Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Like a Boss
Epix & Amazon Originals

Mia and Mel were best friends since grade school and now 22 years later own their custom cosmetics business. The business had great online success, but after opening a storefront had been struggling financially to the point they may have to close their entire business. Quite by luck they get approached by Claire Luna, the owner of a major cosmetics company, to invest in their business but her intentions are not transparent and test their lifelong friendship.

Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) were basically inseparable since they were kids, even now as adults living together in the house Mia’s mom willed to them when she passed away. After attending college they started their own cosmetic business Mia & Mel out of their garage. Mia was the creative cosmetics genius while Mel was in charge of the finances.

Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), owner of Ovieda Beauty Enterprises International, had been watching their business progress and sent her assistant Josh Tinker (Karan Soni) to inform them that she was interested in meeting with them and investing in their company. Claire’s original offer to Mia and Mel was to cover their current debt of $500,000 for 51% of their company, but Mia refused so Claire changed the deal to 49% continent upon them maintaining their friendship.

Having been friends for so long, Mia and Mel said that nothing could come between their friendship, so took the deal not knowing that Claire (who believed from past experience that money damages friendships) planned was to drive them apart if they didn’t end up doing to themselves. Claire immediately forced them to fire their cosmetic production specialist Barret (Billy Porter), who they not only had a longstanding friendship with but also had been with the business since it’s beginning.

Claire tried to pass off Mia and Mel’s best product “One Night Stand” to Greg and Ron from Get Some Cosmetics by just repackaging the contents and turning her finances and focus to the guys, even though Claire told Mia and Mel that she was trying to promote feminism. Mia and Mel finally figure out Claire’s bad intentions and teamed up with an old ally of Claire’s, Shay Witmore (Lisa Kudrow), to take back their business and become more successful than their wildest dreams.

Like a Boss has very clever comedic writing that also occasionally sneaks in current social issues like when Mia (Tiffany Haddish) broke a drone and told Mel “Put it in your purse, you’re a white woman, you will not go to jail, two different laws, you got that white privilege, they won’t care.” This light comedy provides lots of laughs in revealing the inside conversations of best friends and is filled with hilarious comedic gestures from all the actors, making it very visually amusing. Tiffany Haddish is a brilliant physical actor doing crazy stunts like slipping over the ledge at Ovieda corporate and planking dozens of stories above the lobby until drug to safety by her feet and the ghost pepper scene is hysterical.

Rated: R (Drug Use|Crude Sexual Material|Language)
Runtime: 1h 23m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Wilds – Amazon Original Series

The Wilds follows a group of teen girls from various backgrounds who board a first class jet on their way to The Dawn of Eve Retreat in Kona Hawaii, a female-centric learning and growth experience where teen women can participate in yoga classes, confidence workshops and relax in paradise. Unfortunately, their plane crashed stranding them on a deserted island to fend for themselves without any proper resources, thus turning their vacation into a survival situation where they must work together to survive until they are rescued.

Leah Rilke, Fatin Jadmani, Toni Shalifoe, Martha Blackburn, Dot Campbell, Shelby Goodkind, Rachel Reid and her sister Nora Reid all boarded a first class jet for a relaxing, rejuvenating experience arranged by their parents at Dawn of Eve Retreat in Kona, Hawaii. Though seeming coincidental, the girls were paired up from different locations across the U.S.: Leah (Sarah Pidgeon) was an aspiring writer and Fatin (Sophia Ali) a spoiled rich promiscuous girl and cello virtuoso; Martha (Jenna Clause) was a Native American animal lover and Toni (Erana James) Martha’s athletic hot-headed openly lesbian best friend from Minnesota; Dot (Shannon Berry) ] was a tough Texan girl with wilderness survival skills and Shelby (Mia Healey)] a Christian Church faithful beauty queen from Texas and Rachel (Reign Edwards) who was a competitive diver and an athlete from NY and her sister Nora (Helena Howard), Rachel’s fraternal twin sister and a book nerd.

