Ventura College presents “CHE (then and now)” curated by William Hendricks. This exhibition explores the transformation of the last 50 years, featuring collected objects, sounds, and documents (some never seen before in public) combined with historic photographs that examine the evolution of a revolutionary icon. Ventura College Art Gallery 2, November 1-November 30, 2012, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Mondays-Fridays). Opening Reception: November 1, 2012, 7-9 p.m. on the patio in front of Gallery 2. Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003. Parking permits ($2) can be purchased from automated yellow boxes in the West and North Parking lots. For more information, contact 805-648-8974.

Ventura College presents “Autonomy and Cultural Identity: 20th Century Art of Latin America” curated by Ann Bittl. This exhibition explores the art of Latin America and Mexico during the 20th century, including the ideologies, revolutions, adversities, fantasies, and the fashioning of identities: Featuring the fantasy art of Chucho Reyes, and including works by Emiliano Lopez, Jose Clemente Orozco, Gustavo Montoya, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jose Guadalupe Posada, Pablo O’Higgins, Raul Anguiano, Agapito Labios, Judy Baca, and many others. Ventura College Media Art Gallery, November 1-November 30, 2012, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Mondays-Fridays). Opening Reception: November 1, 2012, 7-9 p.m. on the patio in front of Gallery 2. Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003. Parking permits ($2) can be purchased from automated yellow boxes in the West and North Parking lots. For more information, contact 805-648-8974.

The Ventura County Garden Club will be having its November 7 tour at the Agricultural Museum on 926 Railroad Ave in Santa Paula. The tour begins at 11 am and it is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors (over 62). Please bring cash. We will meet for lunch at the Mupu Grill Banquet Room, 930 E. Main St in Santa Paula at 1 pm. All guests welcome.

Check out our website at venturacountygardenclub.com. For more information contact Barbara Hill at 805.933.4484.

This year’s exhibit “Quilts Go Modern! A Fresh Take on Tradition”

will showcase quilts made by members of the newly formed Ventura chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. The Modern Quilt Guild movement began officially in 2009 in Los Angeles as an outgrowth of the internet quilting world. It has now expanded to more than 100 cities in the United States and chapters are opening up in other countries.

The quilts selected for this exhibit will reflect the local chapter’s interpretations of an emerging modern minimalist aesthetic and attitude. At least 14 quilters will have their quilts on display, demonstrating the wide scope of influences in their work. Some of the quilts embrace the aesthetic of the modern quilt guild movement, while others may be seen as a bridge to art quilts and/or the more traditional branches of the craft. The guild has members both young and old, experienced and novice, men and women.

Traditional, modern, and art quilters as well as fabric enthusiasts can view the exhibit and explore this vibrant addition to the quilting community.

The opening reception is scheduled for November 4, 2012, 1:30-3:00 PM. Guest curator, Linda Wilkinson.

Contact: Jeanne Orcutt 805-933-0076 Ext. 291 or jorcutt@spcity.org

November 4, 2012 through February 17, 2013
California Oil Museum
www.oilmuseum.net
1001 E. Main St., Santa Paula, CA
805-933-0076
Museum hours: Wed-Sun 10 AM to 4 PM

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Award-winning poet Peter Covino will read from his just-released collection at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at California Lutheran University.

The free event featuring Covino, an associate professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Rhode Island, will be held in OvertonHall on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Covino’s latest poetry collection, “The Right Place to Jump,” was released Oct. 1. He received the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, which is bestowed on a new oremerging American poet, for his 2005 collection “Cut Off the Ears of Winter” and was a finalist for the Publishing Triangle Thom Gunn Award and Paterson Poetry Prize. His 2001 chapbook, “Straight Boyfriend,” won the Frank O’Hara Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in several publications including the American Poetry Review, The Yale Review and “The Penguin Book of Italian-American Writing.”

