Our 2026 Season
Baila Nova & Shanties & Syncopaths & Bad Ass Boots
January Events
09 IMPROV SHOWDOWN with the VIC IMPROV COMEDY / COMEDY COMPETITION · Two improv teams step into a friendly battle armed with audience suggestions, quick instincts and absolutely no script to retreat to. The crowd helps decide who cracks, who conquers and who claims the first comedy bragging rights of 2026. Downtown Ventura
11 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs take the acoustic stage in a room built for close listening rather than background noise. New work, road-tested favorites and the occasional cherished cover get a direct line from writer to audience.
23 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters bring original material out of notebooks and voice memos and into public air. The stripped-back format leaves lyric, melody and point of view pleasantly unable to blame the production department.
25 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Henry Stewart leads writers through the practical work of lyrics, melody, structure and revision. Half-finished songs and stubborn verses are welcome; permanent unfinishedness receives rather less encouragement.
January11 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs take the acoustic stage in a room built for close listening rather than background noise. New work, road-tested favorites and the occasional cherished cover get a direct line from writer to audience.
23 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters bring original material out of notebooks and voice memos and into public air. The stripped-back format leaves lyric, melody and point of view pleasantly unable to blame the production department.
25 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Henry Stewart leads writers through the practical work of lyrics, melody, structure and revision. Half-finished songs and stubborn verses are welcome; permanent unfinishedness receives rather less encouragement.
February Events
06 Shawn Jones and Shane Alexander AMERICANA / ROOTS ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Shawn Jones and Shane Alexander bring two seasoned Southern California songwriting voices together for a night of acoustic-rooted rock, Americana and richly lived-in storytelling. Jones brings blues-soaked guitar muscle while Alexander answers with melodic, introspective songs shaped by years on the road. Contemporary listings confirm the pairing returned again later in the year after this performance. Downtown Ventura
07 A Gershwin Tribute GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / TRIBUTE · American Songbook Today celebrates George and Ira Gershwin through the sophisticated melodies, jazz-inflected rhythms and quicksilver lyrics that helped define American popular song. Local performers revisit a catalog where Broadway, Tin Pan Alley and the concert hall learned to speak the same language.
08 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get a quiet acoustic stage where every word has a fair chance of reaching the back of the room. Writers can test new work, revisit old companions and discover exactly which bridge has been lying to them.
13 Love is Strange – A Valentine’s Improv Show IMPROV COMEDY / VALENTINE’S · Love, dating and romantic misadventure become raw material for an entirely unscripted comedy show built from audience suggestions. Cupid may technically be involved, though the improvisers are considerably less well armed. Downtown Ventura
14 Baila Nova BOSSA NOVA / SAMBA / LATIN · Vocalist Laura Vall leads Baila Nova through a Brazilian vintage revival of lively samba, sultry bossa nova, Latin dance grooves and rhythm-rich pop. The international quartet brings a bright, cosmopolitan pulse to music designed to sway before it ever thinks about sitting still. KCLU
15 A Conversation with Margaret Garcia VISUAL ART / ARTIST TALK · Los Angeles painter and muralist Margaret Garcia reflects on a career rooted in Chicano art, Mexican folk-art traditions and a fearless command of saturated color. Her work spans public murals and intimate oil paintings, with pieces held by institutions including LACMA and the Laguna Art Museum. focusonthemasters.com
27 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original music in an acoustic format where the work arrives before the polish. A microphone, an instrument and something worth saying remain surprisingly durable technology.
28 Intro to Storytelling Workshop STORYTELLING / WORKSHOP · A practical introduction to shaping lived experience into stories people actually want to follow. Participants explore structure, detail, point of view and delivery while learning how to turn a collection of events into a story with a pulse.
February07 A Gershwin Tribute GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / TRIBUTE · American Songbook Today celebrates George and Ira Gershwin through the sophisticated melodies, jazz-inflected rhythms and quicksilver lyrics that helped define American popular song. Local performers revisit a catalog where Broadway, Tin Pan Alley and the concert hall learned to speak the same language.
08 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get a quiet acoustic stage where every word has a fair chance of reaching the back of the room. Writers can test new work, revisit old companions and discover exactly which bridge has been lying to them.
13 Love is Strange – A Valentine’s Improv Show IMPROV COMEDY / VALENTINE’S · Love, dating and romantic misadventure become raw material for an entirely unscripted comedy show built from audience suggestions. Cupid may technically be involved, though the improvisers are considerably less well armed. Downtown Ventura
14 Baila Nova BOSSA NOVA / SAMBA / LATIN · Vocalist Laura Vall leads Baila Nova through a Brazilian vintage revival of lively samba, sultry bossa nova, Latin dance grooves and rhythm-rich pop. The international quartet brings a bright, cosmopolitan pulse to music designed to sway before it ever thinks about sitting still. KCLU
15 A Conversation with Margaret Garcia VISUAL ART / ARTIST TALK · Los Angeles painter and muralist Margaret Garcia reflects on a career rooted in Chicano art, Mexican folk-art traditions and a fearless command of saturated color. Her work spans public murals and intimate oil paintings, with pieces held by institutions including LACMA and the Laguna Art Museum. focusonthemasters.com
27 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original music in an acoustic format where the work arrives before the polish. A microphone, an instrument and something worth saying remain surprisingly durable technology.
