place Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12, at various venues in Ojai. Call 646-2094 or visit www.ojaifestival.org for a full festival schedule including program descriptions and artist biographies, and/or to purchase festival passes and individual tickets.)
Gospel Choir Celebrates a Quarter Century The UCSB Gospel Choir stages a special 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert on Friday evening, June 3, at Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall on campus. Directed by Victor Bell, the students currently in the ensemble will perform both under his baton and with former directors Dr. Diane L. White-Clayton and pastor Jimmy Fisher, as well as alongside a number of choir alumni. Songs from the past quarter century of concert repertoire will highlight the program, which also including original material by White and Fisher. The music will be enhanced by members past and present reminiscing over experiences shared in the UCSB Gospel Choir. Bell serves in churches but also works in TV and film, including as a music consultant for Stan Lathan (TV director, Sanford & Son and Fresh Prince) for The Steve Harvey Show, Cedric The Entertainer, Bernie Mac Show, and many others. His professional choir, Victor Bell & Halel, founded in 1995, has won numerous awards and was recently featured on the new Oxygen network show, Fix My Choir, with Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child) wherein they won first place in the choir competition. Since leaving UCSB, White-Clayton has traveled extensively as a vocalist, pianist, composer, conductor, workshop clinician, and speaker. She has held numerous positions at universities, colleges, and churches across the country including artistic director with the Washington Performing Arts Society; artist-in-residence and assistant director of African-American Student Development at Appalachian State University; composer-in-residence at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; and choral conductor at the New Christ Memorial Church under legendary gospel singer Andraé Crouch. She also served as artist-in-residence at Westmont College. Fisher serves as the pastor of worship for the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, leading the huge congregation in song and worship for the past 23 years. As a songwriter, Mr. Fisher is most known for “Glory To Your Name,” featured on Byron Cage’s debut album. The concert takes place at 7:30 pm Friday, June 3. Tickets cost $15 general, $10 for students, free for children under 12. Call 893-2064 or visit www. music.ucsb.edu. 2 – 9 June 2016
Old Favorites of Being Human
Santa Barbara theater stalwart Rod Lathim has penned and directed the first three benefit productions for the Center for Successful Aging (CSA), shows that serve as the nonprofit organization’s only fundraiser each year. But while the musical variety shows Seniors Have Talent I and II, and last year’s Puttin’ On The Ritz, drew sell-out crowds and filled CSA’s coffers, Lathim is that much more excited about this year’s production. That’s because, he said, Senior (Musical) Moments much more closely “mirrors the work and spirit of the CSA’s programs that support area seniors and offers them guidance for living active, healthy, and successful lives in their golden years.” As in previous years, Moments features a stellar cast of local actors and musicians, including Barbara Brown, the Cheers! Quartet, Gerrie Fausett, John Fink, Forest Finn, Marilyn Gilbert, Carolyn Kimball Holmquist, Robert Lesser, Bruce MacKenzie, Bette Maxfield, Julie McLeod, Luke Mullen, Gil Rosas, Wesley Walker, Suzanne Wedow, and Viena Zeitler. But in contrast to the past three productions, the actors won’t just randomly take the stage but instead will portray characters passing through a single location, a city park on a normal day, all in search of a common thread of connection. Montecito resident Marilyn Gilbert will be honored with CSA’s 2016 Spirit of Successful Aging award, presented to an individual who embodies the mission of CSA – to live life with zest and a commitment to community – at any age. Gilbert, who co-founded Santa Barbara Grand Opera (now called Opera Santa Barbara) also served as a civil rights litigator in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and in the federal court in Los Angeles. We talked recently with Lathim: Q. Why change up something that was working? A. Last year, I wrote two scenes that were interspersed between the musical number, basically little one-act plays, that were very well-received. I wanted to do more of that. So now it’s much more of a theater piece than variety. There is music from different points in time from the Great American Songbook to the 1960s. But the scenes are all tied together – it’s not just dancing groups and soloists and bands. All on topics related to aging. It’s been 10 times as much rehearsing as before. But it’s worth it. Why are these shows important to you? I’m technically a senior myself and I deal with issues of aging almost every day, either with me or my family. It’s a very real part of my life. My
own father can’t figure out his iPad or mobile phone. The fact that we don’t look each other in the eye when we’re talking, because we’re doing texts and emails. Older people miss it, but younger ones never even had that. We’re losing a bit, or actually a lot, of our humanity. That’s my soapbox about why I still do live theater. Sitting in a room and having people tell their human stories to each other is a fading piece of cultural icon. What you get from humans in live theater setting, you cannot match it on digital anything. And we’re all going to be seniors, and there are lots of issues that are only going to increase as the population ages. So it’s important to not sweep things under the rug. My last show (Unfinished Business) was about death, this one is aging. I guess I’m going backward. But to me, it’s paramount to face the realities of life. What comes first: the themes or the performers who are available to do them? I knew people I had on tape who had specific strengths and talents. And in some cases, I wrote scenes for them, wrote for their voices. But they’re all themes I wanted to explore. I also interviewed people about those sorts of topics and took that info into the writing: issues on finding love, and shopping on line, going on a first date after 40 years in a marriage. Those are all in the show. What are your goals? What do you want the audience to walk away with? What it comes down to is how much we all share in common regardless of our age. The basic core needs in life that define what it is to be human. Whether you’re young or old, we need to be seen, heard, and acknowledged. That’s a theme revisited throughout this play. We all want to be relevant in a world that makes some of us feel less so. That’s been there all through history. I’m showing how it’s just as important to an 82-year-old as it is to a 13-year-old, although through their own perspectives. All the foibles of aging, forgetfulness, loneliness, and isolation, make it harder to be acknowledged as relevant. But it’s funny, and a lot of fun, and touching.
We see those themes through senior dating, technology things, songs, sweetness, and more. The stories don’t get old because they keep showing up through history. This definitely doesn’t sound like a normal Santa Barbara benefit. No, it’s very unusual in this town. Normally, at a fundraiser, you expect, furs, diamonds, and rubber chicken. It doesn’t really matter what the cause is, they’re pretty much the same. It’s about being seen and raising money. But this show mirrors the work that CSA does and talks about the very issues the people they work with are facing. I’m a total mush-ball. I love romance. I love people coming together and finding ways to be touched and moved and seen in wonderful ways. I know some people hate that, so this isn’t the show for them. But if you’re like me and like feeling warm and fuzzy, this show will definitely do that. Senior (Musical) Moments will be performed 2 pm Saturday at the Marjorie Luke Theatre in Santa Barbara Junior High, 721 East Cota St. Tickets cost $22.50 general admission, $12.50 for children ($102.50 VIP patron tickets include reserved front section seating). Call 9630761 or visit www.lobero.com. •MJ
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