As an Italian immigrant and former social worker, Covino explores the relationship between ethnic culture and psychosocial identity in his creative writing and research. His newer work reflects his growing concern with Italian historical influences, environmental issues, contemporary art, and visual and poetic experimentation.

He is a founding editor of literary press Barrow Street Inc. He was co-editor and wrote the introduction to “Essays on Italian American Literature and Culture,” which was released in April, and he wrote a chapter for the 2010 textbook “Teaching Italian American Literature, Film, and Popular Culture.” His translations of Italian poets have been featured in Atlanta Review, ItalianAmericana and other journals.

Overton Hall is located south of Memorial Parkway near Regent Avenue on theThousand Oaks campus. For more information, contact assistant professor of English Jacqueline Lyons at jlyons@callutheran.edu.

The Buenaventura Art Association will present "Home and Beyond," a solo exhibition of landscape oil paintings by artist Gina Niebergall, next month at its downtown Ventura gallery. Home in her case is Ventura, where she was born and grew up and where Niebergall and her husband now are raising their three children.

“My show is about the beauty I have found here at home and on my travels. I would like to bring the viewer along with me to share in my impressions and expressions of things I find beautiful,” she said.

The show will open Nov. 6 and run through Dec. 1. Niebergall will attend an opening reception 4-7 p.m. Nov. 10.

A prolific painter on canvas or panels, she creates “mostly landscapes with a smattering of people, animals and buildings” using daubs of strong pigment that resolve into complex views of familiar vistas.

She began making art “when I was old enough to hold a pen or a pencil,” Niebergall said, and later studied it at Cabrillo College in Aptos and at UCSB, from which she earned a degree in studio art in 1982.

“As a fourth-generation Californian, I’ve seen a lot of change,” she says on her website, www.ginaniebergall.com, where many of her paintings are displayed. “I have always loved the unique qualities of the Southern California landscape, from ocean to oaks to desert and farmland. I felt compelled to document my impression of it as it continues to undergo numerous changes.”

Niebergall’s “Home and Beyond” can be viewed at the Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara St., which is open noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, visit the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association’s website at www.buenaventuragallery.org.

Ventura, CA - The Buenaventura Art Association is pleased to announce a call to artists for its 2nd annual Community Memorial Hospital Open Competition. This year’s show is entitled “Recycle: Eco Art” and will be juried by Rhode Island artist, Tom Deininger. Deininger was named one of the top ten artists in the country working in recycled art by the online news service Huffington Post. The show is open to artworks utilizing at least 75% reused, recycled or found materials. The show will run December 2, 2012 through January 6, 2013 in the ground floor public spaces of Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N Brent St., Ventura.

This competition is open to artists who live in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and L.A. Counties.

Tom Deininger was raised in Norwell, Massachusetts and attended Salve Regina University where he graduated with Academic Honors in art. Upon graduation he was selected to execute two large commissions for a local church. With those proceeds he traveled Europe, setting up studios and selling his artwork. Coming back to the states he found a large studio space in Fall River, MA to execute large found object works. His artwork is in numerous public and private collections throughout the world and has won many awards in “recycled” and “found object” competitions. He lives with his wife and three children in Bristol, Rhode Island. See his work at www.tomdeiningerart.com.

The First Place winner of “Recycle” will receive a $500 cash prize; Second Place is $250; Third Place is $125. The juror has the option of awarding up to four Honorable Mention non-cash prizes.

A meet-the-artists reception and awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, December 4th from 5-7 PM in the Community Memorial Hospital lobby.

Entries must be submitted electronically through the online entry form on the Buenaventura Gallery website, www.buenaventuragallery.org. More information regarding rules and restrictions can be found there. Deadline to enter the “Recycle” competition is midnight, November 26.