28 Intro to Storytelling Workshop STORYTELLING / WORKSHOP · A practical introduction to shaping lived experience into stories people actually want to follow. Participants explore structure, detail, point of view and delivery while learning how to turn a collection of events into a story with a pulse.
March Events
01 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers bring lyrics, fragments and songs in progress into a collaborative session centered on craft. Melody, structure and revision get the attention normally monopolized by the more glamorous concept of inspiration.
07 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Performers sing for a live audience, receive direct coaching from veteran teacher Jodi Farrell and then return to the song with those adjustments still fresh. Interpretation, technique and stage presence become something you can actually watch evolve rather than mysterious backstage alchemy. Visit Ventura
08 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get an acoustic room where people have agreed to listen, a concept apparently radical enough to require its own event. Writers bring work at every stage, from first public outing to old song that still knows how to earn its keep.
13 SUPER SCENE IMPROV COMEDY / LONG-FORM IMPROV · Improvisers launch several bold story beginnings and let the audience decide which worlds deserve to survive. Scenes are eliminated until one story remains, expanding into a final long-form Super Scene built entirely in the moment. Downtown Ventura
22 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Lyrics, hooks, melodies and structural trouble spots go onto the workbench in a session built around stronger choices. Writers bring whatever state the song is in and leave with fewer excuses for leaving it there.
22 Farrell, Henszey and Collins ACOUSTIC / ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Jodi Farrell, Michael Henszey and Mike Collins combine strong vocal harmonies with acoustic and electric musicianship in a newly formed trio. Their benefit concert moves between intimate songcraft and fuller ensemble textures with three experienced performers sharing the musical load. Jodi Farrell
27 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers take short acoustic turns with original songs and little protective packaging. Strong lines get heard immediately; questionable rhymes enjoy the same unfortunate privilege.
March07 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Performers sing for a live audience, receive direct coaching from veteran teacher Jodi Farrell and then return to the song with those adjustments still fresh. Interpretation, technique and stage presence become something you can actually watch evolve rather than mysterious backstage alchemy. Visit Ventura
08 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get an acoustic room where people have agreed to listen, a concept apparently radical enough to require its own event. Writers bring work at every stage, from first public outing to old song that still knows how to earn its keep.
13 SUPER SCENE IMPROV COMEDY / LONG-FORM IMPROV · Improvisers launch several bold story beginnings and let the audience decide which worlds deserve to survive. Scenes are eliminated until one story remains, expanding into a final long-form Super Scene built entirely in the moment. Downtown Ventura
22 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Lyrics, hooks, melodies and structural trouble spots go onto the workbench in a session built around stronger choices. Writers bring whatever state the song is in and leave with fewer excuses for leaving it there.
22 Farrell, Henszey and Collins ACOUSTIC / ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Jodi Farrell, Michael Henszey and Mike Collins combine strong vocal harmonies with acoustic and electric musicianship in a newly formed trio. Their benefit concert moves between intimate songcraft and fuller ensemble textures with three experienced performers sharing the musical load. Jodi Farrell
27 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers take short acoustic turns with original songs and little protective packaging. Strong lines get heard immediately; questionable rhymes enjoy the same unfortunate privilege.
April Events
10 THE IMPROV MATCH IMPROV COMEDY / COMEDY COMPETITION · Ventura improvisers square off round by round with nothing but audience suggestions and fast reflexes to work with. Story beginnings compete for audience favor until one survives long enough to become the evening’s final expanded scene. Visit Ventura
11 Making Dance: A MeCo Improv Dance Event CONTEMPORARY DANCE / IMPROVISATION · Beth Megill and Megill & Company turn spontaneous movement into choreography through playful prompts, collaborative choices and the physical conversation of dancers working in real time. The creative process stays visible, letting movement become performance before it has time to harden into routine. Visit Ventura
11 Poi Rogers WESTERN SWING / AMERICANA / HAWAIIAN STEEL · Carolyn Sills and Gerard Egan blend upright bass, guitar and steel guitar into American roots music colored by western swing, gypsy swing and Hawaiian steel. Clever original songs and vivid storytelling give the duo a sound that feels both beautifully weathered and completely their own. Poi Rogers Official Website
12 Making Dance: A MeCo Improv Dance Event CONTEMPORARY DANCE / IMPROVISATION · Megill & Company explores dance created on the spot, using movement prompts and ensemble instincts to turn spontaneity into shape. The result keeps choreography loose enough for surprise while still giving the audience something recognizably alive to follow. Visit Ventura
12 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs receive a stripped-back acoustic showcase where lyric and melody do their own persuading. Some songs arrive finished; others discover in public that this was a charming assumption.
