Alternative Repertory to Raise Money With Giant Rummage Sale

The Alternative Repertory Theatre in Santa Ana plans to hold a “Giant Rummage Sale” to raise funds for its fourth season. Last year’s sale reaped more than $4,000, according to theater officials. Items will include furniture, clothing, books, toys and household appliances. A silent auction will feature a restaurant brunch, theater tickets and a moonlight sail, among other items.

The rummage sale will be held June 23 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and June 24 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at 1636 South Grand Ave. (near Edinger) in Santa Ana. The theater is also seeking donations of goods for the sale. Information: (714) 836-7929.

Orange County visual artists may contribute work for a two-day exhibit on June 30 and July 1 in Palos Verdes that is being presented in coordination with a “Freedom of Expression Festival” organized by the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Freedom of Expression. The coalition, planning its festival for June 22 through July, was established to support the embattled National Endowment for the Arts.

The exhibit, titled “Artists Roaring Back,” will focus on work that addresses the controversy surrounding the NEA, and artists who support five-year NEA reauthorization without content restrictions on federally funded artworks are particularly encouraged to participate, exhibit organizer Ed Vincent said.

The exhibit, whose title takes aim at Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Lomita), one of the NEA’s chief congressional opponents, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. each day at a Palos Verdes home. Information: (213) 377-3489.

The Orange County chapter of the American Institute of Architects has selected a jury for its 1990 design awards, to be announced July 20. Jurors are William Turnbull, president of William Turnbull Associates, San Francisco; James Murphy, professional/industrial editor of Progressive Architecture; Peter Walker of Peter Walker & Associates, San Francisco, and Lawrence Speck, professor of architecture at the University of Texas.

An exhibit of the submitted projects will be held at the Jewel Court in South Coast Plaza from June 29 through July 11. The public will be invited to vote for the annual “People’s Choice” award, which will be announced at a banquet at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.

Organizing members for the 1990 awards are: co-chairmen Jody Sorensen of McLarand, Vasquez & Partners and Tom Ryan of LPA; Sven Govarrs of CRSS Inc.; Ted Hyman of Zimmer, Gunsel Frasca Partnership, and Marios Savopoulos of Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo. For more information, call (714) 557-7796.

The Headless Horseman, a musical boy wonder and pie-throwing mobsters share the bill in the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre’s 1990-1991 season. According to director Scott Davidson, the children’s theater company will open its four-play season (down from the usual five) on Oct. 5 with an adaptation of Washington Irving’s American folk tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Brian Kral’s “Aladdin,” a participation-theater project suitable for preschoolers, runs Feb. 22 through March 3. “Prodigy” a dramatic retelling of the childhood of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, will run April 12-21. The season closes with “Bugsy Malone,” a musical sendup of 1930s gangster films, June 14-23, 1991. For subscription information, call (714)497-9944.

A tour of Orange County artists’ studios on June 30 will allow participants to meet several artists and watch them work on their own turf. The venture, organized by the Irvine Fine Arts Center, will include stops in Santa Ana where many artists maintain studios in the same buildings. Vans will leave the center at 9:30 a.m. and return by 4:30 p.m. Tour cost is $10. Reservations are recommended. (714) 552-1018.

The newly formed Long Beach/Orange County chapter of the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression has endorsed congressional candidate Guy C. Kimbrough, who faces a runoff election for the Democratic nomination as U.S. representative for northwest Orange County. The winner of the runoff, prompted by a tie in last week’s primary, will face Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in November. The local chapter, now seeking greater involvement from the Orange County arts community, aims to rally support for the embattled National Endowment for the Arts and opposition to Rohrabacher. The conservative congressman wants to eliminate all funding for the federal arts agency, which is under fire for subsidizing a handful of allegedly obscene or sacrilegious artworks.

Mime Ruben Gerard will perform Saturday at the Children’s Museum at La Habra from noon to 1 p.m. Held in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit, “Cars, Trains, Boats and Planes,” the performance will deal humorously with different forms of transportation. Gerard, a frequent guest artist at the museum, has toured the U.S. for more than a decade. The event is free with museum admission: $1.50 for children 2 to 16 and seniors, and $2 for adults.

On June 23, singer-educator Joanie Bartels will offer a toddler sing-along at a noon performance at the museum. Children will be encouraged to join Bartels in popular tunes by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Beatles and others. Bartels, who is also a songwriter, frequently performs at schools, theaters and outdoor festivals. The event, in the new infant-toddler gallery at the museum, is free with museum admission. The museum is at 301 S. Euclid St. in La Habra. Information: (213) 905-9793.

The Pacific Symphony will hold auditions on Oct. 20 for young soloists for school concerts. Applicants must be enrolled in Orange County middle or high school during the 1990-91 year. For further information, contact Lawrence Duckles by Sept. 27 at (714) 474-2109.