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The 16th season of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will feature performances of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed June 29 through July 1, July 6 through 8, and July 13 through 15. “Romeo and Juliet” will be staged July 20 through 22, July 27 through July 29, and Aug. 3 through 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m. in scenic Kingsmen Park.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company has not performed “Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of young love, since 2000. “Much Ado About Nothing,” one of the Bard’s best-loved comedies, was last presented in 2002. The previous shows were among the most popular in the history of the festival.

Company veterans Kevin P. Kern, artistic director of the Pensacola Shakespeare Festival, and Brett Elliott, associate artistic director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, will return to direct “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Romeo and Juliet,” respectively. Both men have been involved in the festival since its beginning and have directed productions in recent seasons.

The festival is one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events. Visitors are immersed in the Shakespeare experience as the festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for pre-show picnicking and entertainment.

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theater company of California Lutheran University. The nonprofit organization also coordinates apprentice programs for professional and aspiring Shakespearean actors, an educational tour program in local schools, and summer theater camps for youth.

General admission is $20 for adults and free for those under 18. For more information, visit http://kingsmenshakespeare.org or call 805-493-3014.

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Freedom Park, rain or shine, will be the launching pad for an unprecedented grassroots

campaign for Congress. Volunteers from throughout Ventura County and the region will

be gathering to join in a campaign that candidate Linda Parks says is “not about her.”

Parks, a past mayor of the city of Thousand Oaks and current member of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, will officially kick off her campaign for the new 26th Congressional District this Saturday, January 21, at noon.

“My campaign is about families, neighbors, Americans, coming together to send a message

to the nation that we don’t want extreme partisanship, and we don’t want politicians who

are bought and paid for,” Parks said.

Parks will not being taking any contributions from PACs, corporations, unions,

or political parties, just from individuals.

The 2012 Congressional race in Ventura County will be a national battleground with the political parties and Political Action Committees (PACs) making it one of the most expensive campaigns in California’s history. Parks says that at the kickoff she’ll be offering a challenge.

The public is invited to the launch, which will be followed immediately with what Parks calls an “envelope stuffing party” as part of the grassroots campaign. Freedom Park, and the meeting hall where the kickoff and stuffing party will be taking place, is located on Eubanks Street next to the Camarillo Airport.

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A Kansas City organist and teacher is presenting a free concert and master class at California Lutheran University.

John Ditto, music director and organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City for almost 30 years, will lead the organ master class at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

Ditto will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, in the third and final concert in the Orvil and Gloria Franzen 2011-2012 Organ Program Series celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Borg Petersen Memorial Organ in CLU’s Samuelson Chapel.

The organist is an associate professor emeritus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, where he spent 29 years. Previously, he was an associate professor of music at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo.

Ditto earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Drake University, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in musical arts from the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He has served as organist and choirmaster for churches in Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and New York.

The Ventura County Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is sponsoring the master class. Organists interested in playing for Ditto may contact CLU’s University Organist Kyle Johnson, who studied with Ditto at the conservatory, at 805-493-3332 or kejohns@callutheran.edu.

Both events will be held in Samuelson Chapel, located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Donations will be accepted. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu.

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California Lutheran University will honor Martin Luther King and others who promote peace and social justice with chapel and Peace Pole services on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

The chapel service will begin at 10:10 a.m. in Samuelson Chapel. It will feature gospel and inspirational music highlighting the idea of starting within oneself to make a change in the world. Students and members of the staff and community will recite the “I Have a Dream” speech given by the late civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Following the service, the university will affirm its commitment to peace and challenge attendees to do the same at the CLU Peace Pole in the chapel rose garden.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

The Office of Campus Ministry, Black Student Union and Multicultural Programs are sponsoring the free event. Call 493-3489 for more information.

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California Lutheran University will host its popular Chinese New Year celebration from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in Soiland Recreation Center.

The festive event will celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a traditional lion dance, Chinese acrobats and gong fu demonstrations. There will be dancing, singing and Chinese music. Authentic Chinese food will be served, vendors will sell items ranging from jewelry to plants, and volunteers will write people’s names in Chinese. The event will also feature exhibits on history and art, including Chinese brush paintings and other works by local artists. Door prizes and traditional red envelopes will be distributed.

