And while modern theatre audiences have become accustomed to being told to switch off their mobile phones before the start of a play, those attending White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, a new work from 29-year-old Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour, are specifically instructed to keep their phones turned on. Why?

Soleimanpour is not allowed to leave his native Iran, as he is a conscientious objector who has refused to take part in military service, which is mandatory for all Iranian men. Unable to travel, Soleimanpour has turned his isolation to his own advantage with a play that is written in English, but which requires no director, no set and a different actor for each performance. Each performer reads Soleimanpour's script for the first time on stage. "The audience are given my email address during the show," the playwright explained via email from Iran, "and they can send me photographs and notes by mobile phone."

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is an absurdist adventure which sits on the boundary of comedy and drama, and its unique structure and power resides in the sheer prominence of the author’s voice as it transfers from fresh pages to the stage. Axiom Repertory Theatre could not be more proud in bringing this unique vision to Redding, California. Some of the responses Artistic Director Ken Hill has received from local North State actors asked to perform the show are “this is terrifying…exciting…I can’t wait…my heart stopped while my toes swallowed my guts.”

It’s going to be a different show every performance. Once an actor has seen or appeared in the show, they are not permitted to ever be in the show again, though everyone is encouraged to see it more than once!

Don’t miss this exciting and unique opportunity to see this North State premiere, only at Axiom Repertory Theatre!

An exuberant musical celebration of America, Woody Guthrie's American Song tells the life of the rambling folk singer through his words and music. Conceived and written by Peter Glazer, the musical has traveled all over America to rave reviews.

The New York Times said it "manages to find both the high beauty and the earthly humor of Guthrie's love affair with America." (12/9/98)

The musical follows Guthrie as he travels from the Dust Bowl to Redding, California, and later east to New York City. It includes over two dozen songs, including THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (written while in Redding), SO LONG IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YUH, PASTURES OF PLENTY, HARD TRAVELIN', and BOUND FOR GLORY. Come and join in, sing along, and celebrate this joyous ode to America, then and today, as Axiom Repertory brings this North State Premiere to Redding, one-time hangout of the legendary Woody Guthrie.

Love Letters by A.R. Gurney is a "disarmingly funny and unforgettably emotional portrait about the powerful connection of love. Two friends, rebellious Melissa Gardner and straight-arrow Andrew Makepeace Ladd III have exchanged notes, cards and letters with each other for over 50 years. From second grade, through summer vacations, to college, and well into adulthood, they have spent a lifetime discussing their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, and victories and defeats. But long after the letters are done, the real question remains: Have they made the right choices or is the love of their life only a letter away?" Axiom's production features four different casts masterfully delivering this finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama: John Truitt/Tammy Jones, Russell Piette/Pamela Carney, Ragan/Linda Ragan, and Bill Collins/Lisa Collins!

The season is a return to the concert hall and a full line-up of Masterworks Holiday, Family, and

Youth concerts, supplemental virtual content, Membership benefits and discounts, and options

for live or virtual ticket packages. In our “Crescendo” season, we gratefully celebrate a gradual

return to normal, seeing symphony friends, sharing great music, and reveling at being back in our

North State communities. Join us in this special season as we Crescendo together through a

musical journey of the human condition, from struggle and anguish to inspiration and triumph.

"We’ve missed live performances so much during the past year”, says Elizabeth Quivey, North

State Symphony Executive Director. “We can’t wait to start the new season in September and

build to an exciting crescendo with the fruition of our Beethoven Ninth concert. Working with

the teams at our wonderful venues, we’ll be taking the comfort and safety of our audiences and

musicians very seriously. We also have some great new Membership benefits, and flexible

attendance options to accommodate anyone who needs some classical music back in their lives,

whether in-person or virtual. We’re thrilled to be able to once again say: “see you at the

symphony!””.

This season’s Membership benefits include ticket discounts, member-only ticket pre-sales, free

access to all virtual content all season long, and more. Memberships and Season Ticket Renewals

for the 4-concert Masterworks Series go on sale July 27th, Season Ticket new purchases go on

exclusive Member pre-sale on August 10th, and non-Member Season Ticket new purchases and

single tickets go on sale August 24th. For more dates and purchase options, visit North State

Symphony at www.northstatesymphony.org.

