Top Tickets: February 25-March 3

Diablo's picks for the can't-miss events of the coming week: Yiyun Li, The Vagina Monologues, Video Games Live, the Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival, and PostSecret.

The East Bay is THE place to be this week, with hot, nationally renowned writers, films, and performances making appearances from Clayton to Livermore.  You won’t want to miss these great events…

February 26: Yiyun Li
Oakland writer Yiyun Li earned heaps of praise and the PEN/Hemingway Award for her debut A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. She stops in Clayton to promote and read from her new novel The Vagrants, about the execution of a counterrevolutionary in 1970s China and the reverberating affect on the small town of Muddy River. Clayton Books, 5433-D Clayton Rd., Clayton, 7 p.m., free, (925) 673-3325, claytonbookshop.com.

February 27, March 6–7: The Vagina Monologues
The Tri-Valley Haven presents its annual fundraising production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. Proceeds from the play—a series of monologues covering everything from sex to birth to menstruation—benefit the Haven’s work supporting victims of domestic abuse in the Tri-Valley. Bankhead Theatre, 2400 First St., Livermore, $26–$41, (925) 373-6800, tickets: livermoreperformingarts.org, more info: trivalleyhaven.org.

February 28: Video Games Live
Art and technology converge in one seriously awesome spectacle at Video Games Live, a concert of music from the most popular video games of all time—from sparse Nintendo themes to the epic orchestration of World of Warcraft—with orchestras, choirs, video, lighting, and live action. Great for all ages—especially your 12-year-old son. Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 8 p.m., $39–$59, (510) 625-8497, tickets: anotherplanetent.com, more info: videogameslive.com.

February 28–March 6: Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival
In its 14th year, the Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival is bigger than ever. The 30 movies being screened feature stories of Jewish life around the world and pivotal moments in Israel’s history. For $165, the Reel Star Festival Pass gives access to all the festival’s films. Tickets may also be purchased individually. CineArts in Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa Jewish Community Center in Walnut Creek, Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek, and Vine Cinema in Livermore. See website for schedule and tickets: eastbayjewishfilm.org.

March 1–April 19: PostSecret
Five years after Frank Warren invited 3,000 strangers to mail him their deepest secrets, PostSecret’s anonymous and artistic postcards have become a global phenomenon spawning a wildly successful website (155 million views) and four bestselling books. In this traveling exhibition, view 400 postcards revealing personal—and often universal—fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek, $3–$5, (925) 295-1417, exhibit info: bedfordgallery.org, PostSecret blog: postsecret.com.

For even more events happening this week, browse the complete listings on Diablo’s Community Calendar.
 

Posted at 11:24 AM in Best Of Editor Picks | Permalink