18 Blow the Man Down: A Sea Shanty Concert MUSICAL THEATER / SEA SHANTY / CABARET · Seven sailors find themselves adrift on the adventure of a lifetime in a concert-cabaret powered by sea shanties, Shakespeare and live instruments. Part maritime musical, part jam session, the show sends theatrical storytelling onto open water with a few surprises stowed below deck. Visit Ventura
18 Being the Perfect Woman SOLO THEATER / SATIRICAL COMEDY · Ashley Diaz becomes a livestream guru offering women a supposedly foolproof guide to blending in and staying safe in post-2024 America. The comedy turns cheerful self-help language against the pressures, fears and expectations hiding underneath it. Visit Ventura
18 Autastic SOLO THEATER / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL · A parent tells the story of raising a son with autism through the trials, upheavals and victories that reshape family life. The work puts lived experience ahead of abstraction, finding humor and heart alongside the harder moments. Visit Ventura
18 Nancy SOLO THEATER / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA · A boy grows up inside a home marked by violence, addiction and shifting loyalties, learning far too early how danger and affection can arrive wearing the same face. Told with dark humor and clarity, the piece follows childhood survival into a desperate teenage fight to escape the adults who failed him. Visit Ventura
19 A Conversation with Joe Adams VISUAL ART / ARTIST TALK · Multidisciplinary artist Joe Adams works across stone, metal, photography, graphite, oil, tile and graphic design, drawing recurring inspiration from patterns and forms found in nature. His work moves easily from sculpture to theatrical design while keeping environmental observation and stewardship close to the center. focusonthemasters.com
24 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs come out from behind demos and notebooks for an evening of direct acoustic performance. The arrangement is simple enough that the song gets all the credit and, regrettably, all the blame.
25 Anything Goes: A Cole Porter Tribute GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / BROADWAY / TRIBUTE · Cole Porter’s urbane melodies and gloriously sophisticated wordplay take center stage in a concert devoted to one of Broadway’s sharpest composer-lyricists. Romance, wit and standards built to outlive their century make the room considerably more elegant without requiring anyone to behave accordingly. Downtown Ventura
25 The Syncopaths CELTIC / AMERICAN FOLK / CHAMBER FOLK · The Syncopaths bring fiddle, mandolin, piano, bodhrán and expressive vocals to Scottish, Irish and American folk traditions with a contemporary rhythmic edge. Their chamber-folk sound can move from high-energy dance tunes to quiet songs while the ensemble’s improvisational streak keeps tradition comfortably awake. Syncopaths
26 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers bring songs in progress and work through the choices that determine what stays, what moves and what probably should have been cut two drafts ago. Structure, melody and language get the practical attention good songs tend to demand.
26 Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’Leary IRISH FOLK / TRADITIONAL · Longtime collaborators Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’Leary bring voice, flute, guitar and deep traditional roots to Irish and transatlantic folk song. Their duo work favors luminous arrangements and close musical conversation over unnecessary ornament, proving once again that two attentive musicians can make an enormous amount of room.
April11 Making Dance: A MeCo Improv Dance Event CONTEMPORARY DANCE / IMPROVISATION · Beth Megill and Megill & Company turn spontaneous movement into choreography through playful prompts, collaborative choices and the physical conversation of dancers working in real time. The creative process stays visible, letting movement become performance before it has time to harden into routine. Visit Ventura
11 Poi Rogers WESTERN SWING / AMERICANA / HAWAIIAN STEEL · Carolyn Sills and Gerard Egan blend upright bass, guitar and steel guitar into American roots music colored by western swing, gypsy swing and Hawaiian steel. Clever original songs and vivid storytelling give the duo a sound that feels both beautifully weathered and completely their own. Poi Rogers Official Website
12 Making Dance: A MeCo Improv Dance Event CONTEMPORARY DANCE / IMPROVISATION · Megill & Company explores dance created on the spot, using movement prompts and ensemble instincts to turn spontaneity into shape. The result keeps choreography loose enough for surprise while still giving the audience something recognizably alive to follow. Visit Ventura
12 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs receive a stripped-back acoustic showcase where lyric and melody do their own persuading. Some songs arrive finished; others discover in public that this was a charming assumption.
18 Blow the Man Down: A Sea Shanty Concert MUSICAL THEATER / SEA SHANTY / CABARET · Seven sailors find themselves adrift on the adventure of a lifetime in a concert-cabaret powered by sea shanties, Shakespeare and live instruments. Part maritime musical, part jam session, the show sends theatrical storytelling onto open water with a few surprises stowed below deck. Visit Ventura
18 Being the Perfect Woman SOLO THEATER / SATIRICAL COMEDY · Ashley Diaz becomes a livestream guru offering women a supposedly foolproof guide to blending in and staying safe in post-2024 America. The comedy turns cheerful self-help language against the pressures, fears and expectations hiding underneath it. Visit Ventura
18 Autastic SOLO THEATER / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL · A parent tells the story of raising a son with autism through the trials, upheavals and victories that reshape family life. The work puts lived experience ahead of abstraction, finding humor and heart alongside the harder moments. Visit Ventura
18 Nancy SOLO THEATER / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA · A boy grows up inside a home marked by violence, addiction and shifting loyalties, learning far too early how danger and affection can arrive wearing the same face. Told with dark humor and clarity, the piece follows childhood survival into a desperate teenage fight to escape the adults who failed him. Visit Ventura
19 A Conversation with Joe Adams VISUAL ART / ARTIST TALK · Multidisciplinary artist Joe Adams works across stone, metal, photography, graphite, oil, tile and graphic design, drawing recurring inspiration from patterns and forms found in nature. His work moves easily from sculpture to theatrical design while keeping environmental observation and stewardship close to the center. focusonthemasters.com
24 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs come out from behind demos and notebooks for an evening of direct acoustic performance. The arrangement is simple enough that the song gets all the credit and, regrettably, all the blame.
