Drew Harrison
In The Spirit of Lennon
Friday, October 12  8:00 pm – TONIGHT!

Drew Harrison, the renowned “Lennon” vocalist of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere Beatles tribute band, The Sun Kings, performs a very special show celebrating the life and music of John Lennon.

In the Spirit of Lennon is Drew’s tribute to John Lennon, and interpretation of his music. He goes beyond just sounding like him, but captures the intensity that Lennon brought to the Beatles music as well as his own. This intimate and emotional performance has been seen and heard nationwide, in South America and in Europe. Most recently, Drew was invited to perform In the Spirit of Lennon at the Latin American Beatles Fest in Buenos Aires and in Louisville, KY where he performed at Abbey Road on the River, both solo as well as with The Sun Kings.

El Campanil Theatre
Trivia Night Fundraiser
Saturday, October 13

Trivia Night is a casual competition among teams of 10 players. (Smaller groups will be considered subject to availability.) We are limiting the number of tables to 30.  The most successful teams are usually the ones with a broad range of ages in their group.  This is a fun evening for Clubs, Businesses, Co-Workers, Friends and Families.  There are 10 categories.  Each category has 10 questions.  To kick off our first annual Trivia Night we thought it fitting to have all questions related to ENTERTAINMENT. Scores are tallied after each round so that teams can see where they stand. At the end of the evening, each member of the winning team is awarded a winner’s gift bag with merchandise & gift cards.

It will be a festive night.  Each table can be as creative as they want with their own menu, table decorations and dinnerware.

The Diamonds
50’s Rock & Roll
Sat. October 20 8:00 pm

Classic Rock & Roll with today’s attitude! In 1957 THE DIAMONDS released an instant million selling hit called Little Darlin’. The song continues to sell worldwide and has been dubbed “the National Anthem of Rock and Roll”. To date it has sold approximately 20 million copies. The Diamonds’ many accomplishments over the years include: 33 appearances on American Bandstand, Doo-Wop Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, 16 hit records, 3 certified Gold Records, Soundtrack of “American Graffiti”, Soundtrack of “Happy Days”.

Through the years since the release of Little Darlin’, THE DIAMONDS have learned one important lesson-the durability of this classic rock and roll music is as much about the future as it is about the past. As a result, THE DIAMONDS continue to expand their audience to this day, performing in a variety of venues and settings worldwide. These performances include – with Symphony Orchestras, in Performing Arts Theatres and major concert halls, on cruise ships, in casinos, at county and state fairs, on tours of England, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and Japan, for benefit concerts, corporate conventions and at nightclubs. “We’ve been pleased to find a growing audience among all age groups. They love songs they can understand, remember and actually sing the words to – today, tomorrow, or even 20 years from now.”

International Film Showcase Presents
Noodle

Fri. October 26  7:30 pm and Sun. October 28 2:00 pm

At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been summarily deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings — as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing — accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life.

Israel 2007
Directed by: Ayelet Menahemi
Run Time: 90 minutes
Language: Hebrew & Mandarin
Subtitles: English

Royal Society
Jazz Orchestra
Sat. October 27  8:00 pm
Don Neely, vocalist Carla Normand, and the ten-piece Royal Society Jazz Orchestra of San Francisco are renowned for authentically performing the exciting sound of Big Band Swing, Hot Syncopated 1920s Jazz, 1930s & 1940s Swing, Blues, Dixieland, Vintage Jazz, and Traditional Jazz. They perform for parties, concerts, weddings, vintage weddings, jazz festivals, and special events with three ensembles: Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, Sextet, and Quartet. They do it all, from romantic background music to the hottest dance band rhythms and jazz – and everything in between.
Innovators such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Biederbecke, and Louis Armstrong are among the RSJO’s inspirations. They have an unmistakably authentic sound, yet, you will discover upon seeing them live and hearing their recordings, that the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra has a colorful style of its own.

Dancers love the infectious rhythms of the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Popular dance steps include Swing, Fox Trot, Lindy Hop, Waltz, Tango, Charleston, Rumba, Samba. They play songs by George Gershwin, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Walter Donaldson, Harold Arlen, and Johnny Mercer. Also in their colorful repertoire are songs from Tin Pan Alley, Vaudeville, the Cotton Club, and Art Deco-era cinema and Broadway.

For tickets or more information visit www.ElCampanilTheatre.com

International Film Showcase & El Campanil Theatre present
Montevideo – Taste of a Dream
Friday September 21  7:30
Sunday September 23  2:00

Video & More … Buy Tickets

Two Time SF Comedy Competition Winner Comedian Don Friesen
Direct from his Showtime Comedy Special

Saturday September 22   8:00 pm

Video & More … Buy Tickets

Fabulous Follies

September 28-30

October 5-7

More … Buy Tickets

Sin (pronounced Shin, short for Sinead – it’s Gaelic/Irish) Silver will perform this Friday night, September 14 and next Friday night, September 21 at Schooner’s Grill & Brewery in Antioch starting at 7:00 p.m.  Schooner’s is located at 4250 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, near the AMC Theaters. For reservations call (925) 776-1800 and for more information visit their website at www.schoonersbrewery.com.

Workers finish the sign at Maya Cinemas on Thursday, August 1, 2012

By Allen Payton, Publisher

East County has another place to attend the movies, now that Maya Cinemas opened in Pittsburg, where the Brenden Theatres chain got its start.

