Curtain Theatre
Planting the Future: The Outdoor Art Club Gets Ready for Its Next Century
If you’ve walked past the shingled building tucked behind the wisteria-covered gate at 1 West Blithedale Avenue lately, you may have noticed something: the Outdoor Art Club has been busy. In fact, over the past three years, the Club — one of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce’s longtime members — has quietly undertaken a once-in-a-century effort to preserve and renew one of downtown’s architectural gems. The club has hosted generations of civic gatherings, performances, celebrations, and community conversations – but few people remember that in the 1930s it narrowly escaped demolition when the City proposed turning the site into a parking lot. Now, the Club’s members have once again rolled up their sleeves to care for this landmark — this time by ensuring it meets modern safety and health standards while preserving its historic character.
Read MoreThe Outdoor Art Club Hosts an Extraordinary Season of Deep Dives into the Arts, Local Politics & the Natural World, From Grammy-Nominated Legends to World-Class Climate Scientists!
The OAC’s public speaker programs for 2025-2026 begin in September. We hope you will join us for an engaging year of speaker programs and public events. Be sure to note the location for each program. Our Clubhouse will be closed from January through May as our kitchen undergoes a major renovation. Programs during that period will be at various locations.
Read MoreFrom Pam Keon and All the Amazing People Who Took on the Herculean Task of the 125th Celebration: Join the Dedication of the 125th Time Capsule – Dec. 8th, 5pm at City Hall!
Pam Keon: On Monday, December 8th, I hope you can attend these events at Mill Valley’s City Hall. At 5pm we will dedicate the 2025 Mill Valley Time Capsule. This ceremony marks the celebration of Mill Valley’s 125th anniversary year with the placement of a time capsule capturing daily life in 2025 and documenting the three-day 125th Anniversary Celebration over Labor Day Weekend. The 2025 time capsule will be placed inside the 12+ ton red jasper boulder that sits in front of City Hall, and replaces the 1953 time capsule that was removed from the boulder earlier this year. The new time capsule is to be opened on September 1, 2100 – so mark your calendars, or your children’s or grandchildren’s calendars!
Read MoreThe Outdoor Art Club Hosts ‘Why Does A.I. Matter – Oct. 30th, Doors Open at 6:30pm for Libations & Lively Conversation – Free Admission!
Reserve on Eventbrite for a lively evening with A.I. expert and Mill Valley resident Susan Gonzalez, who will join us in conversation covering basics about how artificial intelligence can improve our daily lives. Gonzalez will be be answering questions that range from “Why does that chatbot want to be my friend?” to “Is it my imagination or is my A.I. tool hallucinating?” Gonzalez, the founder and CEO of non-profit AIandYou, previously served as a policy exec at Facebook and on the National A.I. Advisory Committee advising the White House A.I. initiative office.
Read MoreCurtain Theatre Returns With a Dynamic Series of Free Performances of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It,’ Directed by Doyle Ott – Celebrating 25 years in Old Mill Park!
As You Like It is a play about exile, the challenges and rewards of living outside the centers of power and knowledge–and the self-knowledge and healing that emanate from Bohemia, symbolized here by the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s home county.This production will lean into the dangers of exile, including the need to escape and to stay hidden, the tension between the need to trust strangers and not knowing whom to trust. As the broken exiles learn to heal, shepherds and farmers reclaim the dignity of their craft and a tyrant Duke is transformed, emerging like a prayer for the wisdom the people deserve in a ruler.In design, staging and music, we will pay homage to the Bohemian ideals that Northern California—and particularly, Mill Valley—have represented for 125 years.Free! No tickets or reservations.
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