Contra Costa: ‘Annie,’ Starry Nights concerts and more happening

BRENTWOOD

‘Annie’ set to open in July

“Annie,” one of the top 25 musicals of all time, is coming to the East Bay on June 28 thanks to Brentwood’s Broadway Repertory Theater. The uplifting musical chronicles the life of an 11-year-old orphan named Annie, as she steps out of the orphanage to seek her parents who left her there 10 years ago. 

The show, which ran on Broadway, has also been made into several movies throughout the years, with stars like Carol Burnett and Audra McDonald. Broadway Repertory Theater has distinguished itself as an East Bay regional theater company who draws talent from all over the Bay Area, The cast of “Annie” consists of actors from Oakland, Castro Valley, Livermore, Martinez, besides those from Brentwood, Oakley and Discovery Bay.

The atmosphere at Broadway Repertory Theater is one of extreme excellence in performance, but achieved in a nurturing environment.

The performances will be June 28-29 at 7:30 p.m. and June 30 at 3 p.m. at the Deer Valley High School theater. 

The next week, July 5-6 at 7:30 p.m. and July 8 at 3 p.m. at The Lesher Arts Center in Walnut Creek. All ticket inks and info on how to volunteer may be found at www.BroadwayRepertoryTheater.com  or call 925-516-9009.

Delta Gallery hosts summer art classes

Delta Gallery Community Art Center in Brentwood kicks off its summer season with a fresh new line-up of art classes for children, teens and adults at the Delta Gallery, where students are surrounded by the inspiration of colorful, multi-media art exhibits and the instructors are all professional artists.

Classes for kids include Summer Art Camps with instructor Jo Olney, and Kids’ Oil Painting Workshops with Carol Ligon. Nancy Roberts will teach her popular themed classes, Acrylic Painting for Young Artists, Fantasy Art and Paint Play. Workshops for adults and teens include Dreaming in Color: Acrylic Painting with instructor Keta Greig, Embarking on Soft Pastel Painting and Exploring Watercolor Painting, both with Karen Nelson Kelly, How to Draw…?, a colored pencil workshop with Peggy Magovern, Jewelry Stringing with Nancy Hoover, Oil Expressions with Carol Ligon, Open Studio with Jo Olney and Pocket Sketch on the Go with Paulette Lagana.

For class details and registration, visit deltagallery.com/classes-and-workshops. Delta Gallery Community Art Center is in the Streets of Brentwood shopping center, 2485 Sand Creek Road, Suite 128, Brentwood. Call 925-516-5935.

Liberty High singers reunion set for June 29

All Liberty High School singers who studied under director Susan Stuart from 1977-2011 are invited to a reunion from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 29. The reunion, the group’s third one, will be at the LDS Church, 1875 Highland Way.

Former singers will spend the day making music together, just as they have done in the past. Wear a Liberty Singers shirt and bring a lunch, Stuart suggests. More information and list of music to purchase can be found at FB.com/lhsalumnichoir or Google Liberty Singers Alumni Choir. Many scrapbooks will be auctioned off with the proceeds to benefit the Stuart Music Fund.

Starry Nights concerts Fridays in park

Starry Nights in Brentwood summer concert series continues on July 12 at City Park, 710 Second St.

The show is from 7 to 9 p.m. All patrons are asked to follow park rules before, during and after concerts. Ample parking is available in the parking garage. Bring your blanket, chairs and a picnic dinner and enjoy this free event.

Other concerts are set for July 19 and 26, and Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23. For more information, call 925-516-5444.

ANTIOCH

Play auditions set for ‘Rebel’ and ‘Beast’

Madd Hatter Players will host auditions for “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Beauty and the Beast” on July 9 and 11 at the American Legion (Veterans Memorial) Auditorium, 403 W. Sixth St., Antioch.

Auditions will include cold readings from a script. Auditioners should bring a head shot or photo if they have one. The setting for the “Rebel Without a Cause” show will be set in the 1950s with period costumes, hairdos and makeup. Rehearsals will be 7-9 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sunday evenings. The play is geared for those 13 and older and will be staged in late August.

For the younger crowd, those 7 and older, there’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which will be performed in early August. Frank Ballesteros directs.

PITTSBURG

PCT hosts 40th anniversary celebration

Pittsburg Community Theatre will host a 40th Anniversary Gala and kickoff of the 2019-2020 season on June 29 at the California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave.

The festivities include the opportunity to sample hors d’oeuvres and desserts from local restaurants and chefs, imbibe at the cash bar (hosted by Pittsburg Arts and Community Foundation), bid on and win any one of our wonderful gift baskets, prizes and goodies donated by local businesses and patrons and enjoy an evening of songs from PCT’s past (and a sneak peak into our future) featuring several of PCT’s favorite performers through the years.

The evening also features a special presentation honoring PCT Founder Betty Brown and many original members of the company, culminating with a champagne toast.

Doors at 6:30 p.m., performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 a person—general seating; $35 per person—reserved cabaret table seating.

For tickets, call the California Theatre Box Office at 925-427-1611 or go online to www.PittsburgCaliforniaTheatre.com.

LIVERMORE

Tickets on sale for Bankhead’s upcoming season

Presale tickets are now available for The Bankhead Presents’ 2019-2020 season, which includes live performances of every genre, classic films and a new speaker series. If you’re a member, just log in and pick your favorites. Not a member? You can join today and get the opportunity for member resale tickets.