China will enter the 4,709th year on Jan. 23. A creature of legend, the dragon is the ultimate symbol of success and happiness. It represents power and wealth and the Chinese are eager to have children during the Year of the Dragon.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays. The holiday lasts 15 days and focuses on bringing good luck for the new year.

According to legend, Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. To protect themselves, villagers put out food to satisfy the Nian. Later, finding that the beast feared the color red, they hung red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. Today, adults give red envelopes, often containing money, to children to symbolize wealth and prosperity in the coming year. Lanterns symbolize the brightness of spring. In dragon and lion dances, a group of dancers parade under elaborately decorated dragon or lion costumes to scare away bad luck.

CLU’s Languages and Cultures Department and Multicultural Programs are sponsoring the free event.

Soiland Recreation Center is located in Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, which is near the corner of Olsen Road and Mountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, contact Daniel Lawrence at 805-493-3489 or lawrenc@callutheran.edu.

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The 2011 Nordic Spirit Symposium at California Lutheran University will explore life in the post-Viking era, from architecture to magic to politics.

“After the Vikings – Before the Reformation: Scandinavia in Transition” will be held Feb. 10 and 11 on the Thousand Oaks campus. The public is invited to join in the spirit of a symposium, which blends music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

Several authorities from the United States and Europe will discuss Nordic culture and religion on Feb. 10 and 11 in the Preus-Brandt Forum.

On Feb. 10, Tracey Sands, a former Ventura County resident who now works for the Centre for the Study of the Cultural Heritage of Medieval Rituals at the University of Copenhagen, and clothing historian Michelle Nordtorp-Madsen of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota will give presentations. Sands will speak about how saints were called upon in support of various political causes during the contentious period of the Kalmar Union. Nordtorp-Madsen will share images of Scandinavian garments and accessories.

On Feb. 11, Harvard University professor Stephen Mitchell will discuss word magic and its role as a survival tool for those living in early northern Europe.

Other presentations will cover wooden statues, the development of Christian kingdoms from pagan Viking principalities, and the evolution of the construction of Christian churches.

A reception will kick off the event at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in the Scandinavian Center. The symposium will conclude with dinner and a performance of bassoon, accordion and piano music at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 in Lundring Events Center.

CLU and the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation are sponsoring the symposium. Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Norway House Foundation and the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles provided grants.

For prices, schedules and registration, call 805-778-0162 or email seeallan@hotmail.com. Discounts are available until Jan. 19.

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Concerts on the Hill presents “The Saxer Family Reunion: Broadway In Concert” on January 15, 2012 at 1:30pm at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts at 403 W. Hillcrest Dr. in Thousand Oaks. This Broadway Review-style concert will be held in the Community Room, and will feature selected songs from the best of Broadway.

First there was the Lunts, then the Barrymores, and now Conejo Valley’s own Royal Family of Theatre, the Saxers. There is no evidence to refute the fact that the Saxer Family has populated more theater companies than any other family in the Conejo Valley.

For more than thirty years the Saxers have garnered rave reviews in productions with Young Artists Ensemble, Conejo Players, Cabrillo Music Theatre and Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Company. This rare opportunity to see the entire family perform together will include favorites from Gilbert & Sullivan through Vaudeville to Broadway and Sondheim.

Picture growing up with a grand piano in your spacious living room. Now picture your tiny little selflearning the keyboard while sitting on the laps of talented and amazing people who get paid to play one or paid to teach one to play, or both. Then imagine your nursery room painted by scenic artists whose only desire is to create a nurturing and fun room for you to grow in and also having your lullabies sung to you by some of the most talented actors who will grow up to be on not only California stages, but Broadway as well.

Shelley and Gary Saxer are the proud parents of such appreciative girls, Jennifer, Robyn, Randi and Jonalyn. A true stage romance, they met in 1982 while performing in “The Music Man” at Conejo Players, and were accompanied on their first date by Shelley’s then 12-year-old daughter, Jennifer. Later that same year, Jennifer “auditioned” Gary for the role of dad by playing his daughter in the very first show at the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama and Vaudeville Company. The following year the couple married, scheduling their summer wedding around Gary’s memorable starring role in “Pirates Of Penzance,” with Shelley filling in for a performer who broke her ankle.

