Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (February 09, 2005)

Nancy Packer will discuss the life and works of her mentor, Wallace Stegner, tonight at the Los Altos History Museum. Packer served as the director of the Creative Writing program at Stanford.

(l-r) Tyler Wilson, as James, and Daniel Wolfert, as the Little Old Man, co-star in "James and the Giant Peach" at Palo Verde School.
Thursday

Nancy Packer will present "Throwing a Long Shadow" tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Los Altos History Museum, 51 South San Antonio Road in Los Altos. The lecture will address the museum's exhibit, which is dedicated to the life and works of author Wallace Stegner. The event is free to museum members; $10 for non-museum members. Reservations are not required. For more information please call (650) 948-9427 or visit www.losaltoshistory.org.

The Stanford University Department of Drama will present a "Mother Courage and Her Children" Feb 10-12 and Feb. 17-19 at the Pigott Theatre, located in Memorial Hall, 551 Serra Mall (at Memorial Way and Galvez). This is a new production tonight of Bertolt Brecht's comic anti-war protest play. Show times are 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 general; $10 Stanford staff; $8 students. For tickets, directions and more information call (650) 725-5838 or visit http://drama.stanford.edu.

"James and the Giant Peach" will be presented tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Palo Verde School, 3450 Louis Road in Palo Alto. Additional show times are Friday at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 adults; $3 children and are available through the Palo Alto Children's Theatre Box office Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Please call (650) 463-4970 for reservations.

The Fourth Annual Student-Directed One-Act Festival will take place Feb. 10-13 at Menlo School's Florence Moore Auditorium. The school is located at 50 Valparaiso Ave. in Atherton. Show times are Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m., a matinee will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults and may be reserved at the box office by calling (650) 330-2001 ext. 2333, picked up at the Menlo School bookstore, or by e-mailing tickets@menloschool.org.

The Palo Alto Art Center presents three new exhibits: "The Gift: Surimono Prints from Bay Area Collections," "Spring Pool/Floating Sky: In Praise to Indigo" and "Moving Cabinetry: Tansu From the Zentner Collection." The Palo Alto Art Center is located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto. For more information please call (650) 329-2367.

"On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West" will run through May 1 at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center. The exhibition explores the artists' position in the art world and China's position in the world. The Cantor Arts Center is located off Palm Drive, at Lomita Drive and Museum Way. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. Docents will give free tours of the exhibition on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

"Shakespeare in Hollywood" will run through Feb. 13 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. Presented by TheatreWorks, the play is a whimsical comedy in which Shakespeare's Puck and Oberon magically find themselves in Hollywood, appearing as themselves in the 1934 film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Show times are Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2. "Visual Voice" audio-described performances are available Feb. 11-12 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20-$50; discounts are available for youth, students, seniors, and members. For tickets and information, the public may call (650) 903-6000 or visit theatreworks.org.

Forever Plaid" will run through Feb. 12 at Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave. in Los Altos. Conceived by Stuart Ross, the musical revue centers on four male singers known as the Plaids, who are working their way to the top. The revue features 22 hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Tickets are $28. For reservations please call the box office at (650) 941-0551. For more information please visit www.busbarn.org.

Wallace Stegner: Throwing a Long Shadow" will run through June 12 at the Los Altos History Museum. The retrospective covers the life and influence of Stegner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, teacher, environmentalist and Peninsula treasure. Regular viewing hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is located at 51 South San Antonio Road in Los Altos. For more information, please call (650) 948-9427 or visit www.losaltoshistory.org
Friday

The San Francisco Girls Chorus will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at Stanford's Memorial Church. The concert will be presented by Stanford Lively Arts. Tickets are $38 adults; $19 Stanford students. Half-price tickets are available for people age 15 and under and discounts are available for students. For tickets and more information, contact the Stanford Ticket Office, located at Tresidder Memorial Union, at (650) 725-ARTS (2787) or go online to http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.