Over 3 weeks time, they navigate the difficulties of survival on a deserted island, learning to move beyond their differences and work together to overcome their situation and find ways to remain alive until such time that they could be rescued. Janette (Chi Nguyen), who was a cheery Asian gal, died shortly after they all found each other on the beach, having come to shore with bruising on her stomach from internal injuries. Though they buried her, her body mysteriously disappeared overnight causing them all to question whether or not they were indeed alone on the island.

The 10 episodes in Season 1 cover the first 23 days on the island as the girls come together to conquer the basics of survival to find water, food, and shelter, with random cases of supplies washing up on shore to aid their progress. Though discounted, Leah questioned everything from the beginning and felt there was a presence on the island.

At the end of Episode 1, viewers learn that the girls are indeed being watched through a network of cameras and monitored by a team lead by Gretchen Klein (Rachel Griffiths), head of the Dawn of Eve program and was also clear that their parents had no idea they were sending their girls off to survival camp.

Those captivated by the addictive nature of this thrilling series with reveals that always bring more questions than answers are sure to be anxiously looking forward to Season 2.

10 Episodes – 45-60 minutes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers

Your Honor
Showtime Limited Series

Your Honor poses the question “What if a family member accidentally did something and wanted to do the right thing, but did it to the wrong people and therefore would suffer beyond the measure of the law?” The question becomes even more complicated when one family member is New Orleans Judge Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston) whose son accidentally hit and killed the son of the area’s prominent organized crime family and is faced with situations he never imagined challenging his deepest convictions.

Judge Michael Desiato was known in the local community for his practicality and fairness. He was sensitive to family issues, which may have been partly due to losing his wife in a liquor store robbery gone bad just a year ago and dealing with the challenges of raising his son Adam as they deal with the grief of losing his mother.

Adam had decided to visit the neighborhood where his mother was murdered on the anniversary of her death wanting to leave her photo and some flowers as a small memento but was chased out of the neighborhood by thugs with guns. He was so panicked he had an asthma attack while driving but wasn’t able to find his inhaler, which was on the floorboard on the passenger side of the car. When reaching for it Adam slightly swerved into the path of an oncoming motorcycle whose driver flew over the hood of the car and across the intersection, while the motorcycle was dragged by the car.

Adam got out and tried to assist the boy but was unable to and in a panic called 911 from the boy’s cell phone but couldn’t say anything due to his asthma attack. Adam got in the car and drove away from the scene, threw the phone in the river and went home where he tried to clean the car and his blood soaked clothes.

When his father arrived home, Adam told him what happened and his dad Michael immediately took over cleaning up the car and laundry. They discussed the situation, and Adam agreed to go to the police station and turn himself in for the accident. Unfortunately when Micheal entered the police station to brief them on his son Adam’s situation, he saw Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stahlburg) and his wife who was inconsolable and realized the boy Adam killed was the son of the most vicious crime family in New Orleans.

Micheal felt his only choice was to protect his son and cover up the accident, both of them agreeing to never speak of the matter. Micheal used some of his long standing connections to make arrangements to have the car disappear to avoid any future evidence being found, and though there were no witnesses, Adam accidentally left his inhaler at the scene. One of Baxter’s guys found the inhaler which had his son’s blood, but also DNA from who used it and with his connections could get results within 36 hours.

Your Honor poses a very plausible situation that could happen to anyone, and takes many unexpected twists and turns. The cinematography keeps viewers gripped in the emotion of the moment and Episode 1 setup some interesting scenarios to see how they play out.

Rated TV-14
10 Episodes – 60 minutes

Nostalgia Reigns This Season

Ventura County theaters have always spread joy through their myriad holiday stage offerings. This year, our thespians continue to entertain, although the offerings are online and viewed from the comfort of our own cozy chairs.

Here are three virtual productions to add to your viewing calendar this month.

