Community News

ICT Head on Straight Talk

International City Theatre Artistic Director/Producer Caryn Desai will be the guest on the next edition of Straight Talk. She joins host Art Levine to discuss ICT’s 34th Season and the important role theater plays in the life of the community.

This show will air Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. on LBTV Channel 3. The show is also viewable on demand at straighttalktv.com.

Discounted Late Night

The public is invited to enjoy the Aquarium of the Pacific after hours while taking advantage of special savings on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 16 and 17, 5-8 p.m.

Visitors will have the opportunity to journey through the Pacific Ocean to meet over 11,000 animals, including more than 150 sharks they can touch. In addition, the Aquarium’s short films will be shown in the Ocean Theater throughout the evening. Please note: The Lorikeet Forest aviary closes at 4:30 p.m.

$14.95 per person and free for kids ages three and under and aquarium members.

Diabetes & You

Join the Diabetes Program at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center for Diabetes & You: Ask the Expert – a quarterly class that features a presentation on various diabetes-related topics on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 6-7:30 p.m. The class also provides an opportunity to network and find support from other people living with diabetes. Light refreshments will be provided. Call (562) 933-5043 to RSVP. Walk-ins are welcome.

African-American Festival

Join the Aquarium of the Pacific as it hosts its 17th annual African-American Festival, celebrating the rich diversity of African-American and African cultures on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will feature live entertainment and arts and crafts. Festival performers include Mardi Gras second line dancers, hip hop and break dancers, jazz musicians, interactive drum circles, West African dancers, and storytellers.

Cost: General Admission--$29.95 adult (12+), $26.95 senior (62+), $17.95 child (3-11), and free for children under age three and Aquarium members.

Info/Tickets: (562) 590-3100 or aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/african_american_festival.

Heart Healthy Dinner

The MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center presents its 22nd Annual Heart Healthy Dinner featuring healthy Spanish-style cuisine and a special cooking presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. Guests will enjoy dinner, a glass of wine, a dark chocolate fountain and guest speakers.

$20 per person/$30 per couple. Call (562) 933-9326 to RSVP.

Heart & Stroke Seminar

Join MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center for the 12th Annual Women’s Heart & Stroke Seminar on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Blood pressure, carotid ultrasound, cholesterol and blood glucose (non-fasting) screenings are provided. Learn your risks and get information on how to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Cost: $25 (breakfast and lunch provided). Call (562) 933-0100 to register.

‘Lend Me a Tenor’

Ken Ludwig’s Lend me a Tenor is one of the best modern American farces to hit the stage at the Long Beach Playhouse, Feb. 23 through March 23.

A madcap mix of mistaken identity, drugged-induced confusion, lustful shenanigans, and operatic impersonation, it’s received several nominations including best new comedy, best play and best revival. It’s a show that leaves audiences gasping for their next breath!

Set in Ohio in 1934, the world famous tenor known as Il Stupendo, has indulged in a double dose of tranquilizers and is presumed dead. The fate of the Cleveland Grand Opera hangs in the balance. Can a young assistant succeed in impersonating the famed opera legend? And what in the world happens when the presumed deceased star wakes up and realizes the show must go on? Brilliance and stupidity have never blended so seamlessly!

Tickets ($24-$14) are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

Sketch Comedy Show

One of the staples of Long Beach Playhouse’s Collaborative each year has been Held2gether, Improv for Life’s original sketch comedy shows.  This is the 6th annual collaboration between the Long Beach theatrical landmarks. The original sketch compilation, known for selling out, runs Thursday to Saturday Feb. 28 to March 2 in the Studio Theatre. The all-new show boasts 11 robust sketches touching upon universal relationships, outrageous characters, music, pop culture, and parodies of the time.

The sketch show is part of the Held2gether improv comedy program that features classes in Long Beach including all levels of improv comedy, sketch writing and performance. Creative Director Darren Held is thrilled to team up with the Long Beach Playhouse Studio Collaborative to showcase creative original programming from Long Beach artists.

“Our collaborative continues to strengthen each season, providing exposure for talented artists in a spectrum of genres across the board. Held2gether has been a huge cornerstone of that progress,” says Playhouse Executive Director Madison Mooney.”Their shows are fresh, hilarious and support our ongoing mission here to celebrate the human experience, encouraging the participation of artist and audience alike”.

Tickets for Sketches 11 are $15 Friday and Saturday, and $10 for Preview Thursday night. They are now available through the box office of the Long Beach Playhouse (562) 494-1014, option 1 or at lbplayhouse.org.