North State Symphony is a cultural symbol of Northern California seeking to engage, educate,

excite, and unite North State communities through the language of music.

The Shasta Historical Society is excited to announce the launch of the Shasta Historical Society Mobile App! The Society has teamed up with OnCell, a leader in mobile apps for tourism and museums, through a generous grant from the COVID-19 Relief Fund of the Community Foundation of the North State. The app is available to download in both the Apple and Google play stores and is free of charge.

The Shasta Historical Society Mobile App allows the Society to offer walking, cycling, and driving tours through Shasta County on a wide variety of subjects. Available to download now is “An Outdoor Exploration of Redding, CA”. It is a cycling tour, west of the I-5 corridor, of historical locations in Redding, California, such as Diestelhorst Bridge, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the Matson-Mowder-Howe Celebration Garden. The tour begins and ends at the Civic Auditorium and takes about 1 ½ hours to complete. If you do not have a bike, it can be walked OR you can explore from the comfort of your couch at home through images embedded as part of the tour. Coming soon is a driving tour “Tracing the Nobles Immigrant Trail”.

The Shasta Historical Society has been supporting its mission of bringing history to life for residents and visitors alike since 1930. The recent pandemic had us explore new options for continuing to carry out our mission. Society Director, Heather Farquhar, says “a mobile app allows us to take people to the history rather than just looking at it in a photograph or document. It’s a more immersive and interactive way to learn about our past and see some of what others saw before us”. The Society will continue to produce tours, programs, and exhibits in a variety of formats moving forward.

The Shasta Historical Society strives to communicate the many stories that make up Shasta County history. This year, the Community Education Committee chose to focus on the often-untold stories that are a significant part of who and where we are as a community today. This program is offered in support of our mission to “encourage and inspire the exploration of Shasta County history…to become witnesses to history and to explore the dynamics of local heritage”.

The Shasta Historical Society moved to its current location in 1998. The Society houses the Museum’s collections, changing exhibits, store, and administrative offices. They are currently open 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Admission is free.

For more information, visit: shastahistorical.org, email shs@shastahistorical.org,

or phone 530-243-3720 x 104.

Media Contact: shs@shastahistorical.org.

Shasta Historical Society: Heather Farquhar, 530-243-3720 x105, heather@shastahistorical.org.

Help us keep Rough Rider Roundup 2021 alive and FREE to all our special needs participants and their families or caregivers by donating to the event.

RRR2020 was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Funds we raise during this fundraiser will go towards equipment, materials, supplies, entertainment, etc. along with the funds we raised last year.

Rough Rider Roundup, A Special Rodeo and Western Day, is an event for the special needs community and their supporters hosted by Roughout Ranch Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization and Roughout Ranch. This fun, educational, inclusive, and family-friendly program uses old west and rodeo-themed activities to bring the community together and furthers Roughout Ranch's mission “to provide meaningful experiences that inspire, motivate and enrich the physical, mental, and social health of vulnerable and underserved populations.

(don't forget to hit "like" and subscribe!)

Redding Fashion Alliance on North State Parent

Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 4pm.

Additionally the Gallery will be open on the Saturday of Intake week for upcoming shows.

At this time masks will be required in the Gallery and all receptions will be held outdoors on the patio.

Again thank you for your patience! We are being very cautious as we open as many of our members and gallery attendants are Seniors. The last thing we want is to put any of these people in jeopardy.

The Main Event Gallery is housed in the historic old 1926 Bank of America building, with its ornate Neo-Classical style architecture. Hours are Thurs.-Sat. 11, am – 5 pm. For information, www.tehamaarts.org or call (530) 941-6465.

SAM presents an exciting new multi-artist exhibit of railroad themes, entitled “Locomotion.” Participating artists include: North Bank Fred, Shannon McGowan, Greg Mohan, Cheryl Petty, Stephen Richardson, and Shareen Strauss.

turtlebay.org | 530-243-8850

Explore your world right from home with Turtle Bay TV! Featuring free educational and distance learning content for a virtual experience the whole family will enjoy. Go to www.turtlebay.org/watch to view our first 4 episodes and even more distance learning resources.

