There’s never a shortage of film, theater, music and other arts events in Stanford and further afield. Here are our curated recommendations for the best affordable events to attend, films to see and things to do this week.
Film
If you still haven’t caught up on recent awards contenders, do it this week while the Stanford Theatre in downtown Palo Alto is closed. Catch one of The Daily’s critics’ picks, Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” (Jan. 5 – Jan. 11), at the Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto and Jean Marc Vallée’s excellent film “Wild” (Jan. 5 – Jan. 11) at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park. “Wild” stars Reese Witherspoon as a woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo to recover from past trauma, including her mother’s death, which is based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed, who will speak at Stanford next week (Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.). Or head to Page Mill Road and El Camino Real to catch up with “Birdman,” a backstage drama about an aging actor trying to reinvent himself. Michael Keaton stars, and is the current frontrunner for Best Actor in the Oscar race.
If you want to catch up on your classics, we recommend heading to San Francisco to see Swedish Auteur Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” (Jan. 8) and Stanley Kubrick’s horror flick “The Shining” (Jan. 9) at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco. On Sunday (Jan. 11) you can catch “The Wizard of Oz” on the big screen at Century Cinemas 16 in Mountain View.
Music
Although the Stanford Live Program at Bing Concert Hall is on hiatus for the first week of the quarter, it’s a great week for live music in San Francisco. Catch Bay Area filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s classic “The Godfather” on the big screen (Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 at 8 p.m.) at Davies Symphony Hall with a live score played by the San Francisco Symphony. For more classical fare, head to the SF Symphony on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 11 at 2 p.m.) for an intimate chamber music program featuring works by Mozart, Kapustin and Dvořák, along with a Handel Passacaglia arranged by Norwegian violinist Johan Halvorsen. Come back to Davies Symphony Hall in the evening (Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.) to hear legendary pianist Emanuel Ax, whose playing The Washington Post described as “thoughtful, lyrical, lustrous,” give a solo recital, including works by Bizet, Rameau, Debussy, and Chopin.
Theater
The Winter Quarter season of Stanford TAPS and student theater productions has yet to get going, but this week is your chance to get a role in a few of the productions -“Evita,” “Hairspray,” and “Mirror Image.”
The Tony Award Winning musical “Evita” holds auditions this week (Jan. 5 – Jan. 7, 7 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium, with callbacks Jan. 8 and 9). You must sign up for an audition slot online in advance. More information about the production, which tells the story of Argentine First Lady Eva Perón, can be found here; it will be directed by Sammi Cannold.
The Tony Award Winning “Hairspray” has auditions Jan. 5 – Jan. 7 this week as well, with callbacks Jan. 8 and 9. You can sign up here and get more information about the dance-filled musical which looks at social injustices in the 1960s here; the production will be directed by Ken Savage.
Finally, the original musical “Mirror Image,” written by students Louis Lagalante and Patty Hamilton (who will also be directing), has auditions on Jan. 6 and 7, with callbacks Jan. 9. More information about the production, which explores two friends looking for their big break in NYC, social activism, and more, is available here, and audition sign-ups are found here.
Visual Arts
Today is the last day to see the excellent Robert Frank in America photography exhibit at the Cantor Arts Centre, guest-curated by former MOMA curator Peter Galassi, whom we interviewed in November. You can also catch the new Robert Rauschenberg exhibit of photographs documenting the Apollo 11 launch, which opened at Cantor in December. Arts & Life also sat down with curator James Merle Thomas for an interview about the exhibit, which will be in tomorrow’s paper.
Architecture
Don’t miss the free walking tour of the Stanford University Medical Center Architecture (Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.), which is offered only once a month. Register in advance online.
Write for Arts & Life at The Daily
Arts & Life is continuing to accept applications from both undergraduates and graduate students for staff writer positions in film, theater, music, and visual arts, throughout the week. For more information about how to apply, visit our application website here: https://sites.google.com/a/stanforddaily.com/arts-life-application/.
Contact the Arts & Life Editorial Staff at arts ‘at’ stanforddaily.com.