Ojai Art Center Theater brings holiday cheer with a virtual production of It’s A Wonderful Life A Live Radio Play. Broadway on Demand and director Gai Jones are proud to present Joe Landry’s adaptation in a digital performance for all to enjoy. Check out the details at www.ojaiact.org.

Streaming began at 7 p.m. last Saturday, December 12 and will continue through Saturday, December 19. Tickets are available at ojaiact.org/iawl for $12.95 which – get this – allows viewers to see the performance as many times as they like until midnight on the 19th. So instead of binging the movie on Netflix this year, you can enjoy this version with local talent more than once for a single price.

A classic Christmas story, It’s A wonderful Life examines human foibles, renews our faith in miracles, and reinforces that good people triumph over odds, even when faced with multiple difficulties. It seems like the perfect story for the 2020 holiday season.

The American Film Institute listed the 1947 Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart as number one on its list of most inspirational American films of all time and as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

Follow along as dreamer George Bailey’s life unfolds. His guardian angel, Clarence, gets the chance to earn his wings by helping George regain what he was certain was lost. The town rejoices. George is saved. And, as everyone knows, a bell rings every time an angel gets his (or her) wings. Ring-a-ding!

Ojai’s large cast, which includes several married couples, two groups of siblings and a father and daughter, all perform from their own homes, augmented with visual effects, sound effects and costumes. It’s a family affair fit for all families. Well done, Ojai Art Center Theatre!

Conejo Players in Thousand Oaks presents a digital offering of Home for the Holidays, a Conejo Youth Theatre production featuring stories of holiday traditions, songs, dances and more. Viewing is available December 18-20. It is presented on a “pay what you can” donation request. After initial viewing, it is available to you for the next 30 days for no extra charge. www.conejoplayers.org/home-holidays-conejo-players-youth-theatreproduction.

Every Now and Then Theatre presents “A 1947 Christmas Carol”, a one-hour, award-winning, commercial free broadcast streams nationwide with celebrity guest host Miss California International 2012 Dedria Brunett and a large cast of talented actors. Go to www.kvta.com then click on Listen Live. The program will air Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Friday, December 25, Christmas Day, at 8 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Pack – Amazon Originals

Focusing on the incredible bond between dogs and their owners, The Pack follows 12 dogs and their owners as they travel the globe on an adventure similar to the Amazing Race doggie style. Two teams, Blue Team and Green Team, were randomly selected by finding tug toys with bandannas inside that represented each team colors, and were tasked for various tug, fetch and scent work challenges for the grand prize of $500,000 for the winning team and an additional $250,000 for their favorite pet charity.

Hosted by Olympic Gold Medal Skier Lindsay Vonn and her dog Lucy, each day begins with a Leader of the Pack Challenge, where the teams select a specific dog and owner for an individual task for a clue to the location of the fetch point. Upon completion, pack teams race to the fetch point where there are pack challenges and the first pack arriving gets to choose. The challenges relate to local history and traditions, which educate the viewers on different cultures around the globe. The losing pack faces an elimination challenge against the members of their own team to determine who would have to go home each show.

Prior to filming the series, all the dogs and owners spent time in Los Angeles training on tug, fetch and scent work tasks using birch oil. They flew on a first class private jet around the world for the comfort of the dogs and their owners and there were Dog Safety teams and veterinarians whose number one priority was dog safety and making sure they are never stressed out as they circled the globe starting in Los Angeles, then Mexico City, Costa Rica, Vienna, Florence, Switzerland, Paris, London, with the finals back in the US in the Utah.

The dogs were incredible seeming thrilled with all the helicopter rides, repelling, zip lining, paddleboarding, riding ATVs, whitewater rafting, and even did mock earthquake and avalanche rescues. They also served meals in fancy restaurants while wearing waiter costumes and carried food through local marketplaces with special dog pouches similar to those carried at farmers markets.

