Springboard Music Festival, ‘The Maids’ and more — you have to see this weekend’s top events

Jan. 8, 2020 4:19 PM PT

This weekend’s events include Springboard Music Festival, San Diego Brew Festival, Padres FanFest, Resolution Run and more.

1.9-11: Springboard Music Festival

Forty emerging musical acts receive two days of mentorship from renowned experts, then show off what they’ve learned at live shows during the neighborhoodwide Band & Brew Crawl.

Venues throughout Ocean Beach, springboardwest.com

Aspiring musicians flooded the streets of Ocean Beach at the Band & Brew Crawl during the Spring Music Festival on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019.

1.10: Jim Jefferies

Known for: Legit, The Jim Jefferies Show, political humor (from an Australian perspective)

@ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org

1.10-12: “The Maids”

The nomadic Nervous Theatre transits through San Diego with its touring production of Jean Genet’s provocative classic about a pair of maids who role-play a murder plot.

Nervous Theatre at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, downtown, nervoustheatre.com/the-maids

Starting 1.10: “Babette’s Feast”

After an earlier postponement, Lamb’s puts up the stage adaptation of Isak Dinesen’s short story (which also inspired an Oscar-winning 1987 movie); the piece focuses on a French refugee who transforms a Norwegian village with help from a bountiful feast. Through Feb. 16.

Lamb’s Players Theatre, Coronado, lambsplayers.org

Starting 1.10: “A Chorus Line”

The 1970s-vintage “singular sensation” of a musical gets its kicks again with this revival of the piece about big Broadway dreams. Through March 22.

@ Welk Resorts Theatre, Escondido. sandiegotickets.welkresorts.com

1.11: Eighth annual San Diego Brew Festival

Indulge in unlimited samples of 150 craft beers from 70 local and international breweries during this day that also features a flurry of food trucks and loads of live music.

Liberty Station NTC Park, Point Loma, sandiegobeerfest.com

The sun peaked out for the San Diego Brew Festival at Liberty Station on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019.

1.11: Padres FanFest

Score autographs, attend Q&A sessions and enjoy an assortment of interactive experiences at this free event that supports our city’s Major League team.

Petco Park, East Village, padres.com

Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer, left, is all smiles as he finishes signing an autograph on a baseball for eight-year-old Damain Quintana, right, from Orange County, during Padres FanFest 2019, at Petco Park.

1.11: 13th annual Resolution Run

Burn off heaps of holiday calories during a scenic 5K, 10K or half-marathon concluding with a freebie-filled wellness village.

Tecolote Shores, Mission Bay Park, resolutionrun.com

San Diego started 2019 off on the right foot at the 12th annual San Diego Resolution Run 5K/10K/Half Marathon at Tecolote Shores in Mission Bay on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2019.

1.11: Miranda Sings

Known for: YouTube videos, red lipstick, Selp-Helf

@ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org

Comedian Colleen Ballinger aka Miranda Sings performs onstage during Shoebox's 29th Birthday Celebration hosted by Rob Riggle at The Improv on June 10, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

1.11: Gary Gulman

Known for: The Great Depresh, making depression and anxiety funny

@ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com

Comedian Gary Gulman performs onstage during HFC NYC presented by Hilarity for Charity at Highline Ballroom on June 29, 2016 in New York City.

1.11: Aunt Mary Pat DiSabatino

Known for: chain-smoking, loving the Philadelphia Eagles

@ The Comedy Palace, thecomedypalace.com

1.11-1.19: BIGA’s Pig Roast and Local Libations Week Kick-Off

Sixth Avenue’s acclaimed Italian bistro kicks off the city’s second annual Local Libations Week and simultaneously celebrates four years in business by roasting a hog in honor of the area folks who cultivate organic ingredients for the restaurant’s recipes.

Biga, Gaslamp Quarter, farmtoforksd.com

Starting 1.11: “Contemporary California Sculpture”

Sparks Gallery collaborates once again with the National Sculpture Society for a show that features works by sculptors in Southern California and the San Francisco area. The subjects and material vary but each artist will showcase a three-dimensional piece with a contemporary twist. Through March 29.

@ Sparks Gallery, sparksgallery.com

Starting 1.11: OMA Artist Alliance Annual Member Show

New Year, new artwork, anyone? The talented artists in the Oceanside Museum of Art’s Artist Alliance are bringing some of their best (and most affordable) pieces to Ashton Gallery. Find some local art to take home and class up the place. Through Feb. 7,

@ Ashton Gallery, ashtonartgallery.com

Starting 1.11: “The Tonic of Wildness”

From studying chemical engineering to art history, photographer Marie Tartar presents her underwater photography alongside the work of ethical wildlife and landscape photographer Trai Anfield and her terrestrial and wildlife work in this two-woman show. (Tartar will walk art lovers through her work on Jan. 18 at the Escondido gallery.) Through Feb. 15.

@ Photographer’s Eye Collective, thephotographerseyecollective.com

Starting 1.11: “Endangered: Exploring California’s Changing Ecosystems with coinciding Finding Heaven in Hellhole Canyon”

Both the beauty and destruction of local flora and fauna in our region is the focus of the artwork in Endangered, while the glory of open space in Valley Center’s Hellhole Canyon is depicted artistically in Finding Heaven. Through March 8.

@ California Center for the Arts, Escondido, artcenter.org/museum

1.12: Jen Kirkman

“I think the whole tattoo thing is a lot like kids. Like, first of all, some people want one, some people want none, and some people want a bunch until it’s all over their arms and it looks like a lot of work. But you go to a place, you lay down, there’s a lot of pain and you’re like, ‘God, I hope I love it. It is permanent.’” — Jen Kirkman on Just Keep Livin’?

@ American Comedy Company, americancomedyco.com

Comedian Jen Kirkman performs onstage during Hilarity for Charity's 5th Annual Los Angeles Variety Show: Seth Rogen's Halloween at Hollywood Palladium on October 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

Through 1.12: “Dear Evan Hansen”

A misunderstood letter, family troubles and teenage angst drive this touring Broadway hit, with songs by Oscar and Tony winners Pasek & Paul.

Broadway/San Diego, downtown. broadwaysd.com

A photo of Stephen Christopher Anthony in 'Dear Evan Hansen'

Events Things To Do

Michael Benninger

James Hebert

James Hebert is The San Diego Union-Tribune’s theater critic, and has covered the San Diego arts scene for more than two decades. He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University in New York and worked as a magazine editor in Boston before joining the U-T. Hebert’s awards include a national arts-writing prize from the Society for Features Journalism (for a profile of the choreographer Twyla Tharp), and some two dozen local and regional journalism honors; his work also has been republished in two college writing textbooks. In 2009, Hebert served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Lisa Deaderick

Lisa Deaderick writes about social justice issues in her Sunday column for The San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as influential San Diegans for the One-on-One series that runs on Saturdays. Each week, she’s speaking with community activists, academics, volunteers, or other knowledgeable individuals about everything from the benefits of music in education and the creative work of notable artists, to understanding the importance of representation and inclusiveness. A Chula Vista native, Lisa graduated from Bethune-Cookman University in Florida and Columbia University in New York, and has worked at the Union-Tribune since 2008.