ELECTRICIDAD
Oct. 13-23 | Moorpark
This urban Chicano drama set in East Los Angeles comes to the Moorpark College Performing Arts Center with an all-Latinx student cast. Luis Alfaro’s dramatic play is based on Electra,the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles. It follows Electricidad as she intensely mourns the death of her dear father at the hands of her mother, Clemencia. When Electricidad seeks the revenge she deems necessary and just, her desired outcome and its effects shock her and the entire barrio. The Oct. 15 performance will include a meet-and-greet with the cast after the show and free tacos from Epic Taco food truck. Performances will be at 8 p.m., Oct. 13-15 and Oct. 20-22, and 2 p.m., Oct. 16 and 23. Tickets: $15-$20. Main stage of the Performing Arts Center on the Moorpark College campus, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark, (805.378.1485 or moorparkcollege.edu/pac.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Oct. 14-23 | Thousand Oaks
Do we really need to give you an introduction to one of America’s creepiest and kookiest families? You all know the theme song finger snaps, and now it’s time to see The Addams Family live on stage and find out what happens when the Addams’ kids grow up! Also, this production will be during Halloween Season, so what better way to get in the spirit of things than with this creepy and campy lively musical?! Presented by 5-Star Theatricals. Tickets $40-$91. Fred Kavli Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, 805.449.2787, bapacthousandoaks.com.
GHOSTWALK 2022
Oct. 14-30 | Santa Paula
It’s time for GhostWalk once again, and the immersive theater experience is back with a new location and a new set of characters. The 2022 production is “Dark Tales to Tell at Isbell Middle-Ghoul,” and continues the 27-year tradition of historically based stories, real or imagined, told by ghost citizens that lived or might have lived in the Santa Clara River Valley. Guests will be led by a ghostly companion for a one-hour walking tour through this year’s chosen magical and mysterious environment, Isbell Middle School. The school will provide the backdrop for each story, with each location transformed into a ghostly stage for each of our featured ghosts. This year, the tours are not wheelchair accessible. Tours are limited to 30 people and take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings starting at 6:30 or 7 p.m., running every 15 minutes until 8:30 or 9 p.m. This popular event frequently sells out, so purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended. $10-$15. Isbell Middle School, 221 South Fourth Street, Santa Paula, www.ghostwalk.com.
LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL
Oct. 14 – Nov. 13 | Moorpark
A fabulously fun award-winning musical based on the adored hit movie, Legally Blonde The Musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs, this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal! $23-$25. High Street Arts Center, 45 East High Street, Moorpark, 805.529.8700, highstreetartscenter.com.
WALTER CRONKITE IS DEAD
Through Oct. 16 | Ojai
Two opinionated women (one from a “Red State,” one from a “Blue”) are stuck together in an airport in this insightful comedy by Joe Calarco. A pair of women — strangers at the outset — are delayed at Reagan National Airport during a terrible storm. Patty from Tennessee is a chatty blue-collar southerner who’s almost distressingly terrified of silence. Margaret, a reserved, educated liberal, is an obsessive matron who so loved the Kennedys she named her children for them. It should be no surprise these women have conflicting opinions about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. $20. Ojai ACT, 113 South Montgomery Street, Ojai, 805.640.8797, ojaiact.org.
CHAMBER ON THE MOUNTAIN
Oct. 16 | Ojai
Chamber On The Mountain celebrates its 10th season this fall, honoring the traditional while celebrating the innovative and the intermingling of nascent talent with venerated masters. Cellist Anita Graef and pianist Louise Chan offer a stunning program that includes Gershwin (“Three Preludes for Cello and Piano), Beethoven (“Cello Sonata No. 4, Op. 102, No. 2), Mendelssohn, Beach and Franck. A reception for the artists will be held on the patio immediately following the performance. Tickets: $30. Performance on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Upper Ojai, 805.646.3381, www.chamberonthemountain.com.
CAMERATA PACIFICA
Oct. 23 | Ventura
In the world of classical music, chamber music compositions are a composer’s most intensely personal expression. Written for small groups of musicians, chamber music demands an intimacy and honesty lost in the impersonal nature of large group performances. Presented in small venues which enhance the viscerally expressive qualities of the music, an exploration of that intimacy is a critical component of every Camerata Pacifica performance. In October, violist Yura Lee, cellist Jonathan Swensen and pianist Soyeon Kate Lee will present a selection that includes sonatas by Kodály and Chopin and a passacaglia for solo violin by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. $68. 3 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main Street, Ventura, cameratapacifica.org.
IN THE HEIGHTS
Oct. 26 – Nov. 13 | Ventura
Heartfelt, hopeful, bursting with songs with a beat and high-energy Latin dance numbers, In the Heights is a fresh, inspiring family musical about where we come from, who we are, and finding our true home. The story is set in a neighborhood in Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythms of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions to take with you and which to leave behind. Tickets start at $39.50. Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 East Main Street, Ventura, 805.667.2900, www.rubicontheatre.org.
