Feature Archives

From the open publishing newswire: "I received some unsettling news yesterday that Shakespeare Santa Cruz - the country's fifth largest Shakespeare festival - will close its door forever on December 22nd unless they raise $300,000. If this sounds last minute, it is because they themselves found out only a couple of days ago that UC Santa Cruz will take away their place on campus unless they can come up with those funds. SSC has been a part of the Santa Cruz and Theatre communities for 28 years during which time it has not only produced some magnificent work, but it has also helped to enrich the education of many of UC Santa Cruz's theatre students..."

SubRosa, the new community space and anarchist infoshop in Santa Cruz, will host a weekly open mic on Thursdays at 8:00pm. The event is an opportunity to connect with friends and showcase creative music, poetry, and performance. SubRosa - a community space is located at 703 Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.

On October 30th, a gathering of Palin family look-alikes met under the rainbow flag on the Castro to the delight of tourists and locals alike. Mainstream media came out in force to photograph the group of men and women in Sarah Palin drag. A non-plussed Bristol Palin impersonator, appearing very pregnant, joined the entourage, helping to lift the spirits of San Franciscans nervous about election outcomes.

SubRosa, a new community space in downtown Santa Cruz, hosted its grand opening event on November 1st. The event included an art show, spoken word, live music, food, and a first look inside this vibrant new social space.

In the past few weeks, activists in the UC Berkeley area have engaged in correcting pro-Israel propaganda. On the night of September 18, however, someone added an image of a Swastika, an equal sign and a Star of David, to an already stenciled ad that carried the massage "free Palestine". Zionists groups have seized the moment and used the graffiti for the political agenda of creating an atmosphere of fear, in order to silence critics of Apartheid. Additionally, local media outlets have reported on the hate speech graffiti and some have printed false accusations against Palestinian solidarity groups on Campus.

On October 1st, green mesh fencing was put up again in Santa Cruz's Parking Lot #4 next to the downtown Farmer's Market. The market began at 2:30pm and by 3:00pm, many people were disappointed by the fencing around the trees and the absence of the sounds of drumming in the air. However, people eventually removed the fencing around the trees and a drum circle formed, playing music into the night.

The movie Battle in Seattle is based on real events that took place surrounding the demonstrations against the World Trade Organization Meeting in 1999. San Francisco Bay area activists were involved in the protest and contributed to the production of the film. Concerned for accurate portrayal of protesters, David Solnit worked with the film's director to give input for a more true-to-life depiction. An Indybay contributor's photos were also featured in the film.