To open its 80th season, The Theatre Group at SBCC presents Mel Brooks’ hilarious musical “Young Frankenstein.” 

From the creators of the record-breaking Broadway sensation, “The Producers,” comes this monster musical comedy. Mel Brooks, adapts his legendarily funny film “Young Frankenstein” into a stage creation.

The story follows the grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”) as he inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced“Eye-gore”), and a leggy lab assistant, Inga (pronounced normally), Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors. “It’s alive!” he exclaims as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather’s. Eventually, of course, the monster escapes, and hilarity abounds.

Every bit as relevant to audience members who will remember the original as it will be to newcomers, “Young Frankenstein” has all the panache of the screen sensation with a little extra theatrical flair added.

In 1974, Brooks — along with co-writer and star Gene Wilder — created “Young Frankenstein,” a loving parody of theclassic monster movies inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel. Shot in black and white and even using some of the original lab equipment from the 1931 movie, Young Frankenstein mimicked the visual style of old Hollywood horror while transforming it into absurdist comedy. The film earned critical and commercial success, was nominated for an Academy Award, and became a bona fide cult classic.

After having adapted his film, “The Producers,” into a Broadway musical that became a runaway success, Mel Brooks hoped to strike gold again. So, in 2007, he reunited with co-writer Thomas Meehan to bring Young Frankenstein to Broadway where it ran for 484 performances. Ten years later, the musical was significantly revised and restaged for a UK audience and opened in London’s West End to enthusiastic reviews and renewed acclaim.

The cast for The Theatre Group’s version of “Young Frankenstein” is led by Dillon Yuhasz as Frederick Frankenstein, Ryan Beaghler as Igor, and Kate Brody-Adams as Inga. The rest of the cast includes Sean O’Shea as the Monster, Addison Clarke as Elizabeth Benning, Tiffany Story as Frau Blucher, and Michael D’Emidio as Inspector Kemp, as well as Adrian Arias, Mary Bailey, Kevin Doyle, Amanda Elliot, Cynthia Erickson, Odette Finn, Tyler Gilbert, Will Muse, Giavanna Oliff, Margaret Prothero, Stella Reid, Evan Roush, CJ Smith, Logan Smoot, Chiara Stanziano, Naomi Jane Voigt, and Terra Sage Wallin.

The production is directed by Rick Mokler, with Michele Spears as choreographer, and David Potter as musical director.

Performances will be July 9-26, in the Garvin Theatre on SBCC’s West Campus, 900 block of Cliff Drive. Performance times are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday @ 2 p.m. Previews on July 9 and 10 will be at 7:30 p.m.The Sunday, July 13, 2 p.m. performance will be live-captioned for the hearing impaired.

Prices:  

• Previews  are $20 general/$17 seniors and SBCC staff/$10 students, 
• Thursday evening and Sunday matinee are $32 general/$27 seniors and SBCC Staff/$16 students, 
• Friday and Saturday evening are $34 general/$29 seniors and SBCC staff/$19 students.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (805) 965-5935 or online at www.theatregroupsbcc.com

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C.A.R.E. 4Paws will host its 10^th annual Wags ’n’ Whiskers animal-adoption festival on Santa Barbara City College’s West Campus lawn from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12.

The free event, billed as the largest animal festival on the Central Coast, features adoptable dogs, cats, bunnies, birds and reptiles from 20 shelters and rescue groups. It also presents fun activities for the whole family along with more than two dozen local businesses and nonprofit organizations showcasing their products and services.

This year’s event also highlights the heroic search-and-rescue teams and first responders that help people and pets during emergencies.

The host of Wags n’ Whiskers, C.A.R.E. 4Paws (care4paws.org), is a nonprofit group working to reduce pet overpopulation, keep animals out of shelters and improve quality of life for pets and pet owners in need.

Visit care4paws.org/wagsnwhiskers for more festival details, photos, videos and a list of sponsors, or call 805-968-2273, or email info@care4paws.org.

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Five local students have each received $3,000 scholarships from the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Auxiliary as they begin or continue their education in health or medical-related fields.

This year’s scholarship winners are new Santa Ynez High School graduates Lilly Lopez, Arrianna Martinez and Sophie Monterrosa, and Santa Barbara City College students Megan Elbert and Nicholas Briceno.

The awards were made May 25 at the auxiliary’s annual “Thank You Picnic” lunch at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum.

Funds for four of the scholarships came from the proceeds of the auxiliary’s New to You thrift shop in downtown Solvang. The fifth came from the first-time Ann Bertero Scholarship established through the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation.

Bertero’s daughter, Lisa Palmer, and son-in-law, Steve Palmer, have established the fund with support from their family to honor her memory and encourage others to pursue careers in nursing.

