The Arts & Community

The Willits Community Theatre offers drama, comedy, dance, music and a variety of live theater events for Willits and Mendocino County.

The Willits Community Theatre is located 125 miles north of San Francisco. Travel across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and Willits is the first stoplight. Honest! From humble beginnings in 1977, the theater has developed into a well-established organization, presenting live theater throughout the year.

Primarily a volunteer organization, Willits Community Theatre was incorporated in 1979. In 1988, it hired its first Artistic Director, Linda Palmer, a professional actor/dancer/director who is best remembered for her performance (as the ex-wife) in Bob Fosse's 1979 film All That Jazz.

Subsequent artistic directors have included screenwriter/director Lanny Cotler (films: The Earthling, 1981, as writer, and Heartwood, 1996, as writer and director) and John LeFan, long a mainstay with San Francisco's Artaud Theatre Group. Most recently, the legendary Mike A'Dair held this position for many productive years. Now, an Artistic Direction Committee of six persons selects each season for the Willits Community Theatre

The law states that no one can marry until Prince Dauntless the Drab weds, however every princess has failed the unfair tests devised my Queen Aggravaine. This becomes a problem for the leading knight of the realm, Sir Harry, as he discovers his girlfriend, Lady Larken, is pregnant.

Sir Harry embarks on a quest to find the last
princess in the realm and finds Princess Winnifred the Woebegone, a brash princess from the marshlands. Certainly too unrefined to feel a pea under several layers of mattresses…

This delightful musical interpretation of The Princess and the Pea is fun for the whole family.

Thursday, November 20, 7:00 PM - preview
Friday, November 21, 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 22, 8:00 PM
Matinee -- Sunday November 23, 2:00 PM

Located in the picturesque village of Mendocino, on California's North Coast, the Mendocino Theatre Company has been producing high quality theatre for nearly 25 years. The company performs in the intimate 83 seat Helen Schoeni Theatre, producing a variety of plays ranging from great literary classics to modern comedies, and from much performed chestnuts to original dramas.

Triangle Tattoo & Museum was founded in 1986 by tattooists Mr.G. and Madame Chinchilla   It is one of only a few public museums in the world dedicated to the display of tattoo artifacts. Located in downtown Ft. Bragg, across from the Guest House Museum, the collection is fittingly housed in one of the town's original Victorian store fronts. Triangle Tattoo & Museum is open  7 days a week from noon till six P.M.  All ages are welcome. Admission is free. School and personal tours are given upon request. Please call in advance. 

Besides 22 years of tattooing, Mr. G and Madame Chinchilla, are experienced in radio-television interviews and PowerPoint lectures. Both are authors, having written several feature articles for newspapers, magazines, and  four books on the subject of  TATTOOS. They have appeared in movies, documentaries and television dramas as tattooed characters (themselves) or tattoo scene consultants.

Currently, they both tattoo on a regular schedule while also working into print their latest book. Their newest book is a biography on the life and times of  the legendary Capt. Don Leslie who was one of the last of the old-time "Circus Tattooed Men" and a revered "Swordswallower". The book  titled "CAPTAIN DON LESLIE-MR. SIDESHOW", will be available early this summer. Mr.G's articles and columns appear in "Skin & Ink" Magazine.

The Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, California, is an art, history and anthropology museum focusing on the lifeworks of artist Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865-1937) and her ethnologist husband, Dr. John W. Hudson (1857-1936). Changing interdisciplinary exhibitions and public programs feature Western American art, California Indian cultures, histories of California's diverse North Coast region, and work of contemporary regional artists.

Our Base Camp is directly adjacent here so stop by there when you come to see us.

The Institute for Traditional Studies researches, performs and promotes traditional arts education. Our logo (above) was originally designed by Robert Donovan (Bob) Thomas, who was a founding member of the Institute. Though the original drawing was lost; an embossing stamp remained. Melissa Fischbach, who knew Robert since birth has copied the stamp design as close as possible. Bob Thomas is most recognized for his famous logo (Skull with lightning bolt) that he designed for the Grateful Dead, (rock band).

"Mission Statement" 

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Welcome to the opera! From its inception in 1996, Opera Fresca has demonstrated a strong, unparalleled commitment to fulfilling our mission to make opera accessible to a wide audience at a high level of artistry and performance. Much of the success of Opera Fresca’s distinctive and unique style is the remarkable result of wonderful voices, chamber orchestra, world-class musical and artistic direction, and the generosity and support of our creative, caring coastal community. We thank all of you!

Now, as we present our tenth season, we can be proud of all we have accomplished in these ten years. Together, through our dedicated efforts, we have achieved tremendous growth and success. Opera Fresca is increasingly recognized as tracking the future of the arts on the Mendocino Coast. As Artistic/General Director, I am committed to an infinite vision for Opera Fresca, continually expanding the horizons of our knowledge, our talents and our skills. I am committed to ensuring that Opera Fresca develops the kind of stamina and character necessary to achieve our goals. Success in any worthwhile endeavor is a marathon, not a sprint!

"a one-of-a-kind environment where high-level craftsmanship can flourish, where creativity can be shared, and where artisans can make a good living working at their craft.
The building we're set to purchase is beautiful and historic, and the space inside is airy and inspiring. Built in 1902 in the town of Ferndale, at the edge of northern California’s “Lost Coast” it has been many things over the years. Originally a confectionery and cigar shop, then in the 1970s the studio and gallery of the late (and much loved) Ferndale artist, Viola Russ-McBride"

"

We aim to create a space where the general public can experience the kind of high-level craftsmanship that normally is hidden away in back alley workshops and garages, and where the artisans --and Craftsmanship itself-- can thrive. By bringing the area's finest artisans together under one roof, the wide scope of their combined talents and inspiration should become an epic attraction. The increased and intimate exposure to a curious public should naturally equate to increased sales. Typically, artists and craftspeople struggle to find the kind of exposure they need to sell their craft, and commonly must agree to forfeit 30-45% of the selling price in exchange for showroom space. At Mind's Eye Manufactory, exposure and contact with the public will be a key part of the environment. From our bakery/gallery in the front, visitors will be able to look through to the large open shop area where they will see:
*wooden boats under construction,
*bronze parts and sculptures being poured in the foundry area,
*a blacksmith forging iron into art,
*furniture being made,
*a luthier finishing a violin
…etc., etc.