Art
Figure drawings by Frank Lobdell
The artist Frank Lobdell is often recognized for his abstract paintings. But for a time in the 1950s and '60s, he met every week for figure-drawing sessions with other artists, including Richard Diebenkorn.

"Essentially a nonfigurative artist, Lobdell used these weekly drawing sessions as a springboard to develop a vocabulary of abstraction that was informed by a study of the human body," Cantor Arts Center curator Hilarie Faberman wrote in a press release.

Starting Nov. 11, the Stanford museum is showing about 60 of Lobdell's figure drawings from the '60s and '70s, works in ink, crayon, pencil and wash. The drawings are on loan from both private collections and from the artist, who taught at Stanford from 1966 through 1991.

Admission is free to the Cantor center, which is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays until 8. It's located off Palm Drive at Museum Way on campus, with the exhibition running through Feb. 21. Go to museum.stanford.edu or call 650-723-4177.

Music
John Reischman & the Jaybirds
The nonprofit group Redwood Bluegrass Association has been presenting bluegrass concerts in Silicon Valley since 1991. This year's season is described on the group's Web site as a "bluegrass mandolin symposium" featuring mandolinists from all over the country.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, John Reischman & the Jaybirds will perform. Reischman has been described in the bluegrass magazine "Georgia Straight" as having an ability for "penning sing-able melodies that conceal a devious twist." The band also features guitarist Jim Nunally, Trisha Gagnon on acoustic double bass, Nick Hornbuckle on five-string banjo, and Greg Spatz on fiddle.

In the show's second set, the band will perform Reischman's instrumental album "Up In the Woods," marking the 10th anniversary of the album's release.

The concert will take place at First Presbyterian Church at 1667 Miramonte Ave. in Mountain View. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 8. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 on the day of show. For more information, go to www.rba.org or call 650-691-9982.

Theater
'Romeo and Juliet'
It's been 54 years since Palo Alto Players did a Shakespeare play at the Lucie Stern Theatre, so perhaps the time is right to jump in again. Now in its 79th season, the company is putting on "Romeo and Juliet," with opening night on Nov. 8.

Director Bill Olson said in a press release that he anticipates the biggest challenge will be getting the audience to stay optimistic for the doomed young couple. "Are we still capable of connecting to that deep place within ourselves where we have no control and find ourselves moved, viscerally, to hope?" he wrote.

Mountain View resident Sepideh Moafi plays Juliet, with Andrew Gruen as Romeo. Olson, who lives in Palo Alto, also plays Friar Laurence.

The Players last took on the Bard at the Lucie Stern in 1955, with a production of "Much Ado About Nothing." (The company produced three Shakespeare comedies outdoors in Woodside in 1988, 1989 and 1990.)

"Romeo and Juliet" previews on Friday, Nov. 6, and then runs through Nov. 22, with shows Thursday through Sunday. Tickets range from $22 for the preview to $33 for opening night, with discounts available for students, seniors and groups. The theater is at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Go to www.paplayers.org or call 650-329-0891.

Film
'Danton'
The French Revolution hero Georges Danton will be the focus of the night tonight at the Palo Alto Art Center, with a screening of the 1983 Gerard Depardieu film "Danton."

The Franco-Polish film, directed by Andrej Wajda, won numerous awards, including Best Foreign Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1984. It also stars Wojciech Pszoniak as Robespierre.

The screening of the English-subtitled feature film is one of the regular Friday events held by the French Film Club of Palo Alto. The club serves French refreshments such as brie, crepes and beverages. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the art center -- located at 1313 Newell Road -- with the film starting at 7:15. "Danton" is unrated and 136 minutes long.

Tickets are $12 general, $10 for seniors and $8 for students, with $2 off if tickets are bought online in advance. Go to www.frenchfilmclubofpaloalto.org or call 408-761-8158.