Walking Tour

Long Beach Heritage, a preeminent resource for advocacy and education about Long Beach’s architectural heritage and historic places, is hosting its popular North Pine Avenue Walking Tour on March 2nd. A quarterly event, the two-hour tour will highlight successful adaptive reuse projects in the area, including the new Regency Palms Senior Living Community in the Professional Building, a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As the group explores North Pine Avenue between 4th and 8th Streets, attendees will learn of the history of the buildings, their architectural significance and the process involved in the adaptive reuse of sites including the Walker Building, Kress Lofts, York Temple Lofts and Meeker-Baker Building.

The tour will conclude with a visit to the revitalized Professional Building, home to the new Regency Palms Senior Living Community. John Thomas, historic preservation consultant and vice president of advocacy for Long Beach Heritage, will lead the group through this site and provide insights into the project, which incorporates residences in the upper floors and new ground floor retail, where local coffee purveyor Rose Park Roasters has opened its second location. Attendees will be treated to a coffee tasting at the conclusion of the tour.

Tour reservations are open now. To secure a spot, visit: lbheritage.org. 

Books Blowing Out the Door

The Friends of Signal Hill Library is hosting a gently used book sale on Friday, March 1, from noon to 4 p.m.

Come fill a bag of books for only $5. We will provide the bag. Signal Hill Library Patio, 1780 E. Hill St. Signal Hill (located behind basketball courts & construction fence).

Info: (562) 989-7323. Cash only. All shoppers will receive a free raffle ticket for five autographed books.

Marvel at the Marsh

On Saturday, March 2, ecologists will lead a tour of the wetlands adjacent to the Marketplace Shopping Center. Learn about the history of the wetlands and how the oil business co-exists with the wetlands. You may come across great blue herons, which measure up to 4 feet tall with wing spans up to 6 ½ feet.

The two-hour walk begins at 8 a.m. This walk is appropriate for ages 7 and up. Closed toes shoes are required. Park at the intersection of PCH and 1st Street, just at the border of Long Beach and Seal Beach. For more information or to RSVP, contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org.

Dancing for Our Stars

After a decade of fundraising success, the MemorialCare           Long Beach Medical Center Foundation is building upon its “Dancing for Our Stars” Gala by introducing a unique annual theme tied to its fundraising cause.

The inaugural theme, “Waltzing for a Cure,” will welcome masked guests, dressed in their finest attire, to dance the night away at Long Beach’s only masquerade gala while raising funds for the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center.

The favorite elements of “Dancing for Our Stars” will remain, including the dancing showcase. However, this year’s dancers will be community leaders whose own life, or that of a loved one, has been personally touched by cancer. Each community member will again be teamed with a professional dancer to choreograph and perform a theatrical dance — this year blending freestyle and waltz in a musical genre of their selection.

Several other exciting new elements are being added to transport guests into a mysterious and magical evening. Gala guests will be invited on the dance floor to test their dancing skills with a group dance lesson featuring a dramatic, upbeat and whimsical waltz. A “Raise a Mask” live fundraising element will challenge attendees to fund MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute’s equipment and program areas of greatest need.

“Dancing for Our Stars” will take place on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. Sponsorship, underwriting and event program advertisement opportunities are available. For more information, contact the MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Foundation at EventsMMCF@memorialcare.org or (562) 933-1660. Tickets are available for purchase by visiting memorialcare.org/WaltzingforTCI.

Annual President’s Party

The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), will hold the fourth annual President’s Party on Saturday, March 9. The benefit honors CSULB President Jane Close Conoley’s continuous commitment to arts education and celebrates the Carpenter Center’s achievements in providing accessible artistic, educational, and cultural experiences to the greater CSULB and Long Beach communities.

The President’s Party raises funds to benefit Carpenter Center’s arts education program Arts for Life. Arts for Life provides a wide-range of interactive and hands-on arts activities for all ages—all low-cost or free of charge. In the 2017-2018 season, Carpenter Center offered 24 Arts for Life related events reaching over 1,900 Long Beach elementary school students and 8,700 community members. Funding for Arts for Life comes entirely through donor support and fundraising events like the President’s Party, which are essential to building the program as it continues to grow.

Tickets for the President’s Party are $250, which includes dinner, cocktails, meet-and greet, VIP parking, and premium seating for Captain Kelly’s presentation. Patrons wishing to see Captain Kelly’s presentation but not attend the party may purchase single tickets to the show for $65-$75. For tickets or more information, visit CarpenterArts.org or call the Carpenter Center Ticket Office at (562) 985-7000. Our season is made possible, in part, by season media partner KPCC 89.3-FM.

Internship Luncheon

On March 22, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., artist, educator, and KAOS Network founder and director, Ben Caldwell will give a keynote address at the first annual Creative Long Beach Internship Program fundraiser, “Interns in the Arts.”

The luncheon will be held at The Reef Restaurant, 880 South Harbor Scenic Drive.

For more information about the event visit https://clblunch.eventbrite.com. If you are interested in learning more about how to support our interns, please contact Laura Nelson at (562) 435-2787 or Laura.Nelson@artslb.org.

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