Laguna Playhouse honors Indiana Jones The Laguna...

Laguna Playhouse honors Indiana Jones

The Laguna Playhouse honored Harrison Ford with a Lifetime

Achievement Award earlier this month at a gala at the Montage Resort

and Spa. With 350 people in attendance, the gala was the most

successful in the playhouse’s 83-year history, netting $160,000. Ford

was in the March 1965 production “John Brown’s Body.”

Ford’s girlfriend Calista Flockhart was by his side. They first

attended a private VIP reception at Sindi and Ron Schwartz’s

ocean-view home at the Villas at Montage. It was a private affair of

40 of the underwriters and guests.

“Mr. Ford and Ms. Flockhart were very, very approachable and

gracious, letting people be photographed with them,” Playhouse

director of development Jon Wagner said.

Ford said he was glad to see the playhouse had come so far and was

getting along so well, Wagner said.

“There was a tribute film for Harrison Ford starting with his high

school and college productions and yearbook pictures,” Wagner said.

“He [Ford] talked about a college professor who suggested he come out

here [to the Laguna Playhouse.]”

Ford said that he found Laguna Beach very welcoming. The reviews

he received form his performance in “John Brown’s Body” caught the

interest of a Columbia Pictures casting director -- who came to see

Ford in the show. He subsequently offered him a job.

Also honored were Laguna residents Suzanne and Jim Mellor for

their outstanding philanthropic support of the playhouse. The program

included a brief film that interviewed the Mellor’s with scenes of

her painting the set for “The Constant Wife.”

“She is an artist herself,” Wagner said.

Free day of dance and performances Saturday

The California Choreographers Dance Festival is having its annual

Spring Dance Day on Saturday with free classes from 9 a.m. to 2:45

p.m. and a dance performance at 4:15 p.m.

Classes are at Legion Hall, 348 Legion St. and are: jazz by

Deborah Brockus, 9 to 10:15 a.m.; modern by Stacey Printz, 10:30 to

11:45 a.m.; dances of India by Ramaa Bharadvaj, noon to 1:15 p.m.;

and African by Erin Landry, 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

The performance starts at 4:15 p.m. at Main Beach and includes:

Erin Landry, Fullerton College Dance Ensemble; Stacey Printz, Printz

Dance Project; Donna Sternberg, DancEssence, Inc.; Patrick

Fredrickson and Nacia Stevens, Charleston and Lindy Hop; Ramaa

Bharadvaj, Angahara Dance Ensemble.

For information, go to www.cadancefest.com or call (949) 497-8869.

‘Animal Chemistry’ benefit closing party

“Animal Chemistry,” which opened a month ago at Wells Fargo Bank

as a benefit by local artists for Laguna Beach Animal Shelter and its

nonprofit Pet Responsibility Committee, will have its closing party

from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Laguna Art Studio, 578 N. Coast Highway.

Co-chair artist Joan Corman will host the event.

The art is animal themed and features everything from ants to

zebras. Participating artists are donating 15% of their sales to the

Pet Responsibility Committee of the Laguna Shelter.

Co-chair artist Mike Tauber explained that the exhibit focuses on

animal life and hopes to increase awareness of the good work the

shelter does.

For information about the closing benefit, call Corman at

494-1815.

Donations can be made in care of the Pet Responsibility Committee,

Inc. PO Box 104 Laguna Beach, CA 92652. The Laguna Beach Animal

Shelter is at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road. For information about making

a donation call 497-3552.

Talk of the Town at Laguna Art Museum

Laguna Art Museum will feature its Talk of the Town panel

discussion with Deborah Aschheim on May 2 at 11 a.m.

The artist’s site-specific installation, Deborah Aschheim: Neural

Architecture is on view at the art museum through July 5.

Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr. For more information, call

(949)494-8971 or go to www.lagunaartmuseum.org.