Jennifer directs children’s theatre, which is a good thing as she now has two girls of her own who may have little choice but to follow in the family tradition. She is married to Erik Sorenson of another show business family (California Dance Theatre). Erik was a late bloomer, and did not start his stage career until he was 10 years old, but the family welcomes him in because he not only acts, sings and of course, dances, he shares his talents with the family on the guitar.

Performing first in her mother’s belly and born on opening day of “Ruddigore,” Robyn arrived next and, named after the character Robin Oakapple, spent most of her infancy backstage where many Conejo valley actors cooed and wooed over her. When Randi was born in 1985, Shelley had just finished performing in a comedy that required her to wear a bikini.

Most recently, Randi starred as Louise in The Conejo Player’s “Gypsy” with her mother as music director and says she “loved growing up in such an artistic family and being involved in community theatre.” Stretching throughout her stage career, Randi donned trousers to skillfully play “Colin” in “The Secret Garden” and young Patrick in “Mame” as well as so very many girlish roles, following in both of her sister’s well placed stage footsteps.

Shelly put her stage career on hold to attend law school, but was back in 1990 after graduating, in time to join Jennifer in “Jerry’s Girls.” The following year she became a full-time law professor, but occasionally graces the boards and shares her talent by music directing.

Education is important as well in the Saxer family as illustrated by Robyn who after receiving her degree in Drama from UC Irvine, where she honored in Musical Theatre and Drama Literature, spent two years in El Salvador as a volunteer for ArtCorps, working with youth to develop community drama programs.

Jonalyn, the baby of the family, is a sophomore at Syracuse University, studying for a BFA in Musical Theatre. Her first role was as a “carry on child” at the young age of 2 ½ in “Carnival.” Since then she has done nine shows with Cabrillo Music Theatre, and is currently performing on the east coast with Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in “Anything Goes” and “42nd STREET.”

Acting, singing, dancing, musical directors, teachers and Summer Concert Mimes, this true American Family has delighted generations of Conejo Valley audiences. You can support the arts by enjoying this multi-talented family and bringing your own to share the experience.

The Saxer Family Reunion: Broadway in Concert is a part of the Hillcrest Center for the Arts’ Concerts on the Hill series. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for seniors and students and may be purchased at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts Box Office or by calling (805) 381-1246 or www.hillcrestarts.com.

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The Bridal Premiere, a day of wedding exhibits and fashions, will be held on Sunday, January 15, at the Hyatt Westlake, 80 So Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village. Exhibit hours are 11 am to 3 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, and $8 on line at www.bridalpremiere.com.

Discount coupons, good for up to four people, are also available on line.

Holiday time is engagement time, and January wedding shows, such as the Bridal Premiere, are popular haunts for the soon-to-be-married. Couples can save time and money by visiting with local businesses in one location, and enjoy a fun day filled with ideas, expert advice, and plenty of prizes.

Pre-registration online is recommended to receive VIP Entrance, discounts for guests, personalized peel-n-stick labels, automatic entry into the Hyatt Weekend giveaway, and an extra chance to win one a Vegas Getaway and a Carnival Cruise.

In addition, “Wedding Gift” drawings will take place every half hour and 15 lucky brides will walk off with a two-night Vegas Getaway, while other lucky couples will receive merchant gift certificates, special gift baskets, and an array of wonderful wedding gifts.

“Planning a wedding can be a huge undertaking for anyone,” said Diane Boyd, Bridal Premiere coordinator. “So let us walk you through the process.”

It begins at the registration table with ticket purchases and will call orders. Each bride fills out an official bride’s ticket that will be placed in the “enter to win” box for hourly drawings. She then receives a sticker to identify that she is the bride, a wristband so she may come and go from the show site, and a bride’s bag filled with an assortment of major bridal magazines.

“One nice thing about pre-registration is that the bride receives personalized peel-n-stick labels for vendor drawings,” said Boyd. “So, for those brides who have not pre-registered, it’s a good idea to bring labels since every vendor will have some type of drawing at their booth.

Then, it’s down the foyer, and into the ballroom to visit with the wedding experts.

