On Tap: Author to kick off O’Neill Festival on Aug. 2 in Danville

DANVILLE

Beth Wynstra, an author and professor at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, will kick off the 2023 Eugene O’Neill Festival with an Aug. 2 discussion about her new book, “Vows, Veils and Masks: The Performance of Marriage in the Plays of Eugene O’Neill” at downtown Danville’s Auburn Lounge.

“Vows, Veils and Masks” offers a bold and timely approach to the plays of Eugene O’Neill with its attention to the engagements, weddings and marriages so crucial to the tragic action in O’Neill’s works. Specifically, the book examines the culturally sanctioned traditions and gender roles that underscored marital life in the early 20h century and that still haunt and define love and partnership in the modern age.

An invaluable resource as dramaturge for the Eugene O’Neill Foundation’s recent productions, Wynstra will discuss her book from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For more information visit eugeneoneill.org online.

— Eugene O’Neill Foundation

Artists group set to open new show at Blackhawk Gallery

The Alamo Danville Artists’ Society will open a new show July 28 at its Blackhawk Gallery. A free reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. July 29.

The “Motion” exhibit features sculptures by guest artists Michael Rizza and jewelry artist Nancy Hoover’s works as well as art by 28 member artists. Members’ artworks include paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs and wearable art.

The exhibit is curated by Debby Koonce, Andrea Schwartz and Julia O’Reilly and will continue through Oct. 22. The gallery is at 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle. For more information, call 925-648-8023 or go online to blackhawkgallery.org or adas4art.org.

— Alamo Danville Artists’ Society

PITTSBURG

Movies in the Park to present the free family film ‘Minions’

Movies in the Park, hosted by the city of Pittsburg, will return July 28 for its last Friday showing with “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” screening outdoors at John Buckley Square.

End your week by enjoying a free family movie under the stars. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, family and friends. The movie will begin at dusk, so be there early to get a good seat. For more information, call 925-252-4842.

— city of Pittsburg

Auditions to be held for holiday ‘Nutcracker’ performances

Black Diamond Ballet will host auditions for dancers ages 8 and older to perform over the holidays in their 11th annual “Nutcracker!” ballet Dec. 8-10 and 16-18, with a sensory-friendly performance on Dec. 17. Auditions will be on Aug. 6 at the Pittsburg Performing Arts Academy.

Those ages 8 to 11 will audition from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and those 12 and older will audition from noon to 2 p.m. The cost to audition is $30, and professional dancers are each asked to email a resume, reel and headshots for consideration to info@blackdiamondballet.org. For more information, visit blackdiamondballet.org online.

— Black Diamond Ballet

ANTIOCH

Audition soon for October’s ‘House on Galloway Street’

The Drama Factory is holding auditions Aug. 7-8 for “The House on Galloway Street: A Ghost Story” in the Nick Rodriguez Theater at 213 F St. in Antioch.

Rehearsals will start Aug. 15 with performances Oct. 13-21. Original script author John Ballesteros promises a “sad, creepy, tragic, unbelievable” tale. For more details, visit www.dramafactory.org online.

— The Drama Factory

Recreation Department hosting summer concert series

The Antioch Recreation Department is hosting a series of summer concerts at Prewett Park and downtown’s Waldie Plaza. The series started July 13 and will continue from 6 to 8 p.m. July 27 with Mercy and The Heartbeats at Prewett Park and Groove Ride from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 5 at Waldie Plaza. For more information, visit antiochca.gov/summer-concert-series.

— Antioch Recreation Department

BRENTWOOD

Delta Gallery hosting ‘Geared Up’ show through Sept. 29

The Delta Gallery has geared up to host “Geared Up,” a summer show featuring work from the Art Guild of the Delta collective. The gallery is at 2485 Sand Creek Road, Suite 128, in the Streets of Brentwood shopping center, and the show will run through Sept. 29. Visit deltagallery.com online for information.

Artists invited to submit their work for wine-themed show

The Delta Gallery Community Art Center will present its fourth annual judged multimedia show “UnCorked” from Aug. 4 through Sept. 9. This show will include themes of wine, vineyards, grapes and any aspect of wine, winemaking and wine drinking. All interested artists are invited to submit entries within the gallery’s guidelines.

