This Week on the Central Coast…
Monterey Jazz’s new director, Downtown Santa Cruz’s plans for expansion, meet a local author, and plan to buy tickets to Cabrillo’s next musical.
Monterey
Monterey Jazz Festival’s New Director
This year’s Jazz Festival has a new name and a new director. Monterey Jazz will be taken over by interim director Bruce Labadie, who has over 40 years experience in performing arts management and festival production. He most recently was the director of San Jose Jazz. The name change is reflective of the organization’s new vision of expanding the jazz experience in Monterey to more than just four days per year. There is some talk about finding a permanent home at the former Osio Theater, but no further comment has been made.
Once a location is found, the focus will be on creating a place “where people can come visit to learn more about the historic festival, as well as enjoy performances.”
This year’s Jazz Festival is planned for September 26th through 28th.
Santa Cruz
Plans to Expand Downtown Now Open for Public Comment
The plans for a major renovation of Downtown Santa Cruz are up for public comment now until February 21. The Downtown Plan Expansion Project seeks to expand a 29-acre neighborhood to include a new 4-acre stadium for the Santa Cruz Warriors and “numerous high rises”. The environmental impact report studied the potential effects of adding up to “1,800 housing units and 60,000 square feet of commercial area to the existing 29-acre neighborhood.” It also notes that numerous residents would be displaced as well as a handful of existing businesses. While current laws prohibit new developments from exceeding a height of 85 feet, California’s Density Bonus program allows buildings to exceed that limit.
The Downtown Plan Expansion would come with numerous impacts on the surrounding community, including disruptions to historical buildings, local nesting birds, and temporary exposure to pollutants. On the positive side, the project would provide several new affordable housing units and generous commercial space. Of course, the centerpiece of the project is the Warriors arena, which would provide jobs and substantial income.
“Comments on the draft environmental impact report should be submitted in writing or emailed to Santa Cruz Senior Planner Sarah Neuse at sneuse@santacruzca.gov”.
Meet Local Writer Liza Monroy at Bookshop Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz author Liza Monroy is hosting a meet-and-greet at Bookshop Santa Cruz next Wednesday. Her new novel, “The Distractions”, is a combination of romantic comedy and dystopian future where she explores the effects of a society over-saturated in technology, a promise that hits a little too close to home.
Monroy’s early concepts of the novel began nearly a decade ago, when today’s modern convinces weren’t even considerations. “I couldn’t figure out why she doesn’t ever leave her building? That’s a crazy thing, right? Who would just stay inside and have everything delivered to them? And then the pandemic happened, and DoorDash and Amazon quickly became a part of daily life.” The author neatly sums up the plot in a single sentence: “I think it is ultimately about a romantic love obsession, and what that leads the character to do, which is destructive.”
Liza Monroy’s “The Distractions” will be released on Tuesday, January 14. She will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz the following day, Wednesday, January 15. The meet-and-greet is free to attend and begins at 7pm.
Catch Sweeney Todd This Summer at Cabrillo College
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Will be Cabrillo College’s summer play this year, showing in July and August. The story of Sweeney Todd dates back to the mid 19th century, though it is most well-known today by its 2007 adaptation by Tim Burton. The story follows the story of a killer barber who murders his clients and tasks his assistant with cooking the bodies into meat pies.
Cabrillo Stage Artistic Director Andrea Hart chose to adapt the Tony award winning 1979 Stephen Sondheim version for her production. This is Hart’s directorial debut at Cabrillo Stage, though she most recently directed “The SpongeBob Musical” at Cabrillo’s Black Box Theater. If you had a chance to see that production, you know that you can expect Sweeney Todd to be full of fun, creative practical effects that emphasize the energetic musical segments.
“Cast auditions are scheduled for Feb. 22 and 23, with video auditions accepted Feb. 1 to 21. Those auditioning in person are asked to bring in sheet music in their own key, with 32 bars or 1 minute of a stylistically appropriate song.“ Casting is open to performers 16 and up.
Performances are scheduled as follows:
Preview performances start on July 17 at 7:30pm.
Opening night is July 18 at 7:30pm.
Regular performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm
On Sundays, performances will be at 2pm.
The July 20 Sunday show will feature a post-show Q&A with the directors and cast.
On Saturday, August 9, a matinee performance will be at 2pm.
Tickets go on sale on April 1 and range from $25 to $60.