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It is a given that most of us are sadly aware of the horror that was the Holocaust, which took place 1933-45 and resulted in the murder of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis, directed by Adolf Hitler.

Tom McClain loved the San Francisco 49ers while he was growing up in Sacramento in the 1970s and 1980s, but his family didn’t really have the means to buy tickets to the games. So when some friends from church took him to a practice at a new …

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1993, I began work on my memoirish novel The Televisionary Oracle. It took me seven years to finish. The early part of the process was tough. I generated a lot of material I didn't like. Then one day, I discovere…

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Take a trip on the wilder side with Becky’s New Car at the Ojai Art Center through Feb. 19. Cynthia Killion stars as Becky Foster in Steven Dietz’s wonderful comedy about a woman who stumbles into a double life. The marvelous Killion leads a …

There are only a few chances to see The Realistic Joneses at Rubicon Theatre Company, onstage through Feb. 12, and it would be a shame to miss it. The award-winning play, named by The New York Times as one of the “25 significant plays of the …

Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star at The Elite Theatre Company

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Good news, Aries! During the next episode in the age-old struggle between the Impulsive You and the Farsighted You, I predict the latter will achieve a ringing victory. Hallelujah! I also foresee you overcoming the …

The life and legacy of Ventura County Supervisor and longtime Oxnard Mayor Pro-Tem Carmen Ramirez will live on forever at the Museum of Ventura County despite her tragic and unexpected death last year.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nigerian author Wole Soyinka reworked the ancient Greek play, The Bacchae. In one passage, the god Dionysus criticizes King Pentheus, who is supposedly all-powerful. "You are a man of chains," Dionysus tells him. "Y…

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Grapes are typically harvested in the fall, but the local arts scene has continued to bear fruit this winter. Fresh starts, retirements, state funding, a new art and culture manager and other developments have kept the cultural grapevine abuz…




The Art+Culture retrospective in 2021 saw institutions dipping their toes in the water to get back on track after the pandemic upended everything in 2020. Now, looking back on 2022, it seems like artists of all kinds have been making up for l…

It is almost impossible to think of a flourishing local arts community without one of its most ardent and passionate supporters — or a flourishing community, period, without one of its most engaging and vibrant personalities.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries painter Vincent van Gogh was renowned for translating his sublime and unruly passions into colors and shapes on canvas. It was a demanding task. He careened between torment and ecstasy. "I put my heart and sou…

The holidays are truly upon us. While no doubt many of us are busily trying to finalize out-of-town plans, scratch off our gift lists and get ready for the juggernaut that is Christmas, there are opportunities for simply enjoying the season a…

Murder on the Orient Express, onstage through Dec. 18 at the Santa Paula Theater Center, is not your grandmother’s Agatha Christie. And that is one of the reasons why I loved it. Nothing against Ms. Christie — she is the queen of mystery, aft…

Ventura County Ballet delighted the children, families and staff at Ventura County Medical Center’s Pediatric Oncology Clinic/Diagnostic Center with a special performance of beloved holiday classic The Nutcracker on Nov. 16. It’s never easy f…