“My mother was a devoted auxiliary volunteer for more than a decade, and a lifetime hospital volunteer in all the communities where she lived,” Lisa Palmer said.

She also received the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation’s Health and Human Services Volunteer of the Year award in 2012, and worked tirelessly until her death in 2014 to encourage community support for Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.

Scholarship recipients have a variety of plans as they pursue their education.

• Lilly Lopez will be attending Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., pursuing a major in nursing with a goal of becoming a licensed nurse practitioner.
• Megan Elbert is a student in City College’s radiology program, working toward her X-ray license and pursuing training in mammography, CT and ultrasound.
• Sophie Monterrosa will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall to major in neuroscience, intending to become a neurologist.
• Arrianna Martinez will be attending University of Hawaii at Manoa to pursue a degree in nursing with a focus on anesthesiology. Her goal is to earn a nursing certification and degree as a nurse anesthetist.
• Nicholas Briceno, a lifelong local resident, works in the SYVCH Emergency Department and is enrolled at City College, where he plans to study nursing. His goal is to achieve a bachelor’s degree in nursing and to continue his career in emergency medicine.

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In just one semester, the SBCC Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s Rapid Launch Intensive can help student entrepreneurs take a product or service concept from idea to prototype to sales.

The program is open to all SBCC students regardless of academic discipline.

The spring 2018 Rapid Launch Intensive combines three courses: Enterprise Launch, Business Plan Development, and the non-credit Product Design and Rapid Prototyping Workshop.

Students can put their business ideas on a fast track by taking all three courses this spring, or can enroll in a single course. Students also gain early exposure to global manufacturing topics as part of the Scheinfeld Center’s Global Competence Initiative.

“I am constantly impressed by the drive and success of our entrepreneurial students from such a wide range of academic and life experiences,” said Armando Arias del Cid, SBCC Drafting/CAD Department chairman and founder of SBCC Makerspace. “We’re really excited about the resources we’re able to offer students today and into the future through our collaboration between SBCC Makerspace and the Scheinfeld Center.”

All students also have access to no-cost business consulting and coaching from the Scheinfeld Center’s Small Business Development Center for continued support during and after the semester.

Class registration is underway and spring courses begin Jan. 16. To apply to SBCC or to register for classes, visit www.sbcc.edu.

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The Career Skills Institute is endorsed by LinkedIn and focuses on providing training for the workforce in a unique, flipped-classroom setting, powered by Lynda.com. Students gain access to Lynda.com video playlists selected by their instructors so class time can be spent solving real-world industry problems using the concepts learned. The result is an enhanced set of skills with a greater likelihood of job acquisition or career advancement. Digital badges provide a credential to show employers new skills in 27 areas of career advancement, and may be displayed on LinkedIn and other social media profiles.

All courses are offered tuition-free to job seekers or employees seeking to increase their job security and advancement. The convenient short courses are intended to be integrated into employers’ existing training programs at no cost and maximum return on investment.

“We want the entire community to know that the Career Skills Institute is here to support our local professionals, job-seekers, and those re-entering the job market,” said Corlei Prieto, School of Extended Learning Coordinator. “Our programs are based on the real-world feedback from employers throughout our region, so we are providing the skills most valuable and most critical for career advancement, job security and job acquisition.”

Register for classes and workshops online at www.sbcc.edu/ExtendedLearning or in person at the SBCC Wake Campus at 300 N. Turnpike Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. For more information or help registering, please call (805) 683-8282. Classes start throughout the term, which runs from August 21 through December 9, 2017.

Twenty-seven Career Skills Institute digital badges may be achieved during the Fall Semester including: Customer Relations, Effective Marketing Communication Management, High Performance Teams, Managing to Maximize Performance, Powerful Presentations, Sales Techniques, Strategic Marketing, Digital Design Basics, Digital Maker, Digital Printing: Newsletter and Magazine, Web Designer, Thrive and Survive in the Workplace, Basic Internet Skills, Basic Office Software Skills and Beginning Mac Skills.

Examples of the variety of classes coming up soon include:

Business

• Accountability: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 6. Course number: PRO NC064 (CRN 39868).
• Building High Performance Teams: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Thursday, Sept. 7. Course number: PRO NC015 (CRN 39269).
• Promotional Marketing Tools: 6 pm – 8 pm, Mondays & Wednesdays, Sept. 11 – 25. Course number: MKT NC001 (CRN 39740).

Design

• Introduction to Adobe Illustrator: 1 pm – 3:15 pm, Fridays, Sept. 1 – Nov. 3. Course number: GDP NC010 (CRN 39291).
• Photoshop: 6:45 pm – 9 pm, Thursdays, Sept. 7 – Nov. 9. Course number: MAT NC003 (CRN 39387).
• Photoshop: 9 am – 11:15 am, Fridays, Sept. 8 – Nov. 17. Course number: MAT NC003 (CRN 39299).
• Producing a Digital Newsletter: 8 am – 12 pm, Mondays, Sept. 11 & Sept. 18. Course number: GDP NC041 (CRN 39292).

