Tomatoes – how about that sunshine eh? Spring is beginning to “bloom.” Let’s head outside to walk, hike, bike, kayak and dine and then back inside for some great virtual offerings. San Jose Stage, Sonoma Film Festival and Deborah Slater dance are some of our favorites coming up. Hella Secret Comedy shows are LIVE. And let’s not forget giving back! Check out LymeLight’s annual fundraiser Dart for Art.  While you are on your daily walk, remember to tune in to our two favorite podcasts. The Three Tomatoes Happy Hour and my own that brings sunshine to you even in the rain, Ignite Your spark. And check out these March 3T events (see below.)

Sonoma Film Festival

Missing film fests? Sonoma Film Festival has you covered. Today for only $12 they present, MY HEART GOES BOOM! (EXPLOTA! EXPLOTA!). This is a U.S.  premiere that was nominated for numerous 2021 Spanish Film awards and is my favorite, a musical comedy!

My Heart Goes Boom! follows Maria, a bride who just fled her own wedding in Rome and whose dream was to dance. As she brings color to the grey Spain of the 1970s by becoming a starlet on the biggest TV musical, her quest for personal freedom will go hand in hand with the explosion of the long-time censorship imposed by the regime. Sonomafilmfest.org

March 19. Dart for Art

One of the most interesting events I had the pleasure of attending a few years back was LymeLight’s annual fundraiser Dart for Art. Dart for Art is not your typical auction or cocktail party! It is a lively and unique event where guests receive an original piece of art. Of course we are not gathering for cocktails and art this year, however on MARCH 19, 2021 – 6:00 PM the foundation has created a brand new hybrid event.

This is a Covid friendly hybrid experience featuring an in-person Art Preview (small groups) at their pop-up gallery located at 1426 Burlingame Avenue (March 13-18th). This week-long preview will be followed by a catered evening event on March 19th with guests enjoying a virtual event with online darting from the comfort of their own home. The LymeLight foundation provides grants to enable eligible children and young adults with Lyme disease to receive proper treatment and medication as well as raising awareness around the disease that afflicts so many. Get details.

Deborah Slater Dance Theatre

They have been a blessing to many artists for 30 years. Their Studio 210 Residency supports Bay Area performing artists in need of space to make their work and, with support from the California Arts Council, recently expanded to include a winter cycle. The residency is intended as a vehicle for artists to hone their skills, experiment, and dive into making performance. It is open to dedicated artists in all performance disciplines.

The virtual performance coming up is the culmination of an 8-week-residency and will explore rituals of grief and healing in response to our current moment of crisis. One of the featured performances is Grief Rituals/Somatic Scores for Living During a Pandemic, Cynthia Ling Lee has been exploring participatory structures that create intimacy, somatic embodiment, and offer communal rituals for processing grief and trauma. Ranging from audio-based improvisational scores to carefully crafted mourning rituals on Zoom, her work asks questions specific to our current moment: how can you satisfy a hunger for physical touch while in isolation? How can we grieve together during this moment? March 5^th 7 p.m. on Zoom. Deborahslater.org

World Premiere of Strange Courtesies

San Jose Stage Company in collaboration with African American Shakespeare Company, presents the virtual world premiere of the new play STRANGE COURTESIES, written and directed by L. Peter Callender. Citizens of South Africa are confronting a painful past of the apartheid era through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

STRANGE COURTESIES explores the potential restorative power of truth telling, the significance of sympathetic witnesses, and the tasks of both perpetrators and bystanders in the TRC process. Can dignity be restored to victims and their families while offering a basis for individual healing, and promoting the reconciliation of a divided society? Some very important questions to ponder in this new play. STRANGE COURTESIES will be available to stream February 27 – March 3, 2021. Tickets are $40.00 and may be purchased here.  

Hella Secret Outdoor Comedy

If it’s one thing we need right now, it’s laughter! Since things have opened up a bit, Hella Secret Outdoor Comedy is now popping up in San Francisco and Oakland most weekend nights. You laugh, you eat, you drink, all safely of course. Featured performers are funny folks who have performed at all our favorite comedy clubs.

Of course you must purchase food, but we hear the authentic Guatamalan tamales are delish. And their drinks menu consists of such warming treats as mezcal-ginger hot toddies, and hot spiced bourbon apple cider.  Mocktails available as well of course. I’ll be there Sunday night…..how about you? Get the details.