In the Arts

ArtX, a two-day event that will feature performance art, spoken word, film, video art and alternative and experimental music and dance, will take place Feb. 25 and 26 at The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, 20 Third Ave., Long Branch.

The event will feature videos by Robert Mataranglo, Jude O’Connor and Doreen Laperdon Addison; film shorts from the Red Bank International Film Festival provided by the Freedom Film Society; performance art by Curt Ikens, Xylopbone of Wrenches, Bettina Zirkle; and music by Meg Macan, April Smith, John Padovano, Jessie Poland, JFK’s LSD UFO, The Martin Blondes, Mistress Debra Dynamite, Tommy Anton and Joy. There will be an open mic and open studio tour of most of the 19 studios at SICA. “Critics Select” is on view in the gallery. Admission is: Friday, $4, $3 nonmembers; Saturday, $6 and $5; and for the two days, $6.50 and $8 .

The Dunbar Repertory Company will launch its 18th season with a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” Feb. 24-27 at the Algonquin Arts Theatre, Manasquan.

“A Raisin in the Sun” chronicles a poor black family’s struggle for survival. The cast features Lorraine Stone of Eatontown as Mama, Maurice Puryear of Fair Haven as Walter Lee and Charles Pryor of Eatontown,.

Performances are Feb. 24 and 25 at 8 p.m., Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Feb. 27 at 4 p.m., at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan. Reserved tickets are $16, with a $3 discount for students and seniors, and may be purchased in advance by calling the box office at (732) 582-9211.

Soprano Anna Kostrzynska will present “Arias in the Early Evening,” Saturday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at Kensington Court Assisted Living Community, Tinton Falls. Works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Mozart, Strauss and Chopin will be performed. Kostrzynska will be accompanied by Felix Molzer, director emeritus of the Monmouth Conservatory of Music. The performance is free, but reservations are requested and can be made by calling (732) 784-2400.

“Creating Peace,” an exhibit of watercolors and silks by Lincroft artist Lauren Savaiko is currently on exhibit at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, Ocean Avenue. Savaiko believes in using one’s creativity to connect people to one another in harmony and peace. Her scarves, meditations on the things she’s seen, will be displayed for the first time during this show. The exhibit space is shared with family and friends. The show runs through March 9. A reception will be held Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

The Visiting Writers Series at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, will host poet Renee Ashley on March 1. She will present a reading and lecture at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Black Box, room 101. Ashley is the author of three volumes of poetry and a novel and is on the faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University. For more information, contact Laura McCullough at (732) 224-2053, or e-mail lmccullough@brookdalecc.edu.

The Theatre Brut Festival of Short Plays will take place next month in Long Branch. Second in an annual series, this year’s theme is Sacrifice. Nineteen short script-in-hand plays will be presented over three days, Friday March 4, at 8 p.m., Saturday March 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday March 6 at 2 p.m. at the New Jersey Repertory Co., 179 Broadway, Long Branch. A different series of plays will be presented each day.

Suggested donations are $25 per day ($20 for subscribers and students); $50 for all 3 days ($40 for subscribers and students). To reserve seats, call (732) 229-3166.

Are you ready for an interactive, multisensory trip around the world without ever leaving Monmouth County? “A Taste of Culture” is a series of three dinners exploring Armenian, Middle Eastern and Latino cuisine and arts with the help of a culture guide.

The program, a collaboration between the Monmouth County Arts Council and The Project for Intercultural Development, will take place on three Thursday evenings this spring:

Armenian, Cafe Everest, 45 Broad St., Red Bank, Thursday, March 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.;

Middle Eastern, Ranoosh, 612 Second Ave., Long Branch, Thursday, April 7, 6-8:30 p.m.;

Latino, Juanito’s, 159 Monmouth St., Red Bank, Thursday, April 28, 6-8:30 p.m.

Cost is $40 for MCAC members and $45 for nonmembers.

For reservations and more information, call Stevi Lischin at (732) 291-3240.

The First Avenue Playhouse will present “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” beginning March 4 and continuing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through March 26. Performances are at 8:30 p.m., with a 2:30 p.m. matinee March 20.

Winner of a Tony Award for Best Play, “Last Night of Ballyhoo” takes place in Atlanta in December 1939. For reservations and information, call (732) 291-7552 or visit www.firstavenueplayhouse.com

Ticket prices are: $12-$20 for dessert theater. The playhouse is located at 123 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands.