For those who love theater there are few things as exciting as witnessing the incubation stages of a new play, then later experiencing the final product in all its artistic fullness.
Example: Lauren Yee’s “The Great Leap.” It was introduced in 2018 as part of the Old Globe’s Powers New Voices Festival in a staged reading directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg. A year later, I was blown away by a full-stage production at Cygnet Theatre with Rob Lutfy directing. I wish I’d been there at the beginning to get a sense of what was to come so impressively.
Over the years, I’ve followed the growth of other plays first read at the annual Powers New Voices Festival, like Tanya Saracho’s “Fade,” which was later staged at Moxie Theatre, and works that went on to full productions at the Globe itself: Tony Meneses’ “El Borracho,” Keiko Green’s “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” and Karen Zacarias’ adaptation of “The Age of Innocence.”
This year’s Powers New Voices Festival begins on Friday with “Celebrating Community Voices,” readings of six short works by locally based playwrights. After that on Saturday and Sunday, four full-length new plays will be read: Amy Berryman’s “Alien Girls,” Marco Antonio Rodriguez’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” Tony Meneses’ Globe-commissioned “Loving Come” and Julia Doolittle’s “Tell Them I’m Still Young.”
Tickets for all readings are free, but all of the tickets for this year’s festival readings have already been reserved. Be an insider. Someday you may be able to tell your theatergoing cronies “I told you so.”
Film festival
If you haven’t made it to the Palm Springs Film Festival yet, you’ve got until Sunday when the 36th annual celebration of movies winds up in the desert.
Among the films still screening is Varda Bar-Kar’s documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.” Most music fans know Ian only from her confessional hit single “At Seventeen” from 1975. Even fewer her from her song “Society’s Child” from 1966, which dealt with interracial prejudice. (Local actor Caitie Grady performed it faithfully two years ago as part of Lamb’s Players Theatre’s musical revue “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”)
The documentary tells Ian’s story, principally the challenges she’s faced and how she’s shared her pain and her survival throughout the years and in a fickle music business. Here’s a schedule for the remainder of the film festival: psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2025/schedule.
More film
Saturday in Encinitas brings the return of the Atmosphere Film Festival at La Paloma Theatre, a melding of film, art and live music. Local artists are in the spotlight at this community-minded festival.
Festival time is 6 to 9 p.m., with tickets going for about $23. Your ticket also gets you into the Atmosphere Art Gallery at Duckfoot Brewing Company in Leucadia the night before.
Comedy
Tiffany Haddish is known for being funny, unpredictable and sometimes outrageous. The latter is getting a lot of traction thanks to a video she made that’s gone viral, one in which she’s to put it politely making out with a dollar bill.
Whether she’ll reprise that bit onstage next Thursday at the Music Box in Little Italy is pure speculation. Hilarious as well as outspoken, Haddish will be entertaining. That’s a promise.
Also on the comedy bill are Ian Bagg, Matt Fulchiron, Joe Bartnick and Mark Serritella. Tickets are $72-$92. Bring your own dollar bills.
Pop music
You can’t talk about the new jack swing musical genre that emerged in the late ‘80s without a mention of Keith Sweat, who thrived in this fusion of R&B, hip-hop and dance music. Versatile and talented, the Harlem-born Sweat has enjoyed a long career recording and performing in various idioms.
Sweat, who’s settled nicely into a pop/R&B groove, will be at the Pechanga Theater in Temecula next Thursday night. If one night’s not enough for you, Sweat also hosts his nationally syndicated “Sweat Hotel” radio show, which is streamable. If you’re a fan, well, you already knew that.
U-T arts and dining stories you may have missed this week
- San Diego’s Michelin three-star restaurant Addison has a new name, and here’s why
- How Ramona’s Bob Knight saved the San Diego Symphony’s 104-year-old organ from impending oblivion — one pipe at a time
- Inside San Diego Symphony’s 104-year-old theater organ
- San Diego Theatre Critics Circle unveils nominees for 2024 Craig Noel Awards
- A bucket list of 50 free things to do in San Diego County in 2025
- NOISE will be celebrated at the 25th annual cutting-edge soundOn festival
- Four restaurants open, two close in recent weeks
- Brewery closures in San Diego County rise in 2024
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
Experience the powerful fusion of music and space exploration in “One Earth Mission – Unite with Music.” This extraordinary film features Maestro Seiji Ozawa conducting the Saito Kinen Orchestra in his final public performance on Nov. 23, 2022, with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. As a historic first, the performance was broadcast directly to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Paired with a breathtaking Earth flyover, filmed from the ISS, the film captures the view from Italy to the Red Sea, showcasing the beauty of our planet. Dedicated to Maestro Ozawa’s memory, this collaboration between Seiji Ozawa, the Saito Kinen Orchestra, JAXA, and the Association of Space Explorers celebrates the unifying power of music and Earth’s fragile wonder.
“The Evolution of Smart Buildings in an AI World”
Advances in technology are reshaping how we design and interact with our built environments. This talk explores how tools like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and the Internet of Things are enabling the creation of smart buildings tailored to different uses and occupants. Beyond automation, the discussion focuses on how architecture can impact human well-being and critically examines where and when AI should be integrated into the built environment. You’ll also see how these innovations challenge traditional notions of intelligence and how humans view their place in the natural and social worlds as AI becomes a more prominent part of our daily lives.
“What Makes a Stem Cell and How Does it Go Bad?”
John Dick, Ph.D., F.R.S., shares exciting research on CD83, a molecule found in blood stem cells, and how it affects these cells during inflammation. His team discovered that CD83 becomes very active during inflammation, which can harm healthy stem cells. Using advanced tools, they found that removing CD83 helps protect stem cells from this damage. This could lead to new treatments that improve recovery after stem cell transplants. You’ll also learn about early findings on how blood stem cells might behave differently in men and women and the potential effects of severe illnesses, like COVID-19, on our blood as we age.
And finally, top weekend events
