Arts & Entertainment

Arts Center Opens

Long Beach City College (LBCC) and the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation celebrated the opening of the new Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center, a transformative $102-million facility named in honor of the Latin music icon and LBCC alumna. The state-of-the-art complex now serves as the home for LBCC’s performing arts, music, dance and radio/TV/broadcasting programs.

“The Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center represents possibility for every student who walks through its doors,” said Dr. Mike Muñoz, LBCC Superintendent-President, whose vision led to approaching the Rivera family. “Our students will now train and perform in spaces that reflect the modern standards of today’s creative industries. Seeing Jenni Rivera’s name on this center reinforces what we want every student to understand: their goals are achievable no matter where they start.”

“The Jenni Rivera family is honored to see her name live on in a space that uplifts our culture and our community. This center is more than a building – it’s a reminder to the next generation that their stories, their voices and their dreams matter. We hope it inspires young artists to embrace who they are and carry our culture forward with pride,” Jacqie Rivera, representing the Rivera Family Estate.

As part of the celebration, LBCC formally dedicated the facility in honor of the Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist and LBCC alumna, whose influence continues to inspire generations of students and the broader community. As a special tribute, the Jenni Rivera estate has graciously loaned LBCC one of Jenni Rivera’s memorable dresses, which is featured on the cover of the latest Banda edition of her iconic album, “La Gran Señora.” The iconic gown will be displayed in the auditorium lobby, creating a lasting tribute to her legacy and inspiring future LBCC students.

Prominent Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center signage has been installed facing the campus quad at the main entrance and along the Clark Avenue entrance, ensuring strong visibility from both the campus and surrounding community.

The new 67,331-square-foot complex includes:

• A state-of-the-art 263-seat auditorium
• A “black box” multipurpose performance space
• Dance and rehearsal studios
• Broadcast studios, editing bays and practice rooms
• Advanced audiovisual systems
• And an outdoor performance stage

The ultramodern facility was funded by local voters through Measures E and LB, and the State of California. It was designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification standards. A generous donation was also made by the Jenni Rivera estate.

The project team includes DLR Group as the building architect, and Bernards Construction as the general contractor. LBCCD’s bond management company, the Cordoba Corporation, oversees project management for LBCC.

Construction began in July 2023, and the building officially opened for classes in the Spring 2026 semester.

Harvey at Playhouse

In this popular comedy from the golden age of Broadway, the kindly Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary, six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid further family embarrassment, Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium.

Yet her frantic explanations of the situation to the doctors get her mistakenly committed instead of her mild-mannered brother. When Elwood arrives at the sanitarium looking for Harvey, hilarity ensues in this gentle comedy about the acceptance of the ones we love and the fact that the truth can’t always be “seen.”

Harvey is playing in the Long Beach Playhouse’s Mainstage Theater April 4 to May 2. Order tickets at www.lbplayhouse.org or call (562) 494-1014.

Web Radio Show

E.B. White’s beloved tale Charlotte’s Web comes to life in this heartwarming radio play adaptation. It follows the unlikely friendship between Wilbur, a runt pig destined for slaughter, and Charlotte, the wise and selfless spider who weaves words into her web to save him. Their story is about kindness, sacrifice and the extraordinary ways love leaves.

 Performances run Friday through Sunday, April 10 through 19. General Admission Price is $20

Tickets available at LBShakespeare.org or at the Helen Borgers Theater, 4250 Atlantic. Info: www.LBShakespeare.org.

Fusion of Music & Art

The Board of Cultural Arts at First Congregational Church of Long Beach will host an afternoon of music and art with bassoonist Barry Stees and friends in the First Church Sanctuary at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19. This performance will blend musical arts with visual arts for an unforgettable afternoon.

Barry Stees is the former assistant principal bassoonist of the Cleveland Orchestra and instructor of bassoon at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Kent/Blossom Music.

This is a free event open to the general public. Free-will donations will be accepted. For more information, visit First Church online at www.firstchurchlb.org.

Open Studio Tour

Long Beach Open Studio Tour organizers Javier and Cherie Sola have partnered with Art Clout’s core members for the annual Long Beach Open Studio Tour.

The Long Beach Open Studio Tour is an artist-run grassroots event that requires behind-the-scenes efforts for communications, print and media, signage and way finding, grants writing, outreach and marketing. These tasks will be shared among the newly formed group to streamline processes.

Original Art Clout founder Dave Clark has participated in the tour for the past decade and is most recently famous for the design and fabrication of microgalleries across the city and beyond. He and his wife Carol have contributed to one of the biggest improvements for the tour’s organization: a redesigned website that will feature automated systems, eliminating much of the manual work previously needed. The upgrade has allowed an earlier portal launch and artist registration is now open.

The partnership will provide more resources to recruit artists to open their studios and invite the public to visit these creative spaces, backyards and neighborhoods that shape the art and the lives behind it.

By opening these doors, we create meaningful exchanges, reveal hidden corners of Long Beach, and foster a deeper sense of connection, curiosity and community across our city.

Musical Journey

Long Beach Primetime Players is presenting its 2026 Spring Show, “A Musical Crossover Journey,” on April 14, 2 p.m., at El Dorado Park West Senior Center, 2800 N. Studebaker Rd. Admission is free and donations are welcome.

For further information, contact Jim Meyer at (714) 269-7496.