BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Richard Gray debuts new stage show

Pageant of the Masters resident choreographer Richard Gray has created a new dance show for youth and the young at heart, “The Plastiques,” which will be presented at the Festival of Arts’ Forum Theatre on Feb. 17 and 18.

The performances will be held at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day.

The show is a non-traditional fantasy with music, dance, comedy and stage illusions woven in, reminiscent of the “Spirits and Sprites Black Light Extravaganza” that stole the show at last year’s Pageant of the Masters.

It explores the fairy-tale world of discarded plastic bottles that have been forgotten by their former owners.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under. A holiday show is also planned for early December.

Season tickets that include one admission to each show are $20 for adults and $12 for children. Group discounts are also available.

For more information, call (714) 434-6753 or visit www.kurogoproductions.com

First semester over for MFA program

Laguna College of Art & Design has concluded the inaugural semester of its new Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Sharon Allicotti, the program chair, said that visiting faculty commented on how well the program has been organized.

Students work one-on-one with visiting artist mentors and take bi-weekly field trips to Los Angeles-area museums, galleries and private collections.

LCAD reviewed 27 portfolios before selecting 16 applicants for the program’s launch. The program’s visiting faculty serve as graduate mentors, advisors and lecturers. Students meet individually with mentors four hours per month during each semester.

The school is expecting to grow enrollment in the program by 50% next year, as well as increasing teaching assistant positions, visiting artists and scholarships.

For more information on the college, call (949) 376-6000, ext. 233, or visit www.lagunacollege.edu.

New exhibitions at Laguna Art Museum

The Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, will premiere its new exhibition, “East Coast/West Coast and Beyond: Colin Campbell Cooper, American Impressionist,” on Feb. 25.

American art scholar Dr. William H. Gerdts will lecture on the artist at the museum that day at 1 p.m. Lectures are free to museum members, but regular museum fees apply.

Other exhibitions opening that day are “Jeremy Kidd: Fictional Realities” and “Fast Forward Laguna: Art from St. Catherine Catholic School.” The museum’s Store Gallery will feature “New York: Photographs by Christopher Bliss.”

For more information, call (949) 494-8971.

Crystal Cove tours add demonstrations

The free monthly guided tours of the Crystal Cove Historic District have expanded by adding a plein air artist demonstration at the conclusion of each tour.

This month’s featured artist is Richard Rice.

Walking tours are open to the public, and begin at 10 a.m. across from the Historic District in the Los Trancos Parking Lot at Coast Highway.

The tours are held the second Saturday of each month throughout the year (except December), and are organized and led by Laura Davick, founder and president of the Crystal Cove Alliance, a non-profit organization that preserved the historic cottages for public use.

Future artist demonstrators include Michael Obermeyer on March 10, Bruce Sanford Day on April 14, Jeff Horn on May 12 and Jim Wodark on June 9.

No reservations are required. For more information, visit www.crystalcovealliance.org.

Tickets available for Art Studio Tour

This year’s Art Studio Tour, given by the Sawdust Art Festival, will be on April 14. Tickets are available for the event, which include tours of artists’ private studios, refreshments and entertainment.

The day begins with morning refreshments at the Sawdust grounds, followed by bus tours to several studios and a late afternoon reception at the Sawdust grounds featuring wines, hors d’oeuvres, live music and an exhibit.