The owners and dogs were all from over the US, with many different dog breeds competing and included: Mark LeBlanc & Ace (Australian Shepard) – Utah mountains, Kioni ‘Kentucky’ Russel Gallahue & Derby (Golden Doodle) – San Diego, Vania Zuniga & Jax – (Red Golden Retriever) Long Beach, Lucy Riles & Duchess (Black Lab) Los Angeles, Chelsey Lowe & Gryffin – Newport Beach, Brian Calvert & Dixie – (Bluetick Coonhound) Indiana, Josh White & Snow (Standard Poodle) West Hollywood, Mitra Najibeh Yosri & Bozley – Los Angeles, Chism Joe Johnson & Kepo – Oklahoma, Daniel Reese & Allister U.S. Navy, Donna Modafferi & Charlie – New York (Snoodle – Dog actor) and Linh Iacoca & Chance (Chihuahua) – Brooklyn, NY.

Not only did the winning duo received a total of $750,000, in addition the show donated an additional $250,000 during production to multiple animal charities and rescue organizations in the countries in which they filmed. Viewers of all ages will enjoy this heartwarming dog version of the amazing race where instead of friends or family members it’s special people with man’s best friend – their dog.

10 Episodes – 50 minutes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Mandalorian – Disney+

Mandalorians were known across the universe for their bounty hunting skills, were never allowed to take off their helmets, and took on their life’s mission with the simple statement “This is the way.” Mando (Pedro Pascal) was respected among the Mandalorian tribe and taken in as a child after his parents were killed as part of a special group known as the “foundlings”.

Mando took a bounty from a special client referred to him by Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), head of the Guild of bounty hunters. Mando met the client, an Imperial leader, who gave him the tracking fob for the quarry and promised him a huge bounty if successful. Mando followed the fob to a desert planet where he met an Agnaught named Kuiil (Nick Nolte) who agreed to take him to the location of his bounty. Upon arriving Mando teamed up with a bounty droid to take out a small army of bounty hunters and eventually found his quarry, which was just a childlike Baby Yoda.

Some jawas had dismantled his ship and Mando had to barter for the parts, agreeing to fight a giant Mudhorn to get its prized egg. The Mudhorn was winning, but just as Mando was ready to collapse it appeared that Baby Yoda lifted the Mudhorn from the ground with his mind until Mando could stab it. Baby Yoda passed out and slept for several days on the way to be delivered to the Imperial leader, where Mando received a large bounty of precious metal bars.

Mando took the bars to the Mandalorian leader for a new suit of armor, and while thinking about his time with Baby Yoda, seemed to feel somewhat guilty. Mando went back and fought the Imperial troopers to retrieve Baby Yoda with the support of all the other Mandalorians appearing on jetpacks with guns. Mando escaped to Sorgan, where he met a Rebel Shock Trooper named Cara Dune (Gina Corano) and teamed up to take out raiders terrorizing the village.

Mando got a message from Greef asking him to help reclaim Nevarro, using Baby Yoda as bait to kill the Imperial leader and offering to let Mando keep the child and clear his name. Mando picked up Cara to help fight, along with Kuiil to look after Baby Yoda. While Cara and Mando were on the ship arm wrestling Baby Yoda thought Cara was hurting Mando and used his special powers to choke Cara without touching her, which triggered Kuiil’s memory about having heard of such special beings in the past while he was serving the Imperial force.

Greef met Mando in the desert where they were attacked by dragons, seriously injuring Greef. Baby Yoda came over, put his hand on Greef’s arm and healed him instantly, causing Greef to kill the other bounty hunters and reveal his original plan to betray Mando. They all went to town but were pinned down by Imp forces lead by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) who was thought to be dead. Kuiil was killed and Imp soldiers retrieved Baby Yoda, but the nurse droid rescued Baby Yoda from troopers in the desert and came back on a speeder to help Mando and Cara fight.

