Friday, Oct. 6
Grab It
Middlebury Institute of International Studies hosts a screening of The Grab, a documentary about the money, influence and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet: food. Quietly and seemingly out of sight, governments, private investors and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations. And it’s all beginning to bubble to the surface in real time. The Grab is a global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism with the compelling, character-driven storytelling of Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, taking you around the globe from Arizona to Zambia, to reveal one of the world’s biggest and least-known threats. [AP]
6-8:30pm Friday, Oct. 6. Middlebury Institute of International Studies, McCone Irvine Auditorium, 499 Pierce St., Monterey. Free. bit.ly/3EV9vdE.
Friday, Oct. 6-Saturday, Oct. 7
Play in a Play
The Western Stage at Hartnell College is having a little fun with Turkey Day this year with a production that’s name belies what one Hollywood Reporter critic describes as “wicked satire” and “very, very funny.” The Thanksgiving Play, written by Larissa FastHorse, debuted off-Broadway in New York in 2018, and centers on a group of teaching artists attempting to create a play that pays proper respect to the holiday’s origins, and the role Indigenous people played in it. But personalities collide, white guilt emerges and shenanigans ensue. Estrella Esparza-Johnson will be directing, while Kelsey Woods, Alexis Han-Holdren, Ben Canant and Caleb Pierce will be acting – all are joining The Western Stage for the first time. One important note: The Studio Theater is small and its ventilation/HVAC system is not yet upgraded, so masks are required throughout this 90-minute play, which will not have an intermission. It should be a hoot nonetheless: It’s liberals skewering liberals like only liberals can, because let’s face it, most funny people are liberals. [DS]
7:30pm Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7 (runs every Friday and Saturday through October). Studio Theater, Hartnell College Performing Arts Center (Building K), 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $28; $24/seniors, military, teachers; $16/Students; free/Hartnell students; $12/youth ages 5-15. 755-6816, westernstage.com.
Friday, Oct. 6-Sunday, Oct. 8
Talk Show
You know what makes for a successful show. That’s right – explosions, backstabbing, an underdog, a heartthrob and a captivating score. And The Sunset Limited is a hit, so the production must have it all… What? No bombs? No conniving? Just dialogue. Two guys – one of sincere faith, the other disillusioned and on the verge of ending it all – in a confined space talking. Sure, Cormac McCarthy’s script hones conflicting views into an intense, provocative and engrossing examination of belief systems and the purpose of being. These are universal concepts, of interest to all. But dialogue? Well, The Sunset Limited engages through ideas that are both accepted and in conflict – the very tension of everyday life. This is the very power of dialogue. That leaves us with a question. Why hasn’t Hollywood figured this out? Note: Discount preview night on Thursday, Oct. 5. [DF]
7:30pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 6-7, Oct. 13-14; 2pm Sundays, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15. Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $20. 372-2608, stantoncenter.org.
Saturday, Oct. 7
All in the Family
For more than 20 years, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) has created new opportunities for low-income, immigrant field laborers by training them in organic farm management and teaching them the business skills they need to one day own a farm of their own. This week brings the nonprofit’s annual Family Farm Day, which invites the local community out to its 100-acre property off Old Stage Road to enjoy hayrides, carnival games, arts and crafts – and, of course, buy freshly harvested organic produce grown by ALBA’s farmers. Lunch will also be available, and guests are encouraged to bring cash and reusable bags for purchases. [RM]
11am-3pm Saturday, Oct. 7. ALBA, 1700 Old Stage Road, Salinas. Free. 758-1469, albafarmers.org.
Saturday, Oct. 7-Sunday, Oct. 8
Air Power
We’ve seen Canadian Bacon. We know Canada has been scheming, looking for any excuse to invade the U.S. So it’s folly to open the door and allow the elite Royal Canadian Forces Snowbirds to control the skies above the strategic Salinas Municipal Airport and… No, no, no. That’s a Hollywood myth. The California International Airshow features skilled acrobatic and formation flying pilots putting on a one-of-a-kind show. Yes, the Snowbirds are coming, as are the USAF Thunderbirds and the Red Bull Air Force. But that’s only a small part of the entertainment lineup. There are stunt pilots, aerial comedy, dueling monster trucks, jet trucks blazing down the tarmac and more. Expect vendors, a zone for kids to play, a Friday night party at Maverick’s Lounge – in short, this is better than anything Hollywood could dream up. And it benefits local charities, so all the better. Planes fly at 11am each day. [DF]
9am Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8. Salinas Municipal Airport, 30 Mortensen Ave., Salinas. $30-$75; free/active military and children ages 5 under. 754-1983, salinasairshow.com.
Fluttering In
The monarch butterflies have already begun their annual arrival to the eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees of Pacific Grove for overwintering. They’re early arrivals to Butterfly Town’s annual party, which kicks off in a big way with the Butterfly Parade featuring cute kids dressed in costumes, including kindergartners in iconic, self-made orange-and-black wings, followed by a bazaar. The Pacific Grove Heritage Society is offering history lectures, a croquet tournament, a silent auction of bird houses and wall art made by local artists, plus the society’s Sunset Celebration at the Point Pinos Lighthouse serving up food and live music by the David Holodiloff Trio on Saturday evening. On Saturday afternoon a leader of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation and a Buddhist lama will bless the sanctuary in a special ceremony. Even if you’re not a Pagrovian, it’s a party worth crashing to honor the noble pollinators in town for the winter. [PM]
Parade and bazaar: 10am Saturday, Oct. 7, downtown Pacific Grove and at Robert Down Elementary School, 485 Pine Ave., free; P.G. Heritage Society events, various times Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8, various locations, free except for Sunset Celebration ($55), pacificgroveheritage.org/events; Blessing ceremony: 1-2:30pm Saturday, Oct. 7, P.G. Monarch Sanctuary, 250 Ridge Road.
Dance, Dance, Dance
Dance is movement, art and storytelling. Nobody locally conveys that like SpectorDance does, through a variety of performances. The nonprofit’s annual Choreographers’ Showcase puts that philosophy on stage with works by a variety of choreographers, from local artists to international award-winners. The mix of dances reflects a mix of their interests – some works may carry a clear political message, others may be technical spectacles of physicality, and surely some will strive simply to capture the beauty of the human form in motion. This is a celebration of it all. [SR]
2-4pm Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8. Outdoor Forest Theater, Mountain View and Santa Rita, Carmel. $25. 622-0100, spectordance.org.
Musical Portal
The Ventana Wilderness is named for the ventana, Spanish for window, a notch between mountain peaks that Indigenous people long said offers a portal for souls of the departed to move into the spirit world. Stick with us, here – it’s a bold title but classical music can also transport your soul, the thinking goes, and the Monterey Symphony’s season opens with a program titled “Ventana.” There’s an emphasis on folk sounds with Glinka’s Overture to Russian and Ludmilla; Aaron Copland’s Variations on a Shaker Melody; a 21st-century concerto by composer Mason Bates with Joshua Roman on cello; Béla Bartók’s “Concerto for Orchestra”; and more. Listen in, and see if the Ventana show takes you somewhere new. [SR]
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