Out and About in Petaluma - 10 things to do online and otherwise

Even during quarantines and curfews, Petalumans are finding ways to stay safely engaged, active and entertained. Here are 10 of those ways.|

VIRTUAL EVENTS

SRJC’s ‘WONDERFUL LIFE’ ON YOUTUBE

A new musical adaptation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” debuts on Friday, Nov. 27 at 7:30. Performed by actors in separate spaces using the Zoom format, the show will be streamed live on YouTube for two weekends. Directed by John Shillington, who also wrote the script, this production is a first for the Santa Rosa Junior College’s Theater Arts program, which has dabbled in Zoom productions over the last several months, but has never attempted a musical using the online meeting-based software. A number of Petaluma artists are involved on the management and tech side. "Admission“ fees are in the form of online donations. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit TheatreArts.SantaRosa.edu.

6th STREET’s ‘WONDERFUL LIFE’ AS LIVE RADIO PLAY

Yes, yet another production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” opens this weekend, this one a non-musical, directed by Petaluma’s Carl Jordan, and performed by a small cast playign 1940’s radio actors telling George Bailey’s story in front of microphones, and with a live “foley artist” creating the soundscape. This one is presented by Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse, and it opens with a weekend of live watch-it-while-it-happens performances November 27-29, then is available as a recorded pay-per-view show through all of December. For information visit 6thStreetPlayhouse.com.

‘EVERY BREATH, NEW CHANCES’

Author, musician and meditation teacher Lewis Richmond will be appearing virtually to discuss his new book “Every Breath, New Chances,” in another of Copperfield’s Books’ popular online author events on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Subtitled “How to Age with Honor and Dignity,” and with a a forward by actor-author Peter Coyote, Richmond’s book is a guide for men facing the natural changes of age, with all the losses and new opportunities that aging brings. Visit CopperfieldsBooks.com for information.

RIVERTOWN POETS

Rivertown Poets is a virtual event via Zoom. Every first and third Monday at 6:15 p.m., log onto Aqus’ Zoom system to hear local poets reading from their own work, from the safety of their homes. Each event features two poets reading from their work, and an open mic event. Participants will be able to “sign up” to read. Sandra Anfang hosts. Aqus.com/online. The Zoom link is Zoom.us/j/6508887879.

PETALUMA LOVES ART: AUCTION + STORIES

The Petaluma Arts Center presents its inaugural “Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories” show, open to the community from Dec. 1-7. The center was planning to host a “mini exhibition” in the gallery, with an accompanying silent auction. But now, exhibiting an abundance of caution, will be displaying the 22 remarkable paintings and other pieces of art (donated by local collectors and artists) online only. After viewing the work on the website, those wishing to make a bid on anything, to support the arts center, will can do so right then and there. Participants can also help support Petaluma City Schools’ My Art Supply Kit program, raising funds to send an at-home art kit to over 2,000 students studying remotely. This important fundraiser is being counted on to make possible the center’s exciting 2021 plans. For more information visit PetalumaArtsCenter.org.

CINNABAR’S SPECTACULAR’ REVUE

This season’s Young Repertory winter musical revue will include some acting too, and will be streaming from the Cinnabar Theater stage (with vigorous social distance and safety measures protecting the performers). Directed by Nathan Cummings, the show, titled “Spectacular!” will include musical selections from “Mary Poppins,” “Legally Blond,” “Peter Pan,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Sweet Charity” and “Pippin.” In addition will be skits and jokes, along the lines of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” The show streams four times a weekend from Dec. 4-13, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30, “Friends and Family” rate, with hopes you’ll gather the whole household together to join in the fun. Get more information at CinnabarTheater.org.