This year’s show offers almost 80 exhibitors who will be on hand to answer questions, provide advice and pricing, and assist brides-to-be with all aspects of wedding planning.

Featured exhibitors include bridal and tuxedo shops, bakeries, caterers, DJs, florists, invitations, photographers, live music, videographers, wedding locations, hotels and restaurants, travel agencies, favors, limousine services and more.

Since 1983, the Bridal Premiere has served thousands of brides in the Ventura/Los Angeles area. Now in its 29th year, the show continues to offer the best of the best local exhibitors. Tradition, quality and service is the hallmark of the Bridal Premiere bridal show.

For further information and questions, please call 805-376-3515 or visit www.bridalpremiere.com.

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Artists and Speakers Series

Dan Welden, Resident Printmaker

Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture

Through Wednesday, March 7

A master printmaker, painter, teacher and author, Dan Welden is the originator of a safe and green printmaking technique called the Solarplate method. Welden has been making prints and works on paper for more than 40 years. As a teacher, he continues to inspire students around the world with demonstrations of how to make prints, including both intaglio and relief prints, without the use of acids or other dangerous chemicals.

He is co-author with Pauline Muir of “Printmaking in the Sun,” the comprehensive manual of Solarplate techniques, and is currently working on an updated edition. As the 2012 Artists and Speakers resident, Welden will work in the Kwan Fong Gallery from Jan. 30 to Feb. 28. The community is invited to join him and make some amazing art. The exhibition will remain through March 7.

Admission is free. Sponsored by the Artists and Speakers Committee and the Art Department.

For information, call Michael Pearce at (805) 444-7716 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/kwan_fong. Located in Soiland Humanities Center, the Kwan Fong Gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Project 24: One Day in the Life

Soiland Humanities Center

Wednesday, Feb. 1, to Tuesday, May 15

Multimedia students collect intriguing stories on three separate days from three places: the University (CLU24), the city of Thousand Oaks (TO24) and the metropolis of Los Angeles (LA24). Selections of their graphic design, photography and documentary videography will be on display.

Admission is free. This is a Festival of Scholars presentation. Sponsored by the Multimedia Department. For more information, contact Dan Restuccio at (805) 493-3459.

Creative Concepts

Soiland Humanities Center

Wednesday, Feb. 1, to Tuesday, May 15

Members of the sophomore multimedia class develop their original ideas into engaging stories.

Admission is free. This is a Festival of Scholars presentation. Sponsored by the Multimedia Department. For more information, contact Dan Restuccio at (805) 493-3459.

Chinese New Year Celebration

Soiland Recreation Center

Thursday, Feb. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Come celebrate the year of the dragon at CLU’s annual Chinese New Year celebration. Immerse yourself in the Chinese culture with food, music and exhibits by local artists and historians.

Admission is free. Cosponsored by the Languages and Cultures Department and Multicultural Pro­grams.

For information, contact Daniel Lawrence at (805) 493-3489 or lawrenc@callutheran.edu. Soiland Recreation Center is located in Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

Nordic Spirit Symposium

After the Vikings – Before the Reformation: Scandinavia in Transition

Friday evening, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11. This symposium offers a sampling of life in the Nordic region after the Viking Age, with illustrated presentations on Nordic culture and religion by authorities from the U.S. and Europe. The public is invited to join in the spirit of a symposium, which blends music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

The 2012 symposium will focus on the Nordic countries in the post-Viking era up to the eve of the Reformation, and will address aspects of life, religion, culture, politics and art during this period of Scandinavian history.

One of the speakers will be Tracey Sands, who will speak on saints and politics during the Kalmar Union, which united all the Nordic kingdoms under the rule of a single monarch from the end of the 14th century into the 1520s. The former Ventura County resident now resides in Colorado, and holds a part-time appointment with the University of Copenhagen. She believes an understanding of the cult of saints can shed light on late medieval Swedish political thought.

Stephen Mitchell, professor of Scandinavian and folklore at Harvard University, will also speak. His research centers on popular traditions, mythology and legends in the late medieval and early modern periods. Recently his research resulted in a book-length study of witchcraft and magic throughout medieval Scandinavia.

