Orange County Blog

Tick, tick, tick…time is zooming by.  Do you have plans to ring in the New Year yet?  Here are two ideas of fabulous ways to celebrate the arrival of 2012!

The OC Fair New Year’s Eve Block Party http://ocfair.com/blockparty/index.php
Brought to you by the folks who bring you the annual OC Fair
“Unlike other New Year's Eve celebrations, the New Year's Eve Block Party is offering great fun in a casual setting. No black ties here! “
Saturday, December 31
7:30 pm – 1:30 am
The OC Fair New Year's Eve Block Party will offer live tribute bands and DJ entertainment by the decade – from the '60s to the '90s.
Be sure to visit the website to see pictures and videos from last year’s celebration and to get all the ticket information.

San Clemente Historical Society
~New Year’s Eve under the dome presents:
“Ole”
Enjoy dinner, dancing, and live entertainment at the historical “Casino” San Clemente!
$125/ticket –Spanish inspired attire optional
December 31, 2011
7 p.m. til 12:30 a.m.
Get your tickets now! (949) 498-0116 http://www.sanclementehistoricalsociety.org/events.html

Celebrating the City of Aliso Viejo’s 10th Anniversary
Saturday, October 15th
12:00 noon to 6:00 pm
100 Park Avenue, Aliso Viejo

Free Admission, Rides and Attractions!

• Live Entertainment • Delicious Food and Treats • Carnival Games • Panning for Gold
• Blacksmith • Rope Maker • Rock Climbing Wall • Dunk Tank • High Striker • Pony Rides
•Petting Zoos • Inflatables • Ferris Wheel • Kids’ Carousel • Historical Displays
• Antique Farm Equipment

http://www.cityofalisoviejo.com

Event Complete's Taste of Ladera, now in its 7th year running, features a celebration of the finest local eateries, specialty vendors, musical performances and fun for the entire family to take place Saturday, April 30th, 2011 and Sunday, May 1st, 2011 North of Corporate Drive on Windmill in Ladera Ranch. The hours of the festivities will be from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturday, April 30th and from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sunday, May 1st.  Live entertainment with the "Ladera's Got Talent" will be announced in April.

This annual festival will have rides, slides, and activities for the entire family with event proceeds benefitting local nonprofits, schools, and youth programs. Special pricing will be available online for Ladera Residents. General admission pre-sale tickets and a limited number of VIP tickets and suites are available starting March. VIP tickets and suites include access to party pit at main stage, private VIP pavilion with bars, seating and bathrooms.

Taste of Ladera is produced by Event Complete. Event Complete is an event marketing firm specializing in strategizing with clients to bring customers to seminars, charitable events and large-scale productions. For more information about ticket and booth sales, sponsorships and volunteering, please visit www.EventComplete.com or email info@eventcomplete.com.

With more than 130 retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, shoppers come together to experience one of Orange County’s most energized retail experiences.

The Irvine Spectrum website outlines a plethora of options for shopping and dining, as well as entertainment options. Currently, there are two entertainment options sure to please!

The Irvine Spectrum Center Ice Rink - Open through February 21, 2011.
The outdoor Ice Rink located in Giant Wheel Court will offer fun for the whole family. The 47 ft. by 72 ft. rink is kept chilled at 18 degrees and maintained by the world’s smallest custom Zamboni.  For more information including pricing, session schedule, party/group details, please call 949.748.8280 or visit www.SkateSpectrum.com.

OC Can You Play - January 15, 2011 - February 06, 2011
Pacific Symphony and presenting sponsor Yamaha invite you to celebrate the joy of music through ‘OC Can You Play?’ a public pianos project. Irvine Spectrum Center will host one of 20 colorfully painted pianos being placed throughout Orange County for public enjoyment. Stop by, play your favorite tune, or even create your own performance or “piano mob”. From Chopsticks to Chopin, Bach to the Beatles, ‘OC Can You Play’ invites you to reconnect to your musical soul.

Irvine Spectrum Shopping: www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/

To find other shopping venues in and around Orange County, click the shopping malls under Quick Links.

South Coast Repertory presents the classic A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
adapted by Jerry Patch

19th-century London comes to life when your family joins the SCR family to celebrate Hal Landon Jr.’s 31st season as everyone’s favorite curmudgeon (“The quintessential Ebenezer Scrooge!” according to the Daily Pilot). Recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with this timeless Dickens classic and all your favorite characters—Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the Fezziwigs, the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come—and, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge himself.

Performances: December 3 – 26, 2010
No children under age six will be admitted to A Christmas Carol. Regardless of age, everyone must have a ticket, sit in a seat and be able to sit quietly through the performance.

Box Office
Phone: (714) 708-5555

655 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

‘Becky Shaw:’ Bad Date, Great Play

 A newly married couple finds their own relationship on the rocks after they set up their friends on a date from hell in Gina Gionfriddo’s wicked comedy Becky Shaw, a West Coast premiere that will run Oct. 22 through Nov. 21 at South Coast Repertory.

In Becky Shaw’s sold-out Off-Broadway debut last year, the New York Times dubbed it “a corker of a new playa tangled tale of love, sex and ethics [that] is as engrossing as it is ferociously funny.”

Angela Goethals plays Becky, a needy, down-on-her-luck college dropout whose one date with mean-spirited Max (Brian Avers) sets off shockwaves in the lives of her colleague Andrew (Graham Michael Hamilton) and his bride, Suzanna (Tessa Auberjonois). Further complicating matters is Suzanna’s say-anything mother, Susan (Barbara Tarbuck), who may be dating a con artist.

“This play really excites me in that it deals with a lot of taboos,” said director Pam MacKinnon. “It’s a play you can talk about.”

MacKinnon, who calls herself a Gionfriddo “repeat offender” because this is the fourth time she has directed one of her plays, says she saw the New York production of Becky Shaw and was struck by the way it affected the people around her: “It was wonderful to be in a room where you could really feel the audience keep switching their allegiances.”

The Becky Shaw creative team includes Daniel Ostling (set design), Sarah Ryung Clement (costume design), Lap Chi Chu (lighting design), Michael K. Hooker (original music and sound design), Chrissy Church(stage manager) and Jamie A. Tucker (assistant stage manager).

Haskell White LLP is the Corporate Honorary Producer. The Segerstrom Stage season media partner is KOCE-TV and the media partners for Becky Shaw are KCRW 89 and Coast Magazine.

TICKETS: Can be purchased online at http://www.scr.org/, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin Oct. 22 and continue through Nov. 21. Ticket prices range from $20 to $66. Low-priced preview performances are available Oct. 22 - 28. Opening night is Friday, Oct. 29, and press night is Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m.

TIMES: Previews are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 - 23, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 26 - 27, at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. There will be an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 2:30 p.m.

www.orangecountyresourceguide.com/arts-entertainment.html