About the Buenaventura Art Association
Buenaventura Art Association (BAA) is a foundational arts organization in Ventura – a 58-year-old institution devoted to sustaining Ventura County’s cultural and artistic resources by developing visual artists in all stages of their careers. BAA was started in 1954 by a group of Ventura community, civic and business leaders who recognized the importance of the arts in all communities and wanted to encourage and foster Ventura’s cultural growth. BAA runs two galleries – the Buenaventura Gallery in downtown Ventura at 700 E. Santa Clara St., and the Harbor Village Gallery, 1591 Spinnaker Dr., in the Ventura Harbor Village.
Since 2009, BAA has collaborated with Community Memorial Hospital to exhibit art in its ground floor public corridors. Most exhibits in this venue last two to three months and are open to members and non-members of BAA. Countless patients, visitors, and hospital employees comment on the joy and comfort these works of art bring to their daily lives.

About Community Memorial Hospital
For over a century, Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) has served as the healthcare leader in Ventura County. Today, the eight-story, 242-bed nonprofit facility has become a state-of-the-art regional hospital and health center, providing a vast array of medical services and programs. The award-winning hospital is licensed by the California Department of Health Services, and Accredited by DNV. Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St., in Ventura.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will present a contemporary adaptation of “The Trojan Women” by Euripides Nov. 8 through 18 on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Performances of the Fall Mainstage Production are slated for 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 17, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Black Box Studio Theatre.

Written 2,500 years ago, Euripides’ “The Trojan Women” is a powerful commentary on the nature of war and its aftermath. CLU’s production will be set in what appears to be a bomb crater from a contemporary war. In a modern sterile structure overlooking the devastation of war, Poseidon and Athene dispassionately discuss the results of the war much like a modern, powerful female secretary of state and a male political leader.

The female actors who comprise the chorus and principal Trojan Women represent various victims of war including survivors of the World War II Holocaust, women of the Bosnian/Serbian conflict, mothers whose children were secretly abducted or imprisoned by South and Latin American regimes and Rawandan victims of tribal rape and extinction. Each cast member researched the story of a specific victim of war and created a character based on her and the woman of Troy she plays.

The audience will be seated in a unique “tennis court” configuration looking down into the acting area and will be formal witnesses to the plight of thewomen as armed guards patrol throughout the production.

Major players include the following: Catie Widmann, a senior theatre arts major from Boulder, Colo., as Helen; Karolina Keach, a junior theatre arts major from Calabasas, as Athene; Martin Gonzalez, a senior theatre arts major from Hesperia, as Poseidon; Patty Jaramillo, a sophomore theatre arts major from Van Nuys, as Andromache; Erik Klein, a junior theatre arts major from Granada Hills, as Menelaus; Matthew Case, a freshman theatre arts major from Newbury Park, as Talthybius; and Aubrey Kaye, a sophomore computer/math major from Camarillo, as Cassandra. Professional actor Kellie McIver, who portrayed the Nurse in the 2012 Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival production of “Romeo and Juliet,” is the guest artist playing Hecuba.

Theatre arts professor Michael J. Arndt directs. Set design is by Nathanial Sinnott, costume design is by Valerie Miller, and lighting design is by Gary Mintz. The original background score is by Christopher Hoag. Hoag has composed music for films, video games and television shows including the music for the pilot for “House.” The production was adapted from Euripides by Jean Paul Sartre and translated into English by Ronald Duncan.

The Black Box Studio Theatre is located in the Theatre Arts Building on the north side of Memorial Parkway near Pioneer Avenue.

Admission is $10. For more information, call the Theatre Arts Department at 805-493-3415.

California State Old Time Fiddlers District 8 will meet Sunday, October 28 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join fiddlers for an afternoon of listening and dancing to Country Western and Bluegrass music. Bring an instrument and play along. No admission or parking charge. Refreshments available. For more information go to calfiddlers.com or call 797-6563.

J.T. Ledbetter

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - A California Lutheran University professor emeritus will read from his latest books of poetry and fiction at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Lundring Events Center.

“An Evening of Poetry and Prose with J.T. Ledbetter” will feature stories from his new fiction collection, “Death by Violin,” and poems from the author’s award-winning “Old and Lost Rivers.”

