February 2020 Culture Calendar

February 2020 Culture Calendar

Posted on January 23, 2020

The Great Leap
Thru Feb. 16
When an American basketball team travels to Beijing for an exhibition game in 1989, the drama goes deeper than the strain between countries. For two men with a past and one teen with a future, the game is a chance to claim personal victories on and off the court. Tensions rise right up to the final buzzer as a pivotal moment in history collides with the action in the arena. cygnettheatre.org

Hidden Pacific 3D
Thru Feb. 16
Journey through beautiful islands and atolls, such as Palmyra and Midway, of the Pacific Ocean, gathering fascinating scientific and human stories along the way. Watching this 3D movie allows viewers to experience a sense of walking and diving with scientists, conservationists, and dedicated volunteers, all devoted to the protection of the pristine islets. sdnhm.org

The Stories They Tell: A Hundred Years of Photography
Thru Feb. 17
The Stories They Tell: A Hundred Years of Photography draws from MOPA’s collection of almost 9,000 photographs representing approximately 850 photographers. While the collection covers the entire span of photography and more, from the pre-history to contemporary work, this exhibition looks at 100 years of the medium from the 1920s to today. mopa.org

August Wilson’s Jitney
Thru Feb. 23
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson had a close relationship with The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. His exciting work returns to the stage with the production that won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. In 1970s Pittsburgh, unlicensed cab drivers fight to save their business and their livelihoods as their neighborhood gentrifies around them. Contains strong language. theoldglobe.org

Nature or Nurture
Thru Feb. 29
R.B. Stevenson Gallery in La Jolla presents Nature or Nurture featuring new sculptures by San Diego artists Joanne Hayakawa and Jeff Irwin. rbstevensongallery.com

Murder for Two
Thru Mar. 1
Officer Marcus Moscowicz is a small-town policeman with dreams of making it to detective. One fateful night, shots ring out at a surprise birthday party. With the nearest detective an hour away, Marcus jumps at the chance to prove his sleuthing skills with the help of his silent partner, Lou. In this hilarious 90-minute show, two performers play 13 roles — not to mention the piano — in a witting and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries. newvillagearts.org

Endangered: Exploring California’s Changing Ecosystems
Thru Mar. 8
Curated by Danielle Deery, Endangered focuses on artworks that address the wonder and destruction of flora and fauna throughout California. An interactive and educational contemporary art exhibition, Endangered brings greater awareness to the current environmental issues in California. artcenter.org

Bouguereau & America
Thru Mar. 15
The San Diego Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring nearly 40 paintings by the popular French academic artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905). sdmart.org

Hansel and Gretel
Feb. 8-16
San Diego Opera’s family-friendly, fully-staged production marks the return of mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert, soprano Sara Gartland, baritone Malcolm MacKenzie, and tenor Joel Sorensen. Making company debuts are sopranos Marcy Stonikas and Devon Guthrie. Conductor Ari Pelto makes his company debut leading the San Diego Symphony; Brenna Conner will stage the production. This production uses many life-sized puppets in the style of Japanese bunraku puppetry by Old Trout Puppet Workshop. sdopera.org

Hurricane Diane
Feb.8-Mar.8
This unconventional new comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George sees the Greek god Dionysus return to the modern world disguised as the gardener Diane, whose secret mission is to seduce mortal followers and restore the earth to its natural state. Contains strong language. theoldglobe.org

Illumination: 21^st Century Interactions with Art + Science + Technology
Feb. 8-May 3
San Diego Art Institute presents a regional showcase featuring the groundbreaking work of San Diego’s resident art, science, and technology communities that use the arts to humanize, interpret, and add relevance to challenging research. sandiego-art.org

Awards Viewing Party
Feb. 9
Walk the red carpet and watch the Academy Awards in style! Enjoy signature dishes from San Diego’s premier chefs while sipping elegantly crafted cocktails. Delicious desserts and Champagne toasts cap off the party, which benefits the San Diego Film Foundation’s FOCUS on Impact educational programs. sdfilmfest.com/awards-viewing-party

Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime
Feb. 9-Nov. 15 | Ferryboat Berkeley
Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime is a quarterly concert series performed aboard one of the museum’s ten historic world-class vessels, the 1898 steam ferryboat Berkeley that operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay. The concerts, presented by The Hausmann Quartet and Maritime Museum of San Diego, explore the evolution of the string quartet through the lens of Joseph Haydn’s works. The fifth season features programs that encompass a vast range of time and place, joining treasured classics with some of today’s freshest, most creative voices from around the world. The season opens February 9, and pairs two Haydn masterpieces with works suggestive of our own time and place. Terry Riley’s Good Medicine Dance is the final segment of his epic Salome Dances for Peace, which updates the legend of Salome to 1987. Caroline Shaw’s Valencia is an ode to the common supermarket orange, but also, in the composer’s words, “a kind of celebration of awareness of the natural, unadorned food that is still available to us.” Future performances will take place on April 19, October 4, and November 15. 619.432.2314, hq.ticketleap.com  

San Diego Theatre Week
Feb. 13-23
San Diego Theatre Week is an exciting program of the San Diego Performing Arts League. The mission of San Diego Theatre Week is to highlight the variety and enhance the awareness of San Diego’s diverse performing arts community. Participating performing arts groups will be offering a number of special promotions during the week. sandiegotheatreweek.com

An Evening with Sarah McLachlan
Feb. 18
Sarah McLachlan is one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters in entertainment with more than 40 million albums sold worldwide. She has received three Grammy awards and twelve Juno awards over her career, and was recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Spend the evening with McLachlan at Civic Theatre. sandiegotheatres.org

Fly
Feb. 18-Mar. 29
Wendy’s life is about to change forever when she meets a boy named Peter, a pirate named Hook, and a beguiling crocodile who’s much more than meets the eye. In this thrilling look at J.M. Barrie’s novel Peter Pan, a whole new Neverland comes to life with a percussive score, dynamic choreography, and aerial acrobatics. Consider making a reservation at La Jolla Playhouse’s onsite restaurant James’ Place, just steps away from the theatre. lajollaplayhouse.org

The Outsider
Feb. 19-Mar. 15
The Outsider is a razor-sharp, hilarious satire of modern American politics and an inspirational tribute to democracy. Overflowing with clever plot twists portraying the contemporary political climate, Paul Slade Smith’s (Unnecessary Farce) play is a funhouse mirror, held up to reflect our often confounding governmental system. northcoastrep.org

Nature or Nurture: Art by Jeff Irwin     Hansel and Gretel: Photo courtesy of Tim Matheson Photography     Illumination: Shining Palimpsest, Young Joon Kwak, 2019; dimensions variable; LED neon rope, plexiglass, wire, photo by Andreas Tagger