Free for all at OCPAC

Speaking of bargains: the Orange County Performing Arts Center is presenting a series of events begining July 22. There will be open-air dance parties following performances of American Ballet Theatre's The Sleeping Beauty (July 22); Mamma Mia! (August 12); and Tango Buenos Aires (November 9). Then there's the free al fresco film series: Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story, Xanadu, and Moulin Rouge, Monday evenings in August. If you're tired of Laguna's hoards, escape the bubble and try something new. Just up the freeway in Costa Mesa we have one of the largest performing arts complex in the nation, including the original 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the brand-new (and unfortunately rather redundantly named) 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall -- a marvel of modern design -- and the 500-seat Samueli Theater. Rounding out the complex is fabulous South Coast Repertory, (and I know I am a bad Lagunan for saying this) whose material, programs and actors are nationally recognized and clearly head and shoulders above any local theaters I can think of (sorry but it's true! and so worth the extra drive time).

But I digress. The point is, if you support your local and regional theaters, and the quality will continue to improve. And the generous Free for All from OCPAC starting later this month is worth a drive. Check out the complete schedule at www.ocpac.org.