Arts & Entertainment

‘Night of the Living Dead’

The dead will walk the boards this fall in an immersive stage adaptation of the groundbreaking masterpiece, “Night of the Living Dead” at The Long Beach Playhouse, Sept. 19 – Oct.  17.

Adapted for the stage by John Faust, this gripping three-act version honors the 1968 cult film while elevating the stakes for a modern retelling. When a horde of marauding ghouls traps a group of conflicted strangers inside a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse, the real danger quickly shifts inside.

The production pulls back the curtain on the fragility of human behavior, exploring how prejudice, suspicion, and ego can be far more lethal than the monsters scratching at the windows.

While honoring the iconic moments of George A. Romero’s 1968 masterpiece, this production features brand-new scenes written specifically for the stage by John Faust, offering fresh narrative twists and deeper character insights that even die-hard horror fans haven’t seen before. The audience will experience the unfolding apocalypse through sensationalized, frantic media broadcasts and eerie visuals, amplifying the farmhouse’s claustrophobic dread.

“Although we’re taking advantage of the Halloween season for the show, this play is deeper than just zombies,” Sean Gray, the playhouse’s producing artistic director, explains. “In 1968, a Black man taking charge to save his life and the lives of others was groundbreaking. Questions of self-preservation and self-sacrifice give the show relevance beyond the marauding ghouls.”

Madison Mooney, Playhouse executive director, said, “Audiences love our Halloween shows; they’re always popular. And the director for the most popular has been David Scaglione, who is also directing this show. He is also the set designer.”

The show’s 16-member cast includes both returning and debuting actors. Returning actors are Jerome Wallace, Samantha Hasse, Belle Gomer, Carmen Tunis, Lee Samuel Tanng, Aaron Izbicki, and Jane Nunn. Making their debut are El Grey, Sarah Fazin, Ethan Kim, Nora Flynn, Xander Helm, Catherine Rahm, Nathan Zingg, Justin Wolfley, and Eddie “Chili” Gomez.

“Night of the Living Dead” asks this important question: “Can this group of people thrown together by chance overcome their prejudice and suspicions to survive the night, or will the newly dead turn the living into the undead?” Stay tuned for a blood-chilling resolution!

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

Catalina Wheels

Catalina Museum for Art & History will present Catalina Wheels: Featuring the Photography of Terri Bassett and Ernesto Rodriguez, on view Nov. 14, 2026, through April 11, 2027. Inspired by Bassett’s book “Catalina Wheels,” the exhibition offers a colorful look at one of the island’s most distinctive traditions: the small, unconventional and often creatively modified vehicles that have become an unmistakable part of everyday life on Catalina Island.

Catalina’s unique transportation culture is rooted in the island’s history. When Avalon’s infrastructure was established in the early 1900s, residents largely traveled by foot or horse-drawn carriage, resulting in the narrow roads and limited parking that remain today. With permits for standard cars and trucks limited and wait times that can stretch as long as 20 years, many residents instead rely on smaller vehicles, including carts and ‘autoettes,’ adapting them in imaginative ways to suit island life.

Over the course of several years, Bassett and Rodriguez explored Catalina, photographing these distinctive vehicles against the island’s landscapes, historic landmarks and local businesses. What began as an exploration of the vehicles themselves soon revealed a broader story about Catalina’s evolving ‘cart culture’ and the residents whose creativity and personalities bring it to life.

For the first time, Catalina Wheels brings a selection of these photographs and stories together in one exhibition, inviting visitors to discover some of the island’s most delightful and unusual vehicles while gaining a closer look at the people and culture behind them.

“Catalina Wheels captures the creativity and individuality that are so central to life on Catalina Island,” said Sheila Bergman, PhD, Executive Director of Catalina Museum for Art & History. “By bringing these photographs into the museum, we are celebrating not only the island’s distinctive visual culture, but also the residents whose personalities and stories keep that culture moving forward.”

The photographs reveal how each customized cart becomes both a portrait of its owner and a lens into Catalina’s relationship with place, community and self-expression. Paired with sweeping island settings, the memorable vehicles create a vivid record of a local tradition that is practical, playful and deeply personal.

“I began Catalina Wheels as a way to document the wonderfully creative vehicles I encountered across the island, but the project quickly became a celebration of the people, stories and landscapes that make Catalina so special,” said Bassett. “I hope visitors come away seeing each vehicle as a small work of art and each portrait as a glimpse into the spirit of this community.”

Bassett is an award-winning designer and photographer who spent her career as a creative director in the learning and television industries. Her design work has been recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, The Telly Awards and the Broadcast Designers Association. She is the author, co-photographer and designer of the self-published book Catalina Wheels and holds a B.A. in fine art photography from Truman State University. She currently resides in Ventura, California.

Rodriguez’s relationship with art and machinery began during his childhood in southern Cuba, where he grew up surrounded by tools, heavy machinery and art supplies. Although formally trained as a psychologist and educator, his aspirations remained focused on art and photography. His photographic work is part of the Curator’s Collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is currently on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

For more information about the Catalina Museum for Art & History, visit CatalinaMuseum.org.