Technology

• VMware vSphere Install and Configure: 6 pm – 9:05 pm, Tuesdays, Aug. 22 – Oct. 10. Course number: CIS NC005 (CRN 39805).
• Intro to the Macintosh: 9 am – 11:15 am, Tuesdays & Thursdays, Sept. 5 – 21. Course number: COMP NC030 (CRN 39669).
• Intro to Handheld Devices: 1 pm – 3:15 pm, Tuesdays, Sept. 5 – 26. Course number: COMP NC070 (CRN 39326).
• Online Research Skills: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Tuesdays, Sept. 5 – 26. Course number: LIBR NC001 (CRN 39755).
• Intro to MS Excel: 12 pm – 2:30 pm, Thursdays, Sept. 7 – 28. Course number: COMP NC063 (CRN 39323).

Career Skills Institute at Santa Barbara City College

The SBCC Career Skills Institute is part of the programs offered through the SBCC School of Extended Learning. It launched in 2015 to address the growing gap between the skills employers need and the current lack of workforce skills. The innovative program serves job seekers, employers and employees with a tuition–free, noncredit certificate program to provide career training for employees and job seekers. Participants can earn certificates and digital badges demonstrating knowledge and skills in over 25 areas of business, design and technology. For more information, visitwww.sbcc.edu/csi or call (805) 683-8282. To learn more about the SBCC School for Extended Learning, visit www.sbcc.edu/ExtendedLearning.

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“We partner with C.A.R.E4Paws throughout the year offering discounted and free grooming to pets whose owners have fallen on hard times,” said Breann Hollon, owner of Bree’s Mobile Paw Spa of Santa Ynez.

“Wags N Whiskers is an awesome event. Bree’s Mobile Paw Spa will be attending and offering grooming services from nail trims to full shaves. We will be selling punch cards and with each will result in a $10 donation,” Hollon added.

Festival-goers enjoy dog agility, a military working dog performance, animal training, and the debut off the Strut Your Mutt Pet Fashion Show at 1 p.m. The show offers three costume categories—Superheroes to the Rescue, Pet-Owner Lookalike, and Hippie Hounds, Cool Cats & Bodacious Bunnies—and the top-three winners in each category receive great prizes from festival sponsor Lemos Feed & Pet Supply. Pet owners can register for the fashion show care4paws.org or at the event, 10 a.m. to noon. The entry fee is $15 per category and $5 for adoptable pets.

C.A.R.E.4Paws is also excited to introduce its Strut Your Mutt emcee, Dr. Courtney Campbell, who’s not only head of the surgery department at VCA Care Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital—the festival’s top sponsor—but the host of a brand-new show called Pet Talk on Nat Geo Wild. Plus, he regularly appears as a guest expert on programs such as The Doctors, Live with Kelly and Home & Family.
Also new this year, the Paws Up for Pets Youth Center invites kids to revel in a mix of fun games and animal trivia. Here, C.A.R.E.4Paws will also promote its Paws Up for Pets campaign, a joint project with United Boys & Girls Clubs and Davey’s Voice that inspires compassion and accountability for animals among children K-12. As part of the campaign, which launches end of September, C.A.R.E.4Paws is putting on a youth art contest for United Boys & Girls Clubs members with the theme “Animals Have Feelings, Just like Us!” All submitted projects will be displayed in the youth booth and 10 finalists will receive prizes on stage at 2pm.

“Last year I was able to help a client whose dog wouldn’t stop licking its paw. Turns out there was a fox tail I was able to remove and then sent the over to the mobile vet to check for infection,” Hollon added.

And there’s more. Visitors can meet “Little Star,” an amazing mini-therapy horse, and majestic wolf hybrids from WHAR Wolf Sanctuary. Project PetSafe provides low-cost vaccines, microchipping and licensing for dogs from 9am to 1pm, while the festival raffle and silent auction features great prizes, including a trip for four to Disneyland.

The host of Wags n’ Whiskers, C.A.R.E.4Paws is a Santa Barbara County nonprofit whose mission is to reduce pet overpopulation, keep animals out of shelters and improve quality of life for pets and pet owners in need. Services include free spays/neuters, bilingual community outreach, humane education and intervention programs that keep animals in their homes.

“C.A.R.E4Paws does a great service to our county by helping to make sure our pet population is healthy by offering vaccine clinics and low/no cost spay and neuter,” Hollon said.

Visit www.care4paws.org/wagsnwhiskers for more festival details and a list of participants. Got a question? Contact us at 805-968-2273 or info@care4paws.org.

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