"Arts with a Heart," a musical variety show, will be presented tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Castilleja School, 1310 Bryant St. (corner of Embarcadero) in Palo Alto. Presented by students from Castilleja and Eastside College Preparatory School, the event will benefit Save the Children, an organization that works to promote health and education for children living in poverty in many parts of the world. The suggested donation is $10/adults; $5/students. For further information, or to purchase tickets, please contact Bear Capron at (650) 328-3373, ext.401

"The Art & Life of Georgia O'Keeffe" will be discussed tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center, as part of its "Classes w/o Quizzes" Arts Lecture Series. The lecture will be given by Professor Frances Rushing of DeAnza College. CSMA is located at 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View. General admission tickets are $10; student/senior tickets are $8, with ID. Tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to the event. To pre-purchase tickets and for additional information, call (650) 917-6800, ext. 335 or visit www.arts4all.org/tickets.

Torrefazione Italia Cafe will exhibit paintings by Judy Gittelsohn through Feb. 28. "Warm Core" features new works by the Palo Alto artist. Torrefazione Italia Café is located at 419 University Ave. in Palo Alto. For more information please call (650) 325-7731

Stellar Somerset Gallery presents "Classical Primitive," featuring sculptures by Carol Setterlund, Feb. 4. The gallery is located at 539 Bryant St. in Palo Alto and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information please call (650) 328-6688 or visit www.stellarsomersetgallery.com.

Modernbook Gallery presents the photography of Mary Daniel Hobson through March 3. Modernbook is located at 494 University Ave. in Palo Alto. For more information please call (650) or visit www.modernbook.com.

"The Pacific Art League" presents "Flirting" through Feb. 23. The exhibit will feature art dedicated to love. The Pacific Art League is located at 668 Ramona St. in Palo Alto. For more information please call (650) 321-3891 or visit www.pacificartleague.org.

"3 Artists," featuring paintings by Richard Godinez, and Stephen Osborn and drawings and paintings by Masako Miki, will run through Feb. 10 at the Center for Integrated Systems Art Spaces, located on the Stanford University campus. Admission is free. The center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information please call (650) 725-3622 or visit http://cis.stanford.edu/~marigros.
Saturday

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra will perform a "Schubertiade" tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Stanford's . Mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao and pianist Mack McCray will perform. The event will also showcase the painting, "Schubert Reclining," by San Francisco artist Leonard Breger. Tickets are $20. For more information please visit www.sfchamberorchestra.org.

Tsunami Relief Benefit Concert will take place tonight at 8 p.m. at Ladera Community Church, 3300 Alpine Road in Portola Valley. The concert will feature classical guitarist Joseph Bacon. Admission is free but a voluntary donation is suggested. All proceeds will benefit victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami. For more information please call (650) 854-5481.

Bay Area storytellers will perform tonight at 7 p.m. at the he Palo Alto Friends Meetinghouse, 957 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto (Southeast of Oregon Expressway between Lewis and Greer). The event will benefit tsunami relief efforts. The performers will include Ruth Fraser, who will bring tales from Sri Lanka and South India, where she lived and worked. Admission is free, but donations are requested. For more information please call (650) 366-1818 or (650) 494-1383. . Sunday

The Fortnightly Club presents a concert tonight at 8 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road. The program will feature works by Frederic Chopin, George Frederic Handel, Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, Johannes Brahms, Jean Lenoir/Neuberger, Henri Chatau, Charles Gounod, Ernest Chanson. Performers will include pianists Emiliya Serebrennikova and Susan Gross Bratman; soprano Sophie Delphis, violinists Seungja Kimn and Joan Norton; cellist Jody McGeen and violist Noriko Iwamoto. Admission is free. For more information please visit www.fortnightlymusicclub.org.

"Gizmos & Gadgets," is currently on display at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, 1451 Middlefield Road. This exhibition demonstrates how work can be made easier with simple machines such as levers and incline planes. For more information, please call (650) 329-2111 or visit www.pajmzfriends.org/membership.htm.
Music

A feature on Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman, who is nominated for a Grammy Award.
Film

A profile on the brother-sister team of Lisa and Mark Gordon, who are the forces behind a new independent film, "Her Majesty." Mark wrote and directed the film, while Lisa served as executive director.
Eating Out

A review of Angelo Mio in Menlo Park.

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