PEACHERINE RAGTIME SOCIETY ORCHESTRA WITH NOSFERATU
Oct. 27 | Thousand Oaks
“Spooky Silents: A Silent Film Halloween” is a production featuring a classic silent film with music and sound effects provided by a live orchestra — the same way silent films were presented 100 years ago. Get into the spooky Halloween spirit with a screening of the classic silent film Nosferatu . . . the way it was meant to be seen! Released in 1922, this vampiric tale inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula is considered one of the most foreboding and influential horror films in the history of cinema. The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra comes to Thousand Oaks from Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, to provide all the music and sound effects. The film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $42. Fred Kavli Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, 805.449.2787, bapacthousandoaks.com.
2022 OJAI STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
Oct. 27-30 | Ojai
Every year, the Ojai Storytelling Festival presents a spellbinding series of tales told by master storytellers from across the nation and the globe. This year is no exception, with a lineup that offers something for every age and interest. Enjoy a bit of Shakespeare with the Ojai Madrigali Singers and Renaissance singing group the Merry Wives of Windsor. Children will be delighted by fall-flavored stories related by Mara Menzies, Izzi Tooinsky, Sheila Arnold, Debs Newbold, Kevin Kling, Josh Goforth and Adam Booth. Booth will also chill and thrill with ghost stories (ages 12 and up) and there will be live music and comedy performances as well. These are just a few chapters in the epic tale that is the four-day festival, so you’ll have ample opportunity to find something to entertain, amuse and inspire you! Tickets start at $20; ticket packages are available. Performances take place at the Ojai Art Center and Libbey Bowl. For tickets, full schedule and more information, visit www.ojaistoryfest.org.
PUMPKIN PATCH AT LIMONEIRA RANCH
Through Oct. 30 | Santa Paula
The Limoneira Ranch, with wide open green vistas framed by mountains, is the site of our fall fun in October. Each year we strive to make our Pumpkin Patch bigger and better with great food, crafts, live entertainment, FFA Petting Zoo, famous 5.5 acre Corn MAiZE and of course our Pumpkin Chucker. Presented by the Rotary Club of Santa Paula. $12 general admission; $5-15 for attractions. Free admission for ages 2 and under and free parking. Please no dogs. The Pumpkin Patch is open every Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., throughout October. 12471 Foothill Road, Santa Paula, 888-522-1884, sppumpkinpatch.com.
FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL AT UNDERWOOD FAMILY FARMS
Through Oct. 31 | Moorpark
We invite all to celebrate the season with us at our 25th Annual Fall Harvest Festival, featuring a corn maze, labyrinth, gourd tunnel, photo ops, pumpkin playhouse and more. Pick out a jack-o-lantern at the enormous pumpkin patch! Tractor-drawn wagon rides are always a highlight, and kids of all ages will enjoy the animal shows, live performers and roaming entertainment. Take some time to pick-your-own produce from the seasonal options ripening in the field. Open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m. $14 per person, Monday-Friday; weekend tickets available online only. Free for children under 2; $2 discount for seniors 65+, military, veterans and emergency first responders. Themed weekends throughout the month. Oct. 8-9: Farm Country. Oct. 15-16: Antique Tractors. Oct. 22-23: Wild West. Oct. 29-30: All About Pumpkins. 3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark and 5696 E. Los Angeles Ave., Somis. underwoodfamilyfarms.com.
RESILIENCE: ART OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
Through Dec. 19 | Oxnard
This exhibition will explore how creatives are inspired by the natural world. Joe Adams, Holly Woolson, Linda Legman, Genie Thomsen, and Christina Altfeld all use unique mediums to explore the flora and fauna of the Channel Islands. Resilience: Art of the Channel Islands will be the CIMM’s largest temporary exhibition to date. Through printmaking, painting, drawing, and ceramics, artists will capture the extraordinary diversity of the many species that call the Channel Islands home. By exploring natural history and stunning biodiversity, from the ancient pygmy mammoth to the Channel Islands Fox, Resilience: Art of the Channel Islands strives to express the true miracles of these legendary islands. Channel Islands Maritime Museum, 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard, 805-984-6260, cimmvc.org.
JOHN GALAN: REMEDIOS (REMEDIES)
Through Jan. 8 | Santa Paula
John Galan is an art teacher and Conejo Valley artist who creates Chicano artwork that speaks to his experience as a Mexican American. Galan began work on his “Organ Series” in 2019. Having grown to appreciate the connection between the physical body, particularly the gut, and mental health, Galan now looks to the foods and healing practices passed down by his ancestors to help treat his body and mind. This work combines the universal archetypes of the lungs, brain, and heart with symbolic imagery from contemporary Chicanx culture and cuisine. An exhibition of 40 new artworks by Hiroko Yoshimoto will continue to be exhibited through Nov. 8. Santa Paula Art Museum, 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, 805.525.5554, www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.
ON THE HORIZON
VENTURA COUNTY POTTERS’ GUILD POTTERY MARKET AND BOWL OF THANKS
Nov. 5-6 | Ventura
Join us for the Ventura County Potters’ Guild Pottery Market and Bowl of Thanks at Plaza Park in Downtown Ventura! VCPG juried artists are offering their beautiful and unique creations just in time for the holidays. In conjunction with the Pottery Market, customers may purchase a bowl for $25 from our special selection of handmade bowls donated by VCPG artists. With the purchase of the bowl, they will receive a punch card to receive free food samples from over 15 restaurants and pubs. Proceeds from the Bowl of Thanks will go to Ventura’s Family Reconnect Program. Plaza Park, Santa Clara and Chestnut streets, Ventura, downtownventura.org, venturapottersguild.org.