According to the San Francisco Business Times, Maya Cinemas “rejuvenated the dilapidated 54,760-square foot theater complex at Century Plaza in Pittsburg. This week, the group finalized a 20-year lease agreement with Sierra Pacific, which owns the retail center.”

For now 12 of the 16 theaters will be open showing new-release feature films. The reconstruction also opened up the entrance with a large lobby and snack bar.

Lifelong friend Irma Garcia with CEO Mocte Esparza at the new Maya Cinemas in Pittsburg, California.

A special pre-Grand Opening party was held on Thursday, August 2 for local dignitaries and community leaders. In attendance was Antioch Councilwoman Mary Rocha and her husband Louie, as well as Carmen Ochoa of Give Always To Others & Company. Attendees were treated to a free showing of either Batman: The Dark Knight Rises or The Amazing Spiderman movies following the reception.

That was followed by a Grand Opening on Friday night, August 3 for the public.

Moctesuma Esparza, CEO of Maya Cinemas was in attendance. Mocte, as he is known, has been involved in the movie industry for almost 40 years. He is an award-winning producer, with the movies “Salena,” as well as “Gods and Generals” and “Gettysberg” to his credit.

Tuesday is Family Day at Maya Cinemas when all seats are $5.50 and 3D features are $8.50 all day. Wednesday is Seniors’ Day, when Seniors age 60 and above enjoy $4.00 admission and $7 for 3D features.  Some limitations apply. See their website for details.

Maya Cinemas is developing a chain of megaplex movie theaters focused on providing the highest quality movie-going experience in new and redevelopment market areas. This is their third location, with others located in Salinas and Bakersfield.

By capitalizing on the expertise of its management team Maya intends to develop movie theaters in locations with a strong Latino presence.

Maya theaters offers first-run Hollywood movies, and in one screen specialty and Spanish language films, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and providing first-rate entertainment with superior customer service. For more information visit www.MayaCinemas.com.

Saturday, August 18, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: Adults (18 and over) $15 Seniors (62 and over) $12 Children (17 and under) $10

The  U. S. Premiere in May 2012 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center is followed by this performance at El Campanil Theatre.

TAGABANUA, a dance interpretation conceptualized, designed and choreographed by Jay Loyola featuring traditional music by a Philippine indigenous tribe in Palawan with performances by dance and musical artists of the bay Area.

Taga Banua is a Palawano word that means “from the village.” Loyola created the concept in 1998 as a way to incorporate native dance forms to assimilate his art to people’s lives and the importance of the community to strengthen cultural identity. The project fulfills Loyola’s passion for dance and sharing these art forms with the world as he continues to work untiringly towards the refinement of Philippine dance into its highest disciplined form and as well as the preservation of Philippine traditional dance forms – by continually exploring interdisciplinary collaborations in his advocacy for peace and equality.

The piece will be narrated by the artists through dance and music, leading the audience on a journey through sounds and rhythms set against a backdrop of a Palawan indigenous village. This work will integrate original indigenous music and chants from the Philippines. The dance and music composition will incorporate Palawan rituals and shamanic percussive rhythm structures which will be integrated with the compositions of the performing artists.

“Alab ng Puso” is a dance that explores the meaning, perception, and exploration for beauty and understanding. Inspiration came from the simple, yet profound lyrics of Lupang Hinirang the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe, with lyrics in Spanish adapted from the poem Filipinas, written by José Palma in 1899.

The performance features the World Premiere of Jay Loyola’s new work inspired by Lucrecia Reyes- Urtula’s “Lemlunay Festival”” The piece is collaboration with award-winning Philippine composer Tony Castro and will be performed to live instrumentation by American Center of Philippine Arts. The program will also include “Mindanao Pageantry” (1994) “Philippine Panorama” (1990).

You will have the opportunity to see the talented young dancers of the ACPA SEED program.

About the American Center of Philippine Arts

Our mission is to provide a unique educational and developmental platform for multidisciplinary Philippine arts through innovative hands-on classes, collaborations, networking opportunities, and showcasing events. We strive to nurture both traditional and progressive Philippine arts to strengthen our community and ethnic identity. 

Jay Loyola, along with trained dancers, instructs youth on basic steps in Philippine Folk Dance and applies it to choreography and the stage. Philippines history and culture will also be emphasized. Each class is designed with the student in mind for natural progression and growth.

Artistic Director & Co-Founder – Jay Loyola

For almost two decades, Jay Loyola has created dance pieces performed by cultural groups in the Philippines, Asia and Europe. His dance method have garnered respect form his peers as he emerged as the Bay Area’s ingenious  dance practitioner with choreographies motivated through immersions in Philippine indigenous tribes. He has significantly contributed to Bay Area’s multicultural landscape by performances at major venues such as Palace of Fine Arts, and Cowell Theater as well as festival events like San Francisco Ethnic Festival, Pistahan Festival, and Filipino-American Arts Exposition that have been attended in by more than 150,000 audiences who yearn to experience a genuine Philippine dance experience.

Tickets May Be Purchased in Advance at the Ticket Office 604 W. Second Street – next door to the Theatre – Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and one hour before showtime or by phone at (925) 757-9500 or online at www.elcampaniltheatre.com.