Feelin’ Groovy: ‘Social Insecurity’ Premieres and More Thespian Happenings

Carpinteria’s Alcazar Theatre channels the radical era of the 1960s for the world premiere of Mark J Heller’s Social Insecurity, about an aging couple that long to experience the counterculture movement they just missed in their youth. Bea and Pete Lewis get a second chance at a retro-themed retirement community, where they encounter a free-spirited hippie, a staunch activist, a Vietnam veteran and a former rock idol. They organize the residents in a protest after management imposes new rules, leading to Bea’s arrest, which gets the couple’s son, a high-powered attorney, caught in the middle. The event turns out to be a calculated move by management, serving as a ruse to plunge Bea into the ‘60s and ‘70s scene she missed the first time around. The nostalgic nod to the era comes from Heller, a 35-year veteran of the entertainment industry who has worked for Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Television and others. Co-directed by Åsa Olsson and Leslie V. AnnRenee, with a cast that includes E. Bonnie Lewisand Meredith McMinn, Social Insecurity plays September 12-14 and 19-21.

Visit www.thealcazar.org. 

Arming Teens to Speak up About Guns

ETC and UCSB are teaming up to participate in Enough!, a nationwide reading of six new 10-minute plays by teen writers that confront gun violence, with the aim of allowing youth voices to be heard, sparking conversation, and inspiring action against one of the most pressing issues of our time. The plays, which were selected by a committee of nationally renowned playwrights, will be presented locally at UCSB’s Hatlen Theatre on Monday, October 6, with 100% of the proceeds donated to local initiatives dedicated to ending gun violence. Titles include Holding Space; Oh Look, Another School Shooting!; Nobody Cares About Death; The Perfect Victim; We Didn’t Have to Meet Here; and Under Wraps. ETC is accepting video auditions from actors with a deadline of September 20.

Visit https://etcsb.org/enough-plays-to-end-gun-violence for details about the plays and their authors, and for ticket information.

Kickin’ Off with ‘Kinky’

At the other end of the professional spectrum, single (non-series) tickets go on sale this Friday, September 12, for Kinky Boots, the official Broadway touring version of the Tony-winning musical that opens the 2025-26 Broadway in Santa Barbara series at the Granada Theatre December 9-10.

Visit www.BroadwaySantaBarbara.com or www.GranadaSB.org.