“Death by Violin,” published in September by Stephen F. Austin State University Press, is full of ordinary people in ordinary circumstances who become extraordinary because of a word, event or a memory that brings about action they hadn’t planned and may or may not regret.

In “Old and Lost Rivers,” published by Lost Horse Press in March, a poet examines his life – what he’s been dealt and what he’s chosen.

Ledbetter taught English at CLU for more than 30 years and the Thousand Oaks resident continues to teach classes as an adjunct faculty member. His numerous publications include poetry, anthologies, magazine articles, works of fiction and music. In 2010, he published “Underlying Premises,” a collection of poems set among the farms and small towns of the Midwest. In 2007, he and E. John Solem, a CLU art professor emeritus, published “Blue Galaxy Iris: Connecting with Beauty and Nature’s Rhythm.” The book juxtaposes Ledbetter’s poems with Solem’s artwork.

Lundring Events Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, which is north of Olsen Road nearMountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The English Department is sponsoring the free event. For information, contact Joan Wines at 805-493-3277 or wines@callutheran.edu.

Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) invites students from kindergarten through eighth grade and their families to a fun-filled, free evening of hands-on science experiments in a Halloween carnival-like atmosphere.

The 2012 Science Carnival will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, located at 2900 Thurgood Marshall Drive in Oxnard.

Children can observe and participate in more than 70 activities – including launching air-powered rockets, concocting glow-in-the-dark goo, freezing candy bars in liquid nitrogen, digging for fossils, blowing up pumpkins and making their own lotion – all while learning about the science behind them.

This is the fourth annual event organized by Professor of Chemistry Phil Hampton as part of a broader CI effort to expose more students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and careers. Last year's Science Carnival drew more than 1,500 participants.

“By introducing them to the thrills of scientific experimentation in a fun atmosphere, we hope to inspire future generations of scientists and innovators,” Hampton said. “Kids will even be able to take some of their ‘creations’ home.”

The event has a signature Halloween theme, offering children the chance to wear their Halloween costumes and enjoy a variety of “spooky” refreshments and activities. Families are invited to bring a picnic dinner or enjoy food that will be available for sale.

The Science Carnival is funded with the help of CI’s Project ACCESO, a Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institution grant that promotes STEM learning and the California Los Padres Section of the American Chemical Society.

CI students, faculty, staff, the Free Radicals chemistry club, and dozens of members of the local business, education and scientific communities are volunteering their time to lead experiments and help with the event.

For more information, visit www.csuci.edu/sciencecarnival; contact Sandra Birmingham, STEM Outreach/Pipeline Coordinator, Project ACCESO, 805-437-3597, Sandra.Birmingham@csuci.edu; or Phil Hampton, Professor of Chemistry, Director of Project ACCESO, 805-437-8869, Philip.Hampton@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is celebrating 10 years of education, innovation, growth and community enrichment during the 2012/2013 academic year. We salute our faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters, and partners who continue the CI mission of a student-centered education emphasizing international and multicultural perspectives with interdisciplinary and experiential service-oriented learning.

Together, we are solving the problems of today, preparing the leaders and innovators of tomorrow, and contributing to the vitality of higher education.

CSU Channel Islands – A Decade of Distinction

The Museum of Ventura County is hosting two open houses for potential volunteers. The first will be held at their Ventura location on Tuesday, October 23rd at 5:30 p.m., and a second open house will be held at their Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula on Saturday, November 3rd, at 10:00 a.m. The free events are open to potential volunteers ages 18 and older. No registration is required. Participants will learn more about both museums and what volunteer opportunities are currently available. Volunteers are currently needed for visitor services, education, and special events. Visit http://venturamuseum.org/volunteer-opportunities/ for more information.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura, across from the San Buenaventura Mission. The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, in Santa Paula’s historic downtown, near the Depot and next to the railroad tracks.

