The Scottish Play Comes to College Of Marin

Here are some of the highlights happening around the Larkspur and Corte Madera Twin Cities area Oct. 3-4:

"A drum, a drum, Macbeth doth come!" College of Marin's Drama Department unveils an electrifying and chilling production of Shakespeare's Macbeth on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Set in a cold, forbidding netherworld populated by supernatural beings and three of the most famous witches in English literature, Macbeth is a dark and intense tale of morbid ambition, corruptive power, and serial murder. Blood lust, stunning special effects, incredible puppets, and of course, the unparalleled poetry of Shakespeare, are melded together in a marriage of classic Eastern and Elizabethan theatrical styles.

Decorated war hero Macbeth and the ambitious, manipulative Lady Macbeth embark on their bloody quest for power, only to descend into madness and self-destruction, fulfilling the prophecy of the three witches.

The play itself has a haunted history. The legend says Shakespeare included real spells and black magic rituals in the script and in so doing angered witches who placed a curse on the play. Superstitious thespians are loathe to speak the name of the play lest it bring the curse down upon them. Last-minute illnesses, strange prop malfunctions and other bad karma have haunted "the Scottish play" for more than five centuries.

When:
October 4, pay-what-you-will-preview at 8 p.m.
October 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20 at 8 p.m.
October 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. 

Where:
College of Marin Performing Arts Theatre
835 College Ave.
Kentfield, CA 94904

Admission: $20 general, $15 seniors, $10 students, COM employees, and alumni Call the College of Marin Box Office at 415.485.9687 for tickets.

Parking: Due to construction at College of Marin parking availability is reduced. On weekends concertgoers may use Parking Lot 3, Circle Drive along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and Parking Lot 2 (across Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, accessed via traffic signaled crosswalk.) Additional parking across campus can be accessed via College Avenue. On weekdays and Monday through Thursday evenings, please park in STUDENT parking only. Daily parking passes may be purchased from the machine in Parking Lot 2 for $3. Parking for events on Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays is FREE.

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• Poetry Night: Join former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass for an evening of poetry Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Dominican University to benefit Poetry Flash — California’s best calendar for happenings, reviews and commentary.

The evening also includes Gillian Conoley, editor and founder of Volt magazine, and professor at Sonoma State University, and Giovanni Singleton, winner of the 2012 California Book Award for Poetry for an inspired evening of poetry.

This benefit reading will help sustain the 40-year tradition of outstanding literary news offered by the Bay Area’s own Poetry Flash. The evening is cosponsored by Book Passage of Corte Madera.

• Children's Storytime: Let's not forget how reading is FUNdamental for children, too. There are a variety of reading groups for young children and their parents around town. Mother Goose is on the loose at the Corte Madera Library every Tuesday at 10 a.m. for storytime for babies 0-24 months old, with a parent or caregiver. The Larkspur Library offers fun for babies and toddlers, with songs, fingerplays, nursery rhymes and very short stories just right for this age group. Pottery Barn Kids and Barnes & Noble Booksellers also offer children's storytimes.

• Organic Pumpkin Patch: Organic heirloom pumpkins from Marin’s Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas, are now available at the Marin Country Mart! There are two pumpkin patch locations, one in front of Three Twins Ice Cream, and the second every Saturday at the farmers market. Buy traditional Howden Jack-o-lanterns for carving, or Cinderella Pumpkins, which are great for carving, but also delicious for eating. This is an honor system pumpkin patch (open all day, every day), there is a payment box at the patch, and prices are set as a flat rate by size, small ($5), medium ($10), large ($15).

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