All work must be original to the artist, and the Delta Gallery reserves the right to reject any work that does not meet its guidelines or that has unacceptable subject matter. See the gallery’s physical and online addresses above for more details.

— Delta Gallery

Hear diverse lineup at Friday Concerts in the Park series

The city of Brentwood has put together a diverse lineup of entertainment for its Friday night Concerts in the Park series.

Since 2000, the series has connected families and friends and provided a free, fun-filled event that has become a Friday night summer tradition. Over the years, some 100,000 community members have danced, picnicked and played while experiencing a variety of performing arts entertainment in downtown City Park.

The series will continue Friday with: Apple Z (Top 40 dance); Fleetwood Mask (a Fleetwood Mac cover band) on Aug. 4; Smooth Sounds of Santana (a Santana tribute band) on Aug. 11; and Thunder Cover (Top 40 dance) on Aug. 18.

— city of Brentwood

WALNUT CREEK

‘Three Feathers’ opera’s West Coast premiere Sept. 8-10

Concord opera company Solo Opera is preparing its largest, most ambitious opera to date, “The Three Feathers,” with music by award-winning composer Lori Laitman and a libretto by former poet laureate Dana Gioia.

This family-friendly, 85-minute show will be sung in English and run Sept. 8-10 in the 785-seat Hofmann Theater at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts. A fairly new opera, written in 2013 and premiering in 2014 at Virginia Tech’s Center for the Arts, “The Three Feathers” has been produced from the East Coast to Singapore.

With Solo Opera’s production, the full opera is finally premiering on the West Coast. Based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, the opera follows Princess Dora not as a damsel in distress but as a heroine. A magic feather leads the shy, self-doubting princess to an enchanted underworld ruled by a giant Frog King.

She summons her courage and compassion to face a series of mysterious and comic adventures in the underworld that change her life. Completing her quest, she saves her father’s kingdom from the plots of her selfish sisters and earns her right to the crown.

“We chose this opera, not only for its beautiful music and charming libretto, but for the important messages it shares about the power of women, believing in yourself and finding real treasure in life,” said Sylvia Amorino, Solo Opera’s executive director.

A 20-piece orchestra will be led by maestro Alexander Katsman, and librettist Dana Gioia, a former California poet laureate, will give a lecture. For tickets or more details, visit soloopera.org/upcoming-performances online or call at 925-943-7469.

— Solo Opera

Gallery showing work of Irish artist Ryan through Aug. 5

In the exhibit “Arrivals and Departures: Recent Work by Connie Ryan,” the Valley Art Gallery is featuring Ryan’s art through Aug. 5. Ryan, born in Ireland, lives and works in the Bay Area. Her paintings are rooted in remembered landscapes that she carries with her and explore ideas about land, memory and belonging.

While often starting with a more traditional landscape, she lets the paintings move into abstraction in response to memories and feelings. At times very few traces of the physical landscape remain as the paintings evolve and become a rhythm of color, shape and line.

Her recent work has focused on aerial views of arriving and departing to and from Ireland, recalling the excitement of arriving and the loss at leaving. Using paint, ink, collage and maps, she creates works that enhance our awareness of the beauty of the natural world and explore what it means to belong in a place.

A meet-the-artist event will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 5. The gallery is at 1661 Botelho Drive. For more information, visit valleyartgallery.org/events/arrivals-and-departures online or call 925-935-4311.

— Valley Art Gallery

LIVERMORE

Comedian Bamford to perform at Bankhead Theater

Quirky, ingenious and hilarious — those are words to describe comedian Maria Bamford, who will perform at Aug. 5 at Livermore’s Bankhead Theater.

Stephen Colbert called Bamford his “favorite comedian on Earth,” and Judd Apatow said she is “the funniest woman in the world.” Bamford is the first female comic to have two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials, in addition to her acclaimed Netflix series, “Lady Dynamite.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. in the theater at 2400 First St. in Livermore. To purchase tickets ($45 to $75), contact the box office at 925-373-6800 or visit livermorearts.org/events/maria-bamford online.

— Bankhead Theater

Submit area arts-and-entertainment On Tap items to Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.