Short List – November 2024

THE COLORS OF INDIA
Nov. 15 | Simi Valley
From the rhythmic beats of Kathak in the North to the soulful melodies of the Veena in the South, and from the energetic Bhangra of Punjab to the graceful Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu, “The Colors of India” showcases the vibrant spectrum of Indian cultural traditions. Enjoy a reception with refreshments following the program, with the chance to meet the performers. The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation is proud to present The Colors of India as part of its mission to celebrate the many cultures of the Simi Valley and surrounding communities. All seats are $28 reserved. Please note there is a $2/ticket surcharge on all tickets whether purchased online or in person. All proceeds will benefit the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation. Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley, www.svvac.org.

WINTERSONG: AMANDA MCBROOM IN CONCERT
Nov. 16 | Ventura
Ring in the holidays on Saturday, November 16 with a brand-new concert from Golden Globe Award-winner Amanda McBroom (“The Rose”) to celebrate her first-ever holiday album, just recorded and produced in Nashville. Critics and audiences in New York, London and throughout the world have praised Amanda’s rich vocals and incredible talents as an interpreter and songwriter. Make your season bright with well-known favorites like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” and Dan Fogelberg’s “Just Auld Lang Syne” wrapped around original songs like “All About Love” and “Mary Said No.” Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. $64.50-$89.50. Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 East Main Street, Ventura, 805.667.2900, www.rubicontheatre.org.

VITAMIN STRING QUARTET
Nov.17 | Thousand Oaks
Long before Bridgerton broke the Netflix algorithm, Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) had helped establish classical crossover as a genuine force in contemporary music. Fresh off high-profile placements in Seasons 1 and 2 of the aforementioned streaming smash, VSQ has “reached a mainstream, global audience” (Variety) and “charmed the world with their classical covers” (Nylon). New York Observer wrote, “VSQ’s atmospheric hits have made classical versions of pop music cool.” On their latest tour, VSQ have created fresh arrangements of the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, performing spellbinding and innovative renditions of Swift’s music, alongside familiar hits from Billie Eilish, BTS, Bridgerton, The Weeknd to Daft Punk. VSQ are one of the most popular string ensembles in the world with over 2 billion streams and seven albums charting on both Billboard Classical and Classical Crossover charts. $53-$127. Fred Kavli Theatre at the Bank of the America Performing Arts Center, 2100 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, 805.449.2787, bapacthousandoaks.com.

PAINTING DEMONSTRATION: GAIL PIDDUCK
Nov. 23 | Santa Paula
In conjunction with her current exhibition, “8² + 10,” at the Santa Paula Art Museum, Santa Paula artist Gail Pidduck will demonstrate her painting process inside the Museum on Saturday, November 23, 2024! Guests are invited to drop in anytime between 2 PM and 4 PM to observe and chat with Pidduck as she paints while also enjoying her exhibition. The painting demonstration is included with regular museum admission, which is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for SPAM members, students, and children. Reservations are not required. Santa Paula Art Museum, 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, 805.525.5554, www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.

LOVE LETTERS
Nov. 23 | Ojai
“Love Letters” is a play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found in novels, they sit side by side and read the notes, letters and cards – in which they discuss their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats – that have passed between them throughout their separated lives for over 50 years. We are thrilled to have the truly fabulous real-life couple Amanda McBroom and George Ball perform. $50-$85. Ojai Art Center, 113 South Montgomery Street, Ojai, www.ojaiartcenter.org.

IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS
Nov. 23 – Dec. 22 | Simi Valley
The timeless movie “White Christmas” comes to life onstage with a live orchestra for the 2024 holiday season. IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS tells the story of a military veteran song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling head-over-heels for a stunning sister act in the process. This merry and bright holiday musical is full of dancing, laughter and features a dazzling score of well-known standards including “Blue Skies,” “I Love A Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the perennial title song, “White Christmas.” Don’t miss this uplifting, wholesome holiday musical guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages. Tickets are $33 for adults, $28 for seniors 60 and above and students, and $22 for children 12 and under. Please note there is an additional $2 per ticket surcharge on all ticket sales both online or in person. Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley, www.svvac.org.

THE ROMANTIC AND THE IMPRESSIONIST
Nov. 24 | Ventura
The second concert of our 2024-25 series will give you a bird’s-eye view of orchestral music spanning over 100 years. Gioachino Rossini composed 39 operas, feverishly writing four that premiered in 1812. Among them was his comic opera “The Silken Ladder,” whose Overture begins our concert. At the other end of our hundred-year panorama, we will hear one of Maurice Ravel’s finest works — “Le Tombeau de Couperin (Couperin’s Tomb, 1917)”, each movement dedicated to the memory of a friend who died in World War I. The centerpiece of our concert will be Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, published in 1858 (the middle of the Romantic Era) and featuring our own Miriam Arichea. KuanFen Liu conducts. $20; $25 at the door. Sunday, Nov. 24, 3 p.m. Ventura First United Methodist Church, 1338 East Santa Clara Street, Ventura, cichamberorchestra.org.