BEETHOVEN’S BIRTHDAY AT THE SYMPHONY

In celebration of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 250th birthday, the Santa Rosa Symphony is presenting a free, virtual, “enhanced concert experience” on Sunday, December 13, at 3 p.m. The streaming program, recorded live on the Weill Hall Stage at Sonoma State University’s Green Center, features Beethoven’s spectacular Third Symphony, plus Vivaldi’s “Concerto for Violin, Two Oboes, Two Horns and Continuo,” Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Green Sleeves,” and a new composition by Jessie Montgomery, “Source Code,” based on fragments of Black spirituals.“ The concert, which is to be streamed on the Symphony’s YouTube channel, will be conducted by Francesco Lecce-Chong, and includes a pre-and-post-concert talk. To watch the concert, log onto YouTube and search Santa Rosa Symphony. For more information, visit srsymphony.org.

NON-VIRTUAL EVENTS

TRANSCENDENCE HOLIDAY DRIVE-IN SHOW

Transcendence Theatre Company is doing something magical in place of its annual indoor holiday shows this year. They’ve created a special compilation holiday "movie“ of footage from favorite moments of past winter extravaganzas, titled “Broadway Holiday.” Then, they’ll be screening it Friday, December 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m., in a drive-in movie format at SOMO Village in Rohnert Park, then from 11-13 at Sonoma Raceway. “From the warmth and comfort of your own car,” says a description on the company’s website, “share in holiday festivities like never before. As you arrive, you will enjoy a jolly holiday sing-along, beautiful local wines with seasonal bites, in-car interactive activities for the whole family, dazzling COVID-friendly live entertainment, and be among the first audiences to experience the spectacular screening of ”Broadway Holiday.” Cost is $59 per car, and more for something called “The VIP Experience.” After two weekends of drive-in screenings, “Broadway Holiday” will run online in a free, donations-requested run from Dec. 18-24. TranscendenceTheatre.org.

PRAY THEIR NAMES

United Church of Christ Petaluma is hosting a month-long outdoor exhibition titled “Pray Their Names,” a large-scale meditative installation by Sonoma artist and minister Rev. Katie Morrison. Covering several acres overlooking the City of Petaluma, the project features 143 mounted wooden hearts bearing the names of Black Americans whose lives have been lost to race-related violence since the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Alabama in 1955. Along with Till’s name are others ranging from the familiar (Medgar Evers, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Breona Taylor, George Floyd) to many whose names and stories are less well known. Visitors are invited to move among the names, and perhaps to sit overlooking the city in meditative contemplation of the small representative sampling of lives lost, from 4 p.m. on weekdays, all day pm on Saturdays, and after 12 noon on Sundays. The exhibit runs through November 30. The United Church of Christ Petaluma is located at 825 Middlefield Drive. Information can be found at UCCPetaluma.org.

YOGA IN THE PARK AND/OR BARN

Yoga in the Park has become a real thing in Petaluma, with more than one local group sponsoring regular yoga-themed classes in public places. In association with Petaluma Parks and Recreation Department, Lacey Calvert Shelton of Petaluma Park Yoga is offering live in-person yoga classes in a large open-air barn five minutes from town. Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., it’s Yoga Strength and Flow, described as “a yoga class mashed with strength training.” On Thursdays at 5:30 p.m., Slow Flow focuses on mental clarity with an hour of unwinding and restorative work. On Sunday mornings at 10 a.m., join with your neighbors for an hour of Community Yoga, a family friendly class designed for all ages and experience levels. Classes are free, though a $10 donation is welcome (but “not expected”), with funds raised going to support city parks. To maintain a safe and healthy environment, please register in advance so the number of participants can remain manageable and properly distant. Register at PetalumaParkYoga.com. And over at Oak Hill Park, Park Fit Petaluma presents its own twice-a-week yoga classes for women, beginning with Sunrise Yoga on Tuesdays at 7 a.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m. Register at ParkFitPetaluma.com/classes.

(Know of an upcoming event, online or otherwise, that should be in Out & About? Items to be considered should be submitted no later than two weeks in advance to david.templeton@arguscourier.com)

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