25 Anything Goes: A Cole Porter Tribute GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / BROADWAY / TRIBUTE · Cole Porter’s urbane melodies and gloriously sophisticated wordplay take center stage in a concert devoted to one of Broadway’s sharpest composer-lyricists. Romance, wit and standards built to outlive their century make the room considerably more elegant without requiring anyone to behave accordingly. Downtown Ventura
25 The Syncopaths CELTIC / AMERICAN FOLK / CHAMBER FOLK · The Syncopaths bring fiddle, mandolin, piano, bodhrán and expressive vocals to Scottish, Irish and American folk traditions with a contemporary rhythmic edge. Their chamber-folk sound can move from high-energy dance tunes to quiet songs while the ensemble’s improvisational streak keeps tradition comfortably awake. Syncopaths
26 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers bring songs in progress and work through the choices that determine what stays, what moves and what probably should have been cut two drafts ago. Structure, melody and language get the practical attention good songs tend to demand.
26 Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’Leary IRISH FOLK / TRADITIONAL · Longtime collaborators Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’Leary bring voice, flute, guitar and deep traditional roots to Irish and transatlantic folk song. Their duo work favors luminous arrangements and close musical conversation over unnecessary ornament, proving once again that two attentive musicians can make an enormous amount of room.
May Events
01 George Powell: How One Man Shaped Skateboarding DOCUMENTARY / SKATEBOARD CULTURE · George Powell recounts the garage experiments and engineering ideas that grew into Powell-Peralta and helped change modern skateboarding. The documentary moves through polyurethane wheels, the Bones Brigade, iconic graphics and the Ventura factory where that legacy continues to evolve. Jackalope
02 George Powell: How One Man Shaped Skateboarding DOCUMENTARY / SKATEBOARD CULTURE · George Powell looks back on the inventions, partnerships and design decisions that turned a small experiment into one of skateboarding’s defining companies. Stories of Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, the Bones Brigade and legendary graphics reveal how engineering and subculture managed to become very good friends. Visit Ventura
03 George Powell: How One Man Shaped Skateboarding DOCUMENTARY / SKATEBOARD CULTURE · The story of Powell-Peralta unfolds from early wheel experiments through the rise of the Bones Brigade and decades of board innovation. George Powell brings the history back to its source with firsthand stories about design, technology and a culture that escaped the garage rather spectacularly. Jackalope
08 IMPROV + MUSIC – Unscripted! MUSICAL IMPROV / COMEDY · Ventura Improv Company teams with musical improviser Richard Allen to turn audience ideas into scenes, songs and musical mischief created completely on the spot. Comedy already had enough ways to go wrong, so naturally somebody added live music. Downtown Ventura
10 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs take the stage in compact acoustic sets where the writer stays close to the work. The room leaves enough air around each performance for a lyric to land without elbowing its way through conversation.
16 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Performers sing, receive focused coaching from Jodi Farrell and then immediately try the material again with new choices in play. The audience gets a rare look at the craft behind a convincing performance, from interpretation and movement to the little adjustments that make a song feel lived rather than recited. Visit Ventura
22 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers share original music with little between the song and the listener besides a microphone and whatever courage remained after soundcheck. The format rewards distinctive voices and the productive danger of trying something new.
23 George & Michael Band ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Pianist George Friedenthal and guitarist Michael Henszey blend heartfelt originals with overlooked classics from artists including Supertramp, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, Bruce Hornsby and Elton John. Rich harmonies and a seasoned backing band keep the music warm, unhurried and built around the songs rather than tribute-show impersonation. Visit Ventura
24 Take Me As I Am, A Joni Mitchell Tribute: Rainee Blake FOLK / THEATRICAL CONCERT · Rainee Blake imagines Joni Mitchell on a night in 1976, newly returned from the cross-country journey that fed Hejira. Guitar, dulcimer, stories and landmark songs create an intimate portrait of an artist who kept choosing the next road over the comfortable one. Visit Ventura
30 1 Minute Play Festival I SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · Writers, directors and actors compress complete theatrical worlds into plays lasting roughly sixty seconds apiece. Comedy, drama and stranger little creatures arrive at high speed, proving that brevity can be a creative weapon rather than merely a deadline. Kaz Matamura
30 1 Minute Play Festival II SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · A second program of one-minute plays gives artists almost no time to establish a world, complicate it and make the audience care. Every entrance, line and silence has to earn its place before the clock becomes management.
31 1 Minute Play Festival III SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · The festival’s final program fires off another collection of miniature plays drawn from the larger One Minute Play Festival project. The constraint is severe, the possibilities oddly enormous and nobody has enough time for an indulgent third act. Kaz Matamura
31 Danzas y Canciones FLAMENCO / LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC / CLASSICAL · Music from Spain and Latin America moves through flamenco, Argentine tango, Brazilian choro and art song in a program shaped by composers including Falla, Piazzolla, Granados and Villa-Lobos. Instrumentalists and singers share the evening with Wendy Castellanos and Flamenco 805 dancers, letting music and movement answer one another.
