Weekend Planner: Live Piano Score to Silent Film, 3,500 Pieces of Original Artworks

Friday, Aug. 30

Coastside Film Society Screens a Silent Film Masterpiece to Live Piano 

Obscure today, "Variety" is a major work of German Expressionism. A story about a crime of passion distinguished by great performances and the wonderful visuals which were the hallmarks of the movement. Montara's own Shauna Pickett-Gordon will play the piano to accompany the film. This is the fifth time that the Film Society has hired Pickett-Gordon to write a score for one of their silent film screenings and to play that score live on her grand piano during the screening. At 8 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Sanctuary, 777 Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay.

Saturday, Aug. 31

43rd Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, "The Last Blast of Summer"

The Bay Area’s biggest Labor Day weekend event, huge crowds transform downtown Millbrae into the “Big Easy” with a Mardi Gras-style celebration featuring two sun-splashed days of live music, a juried show with 250 professional artists and craftmakers, festive food and drink, premium wines, microbrews and margaritas, artisan specialty food, a microbrew tasting tent, an organic and green product showcase, home and garden exhibits, health and wellness displays, the “Classically Cool Car Show” and tons of fun for kids with the Streets Filled With Talent Music & Dance Showcase plus an ultra thrilling zip-line, bungee jump and an abundance of amazing amusements in Playland. Free. All weekend long 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Broadway in Millbrae.

Sunday, Sept. 1

Spindrift Players Present "Noises Off"

Take in a 2 p.m. matinee. “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn is a British farce about a wacky cast of actors rehearsing and performing a play. The second act requires the entire set to be rotated, revealing the backstage and all the shenanigans that ensue. With the Spindrift Theatre in Pacifica yellow-tagged due to a sagging roof, the actors have been rehearsing in a small gallery space, ever hopeful of finding a new home. Thanks to the generous assistance of the Jefferson Union High School District, the show has relocated to the theater of the defunct Serramonte High School campus, now Serramonte del Rey, in Daly City, running through Sept. 15.

All weekend long

Fifth Annual 50|50 Show at Sanchez Art Center

Here's your chance to check out 50 small artworks in 50 days by 70 artists. The artists for this show were selected by juror Lonnie Lee, the founder and curator of Vessel Gallery in Oakland. The artists were challenged to translate their artistic vision to one 6 inch by 6 inch work of art per day for 50 consecutive days. The resultant 3,450 pieces of art provide the viewer with an impressive range of concepts and interpretations including snapshots of California and San Francisco, artistic meditations on color and texture, abstract interpretations, and inanimate objects rendered in new visual ways. The show is a mix of a gallery sale and an exhibition. Artists receive 70 percent of the sale price of their work.
The remaining 30 percent commission, which is less than typical for a commercial gallery, goes to finance the year round free exhibitions presented at Sanchez. Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd. Gallery hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and by appointment. More information on the artists and event is available at sanchezartcenter.org or by calling (650) 355-1894.

If you're looking for things to do in the Half Moon Bay area, click here for some great weekend events as well.