Santa Barbara students win awards at junior theater festival

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

A recent trip to Sacramento proved to be a great one for theater students representing The Riviera Ridge School in Santa Barbara.

After they got there and performed, they won a Freddie G Excellence in Ensemble Work award and earned other recognition at the 2023 Junior Theater Festival West.

The festival, which celebrates student-driven musical theater programs, took place Feb. 1719 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and the

UC Davis Health Pavilion in Sacramento. In addition to the ensemble recognition, Riviera Ridge student Tabitha Weller made it to the callback for a yet-to-be-announced video project, which will promote musicals in schools. Also, students Isabella Stovall and Naomi Boles were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars. At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior musical for adjudicators, according to a news release.

The Riviera Ridge School students performed selections from Disney’s “The Little

Mermaid Jr.” for the judges

— Broadway actor Bob Lenzi; Cindy Ripley, senior education consultant at iTheatrics, and Kelby McIntyre-Martinez, associate dean for arts education and community engagement at the College of Fine Arts, University of Utah. “This beautiful ensemble understood the message of the show,” Ms. Ripley said about Riviera Ridge students’ interpretation of “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Added Ms. McIntyre-Martinez, “There were so many magical moments in Riviera Ridge School’s storytelling, including how they united their cast to create Ursula’s tentacles and the boat. Their characters were fantastic, and I admired this program’s ability to allow each young person a chance to shine.”

Mr. Lenzi agreed. “Riviera Ridge School’s ensemble supported the storytelling in such a compelling way. For example, the boat they created in ‘Under The Sea,’ really filled in the emotional and physical life of the scene. The students’ joy and commitment to working together shines through their performances.” email: dmason@newspress.com

Learning from ‘Swan Lake’ dancers

Twenty-five State Street Ballet students and 25 local community members participate in a masterclass this week with members of the Ballet Preljocaj, a French ballet company. The troupe is in Santa Barbara to perform “Swan Lake” at 8 tonight and 3 p.m. Sunday at The Granada, 1214 State St. French dance star Angelin Prelijocal transforms the Tchaikovsky classic into a modern ecological tragedy. The production features 26 dancers. To purchase tickets for the UCSB Arts & Lectures program, go to granadasb.org.

Compassion is an important part of love

Compassionate people are happier people. Couples who are compassionate with one another have more joy and understanding in their relationships. Compassion, which is a combination of empathy, concern, kindness and consideration, is a cornerstone for those wanting a fulfilled love life. When you are sad, a compassionate gesture from your mate can make all the difference in your mood. Warm hugs and words of encouragement take away a lot of discomfort. To have someone hold your hand — offering emotional support by just being there for you — can ease your pain, no matter what it is about.

Without compassion, a relationship can become hardened. When that happens, your interactions are less caring, and you may start to build resentments, which might make you feel that you are in the relationship by yourself.

Developing and expressing your compassion creates a safe zone for your love and for all the feelings and issues that may arise in your life. You cannot replace the soft touch of your partner and his or her sympathy with anything else. It is what heals you both, and it gives you much more emotional security than you may think.

Creating compassion is not difficult.

First, it requires desire. You will want to ask your partner what his or her needs are in this area, as well as explain your own needs. Having this discussion will make being compassionate toward each other much easier, for you will know exactly where to focus your energy.

The next part is a little more challenging, as you will need to make the commitment to always dialogue together in a compassionate manner. There

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Continued from Page B2 will be live-captioned for the hearingimpaired. Tickets range from $18 to $26 for general admission, with discounts for students, seniors and SBCC staff.

To purchase, go to www. theatregroupsbcc.com or by calling the Garvin Box Office at 805-9655935.

MARCH 2 is no room for harshness in a compassionate relationship. And if any such negative behavior does occur, you will both need to identify it and shut it down, so you can get back to relating in an appropriate manner. A great and simple exercise to help enhance compassion is just to look into each other’s eyes. This action has been highly romanticized in the movies, but it is seldom taken in modern relationships. We are usually looking at the television instead of each other (even when we’re making love). Looking deeply into the eyes of the one you love and feeling his or her emotions is going to create more depth and compassion. theatregroupsbcc.com or by calling the Garvin Box Office at 805-9655935.

7:30 p.m. The Miro Quartet will perform at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. Admission is $20 for museum members and $25 for nonmembers.

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Group will perform Ken Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” at the Garvin Theatre on the college’s west campus in the 900 block of Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara. Tickets range from $18 to $26 for general admission, with discounts for students, seniors and SBCC staff.

To purchase, go to www.

Showing compassion is good, but being compassionate is even better. When your mate is sharing an issue with you and you demonstrate your concern, you are making it known that you are not just there for your partner, but that you also really care about what he or she is going through. Your mate will feel it and be able to return the gesture in kind.

Practice compassion as part of your daily life. The good feelings you get from it will only make you want to have more. The depth you feel in your relationship, when you know how much your mate cares, is palpable. It changes the way you relate. You will become softer and more considerate toward each other — and that is a plus for any couple.

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books, and a blogger for PsychologyToday. com with more than 34 million readers. He is available for video consults world-wide, reach him at Barton@BartonGoldsmith.com. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.

MARCH 3

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Group will perform Ken Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” at the Garvin Theatre on the college’s west campus in the 900 block of Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara. Tickets range from $18 to $26 for general admission, with discounts for students, seniors and SBCC staff.

To purchase, go to www. theatregroupsbcc.com or by calling the Garvin Box Office at 805-965-5935.

7:30 p.m. Cabrillo High School Performing Arts will present the musical “The Wizard of Oz” at 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4, 10 and 11 with an “Emerald City” matinee, in which the audience is encouraged to wear green, at 1 p.m. March 11. The performances will take place at the school’s Little Theater, 4350 Constellation Drive, Lompoc. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for youths under 18. To purchase, visit www.gofan.co.