In The Arts

Paintings by artist from Down Under to appear in Laguna

The McCollum Gallery in Laguna Beach on Saturday night will open a solo exhibition of works by Gabrielle Pool, a New Zealand-born Australian painter.

“Dreamings: Aboriginal-inspired works by Gabrielle Pool” will run at the gallery at 206 N. Coast Hwy. through Nov. 10, according to a news release.

The body of work by Pool came out of a pair of trips into the Australia’s Outback region, where she spent time with female artists in an aboriginal tribe. The tribe’s name was Utopia.

“I will never be able to coherently articulate what happened during that time. I can only paint my version of what I felt and saw, and I hope that it can be experienced by others through my work,” Pool said in a prepared statement.

Saturday’s reception will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the McCollum Gallery. Its phone number is (949) 497-4027 and its website is https://www.gallerymccollum.com.

Comedian Rita Rudner will be part of an ensemble cast in “Tickled Pink,” scheduled to make its debut at the Laguna Playhouse in April. Rudner wrote the play, which her husband, Martin Bergman, will direct.

“We are extremely fortunate to call Rita and Martin neighbors and creative collaborators,” Karen Wood, the playhouse’s executive director, said in a prepared statement. “They are delightful and savvy professionals and we couldn’t be more thrilled to offer their world class talent to Orange County.”

Single tickets will go on public sale Dec. 1, according to a news release. Tickets are priced $30 to $70. For more information, go to the Laguna Playhouse’s website: https://www.lagunaplayhouse.com. Tickets can be bought by calling (949) 497-2787 (ARTS) or by stopping at the box office at 606 Laguna Canyon Road.

Soka University of America will present its inaugural Jazz Festival at the Aliso Viejo campus’ new Soka Performing Arts Center.

The Soka BluePort Jazz Festival marking the university’s 10th anniversary will take place at the center during the weekend of Oct 28 to 30. Tickets for a three-day package of concerts cost $84. Seniors and students with I.D. pay $63.

For more information about tickets and showtimes, go to https://www.perfromingarts.soka.edu, or call (949) 480-4278.

—Imran Vittachi

Submissions requested for holiday palette contest

Children ages 5 to 17 may submit entries to the Arts Commission for the 2011 Children’s Holiday Palette Exhibition.

The submission deadline is noon Nov. 14.

Applicants must reside, attend school or an art program in Laguna Beach. They should submit designs on a template, which can be found on the city’s website, https://www.lagunabeachcity.net.

The commission will choose designs to be mounted on a small wooden palette and exhibited at City Hall throughout December.

—Kelly Parker

Venturing into the O.C.

Stephen Sondheim, the reclusive Broadway legend, will make a rare appearance in Orange County on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The prolific musical composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim will speak with American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers head Michael Kerker at a one-night-only affair at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

The evening also will feature the vocal stylings of fellow musical legends Christine Ebersole and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The duo will perform many of Sondheim’s best-loved songs. Sondheim has brought some of Broadway’s most beloved characters to the stage — from Tony and Maria in “West Side Story” to the eponymous “Sweeney Todd,” and from the passive-aggressive Cinderella of “Into the Woods” to the “decrepit Desiree” of “A Little Night Music,” made famous by Judi Dench’s unforgettable performance.

He is as well known for his seclusion as for his musical genius, and has won everything from a Pulitzer Prize to an Oscar, along with oodles of all of the expected awards —Tonys, Grammys and the like.

Tickets for “Stephen Sondheim: In Conversation” start at $35.To buy tickets and get more information, call (714) 556-2787, or go to scfta.org.

—Candice Baker