Pinned down with no escape, Baby Yoda formed a force field to protect them against the trooper attack, then collapse in exhaustion. Cara and Greef escaped with Baby Yoda and the droid stayed behind to help Mando, who needed to remove his helmet to get the medical attention needed to save his life. They joined Cara and Greef and headed for the ship, but came upon a pile of Mandalorian armor which Mando knew had been killed to support his mission. The Mandalorian leader appeared and upon seeing Baby Yoda explained it too is a foundling and was now in Mando’s care as its father until he could return it to its own kind.

Season 1 – 8 Episodes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Amazon Originals

In a grand return to both the screen and American, Sacha Baron Cohen again takes everything head on in exposing American political corruption and prejudices with his new movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. After embarrassing Kazakhstan on his first visit to American 14 years ago, Borat was pulled from prison for a new mission to America to give a gift to President Trump from the leader of Kazakhstan. However he was instructed not to give it directly to Trump, but instead to “pussy hound” Vice Premier Pence.

The gift was monkey Producer Johnny who was put in a crate and loaded on a ship with Borat that traveled around the globe to reach America. Upon arriving, Borat discovered that his daughter, whose name was Sandra Jessica Parker Sagdiyev but he referred to as Tutar, had stow away in the crate and eaten the monkey, therefore ruining the plan to gift him to Pence. His solution… gift his daughter Tutar instead.

Finally it was time to deliver Tutar to the “Vice Pussy grabber”. To disguise himself, he wore a KKK costume to sneak into the bathroom at CPAC 2020 where he disguised himself as Trump, tossed Tutar over his shoulder and ran through the conference announcing “Michael Pence I brought the girl for you. Don’t worry, I won’t get jealous, she’s not Ivanka” to the whole crowd, some who booed while others began chanting 4 more years to his clever Trump disguise. He was escorted out by secret service and police.

Tutar left chasing her dream of being an American journalist, and Borat tried to find her only to find the streets completely empty. A man outside a convenience store who explained that there was a virus and that everyone had to quarantine. Borat said he had nowhere to go and asked if he could stay at the guy’s home. Jerry where he shook hands and kissed them on both cheeks. 3 guys were asked if the virus or democrats were more dangerous, stating democrats and shared the fake news story of the Clinton’s being involved in drinking the blood of children.

Having failed with Trump and Pence, Borat decided the only way to save himself from a horrible death was to have his daughter marry Rudy Julliani. Tutar, now having fulfilled her American dream of being a journalist, met Julliani for an interview with the hopes of convincing him to marry her. Julliani shockingly followed her flirtations and both ended up in his bedroom with Juiliani being caught on camera laying prone on the bed with his hands in his pants.

They both returned to Kazakhstan, where knowing that he would be executed for his failure where he discovered his journey was actually what spread the coronavirus around the world, secretly planned all along by his country’s leader. Borat used his phone to record his leader admitting the truth, and bargained his silence for feminist rights, groom trafficing, access to smartphones and technology, with Tutar promoted the the 3^rd top journalist in the country.

Sacha Baron Cohen is unflinching with his overt mockery of such taboo subjects as blatant racism, cosmetic surgery for kids, family sexual abuse, abortions, human trafficing, dealing with COVID-19 as well as a health dose of attacks on elitism and political leaders. For it’s style, it’s pure comedic genius, though some scenes may be a bit for some viewers to handle.

R (Graphic Nudity|Strong Crude & Sexual Content|Language)
1h 36m

by Shirley Lorraine
Radio Theatre Reigns for Halloween

Not going out to trick-or-treat the neighbors. Staying in and staying safe? Want all the chocolate for yourself? Settle in and turn on your radio for some chilling, thrilling tales to listen to by the light of the full moon.

The Every Now and Then Theatre has chosen this Halloween to bring forward a new dramedy in partnership with Conejo Players Theatre in Thousand Oaks. This year’s offering will be “Halloween with Grandpa” six stories featuring numerous well-known Ventura County talents.

