In The Arts
The new Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art will open its doors on Friday and host its First Thursdays Art Walk reception from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7.
“The gallery was created by two gallery owners / gallery directors to bring contemporary work of the highest quality to downtown Laguna Beach from emerging to mid-career to internationally recognized artists,” according to a prepared statement outlining the gallery’s mission.
“With 45 years of combined knowledge of contemporary art and a team of professionals working in the fine art world, LGOCA holds a vision of style and creative perfection with original paintings including: oils, mixed media, acrylics, encaustics, photography and sculptures of bronze, steel, marble and glass. LGOCA will represent 24 artists with 2 featured artists monthly [and] participating in Laguna Beach First Thursdays Art Walks as well as four large annual group shows.”
Included among LGOCA’s roster of artists is the art of Cyprus-born Kaloust Guedel, whose work is pictured.
LGOCA will mark its grand opening on the night of July 5. The gallery, at 611 S. Coast Hwy., will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from noon to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, as well as from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month.
For more information, visit https://www.lgoca.com or call (949) 715 9604.
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Auditions at No Square
Fresh off its production of “LagunaTOTS#5,” No Square Theatre will hold auditions on Friday and from June 4 through June 6 for two upcoming shows.
By-appointment auditions for “George & His Lovely Wife Ira: The Gershwins,” the company’s last concert in its American Songbook series, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, with performances scheduled for the evenings of June 29 and 30 at No Square Theatre in Legion Hall, 384 Legion St. To book an appointment, contact Bree by emailing nosquare@me.com.
Then, from 6:30 p.m. till 10 p.m. on June 4, 5, and 6, auditions will happen for “The Wizard of Oz,” directed by Joe Lauderdale with choreography by Ellen Prince. No Square Theatre encourages families to try out for parts in the show, which will be staged on the nights of Aug. 3 and 4. For more information about auditions for “Oz,” go to https://www.nosquare.org/auditions.html.
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In other local theater news...
Later in June, the Laguna Playhouse will stage its world premiere of the comedy “Mrs. Honey B., Certified Coach.”
According to a news release from the Playhouse, the show, which debuts on June 12 and runs through June 24, stars Maripat Donovan, who created and starred in “Late Nite Catechism” and produced “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding.”
Tickets range from $30 to $65. Call (949) 497-ARTS (2787) or visit https://www.lagunaplayhouse.com for more information. The Laguna Playhouse is at 606 Laguna Canyon Road.
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Trophy-winning musical groups to play
Three Laguna Beach Unified School District instrumental groups, each of which recently won first-place trophies in respective regional competitions, will be among featured ensembles playing at the end-of-year Instrumental Concert, which will take place at Laguna Beach High School’s Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Ave., at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
According to a news release, the three trophy winners were the Laguna Beach High School Wind Ensemble, which took first place at the “Music in the Park” in San Francisco in late April; the Thurston Middle School Concert Band, which, earlier this month, took first place at a similarly titled competition in San Diego; and the LBHS Jazz Orchestra, which came in first as well as took the Best Saxophone Section and Best Rhythm Section awards at Santa Barbara jazz festival May 11 and 12.
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Art show at Presbyterian Church
The Laguna Presbyterian Church will highlight “its legacy of appreciation and support of the arts and artists” from the past and present with an outdoor art display from 5 to 7:30 p.m. during the First Thursdays Art Walk on June 7.
The display will be shown in the church’s rose garden, and visitors can also take a self-guided tour of its restored Spanish Revival-style sanctuary, according to a news release.
Laguna Presbyterian Church is at 415 Forest Ave.
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Renowned chefs to cook for good cause
The Montage Laguna Beach resort on Sunday will host the second annual Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation benefit event. It will feature seven noted chefs from restaurants nationwide who will gather at the Montage to cook food to help raise money for the nonprofit’s mission of ending childhood hunger by 2015.
A news release from the oceanfront resort listed the seven chefs as: William Bradley of the Addison at the Grand Del Mar.; Floyd Cardoz of New York’s North End Grill; Jen Carroll of Concrete Blonde in Philadelphia; Suzanne Goin of the A.O.C. Lucques in Los Angeles; Lee Smith, the executive pastry chef at the Montage; Michael Voltaggio of ink. in L.A.; and Alan Wong of Alan Wong’s Restaurants in Honolulu.
The Taste of the Nation will start at 4 p.m. at the Montage, 30801 Coast Hwy. One hundred percent of ticket sales will go toward supporting Share Our Strength. Advance tickets start at $150 and can be purchased online by going to https://www.montagelagunabeach.com/tasteofthenation.
—Imran Vittachi