May02 George Powell: How One Man Shaped Skateboarding DOCUMENTARY / SKATEBOARD CULTURE · George Powell looks back on the inventions, partnerships and design decisions that turned a small experiment into one of skateboarding’s defining companies. Stories of Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, the Bones Brigade and legendary graphics reveal how engineering and subculture managed to become very good friends. Visit Ventura
03 George Powell: How One Man Shaped Skateboarding DOCUMENTARY / SKATEBOARD CULTURE · The story of Powell-Peralta unfolds from early wheel experiments through the rise of the Bones Brigade and decades of board innovation. George Powell brings the history back to its source with firsthand stories about design, technology and a culture that escaped the garage rather spectacularly. Jackalope
08 IMPROV + MUSIC – Unscripted! MUSICAL IMPROV / COMEDY · Ventura Improv Company teams with musical improviser Richard Allen to turn audience ideas into scenes, songs and musical mischief created completely on the spot. Comedy already had enough ways to go wrong, so naturally somebody added live music. Downtown Ventura
10 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs take the stage in compact acoustic sets where the writer stays close to the work. The room leaves enough air around each performance for a lyric to land without elbowing its way through conversation.
16 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Performers sing, receive focused coaching from Jodi Farrell and then immediately try the material again with new choices in play. The audience gets a rare look at the craft behind a convincing performance, from interpretation and movement to the little adjustments that make a song feel lived rather than recited. Visit Ventura
22 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers share original music with little between the song and the listener besides a microphone and whatever courage remained after soundcheck. The format rewards distinctive voices and the productive danger of trying something new.
23 George & Michael Band ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Pianist George Friedenthal and guitarist Michael Henszey blend heartfelt originals with overlooked classics from artists including Supertramp, Jackson Browne, the Eagles, Bruce Hornsby and Elton John. Rich harmonies and a seasoned backing band keep the music warm, unhurried and built around the songs rather than tribute-show impersonation. Visit Ventura
24 Take Me As I Am, A Joni Mitchell Tribute: Rainee Blake FOLK / THEATRICAL CONCERT · Rainee Blake imagines Joni Mitchell on a night in 1976, newly returned from the cross-country journey that fed Hejira. Guitar, dulcimer, stories and landmark songs create an intimate portrait of an artist who kept choosing the next road over the comfortable one. Visit Ventura
30 1 Minute Play Festival I SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · Writers, directors and actors compress complete theatrical worlds into plays lasting roughly sixty seconds apiece. Comedy, drama and stranger little creatures arrive at high speed, proving that brevity can be a creative weapon rather than merely a deadline. Kaz Matamura
30 1 Minute Play Festival II SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · A second program of one-minute plays gives artists almost no time to establish a world, complicate it and make the audience care. Every entrance, line and silence has to earn its place before the clock becomes management.
31 1 Minute Play Festival III SHORT-FORM THEATER / PLAY FESTIVAL · The festival’s final program fires off another collection of miniature plays drawn from the larger One Minute Play Festival project. The constraint is severe, the possibilities oddly enormous and nobody has enough time for an indulgent third act. Kaz Matamura
31 Danzas y Canciones FLAMENCO / LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC / CLASSICAL · Music from Spain and Latin America moves through flamenco, Argentine tango, Brazilian choro and art song in a program shaped by composers including Falla, Piazzolla, Granados and Villa-Lobos. Instrumentalists and singers share the evening with Wendy Castellanos and Flamenco 805 dancers, letting music and movement answer one another.
June Events
05 Ode to La Pachuca DANCE THEATER / CHICANA STORYTELLING · A young Chicana searching through her grandmother’s old suitcase begins uncovering the revolutionary family history hidden inside its ordinary objects. Colibríes Collective uses dance, spoken word and cultural memory to honor Pachuca women, resilience and the freedom of living beyond somebody else’s stereotype. Happening Next
06 Ode to La Pachuca DANCE THEATER / CHICANA STORYTELLING · An attic search becomes a journey through Pachuca history as a young woman discovers what her abuelita’s belongings have been carrying across generations. Movement, poetry and memory turn family artifacts into a living story of identity, resistance and self-discovery. Happening Next
07 John Zipperer and the Current Band AMERICANA / ROOTS / SINGER-SONGWRITER · John Zipperer and the Current Band bring handcrafted Americana built around storytelling, singable melodies and musicians playing entirely in the room with one another. Zipperer’s music has room for blues, gospel, rock and folk without requiring the songs to file paperwork when they cross genres. johnzipperer.com
12 Super Scene! IMPROV COMEDY / LONG-FORM IMPROV · Improvisers create several possible stories, then let audience response decide which ones disappear and which one earns the right to keep going. The surviving tale expands into a final long-form scene made entirely without a script or the useful luxury of hindsight.
14 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs return to an acoustic room built around attentive ears and direct connection. Writers bring work at every stage, because songs, like humans, rarely agree on when they are actually finished.
20 Art + Poetry ART / POETRY ·
20 Bad Ass Boots AMERICANA / COUNTRY-SOUL / ROCKABILLY · Oakland’s Bad Ass Boots drives Americana, country-rock, blues and rockabilly with Billie Burnor’s soulful voice, harmonica and electric slide guitar. The original songs are built for movement, with enough grit in the groove to keep the boots properly scuffed.