Hosted by Celebrity Guest Host, KVTA radio personality Tom Spence, the one hour nationwide, streaming, commercial-free broadcast will air via www.kvta.com on Friday October 30 at 6:00 a.m. (yes, you read that right!) and 1:00 p.m. PT and again on Halloween, Saturday, October 31 at 6 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT. Click on Listen Live to tune in. Then just sit back and enjoy.

The stories, titled They’re Here, Worldwide Wives Conspiracy, Headless Pumpkin, Careful What You Wish For, Haunted House, and Nosey Neighbor’s Computer, are sure to delight and possibly fright.

The cast includes familiar voices of Bob Allen, Lloyd Allen, Dale Alpert, Bob Decker, Jim Diderrich, Judy Diderrich, Erin Fagundes, Julia Rogers Hook, Keith Hurt, Ray Mastrovito, Kelli McKay, Rosemary Moffat, David Newcomer, Courtney Potter, Gary Randolph, Mark Andrew Reyes, Tom Spence, Linda M. Stiegler, Celeste Van Etten, Robert West and James Wortman. TV personality Elvira (who has participated in previous Every Now and Then Theatre productions) makes a cameo “appearance.”

The all-volunteer troupe is allowed only one rehearsal before performance. The mix of seasoned professionals and promising beginners such as Aubree, Tom Spence’s daughter, who making her acting debut to hear grandpa’s six stories, is a proven blend. “It’s a free treat” says Spence. “No travel, no dress code, …get your snacks and relax.”

All Every Now and Then Theatre’s productions benefit foster children by providing broadcast copies to cast and supporters in trade for their donations to KVTA radio’s Children Services Fund. Listen for how you can support this mission and get your own copy of the broadcast after it has aired.

Every Now and Then Theatre, founded and helmed by James Wortman, has been offering sterling performances for Ventura County and beyond audiences for the last 30 years. The Troupe has garnered 54 awards internationally since 1990 for their high-quality radio productions. Find more information about the Troupe at www.everynowandthentheatre.com and on Facebook. Like, follow and support.

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Conejo Players is gearing up for Haunted Broadway Drive-in Theater this coming weekend, October 23, 24 and 25. There may be a few tickets left for this haunted musical adventure if you’re lucky as word has it the event is almost sold out already. www.conejoplayers.org. Cannot attend but want to be involved? Volunteers are always needed for future live streaming projects. Contact Executive Technical Director Jeremy Zeller at [email protected] to see how you can lend your talents.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Like Father – Netflix Films

It seemed as though everything was falling into place in the life of New York advertising executive Rachel (Kirsten Bell) who was looking forward to her upcoming wedding and was up for a promotion. Looks can be deceiving though as Rachel was about to be left at the altar at her wedding where her dad showed up unannounced after being absent 25 years. Later they got together, got drunk, and ended up on the honeymoon cruise with each other.

When Rachel’s phone fell out of her wedding bouquet at the alter after promising not to even bring it to the wedding. Owen took Rachel aside and expressed his concern for her workaholic issues they’ve been trying to work through and apologized saying he couldn’t marry her. As the wedding guests sat uncomfortably witnessing the wedding being canceled, Rachel’s father stood up to leave and tripped over a chair as he exited the venue. This caught Rachel off guard, as she hadn’t seen or spoken to her father for over 25 years.

Rachel tried to return to work, but was sent home for her scheduled vacation after having an emotional outburst in the office. Later that evening, her father Harry (Kelsey Grammer) showed up at her apartment concerned for her and suggested they go to a bar, if even just for one drink and that they didn’t even need to talk if she didn’t want. They both ordered the same drink, Harry ordering 3 to catch up to where Rachel was at before arriving. After some uncomfortable moments and a few more drinks they ended up having a great time drinking the night away.

They staggered back to Rachel’s apartment after a countless number of shots, and were sitting outside when the car arrived that was scheduled to take Rachel and Owen to the cruise ship. They both had a laugh over it for it was for the honeymoon, but were both still so drunk from the night before that the next thing they knew they both woke up on the cruise ship that was already out to sea. Rachel regretted what had seemed like a great idea when they were drunk and tried to get separate rooms but no other rooms were available.

