Free concert series in Winters, tickets on sale for DMTC

The Winters Friends of the Library summer concert series is set to kick off with a free outdoor performance by Los Tres de Winters.

The performance is scheduled for Thursday, July 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rotary Park Gazebo in front of the Community Center, located at 201 Railroad Ave. in Winters.

The trio plays Norteño-style music, with José Luis Echeverria on accordion, Adolfo Valenzuela on bajo quinto and Rafael Echeverria on bass. This lively music is a hybrid of Mexican and Spanish vocal traditions with waltzes and polkas brought to Mexico by Czech and German immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century.

Residents are invited to pack a picnic and bring a blanket or lawn chairs to enjoy an evening of fine, live music. Refreshments will be provided and used books will be for sale with all proceeds going to support the Winters Library.

Winters Friends of the Library has been presenting free outdoor concerts every Thursday in July since 1998, except in 2020. The series will continue with traditional Irish and Scottish music from Paddy on the Binge on July 14; Back Porchestra playing original and vintage roots rock, Americana and country blues on July 21; and  Afincáo playing Latin music—boogaloo, Cuban son, cumbias, and boleros—on July 28.

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Winters Shakespeare Workshop will be presenting a free outdoor performance of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”

The performance, which is set to feature music and dance, will take place on July 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. in Winters Community Park at the corner of 4th and Main Streets.

This innovative production, directed by Gabe Fernandez, with musical direction by Nicolas Carvajal, is set in the 1980s.

Residents are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle in for a fun evening of magic, shipwreck monsters, romance and revenge. Refreshments will be available for sale.

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Season tickets are on sale for the Davis Musical Theatre Company’s 2022-23 season.

The season is set to kick off on Sept. 9 with a production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The show tells the enchanting story of the beautiful, spirited Belle and the Beast, who is really an arrogant young prince placed under a spell by an enchantress. If the Beast can not learn to love and be loved before time runs out, he and his castle staff will be doomed for all eternity.

The lively show is good for the whole family, featuring all the memorable, wonderful music from the Disney animated classic, including “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The play is scheduled to run through Oct. 2.

Just in time for the holiday season, the Davis Musical Theatre Company will be presenting Alan Menken’s “A Christmas Carol,” a spectacular adaptation of Charles Dickens’ well-known story. On Christmas Eve night, the story follows the selfish Ebenezer Scrooge as he is led through his past, present and future by three ghosts in the hopes of transforming his bitterness. The production is scheduled to run from Nov. 11 through Dec. 4.

The new year kicks off with the showing of “Cabaret,” a lively musical set in a Berlin night club as the 1920s in Germany are drawing to a close. Musical numbers include “It Couldn’t Please Me More,” “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.” The show is set to run from Jan. 9 to Jan. 29.

Set sail on March 3 with the “Pirates of Penzance,” a Gilbert and Sullivan classic. This musical comedy follows Frederic who plans to mark his 21st birthday by breaking free from the pirate king. The show is set to run through March 26.

Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, Disney’s “Newsies” is scheduled to open on April 28. The musical tells the tale of rebellious newsboy Jack Kelly who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. “Newsies” will run through May 21.

The 2022-23 season will culminate with a chilling, heart-pounding production of  “Sweeney Todd.” The show takes place in the 19th century, telling the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to London seeking revenge against the judge who framed him. “Sweeney Todd” will run from June 23 through July 16.

For more information about the shows and to purchase season tickets, visit https://dmtc.org/mainstage.

Center Stage is a column exploring the arts in and around Yolo County.