For variety, the program will include an illustrated presentation by a clothing historian, Michelle Nordtorp-Madsen of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

For information and early registration fees, call (805) 778-0162 or email seeallan@hotmail.com. The Nordic Spirit Symposium is sponsored by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and California Lutheran University, and is made possible by generous grants from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Norway House Foundation and the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles.

Master Class with John Ditto

Samuelson Chapel

Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.

John Ditto, music director and organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Mo., will present an organ master class, sponsored by the Ventura County Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Admission is free. Organists interested in playing for Ditto may contact University Organist Kyle Johnson at (805) 493-3332 or kejohns@callutheran.edu.

William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art Inaugural Exhibition

Highlights and Selections

William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art

Reception: Saturday, Feb. 11, 6-8 p.m.

Lecture and tea: Saturday, Feb. 25, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

This inaugural exhibition premieres artwork from the eclectic collection of William Rolland. It features late 19th- and early 20th-century bronze sculptures depicting classic and modern themes, and the bronze series “Epic of the Plains Indians” by legendary sculptor and artist Harold Shelton. Oil and watercolor paintings of landscapes, still lifes and traditional historic themes are on display. Also showcased is a 1980 Grant King Indy Race Car with an original Drake-Offy engine.

Join us on Feb. 25 for tea and a lecture by master sculptor David Spellerberg.

The William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art is the newest art exhibition site on the CLU campus and in the region. The sleek modern gallery design with dramatic lighting creates an ambience and aesthetic viewing experience unlike any other.

Admission is free.

Sponsored by the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art and California Lutheran University. For information, contact Jeff Phillips, curator, at (805) 493-3697. The gallery is located adjacent to the William Rolland Stadium with entrance at the clock tower. Hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, and by appointment. Free parking is avail­able in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center parking lot.

A Valentine Concert featuring Elmer Ramsey, His Trumpet and Orchestra

Samuelson Chapel

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m.

The Conejo “Pops” Orchestra with Elmer Ramsey and his trumpet performs music from great artists of the big band era: Artie Shaw, Harry James, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie. The program also includes endearing love songs from World War II. Featured artists are Daniel Geeting on clarinet and vocalists Nancy Osborne and Damien Gravino.

Ramsey, a CLU professor emeritus of music, began playing trumpet professionally at the age of 14, and three years later had his own ’40s-style big band on a Washington radio station. Many members of his orchestra are CLU alumni and have also performed with Harry James, Glenn Miller and Tex Beneke orchestras.

General admission is $20. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff with CLU I.D. and $10 for other students. For more information, call the Music Department at (805) 493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.

Orvil and Gloria Franzen 2011-2012 Organ Program Series

Organist John Ditto in Concert

Samuelson Chapel

Sunday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m.

John Ditto, an associate professor emeritus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, is music director and organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City. He spent 29 years at the conservatory and is in his 29th year at St. Paul’s. Previously, he was an associate professor of music at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo.

Ditto earned his Bachelor of Music from Drake University, his master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He has served as organist/choirmaster for churches in Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and New York.

This is the third and final concert of the Orvil and Gloria Franzen 2011-2012 Organ Program Series, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Borg Petersen Memorial Organ in CLU’s Samuelson Chapel.

Donations accepted. For more information, call the Music Department at (805) 493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.

Marc Anton Reilly Lecture

A Word the World Needs: Lutheran Theology for Today and Tomorrow

The Rev. R. Guy Erwin

Lundring Events Center

Saturday, Feb. 18, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

In an age of increasing polarization among Christian communities and a growing gulf between the religiously committed and the entirely secular, is there room for a Christ-centered, historically rooted but inclusive Christian theology that understands Jesus as God’s response to a fearful humanity? What does “being Christian” mean for Lutherans in an increasingly complex world? How can Lutheran theology meet the challenge of a cultural reassessment of sexual norms?

R. Guy Erwin, director of the Segerhammar Center for Faith and Culture and holder of CLU’s Gerhard and Olga J. Belgum Chair in Lutheran Confessional Theology, will address these issues and respond to questions from the audience.

Erwin teaches the history of Christianity and Lutheran studies and is internationally recognized as an authority on Martin Luther’s life and thought. An ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he was educated at Harvard and Yale and the universities of Tübingen and Leipzig in Germany.

