The City of Costa Mesa Arts & Culture Master Plan will be reviewed by the City Council at its regular Tuesday, January 21, meeting (meeting begins at 6 pm), and the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments. (When available, the Council Meeting Agenda, including the Plan document, may be downloaded here.) The process was begun in December 2017 and the Plan was approved by the City's Cultural Arts Committee and by its Parks, Arts & Community Services Commission last summer. The plan, which was prepared by Arts Orange County, is the culmination of a year-long input-gathering process that involved interviews with 78 stakeholders, 7 community conversations open to the public, and an online survey in English and Spanish that drew more than 1,000 respondents, under the guidance of an Arts and Culture Master Plan Subcommittee comprised of Cultural Arts Committee members and City Staff. In addition to outlining goals, objectives, timelines and estimated budgets, the Plan also includes an inventory of Costa Mesa's arts assets, including organizations, venues, and art in public places.

New Direction for Talk Back Theatre

Talk Back Theatre (TBT) has announced that it is transitioning its bi-annual open call for staged readings into a quarterly playwriting prize. TBT's latest call for plays seeks full-length works that highlight inter-generational relationships. More details here. (Arts Orange County serves as fiscal sponsor for TBT.)