A book signing for “Two-Faced: Confessions of a Soap Opera Make-Up Artist” will be held Sept. 23 and 24, 1-4 p.m. Local makeup artist to the stars Timothy Alan will be signing copies of his beautiful new coffee-table book at Face FX, 15 White Street. In attendance will be legendary soap stars Robin Mattson and Crystal Chappell. For more information, call (732) 345-8401.

The Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury will hold its 13th annual Juried Show Sunday, Oct. 2, through Wednesday, Oct. 26. Anthony Ventura, first place award-winner for the past two years, will judge this year’s show. Past entries have included oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, photography, colored pencil, pastel, collage, and sculpture. An opening reception will be held Oct. 2, 2 to 5 p.m., with award presentations at 3 p.m. The Guild is located at 620 Broad St., where gallery hours are noon-4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For information, call (732) 741-1441.

Auditions for “The Nutcracker” will be held by the Performing Arts Ensemble at 4 p.m. Sept. 18, at the American Academy of Dance studio, located in The Galleria, Red Bank. Needed are girls and boys ages 4-12, teen pointe dancers, ballet dancers, dancers of all kinds and ages, gymnasts and male actors. The ages of the participants will be from 4 years up to and including adult professionals. The audition is free. For more information or to make an appointment, call (732) 671-9655.

The Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Association of New Jersey Inc. will hold a stage show and jam session Sept. 18 from 1-5 p.m. at Embury Methodist Church, Church Street, Little Silver. The event will feature five bluegrass, country or folk bands. Admission is $5 for nonmembers and $4 for members. For more information, call (732) 787-1891 or visit the Web site www.newjerseybluegrass.org.

The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank and Holiday Express are planning a benefit concert to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The event will take place in September. Details and artist information will be made available soon.

“Brookdale Undercover,” a collection of fiberarts will be on exhibit at the Center for Visual Arts (CVA) Gallery of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft through Oct. 7. Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Exhibitors include college faculty and staff from areas other than the arts. The exhibit includes hand-dyed and printed wall hangings, hand-dyed fabrics, floor cloths and quilts. For more information, call (732) 224-2618 or (732) 224-2520.

Over The Rainbow Productions will present “I’m Not Rappaport,” the Tony Award-winning play by Herb Gardner at The Eatontown Playhouse, 37-13 Route 35. Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., Sept. 16 to Oct. 8. Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors/students. For reservations, call (732) 888-0339 or e-mail otrpinfo@comcast.net The Children’s Entertainment Series at the playhouse will present “Krazy Kamp,” a musical for ages 6 and up, Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, Saturdays at noon and 3 p.m. and Sundays at noon. Tickets are $10. Auditions are being held for “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Adult men are needed for the cast. Performances are Nov. 11 through Dec. 18. Call for an audition appointment.

The Performing Arts Center at Brookdale Community College will hold auditions for the upcoming production of “Cabaret With Culinary Confections” in the Main Theater on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 1-5 p.m. Rehearsals begin Sept. 19 and performance dates will be October and November. The cabaret will feature perennial favorites as well as lesser-known material by American Broadway composer Irving Berlin. For an audition appointment or more information, call (732) 224-2411

The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts (SICA) in Long Branch will hold its first annual Friends of SICA Awards Dinner Thursday, Sept. 22, at Branches, 123 Monmouth Road, West Long Branch. Guests of honor are Elaine Vincent, manager-NJ Community Involvement, FirstEnergy & FirstEnergy Foundation, and James Markey, area manager, JCP&L. An Artistic Excellence Award will be awarded to artist/curator/writer Dominick Lombardi. Local businesses being honored include SOME Architects, Novo Design Corp. and Siperstein’s Paint. Tickets are $65 for SICA members and $75 for nonmembers. For more information or to R.S.V.P., call (732) 263-1121 or visit www.sica.org.

On Sept. 23 and 24, Cel-ebration! Gallery in Red Bank will host the “Lady and the Tramp” 50th anniversary event in conjunction with the Walt Disney Classics Collection, Disney’s award-winning line of fine animation sculptures. The event offers Disney enthusiasts the chance to purchase an exclusive sculpture from “Lady and the Tramp” available only during the two-day event. Cel-ebration! is located at 30 Monmouth St. in the Victorian Courtyard. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (732) 842.8489 or visit www.cel-ebration.com.

The International Center and the Office of Student Life and Activities at Brookdale Community College will open the free fall Foreign Film Fridays series with a Sept. 30 screening of “Lovers of the Arctic Circle” at 7 p.m. in Room 100 of the NAS building on the Lincroft campus. The Spanish film has English subtitles and is rated R. A discussion will follow. For information, call (732) 224-2799 or visit internationalcenter.brookdalecc.edu.

The “Green Screen Tour,” featuring Drew Carey & The Improv All Stars, will be at the Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, on Saturday,

On Oct. 1 at 8 p.m., the live show is completely improvised based on suggestions from audience members. Tickets are $75-$38.50 and can be purchased by calling (732) 842-9000 or at www.countbasietheatre.org. Other upcoming events at the Count Basie include Julius La Rosa & The American Jazz Repertory Orchestra Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. Tickets: $50-$20; Olivia Newton-John in “You’ll Honestly Love Her!” Sunday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets: $100-$50.

The New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway in Long Branch, will present the premiere of “Tilt Angel,” a blues-infused Tennessee fairytale about a most unusual working-class family by Dan Dietz. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 p.m, selected Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, $35 for opening night with reception. For more information, visit www.njrep.org or call (732) 229-3166

The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank has received a 2006 ArtsConnect Performing Arts Touring grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. The grant of $10,400 will support a performance of “Anytown: Stories of America” by Shapiro & Smith Dance with music by Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa and Suzie Tyrell. The performance will take place Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m., at the theater, which is located at 99 Monmouth St. Tickets are $50-$20. A total of $375,135 in 65 grants was awarded through the ArtsConnect 2006 program.

Front Street Trattoria in Red Bank is hosting an exhibit of photographs of “The Gates,” the outdoor installation that had visitors to New York’s Central Park talking about the nature of art — and the difference between saffron and orange.

Printed on fabric and hung to move at the slightest breeze, much like “The Gates” themselves, the photos are the work of Red Bank resident Patricia Russoniello, who visited Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project repeatedly throughout its 16-day run last February. Her aim, Russoniello said, was to document “The Gates” at various times of day and in all kinds of weather. The photographs will remain on display through Sept. 30. Front Street Trattoria is located at 31 W. Front St.