For Brazilian artist Arlin Graff, known for his large-scale animal murals, bigger is always better.

Although many entertainment events promise to have something for everyone, not all can deliver. When it comes to theater, it's hard to beat Shakespeare, and "As You Like It," which opens this weekend at The Empty Space, is at the top of the list. 

It's that time of year again when a few notable local folks put on their dancing shoes for a good cause. Dancing at the Stars returns to the downtown theater this weekend with a new crop of performers and a brand-new alumni dance in celebration of its fifth year.

Eagle-eyed residents may have spotted artists in our midst this week as they worked around the county for the Kern County Plein Air Painting Festival. If you haven't seen anyone, you'll have a chance Thursday in downtown Bakersfield.

Whoever says Bakersfield is an artless town should catch a ride to southwest Bakersfield this Friday. There Beacon Studios is hosting an Artist Showcase, featuring more than 100 creators sharing their work. 

Get ready to watch what happens at Thursday's Art After Dark. For this month's gathering at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, Los Angeles-based artist Gustavo Godoy will introduce a series of short films created by his students.

When you hear the phrases tale of forbidden love and high school production, thoughts may run to "Romeo and Juliet." But at Frontier High, the theater department is headed to the Caribbean with the Tony Award-winning musical "Once on This Island," playing this weekend.

Centennial High School is back in the musical business heading down the yellow brick road for “The Wizard of Oz,” which opens this weekend.

Local rivalries are not a new notion in a Gaslight Melodrama show, but for "Shafter vs. Wasco," which opens Friday, differences run deep. But Michael Prince, Gaslight's artistic director, says no matter where your loyalties lie, you're in for a good time.

While many might be quick to chalk "Harvey" up to a tale of a man and his imaginary giant rabbit friend, they'd be overlooking an important character. See what you're missing in the Cal State Bakersfield production that opens this week.

Write what you know, as the saying goes, or, in the case of Ovation Theatre, direct it. 

Spring has declared itself in a riot of verdant growth and wildflowers. That itch you're now feeling isn't allergies but rather a desire to beautify your own surroundings. Luckily, the Bakersfield Museum of Art has the solution with its ARTMIX on Thursday.

In these times where divisiveness is commonplace, it is time for a reminder that despite the obstacles, “you can’t stop the beat!” With a message of acceptance, unity, the inevitability of change and, above all, the importance of doing the right thing no matter what, "Hairspray" is a classic…

China is the traditional anniversary gift but when it comes to this fundraiser, it's Black Gold. The leading sponsor of the local Campout Against Cancer, Black Gold Productions is back for its 20th year this weekend with the melodrama “The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux.” 

While supervisors consider appeals from marijuana dispensaries, it’s full-on “Reefer Madness” at The Empty Space. The musical based on the 1936 propaganda film on the dangers of the green herb returns to the Oak Street theater.

The course of true love never did run smooth but Bakersfield Community Theatre is more optimistic about its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which opens Friday.

All the dancing queens in Bakersfield, take note. Knowing me, knowing you, we're all ready to get our tickets to see "Mamma Mia!" opening Friday at Stars Theatre Restaurant.

Although the new production of "Lone Star" takes place on the small stage of Stars Playhouse, director Hank Webb remembers an even more intimate performance.

They’re creepy and they’re kooky and altogether ooky and this week, they’ll be live on stage at East Bakersfield High School.

The classic tale of a young peasant girl who changes the lives of those around her with her extraordinary kindness and a single glass slipper gets a fresh look this week in Stockdale High’s production of "Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella." The performing arts department has been working h…

It'll be California dreamin' on such a winter's day Thursday at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. For its first Art After Dark of 2019, the museum will celebrate the Golden State, both the new exhibition of the same name featuring works from its permanent collection as well as all-California goodness.

In need of a heart-racing thriller? Something that’ll keep you on your toes? Then head to Liberty High School this week for “Wait Until Dark," a masterfully constructed thriller that moves from one moment of suspense to another as it builds toward an electrifying, breath-stopping final scene.

Resilience comes in many forms. It can be the prisoner coping with isolation, the artist struggling to stay inspired or the student to stay on track and succeed no matter what life throws at you. So it's easy to understand the creativity inspired by the latest Words Come to Life art event se…

This weekend, support art with heart at the "Geometrix" opening reception Saturday at The Empty Space Gallery.

If you're looking for some tales of adventure and fighting evil, look no further than The Empty Space, which will debut "Serial Stories" this weekend.

Post-rain, it's easy to look out to the foothills and be reminded about the natural beauty that surrounds us.

