Movies about the end of the world are never more popular than when we are most frightened that the world may truly be about to end. The pattern reaches back to the beginning of motion pictures, and forward to this summer’s “Independence Day 2.” The scariest apocalypse movies frequently occur during the most unsettled and…
“Fabulous concealment.” Those are the words playwright Tim Firth employed in the author’s notes for his 2008 stage play “Calendar Girls.” They refer to the staging of one particular scene. It is, perhaps, the most famous scene in the play, as it was in the 2003 film from which Firth’s script – he also co-authored…
“There are certain movies that are essential viewing for any true American baseball fan,” says acclaimed sports journalist and radio host Brian Murphy. “In fact, I would say that’s true, not just for American baseball fans, but for any American, period. If you are an American, and you have not seen certain baseball films, you…
“Sometimes, you just need someone to tell you that you’re still beautiful,” says Mia Vanoni, a senior at Sonoma Valley High School. “Because sometimes you can’t believe it any other way, especially when you are fighting a disease that’s changed the way you look.” Along with her twin sister Bridget, Mia is one of the…
The writings of San Francisco playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb have always been a balance of the weird, the wondrous, the sensitive, and the cynical. Nachtrieb likes to test artistic and cultural boundaries, daring his audience to surrender its expectations. He likes happy endings, but he also likes to subvert them and stand them on their heads. In…
Visually inventive and sensitive to a surprising degree, writer-director Mary Zimmerman’s surprisingly rich ‘Treasure Island’ — adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel — literally rocks the boat, employing a stunningly well-engineered stage that swings back and forth like a ship rolling on the ocean. That’s just one of many surprises awaiting audiences, young and old,…
“The specific vibe and character of Film Fest Petaluma has always been inextricably linked to the character of the downtown Petaluma area,” explained Michael Traina, Santa Rosa Junior College film and media instructor, and director of the annual short-film showcase Film Fest Petaluma. “Spending a day in a place like this, that’s certainly…
‘Sometimes,” muses actor Mark Bradbury, “you play a character you just don’t like very much.” Over the last 12 years, he says, after appearing in more than 30 shows, Bradbury has portrayed his share of unlikable people. “With those guys,” he notes, “you have to work extra hard to find something you connect with. Then…
Colorful costumed fish appear to swim across the stage (with the help of clever roller-skate shoes). Seagulls fly and mermaids swim (thanks to ‘Peter Pan’ style rigging). Huge waves splash and crash, octopus women grow to six times their normal size (using massive screened projections) and six-foot strands of seaweed bob and wiggle in time to the music (dancers dressed…
For several years, the lack of strong roles for women has been the talk of the theater world, lighting up blogs and theater-related websites. The issue has inspired debate, discussion and outcries of gender inequity. It has even provoked a spate of incendiary protest art like Courtney Meaker’s ‘That’swhatshesaid,’ in which the author compiled into one outrageous solo piece all of the…
North Bay Stage and Screen 