Admission is free. Sponsored by Lutherans Concerned/Los Angeles, the Segerhammar Center for Faith and Culture, and the Southwest California Synod of the ELCA. For information, contact Linda LeBlanc at (805) 493-3936 or leblanc@callutheran.edu.

Suzanne Freeman Memorial Concert

10th Annual New Music Concert with David Lang

Samuelson Chapel

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.

Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang, one of America’s most per­formed composers, will be present for a Q&A at the beginning of CLU’s 10th Annual New Music Concert featuring his choral and instrumental music. Lang is at once deeply versed in the classical tradition and committed to music – informed by modernism, minimalism and rock – that resists categorization. “There is no name yet for this kind of music,” wrote Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed. Wyant Morton conducts.

Donations accepted. For information, call the Music Depart­ment at (805) 493-3306 or visit

http://www.callutheran.edu/music.

An Evening with Author Nina Revoyr

Lundring Events Center

Monday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.

Nina Revoyr was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American father. She grew up in Tokyo, Wisconsin and Los Angeles. Her latest book, “Wingshooters,” is a fictionalized novel of her childhood experiences in the 1940s in a small town in Wisconsin with her white paternal grandparents. The story revolves around the small enclave and the inability of the townspeople to accept her, or anyone else who is different, as a member of the community.

Published last March, “Wingshooters” was one of O: Oprah Magazine’s “Books to Watch For” and is winner of an Indie Booksellers’ Choice Award. Her previous novels, “The Necessary Hunger, Southland and The Age of Dreaming,” focus on racial tensions in Los Angeles, interracial couples, the Watts riots, and racial discrimination in silent films.

Revoyr is the executive vice president of a large child and family service agency in Los Angeles. She has also been an associate faculty member at Antioch University and a visiting professor at Cornell University, Occidental College and Pitzer College.

Admission is free. Sponsored by the Center for Equality and Justice, Pearson Library and Multicultural Programs and International Student Services. For more information, contact Yen Tran at nttran@callutheran.edu or (805) 493-3092.

Senior Fest 2012

Samuelson Chapel

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Keynote addresses: 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Lutheran adults will gather for learning, devotions and fellowship with the purpose of enhancing their physical, spiritual, social and intellectual lives.

The one-day event will include a variety of workshops and two presentations by keynote speaker Marva J. Dawn, an internationally renowned theologian and author of more than 20 books. Dawn, a teaching fellow in spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, holds four master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and the Scriptures from the University of Notre Dame. A popular speaker for people of all ages, she has preached and taught worldwide at seminaries, clergy conferences, churches, assemblies and universities.

Registration is $25 ($30 after Feb. 20). To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/CLU-Senior-Fest. For more information, contact the Church Relations Office at (805) 493-3936 or leblanc@callutheran.edu.

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Auditions for the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta Utopia Limited will be held by Ventura County Gilbert & Sullivan Repertoire Co. at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, on Sunday, January 15, 2012, from 4:00-7:30pm.

The show will be directed by Rebecca Pillsbury with music direction by Zach Spencer and choreography by Jeff Wallach. Production runs March 9 – April 1, 2012, at the Theatre on the Hill, Hillcrest Center for the Arts.

Rehearsals will begin January 30, 2012.

A languid tropical island monarchal society decides to take on the social, financial and political ways of a Victorian Great Britain when the Princess Zara returns from English schooling with the Flowers of Progress. King Paramount is constantly being threatened with being executed by the public exploder, Tarara, if he doesn’t do what he’s told to do by the judges, Scaphio and Phantis, (who are really running the country) and they are not happy with the changes the king wants to make.

His younger daughters’ governess, Lady Sophy, has brought the twins, Nekaya and Kalyba, up to be very proper English girls, but then here come Flowers of Progress Mr. Goldbury and Lord Dramaleigh.

Then there’s Captain Fitzgerald with his eye on Princess Zara! There are seven principal and four featured adult male roles; 4 principal and 3 featured adult female roles, plus ensemble to play islanders, ages 11 and up. All ethnicities and body types are welcome.

There is no pay. Please call 805-491-6103 or e-mail rebecca@vcgsrc.org for an appointment or more information.