Tag: performing arts

Mexican Independence Day celebrated at Old Globe!

Here’s a collection of photographs for you to enjoy. I took them in Balboa Park today. Mexican Independence Day was celebrated in the Old Globe’s outdoor Copley Plaza!

I lingered for a little over an hour, listening to rousing mariachi music and watching joyful, colorful baile folklórico dancing.

A good crowd at tables around the outdoor stage enjoyed free Mexican candies and played Mexican lotería too! Many families enjoyed the festivities!

Anyone wandering about could also check out artists at their table. I recognized Maricruz Alvarado! You can see some of her beautiful work here and here!

What entertainment did I enjoy at this great Mexican Independence Day Celebration? Música Del Barrio with their pre-show music, Mariachi Continental SD, DanzArts folklórico dance, and the Radican Ensamble choir. There would be even more groups after I left to resume my Balboa Park walk.

The cultural celebration was produced by the Old Globe’s AXIS performing arts public engagement program. Learn more about AXIS here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Help save historic Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park!

The nonprofit Save Starlight organization has been working for years to save the historic 1935 Starlight Bowl amphitheater in Balboa Park. Perhaps you’ve been following the news concerning their heroic efforts.

An email blast that I received today reads:

Dear Friends of Starlight,

The moment we’ve been working toward for years has arrived. The City of San Diego has officially opened a 30-day window for Save Starlight to submit our Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) — the critical first step toward securing a long-term lease of the historic Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park.

This is our opportunity to finally bring Starlight back to life. But we cannot do it without you.

A key component of our submission is demonstrating strong fiscal support from our community. That means two things:

  1. Donations now – Every contribution, large or small, shows the City that San Diego is ready to invest in the future of Starlight.
  2. Letters of intent – Written commitments from individuals and organizations who pledge to donate once the lease is secured will help prove the depth of support behind this project.

We have just 30 days to make our case. The more momentum we show now, the greater our chance of success.

Together, we can ensure that the Starlight Bowl is not just preserved, but revitalized as a thriving cultural landmark for generations to come.

To visit the Save Starlight website, click here.

If you love the historic Starlight Bowl as much as I do, and want to help restore it to life, now’s your opportunity!

Did you know that many music legends have performed in the Starlight Bowl? They include Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Diana Ross, The Doobie Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Jewel, Cheap Trick, Beastie Boys and more!

Also, did you know that Wayne Nelson from the Little River Band has recently joined the Board of Directors of Save Starlight?

Click here to help save a true San Diego treasure!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Zoro Garden Theater Festival in Balboa Park!

This weekend, August 16th and 17th, 2025, the Zoro Garden Theater Festival will be held in San Diego. The unique venue is the “sunken stone grotto” Zoro Garden in Balboa Park!

I thought I’d bring attention to this free, family-friendly festival. It’s certain to be a lot of fun!

As the above sign explains, the Zoro Garden Theater Festival will be a celebration of drama, comedy and creativity. The performances will be between 2 and 5 pm, and will include singing, dancing, music and buskers!

If you’d like to be involved, enlarge my photo and find an email address and phone number.

Will I see you there?

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Clowns, history, and the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater!

I was walking in front of the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park today when I thought to check the time. A performance would begin in five minutes! Okay, it had been a while, so I bought a ticket!

The show today concerned The Origin of Clowns.

Petrix the Clown took the stage and, with a gaggle of fun puppets, loosely (and humorously) told how clowns have evolved over the years–from the court fools, buffoons, and jesters to the improvisational commedia dell’arte, to European circus acts and mimes, and finally, to the American big top three-ring circus. The performance lasted perhaps twenty minutes.

If you have very young children, and you happen to be in Balboa Park on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, why not enjoy a happy puppet show? As a rule, performances are at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm. The shows change often, so you never know what to expect!

Oh–and more history. The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater will be celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2027. Expect big things!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Old Globe’s 90th Anniversary sculpture in Balboa Park!

A cool sculpture has appeared in Balboa Park at the center of The Old Globe theatre complex. It celebrates The Old Globe’s 90th Anniversary!

San Diego’s “flagship arts institution” has created countless great memories over nearly a century.

Cherished memories can be shared by anyone over a live feed in The Old Globe’s plaza. Go to this website, type in your Old Globe memory, and share it with other theatre lovers!

The sculpture contains images of theatrical productions over the years. So much history has been made at The Old Globe. A series of banners leading down to El Prado celebrates that history.

As one banner states: From Stephen Sondheim to August Wilson to Arthur Miller, The Old Globe has showcased the visions of the world’s greatest theatre-makers. Premiering new work, honoring the classics, and celebrating the craft of the stage, the Globe defines American theatre at the hightest level.

Another banner recalls: More than 30 Globe-launched productions went on to Broadway success, earning national acclaim...

What are some of your Old Globe memories?

I remember watching a play at the Cassius Carter Centre Stage (now called the The Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre) as a young person. I was struck by how the actors, encircled by the audience, had somehow become integral to my world and my life–at least for a time. It seemed as if these strangers had suddenly become family, bringing out the true potency of “familiar” things.

On that day I discovered the magical power of theatre. Does that make sense?

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego’s Civic Theatre celebrates 60 years!

