BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Tickets available June 3 for Playhouse

Single tickets to both the summer-long engagement of “Menopause the Musical” (July 10 -- Sept. 2) and “Sister’s Christmas Catechism” (Dec. 17 -- 23) go on sale June 3 at Laguna Playhouse.

“Menopause the Musical” kicks off the Playhouse’s 2007-2008 season. The Laguna Playhouse has already sold more group tickets to this show than any other musical previously staged at the theatre.

Tickets are $35 to $65 depending on date and seat location.

“Sister’s Christmas Catechism” is more than six months away, but it’s a non-subscription show and is limited to 10 performances.

Tickets are $39 to $53 depending on day and seat location.

To order tickets, call at (949) 497-2787, ext. 1; visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com; or visit the Laguna Playhouse box office at 606 Laguna Canyon Road. A $4-per-ticket handling fee is added to all phone and Internet orders.

Mosaic benefit concert set for June 8

Brett Dennen and friends will perform live on June 8 at [seven-degrees], 891 Laguna Canyon Road. The show will benefit the Mosaic Project, a Berkeley-based organization that promotes diversity in school-age children.

The Mosaic Project’s principal program is a human-relations outdoor school, a five-day experience for fourth and fifth graders, according to the group’s website, www.mosaicproject.org.

The all-ages show will run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., and will include music by Matt Hopper, Tom Freund, Brett Dennen, Alec Bridges, DJ br3tt, Meiko, Marianne Keith, Sally Jaye, Jay Buchanan, and a surprise band from midnight to 1 a.m.

General admission is $40 in advance; VIP tickets, which include tickets for a separate acoustic stage, are $100.

Tickets are $10 more at the door if the event does not sell out.

For tickets or more information, call (949) 642-4548.

Summer breezes in at Gallery McCollum

Gallery McCollum, 206 No. Coast Highway, will debut its “Warm Breezes” group summer show with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The reception will feature live music, mai tais and pupus; works by Patrick Tobin, Michael Obermeyer, Jeff Sewell, Michael Logan, Caroline Zimmerman and Richard Merchan will be on view.

To RSVP or for more information, call (949) 497-4027 or visit www.gallerymccollum.com.

Gallery event benefits nonprofit

Diana Ferrone Gallery, 1951 So. Coast Highway, will host a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday for the nonprofit group World Abundance.

The organization creates projects around the world that individuals or organizations can contribute to directly, which allocate resources to those in need.

The evening will feature refreshments, a short film highlighting recent achievements by World Abundance and original artwork by Kathy Buist.

Contributions toward the organization do not go toward administrative costs, marketing or advertising; 100% of the proceeds go toward nonprofit causes.

For more information on the gallery, visit DianaFerrone.com.

To learn more about World Abundance, visit www.WorldAbundance.org.

Rohrer debuts embroidery show

Rohrer Fine Art, 346 No. Coast Highway, will debut its next exhibition, Collaborations, which will feature embroideries by the artist Robert Glenn Ketchum, with an opening artist reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

As a part of the exhibition, Rohrer Fine Art will also host a lecture about the embroideries at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 10, given by Jo Hill of the Fowler Museum.

The lecture is free, but seating reservations are required and can be obtained by calling the gallery at (949) 494-8200.

A former environmentalist photographer, Ketchum began collaborating in 1986 with the Suzhou Embroidery Institute in Suzhou, China.

The Embroidery Institute uses random stitch embroidery, which builds up layers of stitches of varying length, color and thread width, allowing the embroiderer to convey a sense of depth, atmosphere and color nuance, much like an oil painting.

In addition, in order to convey the detail of Ketchum’s pieces, the embroiderers successfully split a thread 42 times and developed a new type of loom that can hold 3,000 lines of thread, as opposed to traditional looms which hold 1,000.

Collector’s Choice event Saturday

Laguna College of Art & Design will host its 18th Annual Collector’s Choice Fine Art Event and Exhibition Saturday on the college campus, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road.

Tickets are now available for $100, and give each guest an opportunity to win their choice of any contributed piece of artwork in the raffle.

The evening will also feature a silent and live auction. Dinner, beverages, entertainment, and complimentary valet parking are included.

Fine artwork is contributed by local and regional professional artists, and includes original paintings and drawings, sculpture and hand blown glass. Many artists will be in attendance the night of the event.

The main event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a Meet the Artists reception and preview of artwork in the college gallery, followed by hosted beverages and a dinner buffet at 6:30 p.m.; and entertainment, raffle and auctions at 7 p.m.

The college’s gallery is open today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and June 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to preview the collection of artwork that will be available for Collector’s Choice.