Where to Peer Over the Edge

Step, if you will, outside the box. Orange County is home to a rich array of arts venues that suit art lovers of all tastes, including those who seek edgier works. For those who are curious and venturesome, the following venues present works that push the envelope in Orange County.

Visual Art

Laguna Art Museum: This seaside museum offers an eclectic mix of contemporary art, including California Impressionism, pop culture and exhibitions by California artists. 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach, (949) 494-8971.

Orange County Museum of Art: This art museum presents major retrospectives and traveling exhibitions by contemporary artists around the world. 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 759-1122.

Orange County Center for Contemporary Art: This independent artist-run co-op gallery mounts challenging, experimental works and live performances by emerging and renowned artists. 117 N. Sycamore St., Santa Ana, (714) 667-1517.

Grand Central Art Center: In the heart of Santa Ana’s Artists Village, Cal State Fullerton’s off-campus gallery shows contemporary exhibits featuring digital media projects by its graduate students. 125 N. Broadway, Suite A, Santa Ana, (714) 567-7233.

Peter Blake Gallery: A contemporary art gallery that represents major Southern California artists including Tony DeLap, Ed Moses and Peter Alexander. 326 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 376-9994.

BC Space Gallery: A fine art photography gallery, which recently showcased works by photographers who faced censorship. 235 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-1880.

AAA Electra 99 Art Museum and Gallery: A co-op art gallery known for its free-for-all approach. 2821 Whitestar Ave., Unit D, Anaheim, (714) 666-1805.

Theater

Rude Guerrilla Theater Company’s Empire Theater: The local, storefront stage most likely to present provocative shows. 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 547-4688.

Grand Central Theater: An extension of Cal State Fullerton’s theater department, the 70-seat space is known for edgier works than are customarily seen on the main campus. 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 278-3371.

Stages: This storefront theater takes an eclectic approach, offering mainstream plays and new plays by local writers. 400 E. Commonwealth Ave., #4, Fullerton, (714) 525-4484.

Chance Theater: Pays the bills with revivals of Broadway musicals, Agatha Christie hits and Gilbert & Sullivan plays, but its main mission is staging new plays by little-known writers. 5576 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills, (714) 821-6903.

South Coast Repertory: Earns “edge” points as one of the nation’s most ambitious programmers of new plays by noted authors and touted newcomers. 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (949) 851-9930, Ext. 107.

UC Irvine Drama Department: Emphasizes classic plays and musicals, but seasons typically include two or three wild cards. UC Irvine, (949) 824-2787 or (949) 824-5000.

Grove Theater Center: Programming includes classics and popular comedies, but also radical presentations. 12852 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 738-6595.

Music

Founders Hall: A “black box” that seats up to 299, this theater hosts the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s chamber music programs and some Philharmonic Society “Eclectic Orange” festival events. 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 556-2787.

Irvine Barclay Theatre: A 750-seat theater showcasing a contemporary dance series, a chamber music series and some of the Philharmonic Society’s “Eclectic Orange” festival events. 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, (949) 854-4646.

Motion Capture Studio: Using 24 infrared cameras and digital technology, artists turn dance performances into multiple, multiplying and morphing computer-drawn clones, that is, “virtual” dance. UC Irvine’s Beall Center for Art and Technology, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, (949) 824-6206.

Gassmann Electronic Music Series: Concerts for live instruments, computer-controlled instruments and synthesizers are presented free in this series. UC Irvine’s Winifred Smith Hall, (949) 824-2787.