Supported by Dan and Julia Cronin and the Dicker Family

This exhibition is circulated by the Jon Schueler Estate, who have given us permission to create this virtual exhibition.

Start your music journey today and pick up your guitar. We will teach you the basics, from chords to easy-to-learn scales. Our music teacher, Dan Frost, makes learning music easy and fun

Wednesday Nights from 6 to 7pm

Kiddos will explore beats using various percussion instruments, from clapping to tambourine. Kids will have a chance to play at the drum kit too.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!!! And ding that notification bell to automatically receive email alerts when there are new videos.

Only One day a month!- When you can't be there, get a sub.

Attending the Gallery is a great way to meet other members and you can work on your art while you are there. We need both recurring attendants and especially substitutes

Please call Charlotte Bryson at 221-1993 for more details.

New Gallery Hours:

Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 4pm

Contact: Susan Emerson, susan@shastaartscouncil.org. 530-921-0680.

Artists, to participate contact Agata Maruszewski at agata@shastaartscouncil.org and let us know the dates you would like to be an Artists on Market. Free to Shasta Arts Council members! Not a member yet or your membership expired? SCAC memberships are only $25/ year ($15 for students and seniors).

The move to the new downtown location was completed in March 2020 - just as COVID shut everything down. It's been difficult to see this beautiful new theatre sit empty for the past year. Although Riverfront did do a couple of virtual productions, it's just not the same. Greeting audiences as they walk through the door and seeing their smiling faces is what has been missed most. This new theatre is pretty special and what's made it that way is the many volunteers who have been the heart of Riverfront Playhouse for more than 40 years. They're the people who make the theatre experience joyful for everyone. Now that the time to open is drawing near, we're reaching out. The cleaning up and dusting off and final touches are taking place, but there's a lot to do. We're looking for people to help with tech, office duties and electrical. We're going to need bartenders, greeters, ticket takers, and much more. If you can help in any way, please send an email to info@riverfrontplayhouse.net and let us know your interests/skills. Thank you!.

Summer Art Walks will include live music at several locations bookending the regions of the Art Walk. The Trinity Arts Council invites artists to add to the festivities. Participating businesses are open normal hours but remain open from 5-8pm for the Art Walk, visitors have a chance to meet the featured artists, and enjoy refreshments. If you wish to share your craft during this day, contact Jill Richards to book a visible space. (530) 623-2760 or email at trinitycountyarts@gmail.com. Join in the fun.

Deadline: August 2, 2021

Deadline: November 1, 2021

Submit to: hello@shastaartscouncil.org

Must receive by 5pm Tuesday evening of each week for inclusion in the same week's newsletter.

Photo: .JPG or .PNG. Well-lit, no reflections, unnecessary elements cropped out. Smallest dimension: 800px.

Bio note: up to 100 words (what you do, your past work, what makes you tick, what are you most proud of in your work). Format: Word, Google doc, plain text in the body of email.

Online presence: Link to your website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, Patreon, etc.. Ways people can follow your work, commission, or buy work.

A musical perfect for the whole family, Seussical JR (performed by ages 7 to 14) takes us into the world of Dr. Seuss, where we revisit beloved characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo. The Cat in the Hat guides us into The Jungle of Nool where we see Horton, the kind-hearted elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whoville. He meets JoJo, a Who child reprimanded for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton decides he must protect the speck of dust on a nearby clover, while at the same time protecting an abandoned egg left to his care by the lazy Mayzie la Bird. Horton tries to convince the other animals in The Jungle of the existence of the Whos, but he is ridiculed and put on trial for insanity. Only his loyal neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, never loses faith in him and eventually, the two fall in love.

Seussical JR weaves a story of friendship, loyalty, and love. Despite all odds, Horton and Gertrude band together to save the Whos, free Horton, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool. Seussical JR teaches us the power of being unique, the importance of fighting for your beliefs, and that “a person’s a person, no matter how small!”