As I walked through downtown’s Civic Center Plaza this morning, I noticed banners on fencing near the San Diego Civic Theatre. They recall how superstars such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett and Robin Williams have performed in the popular venue over the past six decades.

I hadn’t realized the Civic Theatre is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year!

Curious, I checked out the history of the San Diego Civic Theatre. Here it is.

Others who’ve entertained audiences at this historic venue include Frank Sinatra, Jerry Seinfeld, Conan O’Brien, Luther Vandross, Jerry Lewis, Patti LaBelle, Carole King, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Do you have any memories?

Today, if you enjoy performances by San Diego Opera or Broadway San Diego, you are part of that continuing history!

Five years ago I went on an architectural tour of the Civic Theatre building and took photographs of the grand, elegant interior. You can revisit that blog post here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Stimulating your senses at Park Opera!

Park Opera was enjoyed by visitors to San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park this evening. People on foot, following a map and at times using their smartphones, partook of unique outdoor performances that stimulated the senses in often unusual ways.

Park Opera was composed by Wojtek Blecharz, and produced in San Diego by arts organization PROJECT [BLANK]. As the event website explains: PARK OPERA was commissioned in 2016 by Theater Powszechny in Warsaw, Poland. In 2020, it was reimagined in a forest near Basel, Switzerland as part of the Rümlingen Festival, and was performed again in Austria in 2024 on a tiny island in the middle of a turquoise alpine lake at Carinthischer Sommer Festival.

How does one describe each quiet “Act” encountered while walking through Balboa Park? Subdued. Subtle. Somehow elemental. Stimulating–if you wish it.

Those who follow the map from one Act to the next are considered the protagonists of a personal story. It’s a story that involves concentrated listening and being in the moment. The park’s ambient noise combines with soft instruments and voices, and we become more sensitive and aware of the amazing world that is all around us.

I photographed some of the eleven Acts.

ACT 2: Overture for 4 instruments

ACT 4: Ballet

This was a ballet of sound. Dancing performers whirled small speakers around those passing by. The changing tones seemed natural, perhaps like strange sounds in a wilderness, or dream . . . and weirdly cosmic. One must hear to understand.

ACT 6: Duet

ACT 7: Binoculars for Sound

Different hollow objects act like seashells when held to the ear…

ACT 8: Recitativo

ACT 11: The Gong

Most visitors struck the gong very softly to hear its subtle, resonating sound.

One person struck it with all of their might. Now that was stimulating!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Crazy circus comes to UC San Diego!

The circus has come to UC San Diego!

La Jolla Playhouse’s annual WOW (Without Walls) Festival is taking place this weekend at several venues on the UCSD campus. FLIP Fabrique, a circus group based in Quebec, Canada, has drawn crowds to the Warren Mall, which is the central gathering place for the 2025 WOW Festival.

FLIP Fabrique’s performance is titled Summer Break–and it’s no usual circus act. It’s more like playful, energetic theatre with amazing acrobatics and breathtaking circus stunts! It’s crazy fun!

From the windows of the vacation bus excited summer campers wave. They’ve arrived and adventures await!

There’s laughter, a camp counselor, a water fight, kayaking, roasting marshmallows, falling down from a high place while inside a sleeping bag (and thankfully bouncing), and an epic pillow fight!

Don’t believe me? I’ve got the photos!

This super fun, highly original performance returns tomorrow, Sunday, at 2:30 pm. To see the entire WOW Festival schedule, click here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Cool memories of past WOW Festivals!

Have you ever experienced the WOW (Without Walls) Festivals, put on every year by the La Jolla Playhouse? If not, you’ve missed out on some super creative art installations and theatrical performances.

The WOW Festivals over the years have been held at different venues in San Diego, including Horton Plaza Park, Liberty Station, and the Rady Shell. This time, like last year, everything is taking place inside the UC San Diego campus. Many of the unique (and sometimes rather weird) performances are free, and it all begins tomorrow!

WOW 2025 will run Thursday April 24 through Sunday April 27. Find everything you need to know, including the event schedule, by clicking this La Jolla Playhouse link.

Curious what sort of stuff goes on at these festivals? You’re in luck! I’ve taken loads of photographs over the years!

Click the following links to past blog posts:

2017:

La Jolla Playhouse enlivens Horton Plaza Park!

2019:

Scenes from Without Walls Festival 2019!

2022:

Myth, wonder and WOW in San Diego!

Giant ants interact with curious kids!

2023:

Huge birds and fun at Without Walls Festival!

2024:

Gravity-defying dancers at UC San Diego!

Sheep attacked by wolf in La Jolla!

Brave people confront danger in La Jolla!

Love’s dance at La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Ballet performs in Balboa Park!

A brilliant performance by San Diego Ballet was enjoyed this afternoon at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Two selections from The Nutcracker–Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers–were the highlight of the two o’clock Sunday organ concert! The outstanding guest organist was Mark Herman.

The company dancers of the San Diego Ballet soared powerfully above the outdoor stage with ease and grace. I don’t know how they defied gravity, dancing on air, moving lightly through space as if by magic.

For a moment, to my mind, they became flowers swaying in a light summer breeze.

I hope these images convey that grace. That feeling of exuberant joy.

The holiday season is a few days away! San Diego Ballet will be presenting The Nutcracker on December 21st at 1 pm and 5 pm, at the Magnolia in El Cajon. Learn more at their website here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!