In The Arts
Pageant of the Masters seeks volunteers
The Pageant of the Masters is looking for men, women and children to volunteer for next summer’s show, “Only Make Believe.” People of all sizes and ages are needed to be cast members in the world’s most famous presentation of tableaux vivants or “living pictures.”
Casting calls will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday; 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday; and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Irvine Bowl Park, 650 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. Prospective volunteers will be measured and photographed, enjoy refreshments and meet the behind-the-scenes Pageant staff. No theater experience is necessary. The only requirement is the ability to stand still and have fun.
“It takes more than 500 volunteers, both onstage and behind-the-scenes, to put on the Pageant,” director Diane Challis Davy said. “We wouldn’t have a show without our volunteers.”
Pageant volunteers are also needed for positions in the wardrobe, make-up and headdress departments, as well as cast area coordinators and refreshment servers, among other positions.
The 2011 Pageant will be staged July 7 through Aug. 31. Ticket prices range from $15 to $100. Tickets are on sale now at 1 (800) 487-3378 or at https://www.PageantTickets.com. To volunteer, call (949) 494-3663. Laguna students can volunteer to fulfill community service hours.
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Documentary series launches
The Laguna Beach Film Society will launch its second annual Friday Documentary Series at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 with a screening of “Speaking for Myself,” an exploration of the work and lives of eight New York City performing artists whose skills might vanish in the 21st century, including a Noh performer, concert pianist and dancer.
Tickets are $15 and are available at 6:45 p.m. at the door of the Forum Theatre, 650 Laguna Canyon Road (on the grounds of the Festival of Arts), and include a chance to meet Bert Shapiro, the director, for a question-and-answer session after the screening.
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LPAPA calls for artists’ entries
The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn.’s 2011 Call for Artist Entries and Signature Members is open through Jan. 17. For information and applications, visit https://www.lpapa.org.
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Surf music heritage program
The Susi Q and Laguna Beach Historical Society present “Surf’s Way Up: Our Surf Musical Heritage,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Susi Q Senior Center, 380 Third St.
The event features veteran surf band locals Bob Colwell, Tracy Longstreth and Matt Quilter playing and discussing surf music, which is still being performed around the world, with bands carrying the music forward. Advance reservations are $5 per person, $10 at the door. For more information, call (949) 497-2441.
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Jorgenson Quintet in Django fest
Grammy Award-winning gypsy jazz guitarist John Jorgenson will perform with his quintet at 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Artists Theatre, 625 Park Ave., Laguna Beach. The concert is presented by Laguna Beach Live! in celebration of famed gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, who would have been 100 years old this year.
Reinhardt, a preeminent jazz guitarist of the 1930s, is considered one of the world’s most influential pre-rock ‘n’ roll guitarists. Also known as “Franco-American swing,” gypsy jazz features fast-paced rhythms and an intimate, cafe sensibility.
The John Jorgenson Quintet is the only American act to ever headline the prestigious Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in France, and has been featured at other “Djangofests” in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. For the films “Gattica” and “Head in the Clouds,” Jorgenson was tapped to recreate Django’s music, and in the latter he even appeared onscreen as Django with stars Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, according to Laguna Beach Live.
He is widely known as a co-founder of the Desert Rose Band and a member of the guitar trio Hellecasters, and as a sideman to Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, and Luciano Pavarotti.
Rounding out the quintet are Dutch bassist Simon Planting, British rhythm guitarist Kevin Nolan, jazz violinist Jason Anick and percussionist Rick Reed.
Tickets are on sale for $30 and $25; tickets for students ages 21 and younger are $15. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.lagunabeachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.