6pm

John Hoover and the Mighty Quinns are planning to visit Redding for a special concert July 29 (a Thursday evening). The "Up the Lazy River" concert will be in Lake Redding Park at the Pavilion and Gazebo (near Diestlehorst Bridge, west end of the Park), with the "bring your own picnic" starting at 6pm. (Be sure to bring your lawnchair!)

Please go to JohnHooverMusic.com for more information about John Hoover and the Mighty Quinns.

We'll open the phone lines at 800-838-3760 to take your calls on arts events in your town.

You can send audio clips (YouTube links are fine) back here for inclusion... we'll play 'em during your phone call.

We hope to have a bunch of things to talk about!

Axiom Repertory Theatre continues its tradition of bringing bold, experimental, and vibrant theatrical experiences to the North State with their scintillating production of Eve Ensler’s masterful, controversial, liberating, and exhilarating play, The Vagina Monologues. The Vagina Monologues unflinchingly explores consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences, body image, genital mutilation, direct and indirect encounters with reproduction, vaginal care, menstrual periods, sex work, and several other topics through the eyes of women with various ages, races, sexualities, and other differences.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called the play "probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade” and, in 2018, The New York Times stated "No recent hour of theater has had a greater impact worldwide" in an article "The Great Work Continues: The 25 Best American Plays Since ‘Angels in America'". Don’t dare miss this incredible production!

May 4th Voices brings together first-person narratives about the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University, and includes more than 115 interviews with National Guardsmen, students, townspeople and politicians. The interviews capture the sense of trauma, confusion and fear felt by people who witnessed or were involved with the May 4 shootings at KSU.

First performed in 2010 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the shootings, May 4th Voices is composed of verbatim excerpts from the Kent State Shootings Oral History Project, except for the voice of the narrator, Maj Ragain, who recites excerpts from his prose poem “May 4, 1970 / A Memory.” Ragain was a graduate student on campus that day and now teaches creative writing at KSU and in the Kent community.

May 4th Voices was originally funded and produced at Kent State University with additional support by various local arts and sciences departments, including the Wick Poetry Center and the School of Theatre and Dance. Axiom Repertory Theatre is proud to be staging the West Coast premier of this timely and important play whose relevance is perhaps more important today that when these events shook the world just over fifty years ago. (Produced by special arrangement from Kent University Press.)

Famed American playwright Tennessee Williams comes to life on Axiom’s stage in the seductive and revelatory play, Confessions of a Nightingale. Though written by Charlotte Chandler and adapted by Ray Stricklyn, every line in the show is by Williams himself, and dives deep into the personal and professional life, loves, and relationships of one of America’s most fabled writers.

The New York Post called Confessions “illuminating,” Time Magazine said it was “Ingratiatingly salty,” while The Hollywood Reporter deemed it “A thrilling evening,” with the Los Angeles Herald Examiner concluding, “Tennessee would have loved it.”

——

I GOT SICK THEN I GOT BETTER

I Got Sick Then I Got Better is the revolutionary and comic riff on one woman’s adventures after falling down the medical rabbit hole. Diagnosed with and treated for ovarian cancer, Jenny tells her story of the harrowing tailspin she took following her diagnosis, combining biting humor with searing emotion in a witty, bittersweet monologue that limns the personal and family collateral damage a life-threatening illness brings.

The New York Times said that the play “Speaks with passion and precision.” Time Out NY wrote that the show “is remarkably free of sap, digging out comic nuggets from the medical mire and delivering them with the easy intimacy of a dinner-party hostess.” And TheatreMania.com stated “Ovarian cancer isn’t a subject you normally laugh about, but you’d be hard-pressed not to do so. [the show] excels in a kind of wry irony that combines wit with a keen attention to detail.”

TAMMY JONES - JULY 3RD, JULY 8TH, JULY 18TH, & AUG 20TH

BRANDON CARLSON-NASCIMENTO - AUG 21ST, AUG 28TH, SEP 9TH, & SEP 25TH