March is Women’s History Month, and there are so many events this week you can join to celebrate – from improv to feminist retellings of ancient Greek myths and more. Plus, this weekend you can meet the candidates running to represent you in the GWNC (don’t forget to request your ballot by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9th!)
Arts & Culture
The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center’s Black Carpet Speaker Series continues on Saturday, March 6th at 12:00 p.m. with a conversation between MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Grammy winner, singer, fiddle and banjo player, Rhiannon Giddens, and southern soul singer, Apple Music Country Radio’s host of “Color Me Country,” and singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer, “as they discuss their groundbreaking careers, journey, struggle, triumphs and more.” The event is free, but registration is required.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 6, the Craft Contemporary will host a virtual tea and dumpling-themed art workshop, “Cooking and Craft with Corinna and More: Dumplings, Afternoon Tea, and Porcelain Dumplings.” It’s hosted by Craft Contemporary Trustee Corinna Cotsen, “who will teach attendees how to make shrimp dumplings (plant-based option available) with a special sauce. Following Corinna’s program will be a tea exploration with Lisa Scimens. Concluding the program will be a porcelain clay workshop with Seattle-based artist Ling Chun.” Sign up at the link above to receive a Zoom link for the program. Cost is $25 without the workshop material kit, and $60 with the kit and shipping.
On Thursday, March 11, at 6 p.m., the Wilshire Branch Library will present a live Zoom performance by Strange Interlude. “Back by popular demand, the harp and cello duo will perform works by Saint-Saëns and local award-winning composer Liza Wallace. The 30-minute concert will be followed by a Q&A, delving further inside the works as well as the technical, artistic and personal process of making a piece of music come alive. This free event is made possible with support from the Friends of the Wilshire Branch Library.” Contact [email protected] for Zoom login information.
Through Friday, March 19th, you can watch Laurel Ollstein’s Pandora, brought to you by the Getty Villa. The play is a “theatrical retelling of the first human female to appear in Greek mythology and asks: “what if a woman was suddenly created and dropped into the middle of the world now?” Someone with no preconceived notions of anything—like beauty, love, or violence? And what if the rest of humanity and the gods could suddenly see the world through those clear eyes?” Register to watch here.
The Groundlings are also getting in on Women’s History Month with Sister Groundlings – join “the ladies of the Main Company for a night of hilarious virtual improv” every Saturday this month at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $12, and after the show you can stick around for an audience “Cocktails and Questions” with the cast.
Community & History
Look What SHE Did!’s annual fudraising event is going virtual on Sunday, March 7th 1:00 p.m. with a one-hour livestream to honor legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta, who’ll be joining the event following a Look What SHE Did short film about her life. The organization aims “to inspire women and girls to greatness by bringing to light stories of remarkable women who changed the world” by “creating short films and events featuring female storytellers celebrating the women who inspire them.” Tickets start at only $10.
On Wednesday, March 10th at 6:00 p.m. join the Ebell’s Speaker Series and hear from Dr. Shelley Luce, the President, CEO, and Executive Director of Heal the Bay. Dr. Luce has been with the organization since she volunteered with it in college, and “has been there as Heal the Bay created a small educational aquarium at the base of the Santa Monica Pier and stood up to big oil companies.” The event is free, but donations are requested and registration is required.
Hollywood Heritage and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association present a virtual tribute to “The Fox Blondes,” Alice Faye & Betty Grable on Wednesday, March 10th at 7:30 p.m. The event will include a CD release party of two forthcoming Sepia Records CDs, which will include rare soundtrack songs from their films of the ’30s and ’40s and will feature exclusive interviews with Singer/Songwriter Michael Feinstein, as well as George Ulrich, Faye expert and webmaster of The Alice Faye Website.
Along similar thematic lines, Esotouric’s weekly webinar on Saturday, March 6th at 12:00 p.m. dives into “The Birth of Noir with James M. Cain & Raymond Chandler.” You’ll “explore Cain’s world, from Hollywood to Glendale and along old Route 66, from Forest Lawn Memorial Park (site of a tragic scene from “Mildred Pierce”) to the Glendale Train Station (“Double Indemnity”), from seedy roadside attractions to hard-boiled Skid Row taverns and hotels. And you’ll learn about the artisans who adapted Cain’s fictions into Film Noir, including Raymond Chandler, Billy Wilder, Joan Crawford and Lana Turner.” Tickets are $10, and the webinar is viewable for the week following the event.
Local Government
The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Outreach Committee meets Saturday, March 6th at 9:30 a.m., but this weekend you can also attend Candidate Forums on Saturday, March 6th at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 7th at 1:00 p.m. to hear from each of the candidates running to represent you on the GWNC – both for area representative positions and special interest seats. Tuesday, March 9th is the last day to request your ballot to vote in the GWNC election! The GWNC Board also meets this week on Wednesday, March 10th at 7:00 p.m.
The Mid-City West Community Council‘s monthly board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 9th, at 6:30 p.m.