26 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original material in a stripped-back setting where every lyric gets a clean shot at the audience. The format stays deliberately simple so the music can do the complicated part.
27 Flamenco! FLAMENCO / DANCE · Wendy Castellanos and Flamenco 805 close their semester with a performance rooted in flamenco’s rhythmic footwork, expressive movement and deep musical dialogue. Students and seasoned performers bring months of technique and rehearsal into an art form where precision only matters once it begins to feel alive. WENDY CASTELLANOS
27 Twanguero: Backroads of the Americas SOLO GUITAR / LATIN / WORLD / ROOTS · Latin Grammy-winning guitarist Diego García, known as Twanguero, traces a solo route through Spanish folk traditions, Latin American rhythms, cinematic melody and American roots music. Selections from Carreteras Secundarias, The Brooklyn Session, Argentina Songbook and newer material turn one guitar into a map of many roads. KCLU
28 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers put lyrics, melody and structure under practical scrutiny with work-in-progress very much welcome. The point is not to make every song follow the same map, only to help each one stop wandering in circles.
June06 Ode to La Pachuca DANCE THEATER / CHICANA STORYTELLING · An attic search becomes a journey through Pachuca history as a young woman discovers what her abuelita’s belongings have been carrying across generations. Movement, poetry and memory turn family artifacts into a living story of identity, resistance and self-discovery. Happening Next
07 John Zipperer and the Current Band AMERICANA / ROOTS / SINGER-SONGWRITER · John Zipperer and the Current Band bring handcrafted Americana built around storytelling, singable melodies and musicians playing entirely in the room with one another. Zipperer’s music has room for blues, gospel, rock and folk without requiring the songs to file paperwork when they cross genres. johnzipperer.com
12 Super Scene! IMPROV COMEDY / LONG-FORM IMPROV · Improvisers create several possible stories, then let audience response decide which ones disappear and which one earns the right to keep going. The surviving tale expands into a final long-form scene made entirely without a script or the useful luxury of hindsight.
14 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs return to an acoustic room built around attentive ears and direct connection. Writers bring work at every stage, because songs, like humans, rarely agree on when they are actually finished.
20 Art + Poetry ART / POETRY ·
20 Bad Ass Boots AMERICANA / COUNTRY-SOUL / ROCKABILLY · Oakland’s Bad Ass Boots drives Americana, country-rock, blues and rockabilly with Billie Burnor’s soulful voice, harmonica and electric slide guitar. The original songs are built for movement, with enough grit in the groove to keep the boots properly scuffed.
26 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original material in a stripped-back setting where every lyric gets a clean shot at the audience. The format stays deliberately simple so the music can do the complicated part.
27 Flamenco! FLAMENCO / DANCE · Wendy Castellanos and Flamenco 805 close their semester with a performance rooted in flamenco’s rhythmic footwork, expressive movement and deep musical dialogue. Students and seasoned performers bring months of technique and rehearsal into an art form where precision only matters once it begins to feel alive. WENDY CASTELLANOS
27 Twanguero: Backroads of the Americas SOLO GUITAR / LATIN / WORLD / ROOTS · Latin Grammy-winning guitarist Diego García, known as Twanguero, traces a solo route through Spanish folk traditions, Latin American rhythms, cinematic melody and American roots music. Selections from Carreteras Secundarias, The Brooklyn Session, Argentina Songbook and newer material turn one guitar into a map of many roads. KCLU
28 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers put lyrics, melody and structure under practical scrutiny with work-in-progress very much welcome. The point is not to make every song follow the same map, only to help each one stop wandering in circles.
July Events
10 IMPROV MATCH IMPROV COMEDY / COMEDY COMPETITION · Two teams turn audience suggestions into scenes and stories in a fast-moving contest where the jokes are invented before anyone knows whether they deserve to survive. Quick thinking, teamwork and audience judgment provide the rules for an evening built without a script.
12 Iona Fyfe SCOTTISH FOLK / TRADITIONAL · Aberdeenshire singer Iona Fyfe brings the ballads and singing traditions of northeast Scotland into the present with a voice deeply rooted in Scots language. Traditional repertoire and contemporary song meet in the hands of an artist treating heritage as something living enough to keep changing. Her 2026 tour confirms the Ventura stop on July 12. Iona Fyfe
12 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get the evening shift in an acoustic room where writers can test new material or return to songs already carrying a few miles. Every performer gets a small window to make the song matter.
18 Barrelhouse Wailers HOT JAZZ / VINTAGE BLUES / SWING · Ventura’s eight-piece Barrelhouse Wailers blend traditional hot jazz and vintage blues with original songs and a serious appetite for swing. Brass, rhythm and high-energy ensemble playing turn early American styles into dance music with all the electricity left in. Downtown Ventura
19 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Songwriters bring whatever has stalled on the page and work through the decisions that can get it moving again. Form, lyric and melody receive equal attention, even though the chorus will inevitably demand more.
24 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers share original music in compact acoustic sets where the song remains unmistakably attached to the person who made it. The machinery is minimal; the stakes somehow are not.