The course of true love never did run smooth and, in the case of the theater, the narrative might not be linear. "The Last Five Years," opening Friday at The Empty Space, tells the story of two New Yorkers in two contrasting perspectives: one from the end of the pair's relationship and one f…

Abby Bowles-Votaw has had a long history with Stars Theatre Restaurant, starting when she played an orphan in "Annie" at age 10 for the shows at the Harvey Auditorium. But for "Crazy For You," she stepped behind the scenes for the first time at Stars.

Fall in love with art in February. Both performance and visual arts are in full display downtown for this First Friday.

From Los Angeles to Bakersfield, comes "Entre Tinta y Lucha: 45 Years of Self Help Graphics & Art," which opens Thursday at Todd Madigan Gallery at Cal State Bakersfield.

Winter is here but rather than white walkers, it brings a fiery new display at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Gustavo Godoy's vibrant red sculpture "The Prototype" is just part of the excitement for the museum's winter exhibition opening Thursday.

Like any good parent, Jarred Clowes was happy to be actively involved in his daughter's early development. But now that she's in school, he's fostering another fledging into being: Theatre in the Black.

If January has you deep in the winter doldrums, why not check out something a bit melodramatic — like the madcap adventure "The Treasure of the Old Kern River," opening Friday at Gaslight Melodrama.

Teen angst is nothing new but it takes great art to make it beautiful. That's exactly what "Spring Awakening" will do — and more — when it opens at Ovation Theatre this weekend.

While some directors work for years to bring their passion project to the stage, others find themselves with an opportunity to bring someone else's dream to life. So even though director Cody Ganger didn't initially pitch "Venus in Fur," she's excited to bring it to The Empty Space for its o…

Although it's not easy to haul ourselves out of this post-holiday haze and get into the swing of things, some folks are determined to make First Friday a fun night downtown. Here's a sampling of what's on tap.

It's a jungle out there, "there" being Jim Burke Lincoln for Bubble Pop Gallery's Animal Art Show. The pop-up gallery brought its latest show to the dealership for a monthlong display that has its reception Friday.

The show must go on, especially at Christmas. So when a lead actor calls in sick, as one did for the opening weekend of Bakersfield Community Theatre's "A Coney Island Christmas," someone just has to fill in.

The Empty Space is offering audience a holiday gift with the timeless musical "She Loves Me." Haven't heard of it? Perhaps you know "You've Got Mail" and "The Shop Around the Corner"; all three works derive from the same source material: the 1937 play "Parfumerie." 

Before you settle in for the Christmas Parade downtown, swing by the Arts Council of Kern's Access Center Gallery for a new show on display.

Take the chill off the holiday season with Liberty High School's production of the heart-warming play "Snow Angel."

Ghostly visitors seem more appropriate for a show around Halloween but that's not the case when you're visiting Ebenezer Scrooge. The man who could out-grinch the Grinch is due for his seasonal comeuppance in Ovation Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol."

Conversations about the dining room table can be awkward in real life but they've got nothing on the kind that take the stage this week at Cal State Bakersfield. Actors will take on many roles as they sit down for meals in the varied scenes of "The Dining Room" at the Dore Theatre starting T…

The future is female — even all the way up at the North Pole. But Mrs. Claus has to table her plans for a girls night in with BFFs Mrs. Easter Bunny, Mrs. Cupid and the Tooth Fairy when the evil Jack Frost kidnaps Santa and threatens to ruin Christmas in "Mrs. Claus Saves Christmas" at Gasli…

On the eve of the holiday season, The Empty Space delivers a unique gift to Bakersfield theater-goers Saturday: a one-night-only production of the one-woman show “My Name is Rachel Corrie."

Come Tuesday, the name on everybody's lips is gonna be Roxie as "Chicago" heads to Rabobank Theater. The longest-running American musical hits town as part of Broadway in Bakersfield.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the titular song in "Smokey Joe's Cafe," opening Friday at Stars Theatre Restaurant. Although that number only appears in instrumental form as transition music, this revue of Jerry Leiber's and Mike Stoller's greatest hits has plenty of toe-tapping tunes to…

While some folks are drawn to the sparkle of a new show — "Hamilton," "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2," "Dear Evan Hansen," etc. — there is something to be said for the plays that endure. One such work, "Bus Stop," takes the stage this weekend at The Empty Space.

For a show about four women finding commonality and camaraderie in their life adventures, it's not a stretch to find two women sharing directing duties. From the directors to the four actresses, "Savannah Sipping Society," opening Friday at Stars Playhouse, is a female tour de force.