ON Culture | ‘Tis the Season for All Types of Enjoyable Happenings

This version of ON Culture was initially emailed to subscribers on November 21, 2025. To obtain Leslie Dinaberg’s arts publication in your inbox on Fridays, enroll at independent.com/newsletters.

ON the Stage

There’s no higher time to be a Jane Austen aficionado than the vacation season. In between all the new Austen-inspired vacation romantic comedy motion pictures on TV, we get the West Coast premiere of The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridgedfrom Ensemble Theatre Company. Between the fast wit, sharp social commentary, and relatably human characters, I can’t wait to see what sort of shenanigans we have now in retailer for us December 3-21 on the New Vic Theatre. “An affectionate tribute to the author whose characters live indelibly in the minds of readers all over the world,” wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The show’s real charm lies in its delicate negotiation between homage and parody.” Click here for tickets.

You additionally nonetheless have this weekend to see the jolly good SBCC scholar manufacturing of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (learn my evaluate right here). And if that’s not sufficient, you possibly can all the time stream Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (primarily based on the charming e-book by Melissa de la Cruz), or go old fashioned and consider my private favourite, the 1995 Pride and Prejudice sequence starring the “real” Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth. (Check out his well-known “falling in love” face here. I imply, how will you resist?)

ON the Page

The first challenge within the Community Arts Residency at SBCAW kicks off on Tuesday, December 2, at 5 p.m. with a free poetry and storytelling workshop. Artists and poets Tayllor and Ademola Oyewole-Davis current “Storytelling is the Revolution — What’s Your Story?” Free and open to everybody (18+ years outdated), deliver one thing to jot down with and revel in a protected neighborhood area for individuals to share their tales and write about them via poetry. The artists will assist neighborhood members within the writing, modifying, and efficiency course of with two free workshops per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m., culminating in a showcase and exhibition in March 2026.

Refreshments are supplied and all ranges of expertise are welcome. The workshops search to deliver collectively individuals from all walks of life. The organizers stated, “Feel free to drop in for just one evening and see what it is about, or commit to as much as you choose. The workshops will build to a concluding showcase, but the point is to give our community a chance to write, share stories, and build connections.” Click here to register.

ON the (Big) Screen

SBIFF is on a roll proper now, with actual life tremendous hero Cynthia Erivo (see the video here) set to obtain the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film on December 4 on the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. Tickets are nonetheless obtainable for this pink carpet dinner and tribute, which is a black tie fundraiser for all of SBIFF’s fabulous teaching programs. Click here for extra info.

Then there’s the just lately introduced addition of Stellan Skarsgård to the pageant. He will obtain the Montecito Award on February 11, in recognition of his efficiency in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, by which he performs Gustav Borg, a as soon as celebrated however now reclusive movie director hoping to reunite along with his estranged daughters whereas making an attempt to reclaim his misplaced fame. Critics are hailing his efficiency as among the finest of his storied profession, cementing him as certainly one of cinema’s greats. “He makes it look easy to embody both complex protagonists and nuanced villains with gravitas and an ability to convey profound emotional depth,” stated SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling. Click here for tickets and extra info.

ON the Walls

Miss Daisy’s Consignment and Auction House — Glenn Novack’s home of treasures within the outdated Sears constructing in La Cumbre Plaza — has a extremely cool factor they do referred to as “Consign for a Cause,” which designates an area nonprofit to get the proceeds from the sale of particular objects. This month’s charity is ShelterBox U.S.A., a world catastrophe aid group whose president, Kerri Murray, and her staff are primarily based in Santa Barbara. And this month’s designated artworks are by LeRoy Almon, Jon Bok, and Brad Nack.

Nack’s oil portray of the long-lasting Joe’s Café is especially cool. “Joe’s Café is an iconic and historic meeting place where Santa Barbara locals have hung out and enjoyed great times for decades,” he stated.  “I’m happy my painting supports ShelterBox, because their team members are out there helping people who are not doing as well as we are.” Click here for extra details about “Consign for a Cause,” and click on here for extra on Miss Daisy.

ON the Schedule

The holidays deliver a theatrical observe to a great deal of issues, together with the S.B. cocktail scene. Check out my story on entering into the vacation spirit(s) right here, and discover out about all the festive methods to whet your vacation whistle at Pearl Social, Craft House at Corque in Solvang, Shaker Mill (which has a particular Nightmare Before Christmas theme), San Ysidro Ranch, and Finch & Fork.

I didn’t get the information in time for my story, however Tinsel Tavern can also be again at Paloma via January 4. This festive celebration within the decked-out bar contains some enjoyable specialty drinks like Blitzen Mule, The Gingerbread Manhattan, and The Drunken Nutcracker, in addition to some particular small bites. Click here for more information.

ON the Calendar

The all the time pleasant Jake Shimabukuro brings his unparalleled ukulele skills to city on December 10 for Jake Shimabukuro’s Holidays in Hawai‘i, on the Arlington. Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, Shimabukuro — together with Jackson Waldhoff on bass and Justin Kawika Youn on vocals — will strum his method along with his trademark aloha spirit via a dynamic repertoire that mixes his signature present favorites with a vibrant assortment of vacation classics. Click right here for extra info.

For a whole calendar of occasions this week and past, go to independent.com/events/.