What does a theater do when looking at a dark weekend? If you're Ovation Theatre, you improvise — literally — with a night of comedy.

Romance, drama, hexes, heartbreak and the afterlife — Bakersfield Community Theatre has a little bit of everything this weekend with the return of its 32nd annual One-Act Festival.

There may have been nothing more '80s than spending the day at the mall. Gaslight Melodrama revisits a simpler time with "Valley Plaza Days" opening Friday.

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but when it comes to photographers it's platinum. The metal is used to produce prints with a unique look, and examples of that style are part of "Platinum: Photographs by Douglas Isaac Busch & E.F. Kitchen," one of three new exhibitions for the summer…

Extra! Extra! Ridgeview High, the first high school in Kern County to be granted permission to perform the show, is ready to debut its production Thursday. 

Like peanut butter and chocolate, peas and carrots, so too does Shakespeare and the golden age of television go together. At least that's the case at the Stars Playhouse, which opens "The Golden Age of Shakespeare?" this weekend.

These days, you can't talk about downtown Bakersfield and not have the topic of the homelessness come up. But while a lot of people are talking, Pat Evans of World Records is doing something.

If you're not interested in celebrating Cinco de Mayo eating Mexican food and pounding margaritas, then perhaps you're ready to rock. Ovation Theatre will host "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," an evening of classic rock featuring a mix of musicians and stage performers. 

When some plot late-night fun, they may not think about it being at a theater. But The Empty Space is there to win hearts and minds with "Magic, Drunk, Love."

It’s opera time again at CSUB and the university’s music students are having a great time preparing for Thursday's performance of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Old Maid and the Thief."

A devastating fire ravaged the actual Notre Dame but Bakersfield's stage version stands at the ready as "Hunchback of Notre Dame" opens at Stars.

As blossoms spring in colorful bloom outside, the art inside the Bakersfield Museum of Art is ready for its own show Thursday.

Tolstoy wrote "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." And in some cases, their own way makes for a good story. "Fun Home," opening Friday at Bakersfield Community Theatre, is the autobiographical tale of a graphic artist coming to grips with her own se…

Blind dates can be many things — intimidating, boring, maybe even perfect — but in Jonathan Rand’s "Check Please," coming to Liberty High, they are downright hilarious.

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.