The cruise was set to dock in Jamaica, so they both decided that they would get off the cruise there and fly back to New York. Due to the fact that the ship caters packages to honeymooners, they kept dealing with the repeated awkward assumption that they were just married by the staff and the other couples staying in the honeymoon suites.

Rachel and Harry spent the cruise learning about each other and enjoying activities like honeymooner’s pool parties, and day hike adventures to beautiful waterfalls where they had some very enlightening moments. They also entered in the cruise’s Gigantic Gameshow where they had to match answers and won because Harry coordinated their answers before the game, no matter how they didn’t fit the question. After their win, Harry wanted Rachel to enter the karaoke contest with him, though she refused until Harry shared something that recently happened to him that would cause them to become even closer.

Putting a different spin on the traditonal rom-com, Like Father has a diverse cast of couples; a senior couple, gay couple, and black couple as the other honeymooners on the cruise. Bell and Grammer are a hilarious comedic combo, who are also able to express heartfelt genuine emotion when dealing with the challenges of their past family issues. Those who have distant family relationships may find yourself crying at the joy of this unique father-daughter reunion.

1h 43m

by Shirley Lorraine

SPTC Coming A ‘Haunting

Santa Paula Theater Center’s popular annual Ghostwalk is taking a new turn this year. Every year for the past 25 years, Ghostwalk has been presented in a different location in Santa Paula, telling stories based on historical events of the area. This year, the ghosts are expanding their haunting by streaming directly to your house. Beware and prepare.

No need to wait either. Chose a weekend to catch one of the nine performances– Friday, Saturday or Sunday – October 9, 10 or 11, 16, 17 or 18, 23, 24, 25. To be presented at 7 p.m. on each of these dates, this year’s virtual offering is “Ghostwatch” featuring spooky “deadtime” stories by local authors. Run time is about 90 minutes.

The event will be Ghost-hosted by one of Ventura County’s most colorful living spirits – Doug Friedlander. Actors filmed at unique locations around Santa Paula will present their scripted stories for your enjoyment. Each of the stories has been part of a previous Ghostwalk, so you may relive some shivers as you listen. Woven into all the stories are locations and events from Santa Paula history.

The stories offered this year are Bertha by Bill Nash, Take My Life Please by Mitch Stone, Pancho Barnes by Linda Livingston, Josie’s Tale by Jeanie Hayes, Red Shoes by John Nichols, Saving Grace by Mary Alice Henderson, and Speak No Evil by Jim Kasmir and Jeff Rack.

SPTC recommends enhancing the evening by setting the scene appropriately for your viewing pleasure. Dim the lights, gather some spooky snacks (I highly recommended peeled grapes for their sliminess and something crunchy to pretend you are munching on bones), drink something red, get comfortable and invite the whole family to settle in for some good old fashioned story-telling. It’s all family frightly, I mean, friendly.

This year’s event is a Pay-What-You-Can event. Reservations can be made by calling the Ghostwalk Haunt Line at 805-525-3073 or on the SPTC website either at www.santapaulatheatercenter.org or www.ghostwalk.com or via email at [email protected]. While you’re on www.ghostwalk.com, check out the merchandise you can order which also helps support the theater’s efforts.

The event will be streamed to SPTC’s YouTube channel for public viewing at the following link, https://www.youtube.com/user/santapaulatheaterctr. It can also be seen at https://www/facebook.com/santapaulatheatercenter.

Fall is in the air. Leaves are falling. It is time for the spooks, ghosts and goblins to appear. October (can you believe it’s October already?) is the perfect time for snuggling up to that warm computer in your jammies with snacks, drinks and perhaps something or someone to cling to while watching SPTC’s 2020 version of this always-exciting long-standing tradition. Join in. Tune in. You will be glad you did. Oh, and please make a donation to the theater so these events can continue. All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Theater Center directly. Happy hauntoween!