinner, every table in the restaurant filled up and nearly all the outdoor seating was occupied as well. Located in the Pleasure Point area, Süda is a magnet for just about everybody hanging out in that neck of the woods.

     

    The Power of Conversation

    Local author Cecile Andrews emphasizes importance of community engagement in newest book Cecile Andrews, author of the new book “Living Room Revolution: A Handbook for Conversation, Community and the Common Good,” probably wouldn’t get along too well with Larry David’s character from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, known for hiding his face and avoiding communication with anyone he runs into on the street. Andrews is a longstanding part-time Santa Cruz (part-time Seattle) resident who says something that’s struck her about this town over the years is people's willingness to participate in a practice she’s dubbed the “Stop and Chat”—which is exactly what it sounds like.

     

    What do you know about Monsanto?

    Santa Cruz | Self Employed  

     

    Best of Santa Cruz County

    The 2013 Santa Cruz County Readers' Poll and Critics’ Picks It’s our biggest issue of the year, and in it, your votes—more than 6,500 of them—determined the winners of The Best of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll. New to the long list of local restaurants, shops and other notables that captured your interest: Best Beer Selection, Best Locally Owned Business, Best Customer Service and Best Marijuana Dispensary. In the meantime, many readers were ever so chatty online about potential new categories. Some of the suggestions that stood out: Best Teen Program and Best Web Design/Designer. But what about: Dog Park, Church, Hotel, Local Farm, Therapist (I second that!) or Sports Bar—not to be confused with Bra. Our favorite suggestion: Best Act of Kindness—one reader noted Café Gratitude and the free meals it offered to the Santa Cruz Police Department in the aftermath of recent crimes. Perhaps some of these can be woven into next year’s ballot, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the following pages and take note of our Critics’ Picks, too, beginning on page 91. A big thanks for voting—and for reading—and an even bigger congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy.  -Greg Archer, EditorBest of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll INDEX | Shops | Food & Drink | Arts & Entertainment | Health & Fitness | Professionals | The Rest |

     

    Poetic Cellars

    Poetic Cellars makes the most romantic wines. With a verse or two of beautiful poetry on every label, mostly poems of love and romance, this is the perfect wine to open up over dinner with your sweetheart. I particularly love winemaker Katy Lovell’s Syrah ($28) with its voluptuous velvety textures and dark fruit flavors.

     

    The Gypsy

    French-born jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée lives for musical freedom and improvisation Cyrille Aimée is a musical gypsy. Her sound incorporates elements of Latin American, American, Brazilian and other styles of jazz, she has recorded albums as a duet with Diego Figueiredo, she currently performs with the Surreal (same pronunciation as her first name) Band, and she is working on a new album with yet another band. As it happens, Aimée can actually blame gypsies for her love of jazz. “I grew up in Samois-sur-Seine, which is a little town in France where Django Reinhardt used to live,” she says. “Every year they have the Django Festival in his honor, and so gypsies from all parts of Europe come and honor him and play guitar. I started hanging out with the gypsies and became obsessed with their music, their way of living, their freedom. What drew me to jazz music was the freedom of it, all the improvisation, and the fact that it’s a style of music that is constantly changing.”

     

    May Day in the Alps

    When my daughter returns to Santa Cruz from her new home in Los Angeles, she comments on how quiet it is here. It was even more so during a trip to Ben Lomond, when we set out for a sample of her second favorite macaroni and cheese. Sitting at the front of the Tyrolean Inn restaurant, the green tarp with plastic windows kept out the chill as well as the noise of an occasional passing car. A new draft beer celebrating the German spring, Maibok ($6) was refreshing, served in a hefty glass stein, but specialty cocktails are unique as well.

     

    Exposed

    David Cay Johnston’s new book explains how big companies rob us blind In his late teens David Cay Johnston started to ask questions. “Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day?” “Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?” He wrote an article, while still living in his hometown of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse building, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a conventional building.

     

    What are you a total sucker for?

    A cold beer after a long bike ride, gossip, and fighting over politics. Kyle McKinley Santa Cruz | Lecturer