Some cultural events

Finally it's time to write about our cultural life here. It's been almost 3 months since we've moved to San Francisco Bay Area but we've managed to visit 4 theater plays and 1 classical music concert. Not bad even in comparison with my Moscow life-style and definitely better than I've expected.

Generally I would like to admit that all those experiences were very positive. There was not any of them that left us disappointed. In Moscow it did happened to me from time to time. So I don't know if it proves the higher quality here or that we're making a better search here:) 

Anyway, everything was really on a high level, actors played very professionally, even though in some of those plays they were not professional actors at all. The decorations were also everywhere very good, somehow very real and fitting. 

(Funny, now I'm writing this and I really have to ask my husband to remind me some words in English, German words come faster on my mind).

So, the first play we visited we found accidentally. A friend of mine was visiting and we took her for a day trip including Half Moon Bay. And being there in the touristic information burro we've came across the advertisement of the Shakespeare's Hamlet . Which was especially surprising for us as is that it was performed in an open-air environment at the yard of Cameron's Pub. So a couple of weeks later we bought the tickets online and came there to watch that play. They played under that heating sun, wearing those warm dark clothes. I was considering that actually being an actor doesn't only demand from you to have that talent but also sometimes to obtain some specific physical condition.

The second was the "Anne Frank's Diary" which was also presented in Half Moon Bay by Coastal Repertory Theatre .  I read the book and I even have been to the original building in Amsterdam. So I was quite excited to see the play. And it was really worth. The atmosphere was reconstructed very living, touching, just very real. And the actors were chosen really well. During the break they stayed at the stage proceeding to busy themselves with some routine which intensified that impression of their imprisonment. After the play all the actors and also the administration group came out at the stage and a short discussion took place. They told about the creation, preparation, answered questions from the viewers.

Here are a couple of photos:

Next one was the classical concert. I had a birthday on October 2 and I wanted necessarily to spend that evening listening to a good music or watching a good play. And we've found the only thing around that dates, it was the concert of  Philarmonia Baroque Orchestra which was presented at Center for Performing Arts Menlo-Atherton High School. This was the program: http://www.philharmonia.org/pergolesi-in-naples/

That was really a wonderful birthday present! The music itself and the way it was performed, everything was perfect. I don't feel capable to describe it in words, it was just charming.

A couple of interesting observations from that concert. We were sitting almost at the top of the hall (by the way, the seats were arranged there the way, that you could have get a good view from any point of it) and at some point we just noticed that all the heads we see before us... were grey-haired except just several... a bit sad.

And another one. In the break I suddenly saw a .... DOG! Few seconds ago I realized that it was assisting a blind man. For me it was like cultural shock. In Moscow, where being a handicapped means that you are normally not able even to go outside at all because the environment is just not adjusted to that, it would be hard to believe something like that happen. Though I hope that my motherland will gradually fill those gaps between Middle Ages and a modern civilized society where people have right to be ill, handicapped, old, weak. 

After the concert we found out that it was just the first one of the series! And recently we even got a coupon by post for the 30% for the next purchase! We hope that we'll be able to visit all those performances.

So, the next cultural event for us was again a play. And that one we visited during our week-end in Sonoma. That was a brilliant comedy No Sex Please, We're British performed at Sonoma Community Center. It really made us laugh and enjoy, we really recommend it for a nice time spending.

And, last but not least, yesterday we visited again a comedy very close by, in Theatre on San Pedro Square, San Jose. The play Making God Laugh tells a story of the family throughout 40 years, from 1980 to 2010, represented as four family-meetings approximately every 10 years. That play also makes you smile but it's also a drama of this specific family and obviously of just any undefinite family.
In that theatre the hall was especially peculiar. All the space was of a square form and the stage was located in one of the corners of that square. Therefore there were two parts of viewer's seats on two sides of that stage. And on the back of one of those parts there was also a bar where some snacks and drinks were sold.

We bought there these funny cookies which were at the same time very tasty.

Oh, and I forgot, there was one more play we were happy to be able to attend. Accidentaly it came out that I was invited to see a play performed at Starbright School. The school itself was grounded by a russian couple 20 years ago. Though the school is not only for russian children that play was in russian, it was Репка, or The Giant Turnip. As I told about that my husband I was surprised to hear that he know the plot and read that when he was a child. I was confused and even started to doubt it's russian origin.
Children in Starbright not just attend it as a usual Kindergarten, it's not just a Kindergarten and After school program. They have lots of additional development activities, among them the theatre.
We were astonished to see those little, 4-5 year old kids to play at that level. The technical equipment and costumes were at the highest level as well.