July12 Iona Fyfe SCOTTISH FOLK / TRADITIONAL · Aberdeenshire singer Iona Fyfe brings the ballads and singing traditions of northeast Scotland into the present with a voice deeply rooted in Scots language. Traditional repertoire and contemporary song meet in the hands of an artist treating heritage as something living enough to keep changing. Her 2026 tour confirms the Ventura stop on July 12. Iona Fyfe
12 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get the evening shift in an acoustic room where writers can test new material or return to songs already carrying a few miles. Every performer gets a small window to make the song matter.
18 Barrelhouse Wailers HOT JAZZ / VINTAGE BLUES / SWING · Ventura’s eight-piece Barrelhouse Wailers blend traditional hot jazz and vintage blues with original songs and a serious appetite for swing. Brass, rhythm and high-energy ensemble playing turn early American styles into dance music with all the electricity left in. Downtown Ventura
19 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Songwriters bring whatever has stalled on the page and work through the decisions that can get it moving again. Form, lyric and melody receive equal attention, even though the chorus will inevitably demand more.
24 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Writers share original music in compact acoustic sets where the song remains unmistakably attached to the person who made it. The machinery is minimal; the stakes somehow are not.
August Events
07 Shawn Jones and Shane Alexander AMERICANA / ROOTS ROCK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Shawn Jones and Shane Alexander return together after their earlier sold-out pairing, bringing two complementary Southern California songwriting voices back into the same evening. Jones leans into soulful roots-rock and guitar fire while Alexander brings melodic, reflective Americana with a long road behind every line. Downtown Ventura
08 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Singers perform, receive focused coaching and immediately put those ideas back onto the stage. Jodi Farrell works through interpretation, movement, technique and audience connection, making the normally hidden craft of live performance visible.
08 In The Big Round FOLK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Seven Southern California songwriters bring handcrafted music, harmony and stories into a collaborative round featuring Art Podell, Severin Browne, John Zipperer, Tracy Newman, Ken Holme, Craig Lincoln and Kevin Kelso. Folk history, theater, wit and original songwriting meet without tracks or tricks, just a formidable pile of songs. johnzipperer.com
09 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get their usual close-up treatment in an acoustic room where the lyric can actually be heard. New work is welcome to discover what happens when it encounters other humans.
14 IMPROV TRIFECTA IMPROV COMEDY · Three distinct improv acts move from lightning-fast duo work to long-form ensemble storytelling and a grand finale where the evening can head almost anywhere. Everything is created live from audience suggestions, including the detours nobody could have planned if they tried. Downtown Ventura
15 Hot August Jive LIVE MUSIC / VARIETY ·
22 Donna Lynn Caskey Birthday & 25th Banjo-versary Show! FOLK / OLD-TIME / CLAWHAMMER BANJO · Donna Lynn Caskey celebrates her birthday and twenty-five years of playing banjo with original songs drawn from three albums plus newer material still waiting for its turn on record. Clawhammer banjo, heartfelt storytelling and a quarter-century of musical persistence provide the evening’s considerably more useful candles. Donna Lynn Caskey
23 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers bring songs in progress into a room built for constructive pressure, practical feedback and the occasional necessary amputation of a beloved line. Lyrics, melody and form remain the tools of the trade.
28 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters take short acoustic turns with original music and attentive ears on the other side of the microphone. The format is part showcase, part proving ground and part reminder that a song does eventually have to leave the house.
29 Hello, Jerry! – a Jerry Herman Tribute Concert BROADWAY / GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / TRIBUTE · American Songbook Today celebrates Jerry Herman’s unmistakable Broadway warmth through music from Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage aux Folles, Mack and Mabel and beyond. Big-hearted melodies, theatrical optimism and the anthem “I Am What I Am” honor a composer who made exuberance sound like a serious artistic position.
August08 Jodi Farrell Masterclass PERFORMANCE / MUSIC MASTERCLASS · Singers perform, receive focused coaching and immediately put those ideas back onto the stage. Jodi Farrell works through interpretation, movement, technique and audience connection, making the normally hidden craft of live performance visible.
08 In The Big Round FOLK / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Seven Southern California songwriters bring handcrafted music, harmony and stories into a collaborative round featuring Art Podell, Severin Browne, John Zipperer, Tracy Newman, Ken Holme, Craig Lincoln and Kevin Kelso. Folk history, theater, wit and original songwriting meet without tracks or tricks, just a formidable pile of songs. johnzipperer.com
09 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs get their usual close-up treatment in an acoustic room where the lyric can actually be heard. New work is welcome to discover what happens when it encounters other humans.
14 IMPROV TRIFECTA IMPROV COMEDY · Three distinct improv acts move from lightning-fast duo work to long-form ensemble storytelling and a grand finale where the evening can head almost anywhere. Everything is created live from audience suggestions, including the detours nobody could have planned if they tried. Downtown Ventura
15 Hot August Jive LIVE MUSIC / VARIETY ·
22 Donna Lynn Caskey Birthday & 25th Banjo-versary Show! FOLK / OLD-TIME / CLAWHAMMER BANJO · Donna Lynn Caskey celebrates her birthday and twenty-five years of playing banjo with original songs drawn from three albums plus newer material still waiting for its turn on record. Clawhammer banjo, heartfelt storytelling and a quarter-century of musical persistence provide the evening’s considerably more useful candles. Donna Lynn Caskey
23 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Writers bring songs in progress into a room built for constructive pressure, practical feedback and the occasional necessary amputation of a beloved line. Lyrics, melody and form remain the tools of the trade.