SANTA PAULA, CA – The 19th De Colores Art Show, a celebration of Latino culture, heritage and iconography, will premiere at the Santa Paula Art Museum on Saturday, October 27 with an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres catered by La Cabaña will be served, and musical entertainment will be provided by the beautiful “Angels on Harp”. Admission is $10.00 for all guests. Students are always admitted free.

The De Colores Art Show was established in 1995 by Santa Paula artist and activist Xavier Montes. Montes resigned as curator of the show last year, but not before appointing highly esteemed local artist Andrea Vargas-Mendoza as his successor. Vargas-Mendoza understands the tremendous meaning of and potential for De Colores, saying that she is “glad to share new artists and textural surprises in the exhibit this year. With paintings by Ricardo Ortega, Antonio Pelayo and Briana Bainbridge, among 30 other accomplished artists working in a variety of mediums, the show speaks nostaligically of home and history.”

The nineteenth show illustrates the long history and many layers of Latino culture, including pre-Columbian iconography, environments filled with vibrant color, a search for identity and most importantly, family. Museum Executive Director Jennifer Heighton says, “De Colores has always been an extraordinary show, and the group of artworks selected this year are quite remarkable. They are diverse in subject matter, but all of the works demonstrate incredible artistic talent and each one has an important story to tell.” The exhibit runs through February 17, 2013.

Reservations for the opening reception are recommended. For more information, contact the Museum at (805) 525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org. The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060. The Museum’s regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM, and Sundays, 12 PM – 4 PM. Regular admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and free for Museum Members and students.

VENTURA COUNTY, CA - Ventura County Ballet Company (VCBC) will once again dance into the hearts of local residents during the holiday season as it brings back its acclaimed production of “The Nutcracker”. This year, the celebrated ballet company will perform the family classic for two weekends at two venues: Nov. 17-18 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center and Dec. 1-2 at the newly renovated Ventura College Performing Arts Center.

Guests are invited to take a magical journey into the world of life-sized mice, dancing sweets and of course, a magical prince. The VCBC’s adaptation of the theatrical event will bring the holiday tradition to life by thrilling audiences with its captivating storytelling, larger-than-life imagery, visual effects and opulent costumes. The enchanting choreography with Tchaikovsky’s famed score accompanied by the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra will add to the ambiance making a memorable holiday event for families.

Additional Info:

What:

Ventura County Ballet Company presents “The Nutcracker”

When/Where:

- Saturday, November 17 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 18 at 2 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, Calif.

- Saturday, December 1 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center, 4700 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, Calif.

Cost:

Adults: $10 - $25. Children: 10 years and under $12 (excludes Center Orchestra). Seniors: 65 and older $17 (excludes Center Orchestra). A sugar plum cookie reception will follow each matinee and is complimentary to ticket holders.

Tickets:

Theater Box Office: 805-486-2424; http://www.venturacountyballet.com/Performances.html

Photo Cutline:

File photo from 2011: Ventura County Ballet Company dancer, Chelsea Portugal, poses with Ventura College Symphony Orchestra tuba player.

About the Ventura County Ballet Company and Ballet Academy Ventura
Celebrating its 18th year, the Ventura County Ballet Company presents two to three large scale productions each year. The productions feature professional dancers as well as VCBC pre-professionals, students from Ballet Academy Ventura, the official school of the VCBC.

Kathleen Noblin, a recipient of the City of Ventura 2008 Mayor’s Arts Award, founded Ballet Academy Ventura in 1992 as the official school of the Ventura County Ballet where the company is in residence. She has served as executive director of the company since its inception.

For more information, or to sponsor an upcoming ballet or educational program, call (805) 648-2080 or visit www.venturacountyballet.com.

Camarillo, CA - The Institute for Global Economic Research (IGER) at CSU Channel Islands (CI) will hold its Fall Economic Forecasting Conference, “Managing Through a Turbulent Global Economy and the Election,” Friday, Oct. 26, at noon in Malibu Hall 100 on the CI campus. IGER Director and top-ranked economist Dr. Sung Won Sohn will discuss global economic conditions, implications of the upcoming presidential election, and the concept of reverse innovation, in which global corporations apply inventions and knowledge from emerging markets in advanced nations. The event is free, open to the public by reservation, and includes lunch.

