From Playwrights to Burlesquers

There’s a world beyond the city limits waiting to make your summer special.

New Is the Word

Ojai Playwrights Conference

July 26-28 at the Zalk Theatre,

Happy Valley School

8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai

(805) 640-0400

www.ojaiplaywrightsconf.org

If all the world’s a stage, the little-known Ojai Playwrights Conference has some stiff competition. But it could soon burst forth from its relative anonymity. It was founded in 1997 by a group of designers, directors and actors who wanted to create a retreat for deserving writers. This year, seasoned playwrights Arthur L. Kopit and Jon Robin Baitz are among those whose new work will get a staged reading. “The plays we help develop have never been produced before,” says producing director Emanuel Treeson, “but each reflects some aspect of what we as folks living in this world are faced with every day.”

Victoria Looseleaf

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Gazing From Afar

Joshua Tree National Monument

74485 National Park Drive

Twentynine Palms

(760) 367-5500

L.A. Astronomical Society Star Party

June 10, Griffith Observatory, L.A.

Forget Julia, Gwyneth and Brad. For real stargazing in L.A., your best bet is to get away from Hollywood’s lights. To where, exactly? The short answer from Tim Thompson, president of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society: “Anyplace dark.”

Dark skies are disappearing north and south of L.A., Thompson says, as the cities sprawl. For the blackest skies with the best star-spotting potential, head east. “Joshua Tree National Park is probably the best place to look for stars,” Thompson says. He recommends Cottonwood Springs Campground, where there are “astronomers all over the place,” and novices can look over the shoulder of a kindly scientist.

For a more formal star-map tour, you could join one of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society’s “Star Parties.” The next big party, at the Griffith Observatory grounds, marks a special event: a partial solar eclipse June 10, 5:13-7:23 p.m., which will be the last solar eclipse we’ll see in Los Angeles until 2012.

Julia Gaynor

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Dangerous Art

Burning Man

Aug. 26-Sept. 2

Black Rock City, Nev.

(415) 863-5263

www.burningman.com

In 1986, Larry Harvey and 20 of his pals gathered on the sands of a San Francisco beach and burned a wooden figure in honor of the summer solstice. From this small act of pagan subversion sprang a grand celebration of performance, music and tribal love now known as Burning Man. This year, about 30,000 revelers are expected to gather in the desert heat to sing, dance and howl at the moon. So, if your quest for self-discovery includes running around naked in the desert, this is the summer event for you. Bring an open mind. And plenty of sunscreen.

Jessica Hudley

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Bare-All Reunion

Miss Exotic World Contest

June 1, 2 p.m.

Exotic World Burlesque Museum and Burlesque Hall of Fame

29053 Wild Road, Helendale

(760) 243-5261

www.exoticworld.org

“Burlesque is back!” bubbles Dixie Evans, the legendary 1950s-era striptease artist. “The new young gals are really in touch with the spirit and the performances of the golden age of burlesque, and it’s sexier than ever.” Evans’ museum is an outrageous shrine to famous strippers and the contest is the Olympics of stripping. Past performers have been inspired to such greatness as bursting out of a huge Campbell’s soup can to sexing up the Little Mermaid. Can gorgeous 2001 winner Cherry Malone defend her crown against such legends as Tempest Storm and follies great Stacy Farrell?

Dean Kuipers

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Red, White and Boom

Coronado Independence

Day Celebration

Orange Avenue, Spreckels Park and Glorietta Bay, Coronado

(619) 437-8788

Amtrak, fares vary.

www.amtrak.com

San Diego Bay Ferry, $2.

(619) 234-4111

In the mood for a patriotic yet pseudo-tropical escape? Jutting off the coast of San Diego is the island-cum-peninsula of Coronado, which has close ties to the North Island Naval Air Station and the Naval Amphibious bases. In other words, expect the most impressive Fourth of July display south of L.A., starting with a Navy vehicle parade and climaxing with a spectacular air and sea demonstration at Glorietta Bay. To get there, Amtrak’s extra-comfy Pacific Surfliner offers 11 round trips to San Diego daily. Ferries to Coronado depart from the “B” Street Pier every hour.

Justin Chang