28 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters take short acoustic turns with original music and attentive ears on the other side of the microphone. The format is part showcase, part proving ground and part reminder that a song does eventually have to leave the house.
29 Hello, Jerry! – a Jerry Herman Tribute Concert BROADWAY / GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK / TRIBUTE · American Songbook Today celebrates Jerry Herman’s unmistakable Broadway warmth through music from Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage aux Folles, Mack and Mabel and beyond. Big-hearted melodies, theatrical optimism and the anthem “I Am What I Am” honor a composer who made exuberance sound like a serious artistic position.
September Events
06 Ventura Improv Company’s Labor Day Weekend – One Day Festival IMPROV COMEDY / MUSICAL IMPROV · A two-show mini-festival opens with Spontaneous Broadway, an entirely improvised musical built from audience ideas, then shifts into an evening tournament where improv teams battle for festival bragging rights. Musical improviser Richard Allen joins a day designed to test how many forms of unscripted trouble can fit into one Sunday. Ventura Improv Company
11 Ventura Improv Comedy’s IMPROV SHOW IMPROV COMEDY · Audience suggestions become scenes, characters and comic worlds before anyone has enough time to make a responsible decision. The performers bring technique and trust; everything else has to be invented while you watch.
13 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs return to a stripped-back acoustic format where the work receives the room’s full attention. Writers bring polished favorites, new experiments and songs currently insisting they are finished.
19 ANXIETY THE MUSICAL! (do you like that title? is that okay?) MUSICAL COMEDY / SOLO PERFORMANCE · Original songs, character monologues and audience interaction turn everyday anxiety into a funny, nervy trip through therapy, email paralysis and the imagined personality of Anxiety herself. Drawn from true experiences, the show uses laughter to find connection inside the discomfort most people would rather quietly overthink at home. Visit Ventura
20 Hollywood Chola SOLO THEATER / COMING-OF-AGE COMEDY · A funny, fearless coming-of-age story explores family, culture and identity through a young woman learning which parts of herself belong to her and which were handed over by everyone else. Humor keeps the story moving while questions of belonging and self-definition cut considerably deeper. Ventura Breeze
25 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original work in a close acoustic setting where voice, instrument and point of view remain the whole apparatus. The room gives every song enough space to reveal whether it came prepared.
26 Dead Man THEATER NOIR / DARK COMEDY / CLOWN · Written and directed by Ann Noble, Dead Man drops a private-eye mystery into a dark-and-stormy 1940s noir world filtered through theatrical clowning. A murder investigation becomes a strange, sharp and unexpectedly tender exploration of mortality, redemption and the inconvenient fact that somebody is, indeed, dead. Visit Ventura
27 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Henry Stewart gathers writers around songs still in motion, working through structure, language, melody and revision. The goal remains deceptively modest: help the song become more completely the thing it was trying to be in the first place.
September11 Ventura Improv Comedy’s IMPROV SHOW IMPROV COMEDY · Audience suggestions become scenes, characters and comic worlds before anyone has enough time to make a responsible decision. The performers bring technique and trust; everything else has to be invented while you watch.
13 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Original songs return to a stripped-back acoustic format where the work receives the room’s full attention. Writers bring polished favorites, new experiments and songs currently insisting they are finished.
19 ANXIETY THE MUSICAL! (do you like that title? is that okay?) MUSICAL COMEDY / SOLO PERFORMANCE · Original songs, character monologues and audience interaction turn everyday anxiety into a funny, nervy trip through therapy, email paralysis and the imagined personality of Anxiety herself. Drawn from true experiences, the show uses laughter to find connection inside the discomfort most people would rather quietly overthink at home. Visit Ventura
20 Hollywood Chola SOLO THEATER / COMING-OF-AGE COMEDY · A funny, fearless coming-of-age story explores family, culture and identity through a young woman learning which parts of herself belong to her and which were handed over by everyone else. Humor keeps the story moving while questions of belonging and self-definition cut considerably deeper. Ventura Breeze
25 The Listening Room OPEN MIC / SINGER-SONGWRITER · Songwriters share original work in a close acoustic setting where voice, instrument and point of view remain the whole apparatus. The room gives every song enough space to reveal whether it came prepared.
26 Dead Man THEATER NOIR / DARK COMEDY / CLOWN · Written and directed by Ann Noble, Dead Man drops a private-eye mystery into a dark-and-stormy 1940s noir world filtered through theatrical clowning. A murder investigation becomes a strange, sharp and unexpectedly tender exploration of mortality, redemption and the inconvenient fact that somebody is, indeed, dead. Visit Ventura
27 Songwriter’s Workshop with Henry Stewart SONGWRITING / WORKSHOP · Henry Stewart gathers writers around songs still in motion, working through structure, language, melody and revision. The goal remains deceptively modest: help the song become more completely the thing it was trying to be in the first place.