Wynton Marsalis will perform and discuss his music during a virtual UCSB Arts & Lectures program.
UCSB Arts & Lectures is finding various ways to keep people entertained and enlightened.
One way involves free movies at the West Wind Drive-in in Goleta.
They’ve been a hit with crowds packing the 307 S. Kellogg Ave. site, and the movies will continue Thursday with “Selena.”
Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos star in the 1997 movie about the pop sensation.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and as experienced drive-in theater fans know, it’s wise to get there early for the best view. If you drive a compact, you can park in the front row; otherwise, it’s the second row and beyond.
The Arts & Lectures films at the drive-in include food trucks.
After “Selena,” Arts & Lectures will show “Lady Bird” at 8 p.m. Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, who clashes with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), in the 2017 comedy-drama.
On Nov. 10, the free drive-in movies will switch to action with “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), the first and arguably the best of the “Indiana Jones” films starring Harrison Ford. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
After “Indiana Jones,” “Arts & Lectures” will show the animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse,” which clearly shows there’s more than one way to spin a web.
Besides the free movies under the Goleta sky, Arts & Lectures is providing virtual programs and concerts.
All you need is a comfy seat and a laptop, home computer or smartphone to watch acclaimed musicians such as Wynton Marsalis. He and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet will perform “The Sounds of Democracy” at 5 p.m. Friday. You’ll like the price: It’s free.
Afterward, you can watch as Dr. Jeffrey C. Stewart, a UCSB professor and author, moderates a conversation and audience Q&A with Mr. Marsalis.
The programming continues with a civil rights icon as part of UCSB’s “Race to Justice” series. The movie “John Lewis: Good Trouble” will screen online at 5 p.m. Nov. 17.
The documentary covers the life of the late John Lewis, a legendary civil rights activist who became a longtime congressman and worked on issues such as voting rights and health care.
After the screening, there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Dawn Porter.
On Nov. 19, UCSB will present Sister Helen Prejean, a leader in efforts to abolish the death penalty, in a “Race to Justice” virtual program at 5 p.m. She’s the author of “Dead Man Walking,” the book that was adapted into the 1995 movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
In December, UCSB’s virtual programming will continue with writer Pico Iyer’s conversation with Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir “Wild.” That’s about her solo efforts to walk the 1,100-mile trek on the Pacific CrestTrail.
The program is set for 5 p.m. Dec. 3.
And on Dec. 10, UCSB will present a virtual concert with a Pink Martini cabaret featuring China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale. It’s set for 5 p.m.
The virtual programs are free for UCSB students, but most of them cost $10 for everyone else.
To purchase tickets, register or watch the presentations, go to artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.
email: dmason@newspress.com
