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There is plenty going on in Pleasanton during the month ahead, both for those who want to get out and enjoy the spring weather and for those who want to duck indoors amid the recent 90-degree-plus days (or even rain that could apparently return next week?).
The Firehouse Arts Center, the creative and artistic heartbeat of downtown Pleasanton, is welcoming the three-weekend run of “The Song of the Nightingale” starting this Saturday.
Billed as a “fairytale musical”, the play is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Nightingale” written and composed by Bay Area playwright Min Kahng and set in ancient China. Read more about the Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre production in this week’s cover story by our reporter Nicole Gonzales.
“The Song of the Nightingale” will be the primary presence in the main Firehouse theater for the next three weeks, with one exception being the latest installment of the Museum on Main’s Ed Kinney Speaker Series. On May 9, actor J.T. Turner will embody a legendary American poet for “An Afternoon or Evening with Robert Frost” (a virtual version will follow on May 16).
Of course, all the while the Harrington Gallery inside the venue is displaying some of the most amazing artworks created in and around the Bay Area during the past year as part of the “Fresh Works XI” exhibition, which is open through June 10.
After the musical closes, the Firehouse stage will feature a handful of shows for the second half of the month, including “Puppets of Impulse” from May 18-20 brought to us by local teen improv troupe Creatures of Impulse, the High School Music Collaborative’s “Grad Night” presentation on May 26 and 1990s rock tribute band Citizen Flannel on May 27.
Also this month, the Amador Theater will host the Pleasanton Youth Theatre Company’s production of “Annie KIDS” on May 12-13, an adaptation of the classic musical “Annie” for an all-children cast.
Pleasanton’s other major entertainment facility, the Alameda County Fairgrounds, has a full slate of special events over the next month as well.
One big draw there will be the Spring Manufacturers’ RV Show & Sale, set for May 6-14, which promises to bring significant crowds and exhibitors like in past years. On that first Saturday of May, the fairgrounds will also see action at Pleasanton Off-Track Betting with livestreaming of the Kentucky Derby; the Preakness Stakes will follow on May 20.
For fans of everything comic book related, the fairgrounds is hosting Powerhouse Comic Con on May 20, with a variety of artists, comics, toys, collectibles, games and more.
The next week will bring the West Coast Buildings & Facilities Management Trade Show & Conference from May 23-24, and then the 626 Night Market food and entertainment fest from May 26-28.
Oh, and don’t forget about the PPIE Run for Education this Sunday (April 30) and the National Day of Prayer presentation on Thursday (May 4) — both at the fairgrounds.
Next weekend will mark a major showcase for Main Street, as the Pleasanton Downtown Association celebrates the return of its First Weekends on Main. The street will be closed to vehicular traffic for May 5-7 to allow pedestrians and cyclists to take over and better enjoy all that the historical downtown has to offer.
A highlight for that weekend will be next Saturday (May 6), with the PDA’s annual Wine & Art Stroll from 5-8 p.m.
While you’re downtown, consider checking out the amazing visual display at the Museum on Main in the traveling exhibit “She Sang Me a Good Luck Song: The California Indian Photographs of Dugan Aguilar” — which highlights the work of the late photographer who documented Native American life and culture in California. It’s open through May 27.
The museum in the center of downtown is also holding its first Celebrate Community event of 2023 next month, a pop-up program led by a Sunol Visitor Center naturalist entitled “Chinese Laborers and The Transcontinental Railroad” from 1-3 p.m. May 13.
And that’s just a snapshot of the special events going on in Pleasanton during the next month — let alone those on the docket at the awesome venues across the Tri-Valley. I’m sure I missed something, so please check out our full calendar online at pleasantonweekly.com/calendar.
