Lompoc Civic Theater

‘The Revolutionists’ Dinner Theater to Lose Your Head Over

by Jeff Wing

The small-town civic theater is an enduring symbol; the unassuming downtown performance company – founded long ago by beloved local dandies – that secretly fuels the community’s daily life. The butcher, baker, and candlestick maker (the professional class, that is) have always been the gray-flannel measure of community progress. The town playhouse, though – dowdy little box of thespian magic under whose proscenium generations of our friends and neighbors stun us into quiet epiphany –this is the animating life force of the village. You exit the theater under watchful starlight, your inner life recharged. The art flame that vitalizes human culture rarely burns with more charming, earnest ferocity than in a town’s civic theater.

“Lompoc is often overlooked as a center of theatrical events in the Santa Ynez Valley,” says Emma Recher, Lompoc Civic Theater (LCT) Association board member and avid spokesperson. “The fact is, we’re a dynamic community fighting to revive our historic cinema and to provide amazing cultural opportunities for our residents.”

And that they are doing. Founded in 1972 by local devotees and thespians Walter Dundon, Kay La Rue, Al Thompson, and Marian Stave – and temporarily indisposed by a global pandemic whose name shall go unmentioned here – LCT has roared back into the follow spot with a stunning dinner theater production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists. Under Michelle Pittenger’s direction, the play is a wild, idea-spurring ride set in the France of 1793 – the year the Revolution’s head-removal enthusiasms started to get out of hand. Four women of the period, genuine historical figures, navigate the madness with scathing wit and wisdom. Ticket price for this evening of immersive dinner theater includes a French-inspired meal to be enjoyed before the performance.

Playwright Lauren Gunderson is two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting.

“After a mandatory two-year hiatus, the LCT Association is back on track,” Recher says. “We’re offering four evenings of unforgettable dinner theater at the Mission Club (4300 Club House Rd, Lompoc, CA) on April 22, May 6, and June 10 and 17. The Revolutionists is a powerful and raucous play that will resonate with all who see it.” The Lompoc Theater Project can’t help but be positively affected by LCT’s colorful return. “We’re so proud to be bringing this production to the Santa Ynez Valley, and we hope to help revive our landmark theater in the process.”

Call 805-735-ACTI for Tickets & Info or Visit www.FreshTix.com

Doors open at 5:30. Reservations by Tuesday before each performance. Limited Seating Available; Includes Adult Language

Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club came under owner management in May of 2022. Warner is currently looking at world-renowned restaurant teams while he completes renovations and upgrades to club facilities.

“Working at a place like the Coral Casino feels like a pinnacle career point,” said Conforti. “The club is a merging of one of the most beautiful locations in the world with one of the most beautiful properties in the world. I look forward to getting to know the members of the Coral Casino – and my wife and I look forward to making this community our home.”

For membership inquiries contact: Kelly Campbell at (805) 455-2587, kcampbell@tymail.com or Johanna Dearinger at (805) 276-7669, jdearinger@tymail.com.

Evacuation Planning Survey

The County is seeking public involvement in a survey to help enhance emergency response plans and preparedness in local areas. The purpose of the survey is to understand constraints and behavior during emergencies such as wildfires, floods, chemical spills, and other catastrophic events.

The survey, which takes less than five minutes to complete, will directly inform the County’s Evacuation Modeling and Planning Project, which will assist the County in complying with new state laws requiring jurisdictions to map and evaluate evacuation routes and locations. The County is coordinating with the County Fire Department, County Office of Emergency Management, a consultant, and numerous other agencies to develop an evacuation modeling and planning process.

The survey and project are a part of the updates to the County’s Safety Element, which contains policies to protect the community from natural hazards. It addresses geologic, seismic, fire, and flood hazards. A copy of the Safety Element can be found at www.countyofsb.org/762/ Safety-Element-Update.

The Final Evacuation Route Plan will be completed in 2024 and will include a map and tool for community members to learn more about evacuation issues where they live and work.

The Safety Element is also undergoing other updates related to its wildfire policies and climate adaptation planning. To learn more about these other updates visit www.countyofsb.org/762/ Safety-Element-Update. To receive information on upcoming activities and updates on the project, register for the P&D Safety Element Update mailing list here: https://signup.e2ma.net/ signup/1883430/1753150/.

An English and Spanish version of the survey can be found at https://sbcsurvey. kld.engineering.

1/9 Debris Flow survivor Kim Cantin’s new memoir, Where Yellow Flowers Bloom, is a testament of a mother’s love and a wife’s devotion in the midst of sudden loss and trauma, with an enlightened perspective on mortality. Cantin will be signing the book at Tecolote Book Shop in the upper village on Saturday, April 29 at 3 pm.

In the early hours of January 9, 2018, heavy rainfall, combined with a denuded hillside from a recent wildfire, caused a series of mudflows in Montecito. The incident was responsible for 23 deaths and cost $177 million in property damage. News of the mudslide made national headlines, and among those headlines was the tragic story of the Cantin family.

Where Yellow Flowers Bloom chronicles the events following the mudslide and the devastation that took the lives of Kim’s husband, David Cantin, and their son, Jack Cantin. The book details Kim’s journey through mourning her husband’s death, following her intuition, and receiving extraordinary support from her community to find Jack’s remains.

According to Kim, her story is full of mysterious and awe-inspiring messages, signs, and synchronicities, and through her patience, perseverance and willingness to be open to help and to heal, she confirms love’s ability to connect and transcend beyond life.

The book is now available at local bookstores and on Amazon.com.

Tecolote Book Shop is located at 1470 East Valley Road.