Romeo And Juliet

SUNDAY Cut-A-Thon Fundraiser A fundraiser for the American Red Cross is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Salon Da Vinci, 2300 S.E. Bristol St., #A, Newport Beach. Proceeds go to help victims in Japan. Crime Writer Don Winslow Don Winslow will be the guest speaker at the Orange County Sisters in Crime meeting at 3 p.m. at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine. For more information, contact Jill Amadio at (949) 240-8237 or e-mail jill.amadio@cox.net . Concordia University Music The 15th annual MasterWorks Concert Series with Concordia University's choir groups and orchestra is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Vanguard University offers a dynamic, passionate and visceral production of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet. " Director Susan Berkompas has set her concept of this classic tragedy in the here and now. Her vision of a "modern day, industrial Verona" features tattooed gang bangers in both the Capulet and Montague camps. The seething antagonism between the two families (the reason for the feud is not provided) pervades the Vanguard production and often overshadows the forbidden romance at the play's core.

Water district president elected to new position Mesa Consolidated Water District's Board President James F. Atkinson has been elected to serve as the vice chair of the board of directors for Leadership Tomorrow. Atkinson was appointed to the organization's board last year. He also completed Leadership Tomorrow's nine-month training program, which focuses on acquainting business people and community leaders with leadership philosophy and practice.

Claudia Figueroa After nearly a decade's absence, audiences will catch a glimpse of history when the Bolshoi Ballet makes its debut next week at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Even though the Bolshoi is no stranger to Southern California, this tour marks the 10-year anniversary of its last national tour of the United States. The company's performance at the center is the last stop on a five-city tour, which began as a sold-out run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, then to Chicago, Seattle and the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in Los Angeles.

Tom Titus There's a three-piece rock group on a bandstand marked with graffiti and three semi-soul sisters belting out Motown tunes, so playgoers at UC Irvine's "Romeo and Juliet" might initially think they've wandered into the wrong venue. Before you check your ticket stubs, rest assured that you're in the right place. The UC Irvine production of Shakespeare's classic tragedy may strike a few modern chords -- such as the street scene music from "West Side Story" when the Capulets and Montagues square off as the play opens -- but purists needn't wince.

Editor's note: This column is the third in a series about Bradley Zint's participation in OC Can You Play With Us?, an initiative where he and other Orange County amateur musicians will play alongside the Pacific Symphony professionals. The columns will run through May. * LAGUNA WOODS - For weeks I've been playing my French horn by myself. It has been hours in the practice chair, playing to the monotonous tunes of scales, arpeggios, lip slurs and other simple exercises.

Local stage productions on both the community theater and collegiate levels proved impressive during 2011, with an imaginative musical and a pair of modern classic dramas leading the way. At the Costa Mesa Playhouse, the 1950s flavored musical "Forever Plaid," directed by Stephen Husley, proved to be the theater's most impressive offering of the year. The Newport Theatre Arts Center set the pace with a strong, involving revival of Arthur Miller's postwar drama "All My Sons," directed by David Colley.

Editor's note: This column is the third in a series about Bradley Zint's participation in OC Can You Play With Us?, an initiative where he and other Orange County amateur musicians will play alongside the Pacific Symphony professionals. The columns will run through May. * LAGUNA WOODS - For weeks I've been playing my French horn by myself. It has been hours in the practice chair, playing to the monotonous tunes of scales, arpeggios, lip slurs and other simple exercises.

Local stage productions on both the community theater and collegiate levels proved impressive during 2011, with an imaginative musical and a pair of modern classic dramas leading the way. At the Costa Mesa Playhouse, the 1950s flavored musical "Forever Plaid," directed by Stephen Husley, proved to be the theater's most impressive offering of the year. The Newport Theatre Arts Center set the pace with a strong, involving revival of Arthur Miller's postwar drama "All My Sons," directed by David Colley.

The San Francisco Ballet, one of the country's oldest and most esteemed professional ballet companies, will return to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in September for the first time in three years. The company will perform Sept. 27 to 28 and Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. The six performances, divided into two programs, include the Southern California premieres of Yuri Possokhov's "RAkU" and "Trio," choreographed by Helgi Tomasson, the San Francisco Ballet's artistic director and principal choreographer.

SUNDAY Cut-A-Thon Fundraiser A fundraiser for the American Red Cross is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Salon Da Vinci, 2300 S.E. Bristol St., #A, Newport Beach. Proceeds go to help victims in Japan. Crime Writer Don Winslow Don Winslow will be the guest speaker at the Orange County Sisters in Crime meeting at 3 p.m. at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine. For more information, contact Jill Amadio at (949) 240-8237 or e-mail jill.amadio@cox.net . Concordia University Music The 15th annual MasterWorks Concert Series with Concordia University's choir groups and orchestra is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Vanguard University offers a dynamic, passionate and visceral production of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet. " Director Susan Berkompas has set her concept of this classic tragedy in the here and now. Her vision of a "modern day, industrial Verona" features tattooed gang bangers in both the Capulet and Montague camps. The seething antagonism between the two families (the reason for the feud is not provided) pervades the Vanguard production and often overshadows the forbidden romance at the play's core.

At Costa Mesa's Vanguard University of Southern California, the upcoming theater season will be marked by one major factor — maturity. All five plays to be performed at the school's Lyceum Theater in 2010-11 fit quite comfortably into the "oldies" category insofar as their original conceptions are concerned. A few are updated versions of vintage plot lines. Of course, the summer season still is upon us as Vanguard's professional arm, the American Coast Theater Co., winds up its third program.

Deep in the heart of Texas lies the state’s third-smallest town of Tuna, population 287, where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. Creators Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard established “Greater Tuna” back in 1981 and have been touring it and its three sequels around the country ever since, with Howard directing and Williams and Sears the only cast members, playing multiple roles. Finally, the elusive rights to the comedy have been released and the American Coast Theater Company has grabbed them.