Arts & Entertainment

Free PRM Concert at Marine Stadium

The Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) will host a free concert featuring Tijuana Dogs. Taking place Friday, Aug. 29, this concert will close out PRM’s robust summer break recreation programming.

The concert will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at Marine Stadium, 5255 E. Paoli Way. Community members are invited to rock out to high energy performances of pop, classic rock, hip hop and chart topping hits that span the ‘70s to the early 2000s. Known for their stage presence and versatility, Tijuana Dogs will keep the crowd on their feet all night long. Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic dinners to enjoy on the lawn.

PRM’s annual end of summer concert, which was held at El Dorado Park West in 2023 and 2024 due to comprehensive restoration and improvements as part of the city’s Colorado Lagoon Open Channel Project, returns this year to Marine Stadium.

For more information about Parks, Recreation and Marine programs, call (562) 570-3150 or visit lbparks.org.

‘A Doll’s House’

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company continues its 2025 season with one of the most influential and talked-about plays in modern theatre history: Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House.’

Directed by Michael Hovance and produced under the vision of Producing Artistic Director Holly Leveque, the production runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Aug. 29 through Sept. 14, at the Helen Borgers Theatre.

A groundbreaking work when it premiered in 1879, “A Doll’s House” shocked audiences with its unflinching look at gender roles, marriage and personal freedom. More than a century later, its themes remain as urgent and relevant as ever.

The play centers on Nora and Torvald Helmer, a seemingly perfect middle-class couple. Torvald, a respected bank lawyer, prides himself on being the moral compass of his home. But when a long-buried secret comes to light – that Nora once committed fraud to secure a loan to save her husband’s life – their carefully curated world begins to unravel.

Blackmail, deception and shifting loyalties ignite a storm that forces Nora to make a life-altering decision: to break free from her marriage and discover her own identity.

“A Doll’s House” isn’t just a period drama – it’s a mirror that reflects our ongoing conversations about autonomy, truth and what it means to live authentically.

Q Film Festival

The 32nd Long Beach Q Film Festival announced plans to screen two Long Beach based films for Opening Night on Thursday, Sept. 4 at the historic 100-year-old Art Theatre.

“Plainclothes” is based on a Los Angeles Times Article that Director Carmen Emmi, who at the time was a film major at USC read about the bathroom entrapment of gay men in Long Beach. Lucas (Tom Blyth), a closeted undercover cop falls for a married man (Russell Tovey) he’s assigned to entrap in Carmen Emmi’s, ‘90s-set erotic drama. Initially focused on his duty to arrest men cruising in shopping mall bathrooms, his mission takes an unexpected turn after a charged encounter with one of his marks.

What begins as a sting operation becomes intimate and volatile, blurring the lines between secrecy and desire, watcher and watched. Raised in the shadow of his grandfather’s badge and working in a homophobic department, Lucas starts to crack under the weight of his messy feelings. Editor Erik Vogt-Nilsen jagged, VHS-warped style, threaded with haunting flashbacks, mirrors Lucas fraying mind, each grain pulsing with anxiety and self-doubt. “Plainclothes” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won a Jury Award.

“Row of Life” – Long Beach native and former Marine, three-time Paralympian, 14-time Guinness World Record setter, and renowned ocean rower Angela Madsen is committed to her sport. By chronicling the year leading up to Madsen’s unsupported solo row from Los Angeles to Hawaii, director Soraya Simi captures both everyday beauty of a Sapphic love story and an athlete’s fearless tenacity. Once Madsen embarks on her nearly 3,000-mile journey, however, “Row of Life” takes a harrowing turn when the film team and Angela’s wife, Debra Madsen, suddenly lose contact with the rower.

Although the final chapter of Angela Madsen’s incredible true story is marked by tragedy, “Row of Life” is a testament to the transformative, affirming power of sports. Brought to the screen in part by TOGETXR, a media company found by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel, “Row of Life” spotlights the remarkable life of an unsung gay athlete.

Robert Cano, the film fest founder and programmer states “At this challenging time when our LGBTQ+ rights are being questioned and attacked, it is a vital time to amplify our voices and have our stories, images and voices seen and heard.”

Tickets are available via the website: www.qfilmslongbeach.com.

Musica Angelica New Board of Directors

Musica Angelica, Southern California’s internationally recognized Baroque ensemble, has announced its Board of Directors for the 2025–26 season. Comprising leaders from the arts, education, law and business, the newly appointed board will support the organization’s continued growth and community engagement as it enters its 33rd season.

The 2025–26 Board of Directors includes:

James Petri – Chairman (Retired LBUSD Music Curriculum Leader)

Max Masuda-Farkas, Esq. – Vice-Chairman/Secretary (Attorney-at-Law)

Harrison Phelps – Treasurer (Talent Strategy, Redesign Health)

Al Rudis – Board Member (Syndicated Music Critic, Retired)

Brian C. Russell – Board Member (Vice President, Kinnery’s Brokerage)

John Thomas – Board Member (CEO, Art Deco Dimensions)

Cecilia Yao – Board Member (Music Agent, William Morris Endeavor)

As the ensemble prepares to open its 2025–26 concert season this fall, the leadership provided by its board will be instrumental in guiding the organization through a year of transition. The season will be the final one led by Artistic Director Martin Haselböck, who is stepping down after 22 years of visionary leadership. Under Haselböck’s direction, Musica Angelica has become a cornerstone of the early music scene in Southern California and has toured internationally to widespread acclaim.

Founded in 1993, Musica Angelica is known for historically informed performances on period instruments. The ensemble presents its own subscription series in Long Beach and Los Angeles and collaborates regularly with major institutions including LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Pacific Chorale and the LA Master Chorale. Visit www.musicaangelica.org for tickets and more information.