The Forecasting Conference is held twice a year to offer regional business leaders and the community Dr. Sohn’s analysis of the global and national economic outlook in relationship to the region. Dr. Sohn joined CI as an endowed professor at the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics in 2008 and helped launch IGER in 2011. The Institute is the first of its kind in the region, working to more closely link the local economy to the global economy, promote trade between the region and the Pacific Rim countries, and develop future industry leadership by providing international perspectives to students and the community.

Dr. Sohn has been CONTINUED »

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The public is invited to celebrate Día de los Muertos on Thursday, Nov. 1, at California Lutheran University.

The Latin American Student Organization (LASO) will present a program featuring entertainment, face painting and light refreshments from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Ahmanson Science Center foyer as part of the Latin celebration of All Saints Day.

A traditional Day of the Dead altar will be built. Starting at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the day,everyone is welcome to place items on the altar in honor of their deceased loved ones. There will be samples of traditional pan de muerto (bread) and pictures and information about the holiday’s history.

Poetry Slam, a student club that promotes the spoken word, LASO and CLU’s Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services are sponsoring the free event.

The Ahmanson Science Center is located south of Memorial Parkway near Pioneer Avenue on the Thousand Oaks campus.

For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Programs at 805-493-3489.

Eric Stromer

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - Eric Stromer, who built a career by combining his acting and construction skills, will talk to California Lutheran University students and community members from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the Preus-Brandt Forum.

Stromer, who has made the People magazine list of “Sexiest Men Alive,” will speak at the first event in the 2012-2013 “Conversations With …” series. Actor and director Markus Flanagan, who teaches at CLU, will moderate an informalone-hour discussion on the craft of acting followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Stromer’s new show, “Hideous Houses,” debuted July 28 on the A&E Network. In each episode, the actor and general contractor works with his carpenter brother and a designer to renovate eyesores with $20,000 in four days. He is also heard every week on the nationally syndicated radio show “Home Wizards” with Cindy Dole.

His previous television credits include HGTV’s “Over Your Head,” TLC’s “Clean Sweep” and NBC’s “Three Wishes.” He helped create “Home Improvement with Eric Stromer,” a series of web videos and interactive features for AOL’s Living Channel that has been going for five years. He is a spokesman for Olympic Paint and has been a correspondent for syndicated entertainment news magazine “The Insider.” The father of three also wrote a guide for busy parents called “Do-It-Yourself Family.”

Stromer is also a singer and songwriter. He released a country album called“Fix It Man” in 2009. He has written and performed music for film and television including “The Drew Carey Showtime Special” on A&E and the 1995 movie “The Wild Side.”

The Illinois native worked in construction while studying drama at the University of Colorado. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and beganremodeling houses. He started his own business and remodeled homes for celebrities including Dylan McDermott, Elijah Wood and Jasmine Guy.

The “Conversations With …” talks provide theater arts students and other aspiring actors with advice from professionals. They take the approach laid out in Flanagan’s book, “One Less Bitter Actor: The Actor’s Survival Guide,” which explains how to make it in the business of acting while staying sane and focused.

Farm Fresh Clothing Co. is sponsoring the free series. Donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the CLU Theatre Arts Department.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located south of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, call 805-493-3415 or email info@westlakeactingstudio.com.

Camarillo, CA - The ill-fated journey of the Donner Party will play out on the stage in six memorable performances at CSU Channel Islands (CI), Oct. 24 – 27 and Nov. 1 – 2 at 8 p.m. at Malibu Hall on the CI campus. “The Donner Party Cycle: End of the Trail,” is the second installment of an original two-part play written and directed by Associate Professor of English Bob Mayberry and performed by students and alumni of CI’s Performing Arts Program.

