Ben Warner

On Friday, April 28, in true Academy-award style, 200 community and cultural leaders came together to celebrate the 15th annual Art Star Awards. Held on the Festival of Arts grounds, this year's red-carpet reception and ceremony featured pop-up musical and dance performances as well as live art demonstrations, all complimented by champagne and h'oeuvres.

There are no weighty messages here. No high drama. Just fun stuff, listening to a couple of 60ish female actors, virtually joined at the hip, tease and tolerate each other with all manner of jokey repartee, acid-laced with rapier ripostes that cut to the quick.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn's 2nd annual Concert for the Community in Ballard Park was a huge success. The crowd of roughly 250 people waited through some pre-show drizzly weather, but the concert went off without a hitch.

The Cote Saint-Luc Dramatic Society is thrilled to present Little Shop of Horrors from June 8 to 25 at the Harold Greenspon Auditorium.

Former English National Opera Artistic Director John Berry has launched a new, not-for-profit company called Opera Ventures.  It will produce opera and mixed media performances, workshops, classes and training.

The Junction Theatre will present the West Coast Premiere of RED VELVET, a critically acclaimed play written by Lolita Chakrabarti, directed by Benjamin Pohlmeier, to be presented at Atwater Playhouse, 3191 Castitas Avenue, #100, Los Angeles, CA 90039, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., March 26 - April 30, 2016. Tickets can be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at 1-800-838-3006, or online at http://redvelvet.brownpapertickets.com. General Admission is $25 per person; Students, Seniors and Veterans are $20 per person; and Groups of 10 or more $15 per person. To learn more, please visit www.thejunctiontheatre.org and http://atwaterplayhouse.com/