Highlights among the nearly four dozen events scheduled through May 2020 are country hit makers Lonestar and Phil Vassar, Texican rock group Los Lonely Boys, folk legend Arlo Guthrie, comedian Rita Rudner, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, singer/songwriter Joan Osborne, Broadway star Lea Salonga, A Charlie Brown Christmas Live! on Stage, and the mesmerizing dance group MOMIX.

Kicking off the season will be the Brilliance at the Bankhead Gala featuring song and dance star Matthew Morrison, best known as Mr. Schuester from the television hit “Glee.” He will be accompanied by Livermore-Amador Symphony. Events are held at the Livermore Performing Arts Center. For a copy of the season brochure, go to flipsnack.com/LVPAC/season-2019-2020-brochure.html.

‘Art & Wine Intertwined’ June 29 at the Bankhead

“Art & Wine Intertwined” will open the doors of the Bankhead Theater in the center of downtown Livermore on June 29 for a casual summer wine tasting, marking the end of June. Local offerings from McGrail Vineyards, Boa Ventura Vineyards, White Crane Winery, and Mia Nipote will be featured. The lively jazz music of Wombo Combo with Andrew Mathers will enliven the afternoon event.

Currently on display in the Bankhead Gallery is “Go Figure,” an exhibit celebrating the diversity of spirit, style, and emotion expressed in the human figure through the eyes of 26 artists. A concurrent exhibit in the Founders Room, adjacent to the Bankhead lobby, are six original works by E. Trent Thompson from his “Pictures for People” project.

His large-scale works were designed to highlight the needs of others in the community and the sale of the project’s pieces raised funds to support local organizations that help people in need. This will be the last week to enjoy “Go Figure” before it closes July 7 to make way for a new exhibit. Many pieces are available for sale and purchase arrangements can be made during the event.

Hosted by Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, “Art & Wine Intertwined” is free and open to the public. Tastings are $2 each or three for $5 and light appetizers will be served. The event runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Poison Apple Productions awarded grant for $16,200

The California Arts Council has awarded a $16,200 grant to Poison Apple Productions as part of its Youth Arts Action program. Youth Arts Action supports projects for youth from infancy through age 24 that operate outside of school time, in artistic venues and community settings as well as on school sites. This program encourages relevant, dynamic, and innovative community building and learning through youth-focused arts and culture projects.

With support from the California Arts Council, Poison Apple Productions will expand and enhance its Apple Academy Educational Theatre Program, a graduated series of performance-based classes for youth and young adults from ages 2-24. This grant would help maintain the high quality of the programs and shows produced, hire quality teaching artists, provide scholarships for underprivileged youth, and support program internships.

Poison Apple Productions is one of 244 grantees chosen for the Youth Arts Action program. The award was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council, with grant funds totaling a projected $24,508,541 for 2018-19, the highest investment in statewide arts programming since the 2000-01 fiscal year. For more information, go to poisonappleproductions.org.

WALNUT CREEK

Valley Art Gallery shows ‘Around and About Diablo’

The Valley Art Gallery’s concludes “Around and About Diablo” at the gallery on June 29. The exhibit features 36 choices of artistic interpretation of the beauty of the iconic Devil Mountain and the vibrancy of the surrounding area.

Valley Art Gallery is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization that has been representing artists of the Bay Area since 1949. The gallery is at 1661 Botelho Drive, Suite 110. Go to valleyartgallery.org or call 925-935-4311.

Festival Opera presents ‘Susannah’

Festival Opera will present Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah” at 8 p.m. July 12 and 2 p.m. July 14 at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive.

Dubbed as “an American tale of innocence, lust, and social consequence,” the opera centers on the main character, 18-year-old Susannah Polk, a typical teenager entering womanhood in the quiet mountain town of New Hope, Tenn., when she finds herself bereft of hope as she becomes the target of ruthless and malicious gossip.

In his seminal opera, Carlisle Floyd revisits the Apocryphal tale of Susanna and the Elders, but transports the story to his own familiar universe — the American South of the 1950s during a time of profound social change. The nation was gripped by intense fear during the McCarthy era, when making accusations without evidence was common practice, while the feminist and civil rights movements were also gaining momentum. More than six decades since its premiere, Floyd’s Susannah now stands as one of the most beloved American operas.

Shana Blake Hill stars as Susannah Polk. Make Foehringer directs, Bryan Nies conducts and William Sauerland is the chorusmaster.

For tickets, call 925-943-7469 or go to https://lesherartscenter.showare.com/ 

DANVILLE

‘Reflections’ art exhibit at Blackhawk Gallery till June 30

The Alamo Danville Artists’ Society hosts Blackhawk Gallery’s new exhibit “Reflections.” The exhibit will be on view seven days a week through June 30. The “Reflections” exhibit features one guest artist and 40 member artists. Guest artist Aimee Bosschart will be showing her hand-built ceramics. Members’ artworks include paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs, and wearable art.

The Alamo Danville Artists’ Society will host the opening of gallery’s new exhibit “Captivation” on July 6 with a gala reception from 5 to 7 p.m., with wine and hors d’ oeuvres. The exhibit will be on view seven days a week from July 5 to Sept. 8. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.

The “Captivation” exhibit features one guest artist and 40 member artists. Guest artist Karen Sanford will be showing her functional pottery. Members’ artworks include paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs, and wearable art. The Blackhawk Gallery is at 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in the Blackhawk Plaza. Call 925-648-8023.

— Do you have an area arts or entertainment item to submit?
Reach Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.