LAUGH WITH MOM Mother’s Day is this Sunday and while you might not be able to see mom in person this year, you can certainly laugh together with a Six Feet Apart YouTube Live storytelling event. Styled like the Moth story sessions, this Mother’s Day special will include tales about all things motherhood, from being a mom to having a unique one to mothering those around us. Hosted by comedian Regina Stoops, the event welcomes award-winning storytellers from the Bay Area along with those from Minnesota, Belgium and Chicago. Bring your tissues: this storytelling event is sure to make you laugh, cry, and yearn for mom. Sunday, May 10, 7:30 pm. Tickets available with a donation of $1 or more.
HERSHEY FELDER FROM ITALY A little song, dance, and applause can’t hurt while we await the next phase of this global pandemic. You can support your local Berkeley Repertory Theatre by enjoying a night of musical virtuoso in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Songwriter Who Gave America a Voice.” In this acclaimed show, Felder will play many of Berlin’s hit singles like “God Bless America,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and “White Christmas.” The show will be performed and streamed live from Florence, Italy, where Felder lives. To incorporate some audience interaction, viewers can text Felder during the Q&A section, where he will answer live. You’ll be singing along to those catchy tunes for weeks to come. Sunday, May 10, 5 pm. Tickets are $50 a household.
RARE WHITE PEOPLE If you’re in the mood for some satire, drama, and dance, you won’t want to miss Dustin Chinn’s play Snowflakes, or Rare White People, directed by Mina Morita in the department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at Cal. The story takes place in the 23rd century in Nueva New York, where white people have become a minority. A couple of the last living ones are taken to the Hall of Caucasian Peoples in the Museum of Natural History until they are freed by a gift shop employee, and the story unravels from there. While the play couldn’t be performed live in the theater, the production team has converted it into a radio play accompanied by an entertaining dance sequence recorded on Zoom. This sharp piece of science fiction is the perfect escape from the uncertainty of the times. Free. You must request access to the radio play online. The recording is available until May 10 at 7 p.m.
FRIDA KAHLO A little time to yourself can really work wonders on your creativity. The deYoung Museum, which had to close their show “Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving” due to COVID-19, is offering a bold and fun educational guide for kids to see the world through the eyes of Kahlo. Referring to the artist’s illnesses and chronic pain, the discovery guide includes a section on disability and creativity that asks kids to consider how art can be a source of hope for times of illness. The guide also provides tips on how to draw self-portraits, Kahlo’s medium of choice, giving pointers on symbolism, fashion, and framing. It’s never too early to develop a sense of confident self-expression.
ASIAN ART May is Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month and what better way to celebrate these rich cultures than a digital visit to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. You can start your online trip with a #MuseumMomentofZen on YouTube, where curator Jeff Durham leads us through a calming meditative history on Amitabha meditation. If you want to keep those chill vibes, check out their video on calming art where curator Forrest McGill describes an intricate seventeenth century Indian hookah base. You can also sample some Asian food with the museum’s cooking videos of fare like the Ram-Don made by the characters in Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, Avocado Miso Toast, and the Arab street food Mana-eesh. Don’t forget to check out their online collection of over 18,000 artworks, download educational videos and lessons on Asia for kids and families, and even snag a cool Asian art background to use on Zoom.
