In The Arts

Comedian Rita Rudner coming to Playhouse

Comedian and New York Times best-selling author Rita Rudner will perform in a three-day stand-up show, “Rita Rudner: Act 3,” at the Laguna Playhouse.

Rudner performs at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 to Aug. 26.

The show also will feature the musical elements of Orange County singer Sasha Evans, according to a press release.

“Our summer at the Laguna Playhouse wouldn’t be complete without the return of Rita Rudner and her first-class brand of comedy,” Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham said in a statement. “With the inclusion of local singer-songwriter Sasha Evans, we’ll pump up the volume a bit for this year’s engagement. It will be a fine and fabulous evening of entertainment!”

Tickets are $65 and $55, and can be bought at https://www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-2787.

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Festival’s next discussion on film and video

The Festival of Arts will host its “Art Talk: A Lecture Series” from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, discussing video and film as an art form, according to a press release.

Festival of Arts exhibitor and videographer Rick Graves will lead an expose on the evolution of video arts on Tuesday. Martin Betz, director of exhibits for the Festival, and editor Russell Sasaki will join the discussion.

James Irvine Swinden, president of the Irvine Museum, will discuss the museum’s history and how it assembled its collections on Thursday.

“Video art and filmmaking is wide open right now,” Graves said in a statement. “Video is totally accessible to everyone, from children to seniors. If you have a story in you, all the technology and opportunity is there to go tell it through video, even with the most modest budget.”

Art Talk is free with Festival admission. For more information, call (949) 494-1145 or visit https://www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org.

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Festival’s foundation awards grant to community band

The Laguna Community Concert Band was given a $5,000 grant for 2012 from the Festival of Arts Foundation to help support the band’s growth, education of its members and to assist in the band’s scholarship program for local high school students, according to a news release.

The band was formed in 1998 with eight members from the Laguna Beach Recreation Department. It now counts 65-plus members in its ensemble, according to the press release.

“For years the Festival of Arts Foundation has been a key supporter of our band, which has been critical to our development,” band President Matt Wood said in a statement. “It is with a grateful heart that we say thank you to the foundation.”

Together, the Festival of Arts along with the Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in grants to the art community in Laguna Beach and more than $2.6 million in scholarships.

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Gallery Q gives out art honors

An awards reception for the exhibit, “Gods and Goddesses — Myth and Imagination,” was held July 27 and more than 60 artists and art aficionados attended the event at the Gallery Q at the Susi Q Senior Center.

First place was given to Marianne van der Veer for her work titled “Goddess of the Sea”; second place to Linda McInnis for “Sea Goddess”; and third place to Jessica de Stefano for her sculpture entitled “Summer Fun,” according to a press release.

The public can view the art until Sept. 25 at the center, 380 Third St. A percentage of profits from sales on select pieces will be donated to the Susi Q arts program.

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Commission seeking applicants for open studios

The Arts Commission is accepting participants for the 2012-13 Artist Open Studios, according to the city manager’s weekly email update.

The Artist Open Studios are held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first Saturday from October through March.

Included are free parking and trolley service from Act V, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road.

Those interested in participating can contact Cultural Arts Manager Siân Poeschl at spoeschl@lagunabeachcity.net.

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Laguna Beach Live! offering more concerts

Laguna Beach Live! is offering a free chamber music concert with Triada Guitar Trio from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive.

The concerts are free to museum members and to nonmembers with museum admission, according to a press release. The galleries are open until 9 p.m. and reservations can be made at https://www.lagunabeachlive.org or by calling (949) 715-9713.

Meanwhile, the group is also presenting award-winning musician Josh Nelson and his trio as part of its Jazz Wednesday series from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rose Garden of the Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy.

Tickets are $12 in advance at https://www.lagunabeachlive.org or by calling (949) 715-9713, or $15 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m.

— Compiled by Alisha Gomez