Thursday, November 10, 2005 | Upcoming visual arts, theater and music events:
VISUAL ARTS
Last hurrah. Rain or shine, this weekend is the last chance for artistic enthusiasts and cultural seekers to experience inSite_05’s menu of creative delights. For the past three months, inSite’s contemporary art projects and events have been scattered throughout San Diego and Tijuana, allowing individuals to be their own tour guide and explore an array of works in unlikely public spaces. Think of inSite_05 as your own personal, interactive scavenger hunt.
Closing weekend events kick off Thursday, Nov. 10 and wrap up Sunday, Nov. 13. Some of the highlights include a no-host cocktail reception and viewing of the project “Signs Facing the Sky” by artists Allora and Calzadilla at Airport Bar, 2400 India St. in Middletown (8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday); “La tienda de ropa (The Clothes Shop),” by Bulbo at Plaza Mundo Divertido, Via Rapida Poniente 15035, in Tijuana (1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday); and a closing reception at the Centro Cultural Tijuana (6 p.m. Saturday).
For more information and a full schedule of closing weekend events, visit
More art:
– Fluid, flexible bodies will be leaping across the stage, as well as pushing artistic boundaries, during the world premiere dance performances of “The Satellite Project,” presented by SUSHI Performance and Visual Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Lower Left Performance Collective. Internationally renowned radical dance makers along with local performers will strut their stuff at 8 p.m. Nov. 10-12 and 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Sherwood Auditorium at MCASD in La Jolla, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Info: (619) 235-8466 (SUSHI Performance and Visual Art) or www.sushiart.org.
– When they weren’t on stage belting out lyrics or wielding guitars, Jerry Garcia, Grace Slick, Ron Wood and Janis Joplin retreated to their paint brushes and canvas. See the other creative side of these rock ‘n’ roll legends at “Rock ‘n’ Roadshow.” Opening reception is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at 1205 Prospect St., La Jolla. Art will be on display through Nov. 20. Info: (858) 456-9900 or www.fingerhutart.com/lajolla.htm.
– San Diego artist Joshua Krause (in his own words) “uses paintbrushes, sandpaper, his hands, and yes, sometimes even his mouth” to create vibrant, playful, graphic paintings. His latest works will deck the walls 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Nov. 12 at Magpie Gallery and Boutique, 2205 Fern St., South Park. “Come to Me Slowly: New Art by Joshua Krause” will be on display through Dec. 8. Info: (619) 563-5124 or www.magpielovesyou.com. (CC)
THEATER
The culture of fear. A theme of unsettling familiarity emerges in “A Bright Room Called Day,” Tom Kushner’s play about the struggles of artists and intellectuals in Germany during the rise of fascism. Though set in one of the darkest recent historical moments, Kushner’s exploration of how fear and morality are used as tools for political oppression transcends cultural and historical boundaries without the aid of hyperbole. The paranoia, excessive materialism and intellectual alienation of Kushner’s German characters could just as easily be transcribed to post-Sept. 11 America, where the stirring up of moral anxiety and military fervor have induced compliance with a controversial political agenda.
The award-winning author of “Angels in America” proves that his concerns remain contemporary by contrasting Zillah, a political exile from the Reagan years, with German artist and activist, Anita. Though level-headed in her resistance of corrupt institutions, Zillah is plagued by hysteria and paranoid dreams that isolate her from mainstream society and render her incapable of mobilizing political opposition. Meanwhile, as the Weimar Republic falls to Hitler, Anita retreats from her friends into the solitude of her home, where she feverishly stockpiles food to fortify herself against a terror more ideological than practical. Their parallel lives illustrate how the psychology of fear translates to individual alienation and political conformity.
“A Bright Room Called Day” plays at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 pm. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 12 to Dec. 1. The Diversionary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Blvd., in University Heights. Info: (619) 220-0097 or www.diversionary.org.
Also playing:
– American poet Walt Whitman got a head start on the Civil Rights movement in the 1800s, fighting for civil, sexual and women’s rights. His contributions are documented in a play, “Listen America,” that will make its debut on stage at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12 at the North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe, 2031 El Cajon Blvd. Info: (619) 647-4958 or
– Feminism yields more troubles than rewards in “The Heidi Chronicles,” but it did put playwright Wendy Wasserstein on the path to a Pulitzer. Runs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16-20, at the Ole Kittleson Little Theatre, 2425 Dusk Drive. Info: (619) 470-0555 or www.scpa.sandi.net. (JH)
MUSIC
Bad parenting. It’s not like artistic integrity was ever required of the Rolling Stones. The canyons in their now-haggard faces are from the years of spirits and junk, not the stress of staying relevant – or paying the rent. The band’s philosophy (at the impetus of Mick the businessman) is plain as day: if the people will buy, they will sell.
So it seems useless to point a principled finger at ’em now, when they’re clearly just playing the boomer circuit long enough to buy out the Crown Jewels. If Jagger wants to go all corporate after he fronted the defining band of the defining genre of 20th-century music, fine. But if the next two generations of music fans (who saw the poor elders toss out “Brown Sugar”-redos for decades to keep the Chardonnay-concert masses in tow) think of the kings more cynically than reverently, maybe the love they get – monetary or otherwise – is in vain after all.
The Rolling Stones play with Toots and the Maytals for the first-ever concert at Petco Park, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. Tickets $60-$400. www.ticketmaster.com.
More music:
– Neil Young, one great old rocker who isn’t still trying to repay his debt to the inner devil, will get his birthday dues with a namesake celebration concert this weekend. Saturday night’s the night, y’all. Neilfest, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 at Dizzy’s San Diego, 344 Seventh Ave., downtown. $10.
– Adult blitz the krieg all by themselves – their jerky, post-electroclash dirge is performed, recorded, released and visually represented all by members of the band. It feels like avant-punks Gang of Four triangulated through a broken Casio synthesizer by some macabre female in a trucker hat: a little familiar, a wee bit cute, a lot unsettling. Keep an eye on the circuit breakers. Adult play 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., (619) 232-HELL. $10.
– Old 97’s bring up the bubblegum end of the alt-country train, mixing to-the-heart pop progressions with the old-timey melancholy of roadtrip country. Though they sometimes lounge in the lazy-lyric caboose, when these strummers sing it right, you hang your head and cry. 8:30 p.m.Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 4th & B, corner of Fourth Avenue and B Street, downtown. $20.
– Not a band but a music store, M-Theory is opening up a new joint in the fine neighborhood of Mission Hills, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. All rejoice – this city is getting better by the minute. 915 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Info: (619) 220-0485 or www.mtheorymusic.com. (IP)
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