CHRISTMAS AT THE RANCH WITH SANTA
Dec. 3-4 | Camarillo
Give your family the gift of a beautifully unique Christmas experience by visiting Camarillo’s very-own historic landmark, magically transformed for the holiday season. Join the Camarillo Ranch Foundation for a special historic home tour of Adolfo Camarillo’s 1892 Queen Anne Victorian Mansion plus the 1905 Red Barn transformed into Santa’s Workshop. Learn about Camarillo family Christmas traditions as you step back in time with visions of by-gone eras. This year’s event (Dec 3 and 4) features Victorian carolers, local craft vendors and beverages and treats for purchase. Have a picture taken with Santa by a professional photographer for $20, or visit Santa’s Workshop in the Red Barn. And of course, you can tour the beautiful Camarillo Ranch House festively decorated for the season. Free. Event takes place Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 3 and 4, 5-8 p.m. Camarillo Ranch House, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road, Camarillo, camarilloranchfoundation.com/christmas-with-santa/.

13TH ANNUAL CAN TREE FOOD DRIVE
Dec. 5-7 | Ventura
Get ready to be enchanted as Food Share’s 13th Annual CAN-tree Food Drive returns to transform Figueroa Plaza in the heart of Downtown Ventura. Over 300 magnificent trees, contributed by a diverse array of 100 businesses and groups, will adorn the plaza. Be a part of the magic. There are numerous ways for you to join in, including a FREE option! Join us this season in building a forest of hope — one CAN at a time! Help us feed our Ventura County neighbors by donating canned goods or sponsoring a tree. Whether you’re an individual, business, or group, your support will make a huge difference. Your generosity will help make this holiday season brighter for families across Ventura County. Tree building begins on Thursday, Dec. 5, and will be on display through Saturday, Dec. 7. Figueroa Plaza, Downtown Ventura, foodshare.com/cantree24/.

KEN LUDWIG’S BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY
Through Dec. 15 | Santa Paula
Get your deerstalker cap on — the play’s afoot! Comedic genius Ken Ludwig transforms Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. Sherlock Holmes is on the case. The male heirs of the Baskerville line are being dispatched one by one. To find their ingenious killer, Holmes and Watson must brave the desolate moors before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Watch as our intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than forty characters. Does a wild hellhound prowl the moors of Devonshire? Can our heroes discover the truth in time? Join the fun and see how far from elementary the truth can be. $22-$24. Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 South Seventh Street, Santa Paula. Tickets and more information at www.santapaulatheatercenter.org.

ON THE HORIZON

17TH ANNUAL OXNARD TAMALE FESTIVAL
Dec. 7 | Oxnard
Get the tastiest tamales in town – from sweet to savory, traditional to gourmet. Moreover, enjoy the holiday crafts fair, kids activities and live music. The City of Oxnard’s Recreation and Community Services Division is thrilled to present the 17th Annual Oxnard Tamale Festival. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, December 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Oxnard’s Plaza Park. There will be several booths selling tamales, each representing a different region of Mexico, including Jalisco, Durango, Acapulco, Nayarit, Puebla and Michoacan. From Acapulco there will be shrimp tamales. Corundas come from Michoacan and are wrapped and shaped differently than typical tamales.
For those after a complete experience, champurrado, a thick, creamy, and chocolatey Mexican drink thickened with masa harina, will also be available. What are the holidays without something sweet? In addition to sweet tamales (corn, strawberry and a strawberry pineapple one), there will be pan dulce, fancy cheesecakes, sweet empanadas and funnel cakes. Vendors, live entertainment and more! 500 South C Street, Oxnard, visitoxnard.com/events/17th-annual-oxnard-tamale-festival/.

WINTER WINE WALK AND STREET FAIR
Dec. 7 | Ventura
California’s largest Wine Walk and Street Fair returns! Sip, sing, and shop your way through a Holiday spirit-filled Downtown Ventura! Snowfall transforms Main Street into a Winter Wonderland! The Wine Walk showcases wineries and breweries in your favorite downtown businesses. Each guest will receive a tasting cup and a map of the participating tasting sites in Downtown Ventura. Each tasting site will have a designated area set up for Wine Walk guests to sample the amazing wines or beers! Wine tasting will end at 7 p.m.Your VIP ticket gets you access to the exclusive VIP lounge, the only place to try our select secret pours and unique catered dishes! From 12 to 8 p.m., Main Street will be lined with hundreds of local vendors selling a wide variety of crafts and goods. There will be artists, nonprofit organizations, crafters, commercial and food/drink vendors. Shop around while you enjoy live entertainment! You do not need a Wine Walk ticket for the Street Fair. As you stroll down Main Street you will be surrounded by a winter holiday ambiance of live entertainment, beautiful holiday lighting and snowfall 6:45-8 p.m. at the Main Stage. Space Is Very Limited and this event sells out every year…get your tickets today! General admission starts at $55. For tickets and more information, visit www.venturawinterwinewalk.com.

THE NUTCRACKER BALLET
Dec. 7-8 | Oxnard
Experience the holiday magic of Ventura County Ballet’s 26th annual “The Nutcracker” with live accompaniment by Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra conducted by maestro Brian Asher Alhadeff. A cast of over 100 performers will dazzle – featuring Mushegh Avetisyan as the Nutcracker Prince and Elizaveta Domracheva as the exquisite Dream Clara, dancing alongside Ventura County Ballet professionals, pre professionals and local students. Arrive early to shop the Nutcracker Boutique and experience the Sugar Plum Cookie Party, sponsored by Crumbl Cookies, free for children 12 and younger! Doors open one hour before showtime. $28.52. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, www.venturacountyballet.com.