The play follows the settlers of the notorious Donner Party wagon train on their journey from Missouri to California along the California Trail in 1846. It highlights the series of bad decisions that led them to become snowbound in the Sierra Nevada, where half the party ultimately died of cold and starvation. “End of the Trail” picks up as the settlers reach the end of a river in the Nevada desert, and unwisely push onward into the Sierras and into a desperate fight for their lives. The play ends with the dramatic courtroom trial of a German immigrant and Donner Party survivor accused of cannibalism.

The performances also conclude a 26-year journey for Mayberry, who began writing the plays on and off in 1985 and completed them during a recent sabbatical. A native of Nevada who often visited Donner Lake with his family, Mayberry grew up fascinated by tales of the doomed wagon party. As he delved into research and historic accounts, he saw the stage as the perfect venue for the dramatic tale of tragedy and survival.

“History is always more interesting when we can locate it in individuals going through it,” Mayberry said. “I think people will be surprised that the story of the Donners is far more interesting and complicated than anybody expects or than any of our state history textbooks represent.”

Tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for CI faculty and staff, and free for CI students. To purchase tickets, call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Limited complimentary parking is available on campus in designated spaces only. Upon arriving at the campus, please follow event parking signs. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the VISTA Bus to the campus; the fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.

For more information, contact Dr. Bob Mayberry, Associate Professor of English, at 805-437-2786 or bob.mayberry@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is celebrating 10 years of education, innovation, growth and community enrichment during the 2012/2013 academic year. We salute our faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters, and partners who continue the CI mission of a student-centered education emphasizing international and multicultural perspectives with interdisciplinary and experiential service-oriented learning.

Together, we are solving the problems of today, preparing the leaders and innovators of tomorrow, and contributing to the vitality of higher education.

CSU Channel Islands – A Decade of Distinction

Mette Hjermind McCall

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - A bestselling Danish author will present a new slant on the journey of the Titanic at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at California Lutheran University.

Mette Hjermind McCall, author of “Titanic De Danske Fortsellinger,” will follow the destinies of Danish passengers on the doomed ocean liner. The two-hour presentation in the Roth Nelson Room will include music played on the Titanic, pictures and illustrations, and selections from audio recordings of interviews with survivors.

McCall released her book in Denmark on April 15, the centennial of the tragic sinking. The book made the bestseller list for non-fiction.

A freelance journalist and public relations consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Århus, Denmark, McCall has more than a decade of experience in print and broadcast journalism in Europe andCalifornia.

The Roth Nelson Room is located on Mountclef Boulevard near Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and the CLU History Department are sponsoring thefree presentation. For more information, call Mary Hekhuis at 805-497-1057.

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., – Oct. 9, 2012) An award-winning organist will open the 2012-2013 Orvil and Gloria Franzen Organ Program Series at California Lutheran University in October.

Shelly Moorman-Stahlman, professor of music and college organist at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., will present the free concert in Samuelson Chapel at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26.

Moorman-Stahlman has garnered an impressive array of competition credits. She was a semi-finalist at the St.Albans International Organ Competition in England and a finalist in the Arthur Poister Competition and the Region VI American Guild of Organists Competition. She also won the Audience Prize at the Spivey International Organ Competition and second prize in the Music Teachers National Association National Wurlitzer Competition.

She has been a featured artist as both an organist and pianist in major venues in Washington, D.C., New York City and across the Midwest. Recently, she has presented recitals at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, University of Arizona, Tucson, and Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta. She has also led workshops and master classes for conventions, colleges and churches.

Moorman-Stahlman teaches classes in organ, piano and church music, and her students have received top honors in numerous competitions. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Iowa. She has studied organ with Delbert Disselhorst, Delores Bruch, John Ditto and Harald Vogel and piano with RuthSlenczynska, Santiago Rodriguez and John McIntyre.

Samuelson Chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus.

For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu.